lyme carditis??

So long story as short as I can. My first symptom was high blood pressure. Yep, my Mom has it and my Dad died at age 36 of a heart attack. I had no idea I had lyme and was given blood pressure meds back in July 2015 by my GP. I go to a LLMD and he gives me antibiotics (2 kinds) for a month and says to me "now what do you want to do?" I thought "go to medical school so I can ask my patients how to treat themselves" but I just leave and find another LLMD. So this new LLMD is close and takes insurance! But he sees my blood pressure and I am on a script and he gives me another one! Oh yeah and he is the one that gave me Beyond Balance. He is also the one that I ask "what is the max dose of these herbs?" and he has to call the Beyond Balance company. So I'm not thrilled with him either. Now we are here and I dropped the 2nd BP med and then I dropped the first one, knowing full well that these guys are treating a symptom, not a cause. For 3 weeks I have NORMAL BP readings and then wham, up it goes. I get scared and start taking the 1st BP med. I figure this is die off and I gently get my motherwort up to 1/4 teasp. I am also 1/2 teasp knotweed, 1/4 hawthorn, 1/4 teasp sida, 1/4 cats. Yesterday I had a very mellow pretty much pain free day and I got a lot of easy tasks done. Mostly computer work here at home in my jammies. I go to watch tv and have some tea and I sit in my easy chair and I can feel my pulse throbbing throughout my head and chest. I take my BP and it is 146/91 and pulse is 99. This causes concern. I lay down on the floor (my favorite cozy place by the fireplace and the tv) and I do some deep breaths. I bring down my pressure 140/80 pulse 91. I then get up and sit in my cozy chair and take my BP and it is 161/93 pulse 97.

I discuss this with my bestest buddy, husband and we decide that doctors are only going to treat this symptom and I know in my heart (and hubby thinks so too) that this is lyme.

I am calling Santa Rosa, Dr. G office who works with Buhner's protocol today to make an appointment unless I hear of a better place from any of you. Just really scared since this is really affecting my heart and the sad part is, I can feel the rest of me (lymph, ears, head) all getting well.

Thanks for listening, just in case the next doctor doesn't.

It is usually reversible but do get an EKG and Echocardiography done. Both Bartonella and Borrelia can cause cardiac problems. If it's Borrelia it is called a 'heart block' and most of the time fully reversible with treatment. Bartonella can cause irreversible valve damage but more usually only in immunocompromised patients.

Consider taking CoQ10 (more than 100mg/day) and Magnesium, they will help your heart muscle function properly and will diminish chances you get a heart attack.


"
The Lyme bacterium can infect all parts of the heart, including the conduction system around the atrioventricular node, the outer or inner membranes of the heart, the cardiac muscle, and more rarely, cardiac blood vessels or heart valves.3,4 Tissue damage results primarily from inflammation that occurs as the host immune cells respond to bacteria that enter the tissue. The predominant cardiac manifestation is partial heart block caused by impairment of the electric signal that controls contraction of the upper and lower chambers of the heart. Heart block usually is mild, with complete resolution within 6 weeks after onset. The most common symptoms are light-headedness, fainting, shortness of breath, palpitations, and/or chest pain. Heart block occasionally is complete and permanent, requiring insertion of a pacemaker. Myocarditis or pericarditis may occur. Death has been reported in a few cases. "
circ.ahajournals.org/content/127/7/e451.full

Sorry to hear of these issues, PeteZa!

You've been given good advice. I remember Mister Mike having BP issues when he took sida. Maybe you might want to try stopping that herb to see if it makes a difference....

Is the CoQ10 you take the ubiquinol form?

Buhner's "latest book" is his coinfection book that covers Anaplasma, Babesia and Erlichia so the doc's wife might not be lying.

Hope you feel better soon!

Carditis is scary.... FIND THE BEST PERSON... Klinghardt???? DON"t mess around, it may be a little more $, but save your life....

Okay so go figure this out. Tonight I am 117/78 and pulse is 103. I just know those lil buggers are messing with my heart.

I have to do the specialist on this one. I can't guess. I love Buhner's because look where I am compared to a month ago. I feel almost well. And now this heart issue. Too scary for me to play my own doctor.

The most important fact you mentioned was your family history. A parent who dies at age 36 from a heart attack is a very important piece of information. An individual with this history needs a very thorough workup, and probably best that it comes from a cardiologist.

Lyme could be the primary cause of your symptoms, but with your family history there could be significant pre-existing factors that are now contributing to the symptoms. A cardiologist can determine whether additional testing such as an ECHO and nuclear stress test is warranted.

Depending on the findings it could be relevant to which medications or herbal preparations you should and should not take. Stephania can act like a calcium channel blocker so it should not be taken if you are prescribed a calcium channel or beta blocker for hypertension, or have an AV block.

Kott

Hi PeteZa, Your situation about high Blood pressure (HBP) rings true with my situation a few years ago. When I first got sick I went to the doctor for an eye issue. It was there that they found my BP to be 161/107. I was prompted to go to the ER but instead I went to my PCP. I was given HBP medication (beta blockers) even though my BP was 130/92. During the 4 or so months that I was in it my BP (which I measured 6+ times a day) would fluctuate between 119/78 and 160/105. This would happen many times during the day.

During this time I began to worsen in symptoms that at the time I blamed on the medication but turned out to be Lyme. It was during this time that I wore a heart event monitor for a month to see if anything else was wrong with my heart. I also had a stress test done and multiple ultrasounds of my heart and major arteries. All came back normal.

I eventually made the decision to wean off of this medication. It is an understatement to say that it was brutal! Weaning off of BP medication has been described to being similar to getting off heroin.

Once I was able to stop the medication my BP normalized to around 123/82 and now I average around 118/78.

Something that I have learned while I researched BP issues is that not long ago doctors would find your ideal blood pressure by taking your age and adding 100 to it. So if you were 20 years old your BP should be 120 but if you were 40 then your ideal BP should have been 140. This changed when pharmaceutical companies began pushing high blood medication.

Should you be concerned about your blood pressure?, of course you should. But instead of taking the highs and lows and worrying like I did awhile back, it is recommended that you take the average over a few days and use that as your average BP. If your EKG, stress tests, MRIs and other tests are normal, then that should put your mind at ease.

BTW, are you a female or male? I read a post recently where you described yourself as female but as per your forum name (Pete) I assumed that you are male. Just curious as blood pressure affects females and males differently.

Healing98 I am female. I just happen to love pizza so it is my play on words. Although I don't think I have had pizza for 6 months. It is not readily available unless it is frozen in my neck of the woods. I tired of Amy's even though I loved it.

I am now running tests on myself. First off stopping Sida to see if that does anything and secondly doing vertical and lateral bp readings (possible pots).

I just know that it is a concern. Like I said everything else is awesome. BUT, with lyme you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, as grandma would say.

I have to disagree with Healing98. The idea that you take your age and add it to 100 and that gives you your ideal BP is a fallacy. At 52 that would mean 152 for me. Your BP should not be higher than 120/80 no matter your age as an adult. Don't ignore the bottom number either.

Lots of things can raise your blood pressure, especially stress. Certainly is the S acute contains ephedrine, it will raise your BP. Not can, WILL.

Blood pressure medicine needs to be taken everyday, not just when your blood pressure is high.

There are two types of medication (pharma or herbal) for blood pressure. One is water pills and those can deplete you of much needed minerals and the worst is Potassium. Potassium is necessary for your muscles and the heart is a muscle. Without potassium your heart can't work properly.

So there are two things that can cause your potassium to be low. The first is water pills because they cause you to shed fluids and potassium will go with the fluids. The second is drinking too much water (or fluids). Drinking an excessive amount of fluids dilutes the potassium in your blood. I have ended up in an emergency room twice and the first time my level was so low I was at risk for dying. Weak muscles and heart palpitations can be caused by low potassium.

The other problem with high bp is you are at a risk for stroke and you don't want to have that. The family history figures in there too so don't ignore it.

You should take your bp 3 to 4 times a day and average it to keep track of how things are doing.

I had to switch meds several times. I have high BP and heart disease in my family and all my docs take it seriously. I had actually been off my bp meds for more than a year and then a family crisis sent my BP through the roof. I had to start back on the meds. I couldn't help my family if I had a stroke.

So take it seriously. Check all your meds to see if they have an effect on BP and adjust accordingly, but please take it seriously. If you need the BP meds then take them.

We don't want to hear that you ended up stroking out.

Kim

PeteZa!-

Sorry to hear you are dealing with trying to get your BP under control! Do you ever get light headed when standing? I hope your doctor can help you through this rough time!

Big (((hugs)))

Annette,

FYI /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra

Hopefully once this clears your system your BP will go back to being fine. You were also getting energy and an upper effect from it.

I'm really glad you are going to a knowledgeable Dr. The wait is longer because of the holidays.