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Do you think I could take a week off treatment?

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Posted 11/20/2014 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
I'm just starting my 2nd month of treatment. I switched back over to mino and eventually felt back to my normal baseline of suffering. I was way too sick on doxy.

I felt better for a few days and now I'm worse again. I don't know why. I'm more anxious, fatigued, weak, sofa bound, useless. I also started Buhner herbs last week. Maybe they are to blame. I added one at a time and never had a problem though. But maybe it took time for the herbs to cause issues?

I was thinking of going off all abx and herbs in an attempt to be functional enough to prepare a thanksgiving dinner with my family and to actually enjoy it! Can't get much done if I'm strung out on Xanax and laying on the sofa all day.

What do you think?
Posted 11/20/2014 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like the Buhner herbs are doing their thing. Do try to remember that the worse you feel now, the better you will feel in the long run.

While it might be a more pleasant holiday if you don't add or increase your meds, stopping them altogether is a pretty radical decision. You could talk to your doctor about it.

Really, though, what is more important? You cooking a turkey dinner or getting back your health? Would you stop your chemo to be the hostess with the mostest? Isn't there someone else in your family to cook? The times that I have called on my family to help they have responded very well, glad to be of help. Don't try to do it all, your most important job is to get well again.
Posted 11/20/2014 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
I think you have a fabulous plan. You are not going to miss much from stepping out only 1 week… And the joy and fun you'll be able to engage in by being more functional over TG will do a lot to feed your soul, which is also very good medicine.

When my treatment starts to overwhelm me I look for ways to increase detox—it's a sign to me that I need to get the debris from the lyme & co. massacre out of my body, faster and better. And breaks are good. My LLMD advised me when I started that she is in support of me stepping the treatment down whenever I feel I need to and that I need to listen to my body. So I would keep your LLMD in sync with what you're doing—he/she might also have good advice.

-p
Posted 11/20/2014 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
UtahGal, taking a week off of abx will help your body recover a bit. It will also let you know if you are still infected.

For example, My primary doctor is concerned that I may be cured from the disease and may be taking antibiotics for nothing. We agreed that I would wean off of abx and stop taking them for a week to see what happened. After a few days many new symptoms came back and even some that I had long forgotten about. Anxiety showed its ugly face again, depression said hi, and my bartonella symptoms made it very difficult for me to walk. I made a log of each symptom to show my doctor. Oh yeah, and who can forget those nasty headaches.

In a way, I was hoping that he would be right and that I could stop abx for good. So it seems that my infection is "dormant" and if I ever stop abx, it will come back full force. That sucks.

Now at least I know that abx is not enough and that I also need to treat the cysts and fibrin and use something to pull them out of my tissue so the abx can do its job.
Posted 11/20/2014 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the advice.

I do not throw an elaborate dinner with guests. I have no family nearby to help. It's just me, hubby, and my two beautiful girls (11 and 13).

In the state that I'm currently in, I don't think I could even peel potatoes. Lol. We are going to keep it simple this year. But still, I need to be a little functional.

And.....I'm worried about Christmas too! How to get all the shopping done, gifts wrapped, tree decorated......feeling this ill.

So, is it possible the Buhner herbs kicked in and that's why I feel so lousy? Does this last weeks.....months.....?

I just want to be a good mom and make a somewhat reasonable holiday season for my girls. It's not fair to them that they have such an ill mother. I could just break down and cry. This disease has robbed me of so much enjoyment. And it shouldn't rob their enjoyment!

I suffered far less before starting meds/herbs.

I'm not sure if this is the herx thing. I just feel anxious, loopy, fatigued, weak, ill, .....I only want to lay down. I haven't even showered in 2 days! Yuck! I'm headed up to take one now.

I need help with what to do. My LLMD returns calls/emails 3-4 days later!! Not very good about getting back to me.
Posted 11/20/2014 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I've told both my daughter and my step daughter that I'm not up to doing it all for Thanksgiving because I have no desire to stop my treatments, then have to go through the herxing again when I restart it. They both have no problem with helping to do all of the things that need to be done - which actually will make it a much more enjoyable day for me anyway!! So for me it's a win-win situation if I don't stop my treatment!

Think about it carefully before making your decision and talk with your doctor. You are just getting started with your treatments.
Posted 11/20/2014 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
I think you should trust your instincts. It sounds like your mind is racing. Maybe you need a break from all this Lyme stuff to refocus. Health is the goal. In the meantime you know the days will keep going by. Maybe you should ask your girls what they want to do. It doesn't have to be traditional! How old are they?
Posted 11/20/2014 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor gives me a week off ANX every month but I continue taking the A-L complex on the off days and then really the rest of the time I pulsed anx and took every weekend off. I am a year into treatment with herbs and 1 month shy with anx and I am really feeling great so the off and on approach didn't seem to hurt my healing.

So I say give yourself a little break but maybe keep up tHe herbal treatment.
Posted 11/21/2014 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
I don't feel qualified to give you advice.

However, I support you no matter what you decide.

Best of luck to you, utahgal!!
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