How does Bartonella affect the GI system?

Hi there -

Great question. I'm not sure of the exact scientific answer. But I have significant GI issues and many of them likely caused by bart. I am still struggling to recover.

Some of the symptoms can be like chron's, SIBO, IBS, gastritis, the list is long but they are the general GI issues. And, for some strange reason, the GI is really not well understood in the medical field. Go figure.

In general, the damage in my gut is a broad and basic disruption of GI function. I was diagnosed by my lyme-literate gastro with "palsy of the gut" and this article has a lot of great info that might help answer your question.

www.lymenet.de/literatur/vtsherr_gut.htm

Before I knew I had lyme, I developed very strange GI "attacks" after taking several rounds of various abx for chronic sinusitis and bronchitis (although the infection I had was fungal, not bacterial). Ironically, the abx only made my sinusitis and bronchitis much worse, but since some of them area slo used to treat lyme & coinfections, I started developing very lyme & co -specific symptoms and that's what made me suspect lyme and I got myself to an LLMD...

So, these attacks would start in the middle of the night and I would develop this cramping in my stomach and upper GI and then my entire torso - all around my back - would be cramping in a pulsating manner... more and more severely, and this would go on for HOURS... I passed out a couple of times just trying to crawl to my cell phone to call 911. Finally, the episode would end with projectile vomiting a couple of times and then it was over and I would pass out from exhaustion but no more cramping. The next day I was sore and exhausted but I was fine.

These attacks would come on a 4-5 wk cycle for about 6 months after I had taken these abx that seemed to stir the hornet's nest. Then they stopped. Then I started my lyme & co treatment a few moths after that and when I started taking Byron White formula A-Bart for bartonella, they started up again... and about 6 months later I stopped taking it and the episodes stopped. I suspected the correlation but wasn't sure. Then, on Feb 3 I started the A-Bart again and sure enough the next day I had a nasty attack. Except it took a MONTH to recover from this one.

So my LLMD put me on vancomycin IV (I'm already taking IV Rocephin for lyme) and at first, I felt immediate GI relief--from the first dose even. But that's waning so not sure what that's about yet. BUT I know without a doubt I have significant gut flora imbalance. So maybe the vanco is still helping but I am not replacing the right "good" bacteria or not doing it effectively enough... still need to figure this all out. But no more attacks. At some point I need to reintroduce A-Bart to be sure the bart is gone--or whatever is reacting to it is gone.

I also have significant food sensitivities from leaky gut - the tests show antibodies to just about everything I eat but I mainly have physical reactions to grains, sugar and dairy. I don't know if this is due to bart or to a long-standing yeast/fungal issue.

I have recently developed a strong interest in fecal microbiome transplant as a means to rebuild healthy gut bacteria. Once I get rid of the bart in the gut, I think my flora challenges are causing the most issues for me. I did some DNA testing awhile back and I was born with low "good" bacteria and a few other challenges that I'm hoping I can reverse with a good donor! But it's not an easy process and I likely have another year of treatment left anyway so that gives me time to research it.

Hope this helps answer your question!

-p

Holy smokes Pirouette! Your attacks were very similar to what I've experienced. I've told doctors about this and they just look at me like I'm crazy and was never able to figure out what they were. I would get them only at night, the pain would start in my diaphragm and radiate out through my torso and out my back. My back would be screaming hot to the touch and literally it felt like someone had shot me with a shot gun blast. So much pain, I've never experienced anything like this before or since. The only relief I could get was to walk - if I stopped or sat down or God forbid, lay back down, the pain would shoot up to levels that were incomprehensible. The first few I had, I went to the ER to get pain shots, but after that I would take my dog's pain medication (I know, bad, but I didn't have health care at the time) and pass out somewhere after walking miles in my house round and round....usually on carpet, thank goodness. The pain never came on or stayed during the day - it was a night time thing only and would leave me completely wrecked for a day or so from exhaustion and pain. They kept telling me it was gallbladder and did a bunch of tests in ER but nothing ever showed positive for it. I had these on and off for several years and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason for them - they would just appear. I've often wondered if they could have been early Lyme symptoms but because I've never heard of anyone having anything similar to this, just wrote it off and kind of forgot about it. Since being on Lyme treatment I have not experienced these attacks and it's actually been several years since I've had one.

BTW - I also have a very hard time digesting grains, so keep my grain intake to a minimum but find I can get away with them first thing in the morning, I guess my stomach acids are real strong then and can digest them?

Did you ever get any confirmation of what in the world these attacks were? I'd be very interested to hear.

Thanks!

Jenny