Viral load

Someone that believes in tests will have to come along for this one.

I know that lyme does so many things. I cannot count how many times I said to my husband, "should I go to the ER?" Finally I just realized that lyme is going to wreck havoc in my body and I actually had to make friends with that.

BUT.... I was a super healthy person that got lyme and had very few viruses. So that is why I say someone else needs to respond.

I did notice that any place in my body that had a previous ailment, that was a weak spot and lyme really loved hiding there.

All I did was plug along treating lyme and one by one the symptoms dropped off my journal list. It was the most labor intensive thing I have done - treat myself for lyme and at the same time TRY not to be anxious and stress. That was super hard to do. Patience is not my friend.

Hi BBm-

Here is a previous conversation about viral loads.
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3618192

For some people, they can be a huge drain on the immune system and interfere with Lyme & co tx. I was one of those people. In fact, my viral loads can cause debilitating exhaustion that I cannot mess around with. I continually need an antiviral throughout tx and I haven't found any herbs that work for me as well as Rx, which are hard on the liver. You'll need to test liver enzymes on Rx.

Many of us have an EBV problem but there are other viruses that respond to antiviral Rx or herbs so we may not know exactly what we're treating.

Testing is... So disappointing. It's more reliable in telling you if your viral load is high but the IgG vs IgM generally don't tell you if it's new or reactivated. For most of us, it doesn't matter and we start treating. And not all antiviral a are created equal - you might have to try one or two to find the one that works best for you.

Hope this is helpful.

-p

Not sure on the testing, but have you ever looked into monolaurin/lauricidin? could be a good option.

Please understand that EBV is a herpes virus - and Acyclovir is a very potent anti-viral, so it makes sense that you felt relief when you took it. And I agree that you will want to look for any viruses like CMT, EBV, all of the herpes viruses - there are actually 8 different strains: bodyandhealth.canada.com/Channel/Infection/Herpes/Herpes-virus-8-types

EBV is HHV4.

I have been using lysine to control my viral loads and have had good success with it, for those that are interested in a non-pharma choice.

Hi BBm--

GREAT questions.

Yes, it's "possible" to take 2 abx and Acyclovir simultaneous but any time you are on antiviral Rx you need to watch your liver enzymes closely by having labs done every 4 wks min.. More frequently if you have liver issues.

Most of us have good luck with controlling them by also taking milk thistle seed and/or burdock root (I was on MTS only until I started the Acyclovir, then my enzymes shot up like mad, I added burdock root and they went down immediately. I ran out of MTS at one point, they creeped back up again so my body needs both). If you are allergic to the MTS seed family, you'll need to do liver cleanses and others might be more helpful with that than I.

My goal was exactly like you described - get the viral load down fast so that I could start Lyme & co treatment. This worked and I maintained control but only as long as I was on the Rx - I have had to take Antiviral Rx throughout my treatment and have been really frustrated with that. Every time I switched to an herbal, the viral loads shot up again jeopardizing my treatment by causing extreme (can't get out of bed) exhaustion and overloading my immune system. I'd get set back a few months each time.

I tried Beyond Balance IMN-V-II a year ago and accidentally overdosed with the herb and it knocked me off my feet for an entire month. Literally.

I've tried every natural antiviral out there (maybe - I've probably tried a dozen) but the single-herb components just don't work for me for the viral loads. After a year of trying I'm finally off Acyclovir and almost at a high doses of Beyond Balance IMN-V-II but I'm still dealing with some viral sx. My last straw to grasp is to try to break up my daily dose to 2 or 3 times a day. If it doesn't work, I'll have to go back on Rx.

But yes, there are several other naturals you can look into. Someone previously mentioned L-lysine, which a lot of people use. Olive Leaf Extract is an antiviral... there are many - just do a web search.

-p

Post Edited (Pirouette) : 8/8/2016 4:08:45 PM (GMT-6)

Pirouette thank you very much for your answer.
I want to ask you the following:
1. How much Acyclovir were you taking daily? When I took it earlier (before I was diagnosed with Lyme), Dr. told me to take 400mg 4 times a day. What do you think, which dosage is good for Lyme patients who also take abx?
2. Is it possible to take abx, Acyclovir and Nystatin at the same time, or is it too much?

Krimpet thank you for your suggestion. I didn’t know about it, I will google it now :)

I am currently on famvir for viruses. How long do most stay on antivirals? I'm supposed to start abx soon. Would 1 month be long enough to get the load down? I've noticed less fatigue and a bit more energy, but I think L-Lysine had a similar effect for me.

Thanks Pirouette!

I gave blood sample and I will write my test results here when I get them :)