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How to treat bart? And... For HOW long???

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Posted 1/24/2015 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
So here is my question, how do I treat Bart?!??!

Lol I probably already know most of the answers but I still want to hear from others. And HOW long do I have to treat it for??? I am hearing some say 4-6 months is the minimum, others I'm hearing treated for 8 months, and others treated for a year! And I had even read reports of people treating for 18 months!!! But then they were done. And then I read reports of people who took levaquin for 1 month and bart never came back. And Bart has to be treated straight, I think this is probably where most patients including myself go wrong. I stopped treatment too early each time. First time I swear I thought it was gone after 5 months treatment.

Reason being is that I got my prescription for rifampin, septra DS, and zithromax. But I am kind of sick of taking antibiotics... And I know rifampin can beat bart but it takes SOOO long to be on that antibiotic. But I really don't want to live with bart for the rest of my life as it can cause permanent damage and rip up my cardiovascular system.
Posted 1/24/2015 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
I assume you know what I did, although I'd be happy to put it all down again, LP if you wish.
Posted 1/24/2015 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
Houttuynia tea for 8 months I think it was?
Posted 1/24/2015 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
Ugh. I'm on rifampin a nd azithromycin. and cats claw and meriva, myimmune mushroom blend, akba, mc-bfm-1, colloidal silver, hydrocortisone, dgl, nac, hawthorne, basic b and b12 and 6 shots, capryllic acid, serraflazyme, and.... I think that's it? And and probiotics of course. Xymogen 100 billion and hmf forte.

I'm wondering the same thing. I've been on these medicines since November and I don't feel any better Yet. The worst is the pain and feeling like I'm going crazy. My heart is not happy at all.

I hope you get some good answers on here cause I'd like to know too Hahaha. I've read the same stuff from a couple months to 18 months. I have an appointment next week I'll let you know how it goes.
Posted 1/24/2015 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Lymepickle - considering you were almost symptom free when you stopped the abx....don't you think it will be a shorter time to treat - as you're not back to full bacterial load?

I can't offer you any advice - I'm struggling myself with a decision on treating Bart with abx. I'm doing the sida, houttuynia, cryptolepis , hawthorne now....and keeping my fingers crossed that i won't have to go on Rifampin. I've had raised liver enzymes twice in the past four months...and I think I want to keep my liver...lol.
Posted 1/24/2015 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
Girlie ... My immune system has adapted to bart and they Are essentially at a stale mate with each other. It's no where near as bad as when I first got sick. I can get the symptoms under control to no symptoms with the buhner bart drink.

I'm pretty sure that even though I got the bacterial load down enough. I really think it needs 6 months minimum daily treatment to beat it. And we don't even have any numbers on how many people will have it beat by that time! I think if you stop treatment you are back kind of at square one, although you won't be as sick as you were before. I might just treat for 1 year because I would hate to start treatment from square one again.

Taking rifampin for bart works, but it is a loooooong treatment time! Ugh... And you can be completely bart symptom free like I was and stop the abx only to have it come back! Happened to me 3 times already!!! First time 5 months non stop( I swear I thought it was done), second time 2 months non stop (clarithro, mino, septra DS), and last I did the buhner bart drink 1 month. darn this bart.
Posted 1/24/2015 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hey LP

I think you already typed your answer.

"I can get the symptoms under control to no symptoms with the buhner bart drink"

and

"I really think it needs 6 months minimum daily treatment to beat it."


I agree with what you said ;)
Posted 1/24/2015 8:09 PM (GMT 0)

LymePickle said...
Houttuynia tea for 8 months I think it was?

Close!! 9 months combined with the Lyme herbs I used. I'm not sure what ones out of the 11 that are in the chronic tonic might have helped treat Bart.

But, I had Bart from the age of 8 to the age of 47, so I had a high bacterial load. I'm sure that you can have a high bacterial load without having it that long, though.
Posted 1/24/2015 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
Beyond balance bar1. Then bb bar2 if needed worked well for daughter.
Posted 1/24/2015 10:59 PM (GMT 0)
I have read that Bart can be self-limiting if other infections have been treated. I think maybe, with Bart, if other infections like lyme and babs have been treated, a month or two of abx non stop might do the trick. Abx suppress the immune system so after treatment if you still have symtpoms your immune system may be able to hold its own and rid it.
Posted 1/25/2015 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
I was also treated for about 9 mo for barto and it didn't leave me! It left for a while, but it is coming back. Slowly. I think after the 9 mo or immedieately after my first symptoms started to return, however small, I should have switched to herbals. A little late, but I am going to start next week to see how it goes. THe situation with my children getting bitten too, did not help.
Posted 1/25/2015 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear this. Yes Bart can be ridiculous.

Yes I was 8 months on antibiotics ( all the ones you mentioned )

I stopped and my Bart came back within 4 weeks. Sad face.

I will say my antibiotics kept Bart "in check" but I wasn't 100%

Very frustrating.
Posted 1/25/2015 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
Well LP, you do know the answer! But to reiterate....what works is Rifampin or the oh so scary flouriquines. What sucks is even those arent 100%. You also know the flouriquines are quicker but could cause floxing. Therefore, Rifampin & doxy /or/ Rifampin & Zithro are the best combo's Ive heard of. Bactrim is good too....and surprise-those are the 3 you have! LOL ;-)

Idk if you have heard of the "bartonella guru" but if not you should google. This guy is the best and has been the #1 to study bart. Quoting him from a past read- "you can drown bartonella in doxy and it will help but it wont kill it".
Jeez, I think my brain is programmed on the lyme channel 24/7 as far as all the mental notes I have stored Im realizing!

Anyway, the floxing is some scary stuff. Im sooo sick of abx too but this isnt a race so it may take 8 mnths more for you to treat bart. There a few other members besides yourself that come to mind as far as joining this forum at the same time and all of us started serious treatment around the same time and we arent dont yet either so you are not alone at least. We're all in for the long haul.

I honestly hope & think with all you've done though, you probably dont have far to go! You had to have hit some stuff pretty hard with what you have already taken. For all you know, your Rif treatment could be 3-4 months!

Also, how do you know that if you have been at 90-95% that the last 10% isnt toxins leftover and not even bart? I have heard many who were done but had some lingering symptoms due to the toxins left in their bodies. Have you tried any accupuncture or colonic hydrotherapy to stimulate the toxins to get out?


{Hugs}Courtney
Posted 1/25/2015 7:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi orchid... I did do colon hydrotherapy actually and it did help. Acupuncture I'm not sure if it helped or not.

It is bart because I woke up with red slash rashes running up my leg and red blood shot eyes, also not sleeping as well and have the bilateral aches in joints, and the foot aches. The strange vibrations in my brain too.

Lol yup the next best 3 abx are the ones I was prescribed!!! Haha.

And yes the floxing is scary stuff, but the quinolones are known for damaging mitochondria, tendon ruptures, and DNA damage. Not sure I want to go down that path. I think my LLMD doesn't default to quinolone treatment for bart either anymore. He'd rather the patients do the rifampin long term.

Pretty certain it's bart though.
Posted 1/25/2015 7:15 AM (GMT 0)
Jackie... You did the rifampin, septra, zithromax all for 8 months and it came back in 4 weeks???!!! Jeez, that is discouraging. Maybe I should just do herbals for bArt then.
Posted 1/25/2015 7:21 AM (GMT 0)
Fronton... Some say it depends on the strain of bart, and yes there are some people that can get bart under control with their own immune systems. Mine keeps causing problems though And also got into my brain where the immune system doesn't goto.
Posted 1/25/2015 7:22 AM (GMT 0)
Simela, what kind of abx were you on for that 9 months? That is discouraging that it just came right back. Maybe I need to stay on a herbal treatment after Abx too.
Posted 1/25/2015 8:20 AM (GMT 0)
LP

I was all 3 of rifampin, clarithromycin, tinidazole ( which did work for me on bartonella )

not Azithromycin. not Septra - allergic.

I had to work my way up to taking the stuff full dose because herxes were excruciating but working. I think I had a particularly bad case.

I also used HH like Trav used and it worked but I had to knock it off cause herxs were making me hallucinate.

It's hard to be patient especially when anxiety can also be a herx, but if I did it over I would recommend baby steps whatever you try. I just jumped in the pool not knowing. Oh boy.... Don't be afraid, but don't rush it to full 3 meds either til you know what will happen or if you had them before. I didn't see full herxs till 10-12 days in..

I am sure I will need to be on meds again. I wasn't symptom free when I stopped I just plateaued but like I said even not being symptom free is waaaaay better than what I started.

Bart is a hell bug

JM

Post Edited (Jackie Moon) : 1/25/2015 1:24:14 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/25/2015 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
LP have you seen this from Burrascamo.

http://www.slideserve.com/gavivi/case-histories-bartonella-like-organisms
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