Posted 11/1/2015 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
I got Lyme in July 2003 after a tick bite. I was CDC positive. Lucky me! I had my first episode of air hunger driving to work in October 2003. That sent me to the asthma-allergy doc. He said of course that my symptoms had nothing to do with the tick bite/Lyme. I didn't really have any more air hunger until 2011, and then it wasn't air hunger really, it was gasping for air at night or right as I was starting to fall asleep. Until 2011, I kept reading on the forums about people with all these co-infections and I thought I was lucky because I didn't have any! Ha!
Strangely enough, the air hunger problem just got worse after I started going after it. That was in 2012, when I rotated Clinda/Quinine and Biaxin/Plaquenil (ended up in ER after round 2 with air hunger, 102.3 fever, tachycardia, vomiting), then did 6 weeks of Zith/Malarone, then a few weeks of Bactrim/Tinidazole. Then, I went back to the C/Q and B/P for 6 weeks or so. That's when things went wrong. I was waking at night shaking, insomnia, heart palps/racing, very heavy menstrual and rectal bleeding.
I felt the best on Bactrim, so I stayed on it for a couple years (2013-2014) and added in herbals like artemisinin, nutramedix quina, enula and some of the Buhner herbs. I was doing pretty well.
Then, last year, in June 2014, I thought that I would drop the herbs and try Malarone and zith while still on the Bactrim to see if I could provoke a reaction. After a small herx, I did really well and went a couple weeks without air hunger. After being on this for about 7 weeks, I stopped abruptly because my potassium was high (5.5). The normal range is 3.5 to 5.1. I went off antibiotics for a month. Then, by Sept 2014, I was back on the Mal, Zith, and Bactrim. October 2014 is when things really started going downhill. Seemingly, for no reason, the lung pain, lung heaviness/tighness, and air hunger would not go away no matter what I tried. Like I said, though, I have good days and bad, but for the last 3 months, I've only had a few good days.
My bloodwork has almost always been good, with the exception of occasional high potassium. However, the 10 or so times I've had bloodwork in the past year, the potassium has been normal! But, I was thinking since Babesia causes air hunger through the destruction of red blood cells, maybe that's why my potassium has been occasioally high in the past. Because when I used to get the high readings, they would comment that there was no visible hemolysis! So, maybe the rbc destruction by Babesia was causing the high potassium???
It's sooo weird though, because in all other ways, I'm good! Well, my heart wigs out sometimes, but usually only briefly. I only have very occasional headaches, very few stomach problems, very few body/muscle/joint aches. I am still working full time, but probably only because I can sit at my desk practically all day, and I have a really nice boss, thank God!
So, I (probably naively) thought that my detox pathways were all good. But, I finally bit the bullet and did 23&me a few weeks ago. Is that the best way to find out if I have any mutations that would prevent detoxing?
What are the best ways to detox? I drink lemon water and have a BM every day, sometimes more often. Funny how in the Lyme world we can talk to total strangers about our bodily functions! LOL! I take Magnesium and zinc and 14 billion probiotics and drink kefir. A few nights a week, I have salad with apple cider vinegar with the "mother".
My Lyme doc has mentioned that we might be barking up the wrong tree going after Babesia. I feel like because I have used supporting herbs along with the antibiotics, and the fact that I have switched things around so much, often not achieving adequate doses or dosing long enough, I might have created a monster resistant Babesia.
So, I am afraid to stop going after Babesia now and want to give the Malarone/Doxy/Clindamycin (that I'm currently on) a chance (like 4 months) to work.
However, I am beginning to believe that I have a mycoplasma infection in my lungs that might be contributing to my lung problems. I would really like to address this simultaneously.
Your thoughts on detox, mutations, 23&me, Babesia and Mycoplasma are appreciated!