Posted 5/23/2015 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Kind People,
I’m putting the lengthy medical history below but briefly, my Lyme Dr only does ABX. With symptoms returning after being stuck at 75% recovery for quite a while, I’ve decided to go to Seattle to see Dr. R whose book I’ve used with some success. Appt not till mid July since I cannot have a neuro herx ‘cause I’m on a big deal project this quarter at work. Brain has to function.
My dilemma is what to do between now and the appt? With my old symptoms (pain, fatigue, wooziness ) and some fresh new ones (chills, tingling hands and feet followed by hot flashes, blurry vision) increasing?
I detox: sauna 3-4x per week, peroxide and epsom baths, biomat, lemon water, massages, dry skin brushing. Practice yoga at least 4x per week. I take green vibrance along with curcumin, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, olive leaf extract, phytostan, thymic protein, probiotics, avoid sugar and processed food, limit dairy and gluten, eat organic so far as possible.
Any ideas or suggestions gratefully received!
History
In 2007 I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and a couple months later with Lyme, CDC positive. No recollection of tick bite. I had been feeling like absolute crap for months and seen multiple doctors before going to holistic practice where I got tested. I was treated with 6 weeks of doxy and supplements for adrenal, couple of vitamin IVs, seemed to work, I got better.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2010, really bad flu, hit me like a freight train. I just didn’t fully recover from it. Saw regular doctor January 2011, she says sinus infection, gives me Doxy. Which knocks me right on my butt, symptoms much much worse (yes, yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing). Doctor switches me to another ABX since Doxy “doesn’t agree with me”. Eventually improve back to where I was when I first came to see her.
Thus began the medical merry go round so many of you are familiar with. Eventually find a holistic practitioner who eventually tests for Lyme. Positive Western Blot from Quest. Refers me to the Dr J, long wait list to get in. He retests, another positive. Start ABX in early Sep. 2012. Neuro symptoms explode, short term memory gone, get lost driving to work, can’t add up a column of numbers, reading comprehension gone, can’t touch type, can’t use chopsticks, munching Aleve like M&Ms, etc.
By end of October, can’t do my job at all, go on short term disability. Effectively housebound. Dr. rotates abx, some improvement in Dec, but not much. Go to IV rocephin for two months, then switch to vancomycin, which does what it says on the tin: vanquishes my neuro lyme. Yay, brain is back, still not great physically, more combo oral ABX, but always with flagyl. Continue to improve. Start physical therapy and psychotherapy. Stop ABX, start antiviral. Continue to improve.
January 2013, return to work part time, 1 day in office, rest from home. Build hours up to 32 per week, mild relapse in Summer. Start the “treat lyme” book herbal protocol for improving energy, recover. Add 2nd day in office, 4 full time days per week.
And stop. No further improvements at all. Struggling to keep up. Severe emotional stress in December has me feeling even worse. Start "treat lyme” book anti viral protocol in January along with a detox regime. Full dose of olive leaf extract is 3 pills 3x per day. Per book, start with 1. Big herx as soon as I step up to two. Tell my Lyme doctor who says yes, herbs can be very effective he just doesn’t know much about them but he can put me back on ABX. Mmm, rather not.
Sick January means I had to overwork in Feb and March, so not feeling too hot despite rigorous detoxing. April is an improvement but still not right, old symptoms and new ones. Decide to go see Dr. R in Seattle (my brother lives there) but work demands mean I cannot go until July and I cannot take anything that could bring on a Neuro herd until I finish this quarter’s work. What to do?