Want my life back

Here is my story so far. I am a father of three very active boys and live on a farm. I coach hockey and after leaving a tournament last year end of November I started to get a sore throat. Thinking nothing of it I pressed on with life. Throat got worse so I was prescribed 3 different antibiotics over the next few weeks to solve problem. Finally got swabbed and no strep. I did notice as soon as I took the antibiotics I got worse. Felt flu like.

So fast forward to the mid of Jan and I start to get very weak. I am a very active person and I remember cleaning out my freezer and having to take breaks. Anyway soon after that came the headaches, night sweats, joint pain, stiff neck, delirious, one ear pain (most body pain was on left side etc. My doctor told me anxiety and brushed me off. A day later in er and diagnosed mono. Ok something I will get better from. I started to get better but many symptoms remained and new ones came. Back pain, severe anxiety, body buzzing, feeling like someone stabbing a knife straight through my chest. And then the brain fog. I went from a leader and a boss to not being able to figure anything out.

Just thinking it was mono and my dr assuring me it was I tore through never missing a day of work (usually laying down at lunch). Anyway many trips to er and dr my dad finally came to me and said I think you have Lyme disease. His friend in Alberta had it and said symptoms were the same.

After two negative tests in Ontario I sent one to igenex and booked a appointment with a naturopath Lyme dr. Well test came back all indecisive but pcr positive. Went to naturopath Lyme dr near Toronto
who told me I have Lyme and it is very rare to have a positive pcr but it was the most accurate when positive.

I left with a prescription to get filled by my dr who fought with me and I quickly told to take a hike. Anyway. Feeling relief I had a diagnosis and plan now I was happy. I ended up starting doxy 300mg a day for a month. The first week was hell. One night I was hearing things and felt closer to death then in Jan. Then I started to have better days. Then bad then better then less bad. Then my brain came back. Although I was not 100% I was good enough. Mostly bad headaches.

Next trip to doc she says I am making great progress if I am already having good days and adds grape fruit extract to my protocol. Well I started it and two days later woke up vomiting and ended up in er. Then after the worst headache of my life the brain fog got better again. I even felt 100% normal for 10 min. Lol.

So that all happened the first month of treatment. Thinking I was on the right path and smiling again but not 100% my new dr and naturopath agreed to switch me to azithromycin 250mg twice a day. So I did. Wow it has been a week and the last 5 days on couch. Old symptoms are returning (not as bad as beginning) but I'm so fatigued and tired. I am detoxing with Epson salt bath and vitiman c b12 and tons of pro biotics. Brain fog is back horrible too. Is this a Herx on new med or should I have just kept up with the doxy. I think I must have been bit in October or beginning of November but no idea when. I just want to feel normal again.

I also wanted to mention that mono therapy isn't recommended unless it is an early infection - and hasn't disseminated.
You could go back on the doxy and pulse the zithro a few days a week.

bowdren what you are experiencing is very common. i've been going through your nightmare for almost 2 years. i hope that's not you but brace yourself for a possible long haul. mixing up the abx usually brings out more bugs and symptoms. heck i had a new symptom which has been the worst out of all of them pop up 1 year into treatment.

also the herx reaction can happen right away or weeks after you start a new regimen. it all depends on what is bugs are being dug out from wherever they are, how well your body can clear the toxins they release and what kind of inflammation response your immune system has.

you can be tough and try to battle through some of these herxes but if they become too long/debilitating you have to back off and give your body a rest to detox and get you to a less inflammatory state. this is different for everyone and why its important to keep copious notes to work with your doctor.

hope that helps.

Girlie I just booked a appointment to go to Vancouver to see another Lyme dr.

Yes ive heard good things.

Congratuadolences ...ya ..doxy makes more cystic lyme ..zith can cause mor ear sx but does not get into brain like doxy or mino...you are in for a heck of a ride ...watch justinandcristie.ca she is canadian too it only took her 4.5 yrs ..she had proto1953

What is proto1953

So I have been feeling flue like and the brain fog that was going away well on doxy is returned with a vengeance. Lyme naturopath told me to take a couple days off then return on the zyith at half dose. Would it not be more productive to go back on doxycycline. I was only on it for just over a month but was having better days. Thanks

Thank you Peteza. I have been doing the Epson salt baths and lemon water. I will add some different stuff in soon. So u agree with the brake from meds? Why was I feeling so much better on doxy?

Also I've noticed I feel worse after I eat. (No sugar. Or breads)

Bowdren pre-lyme I was a hot shower taker. I would get out of the shower and look like a red lobster.

With lyme I would stand in the hot shower and I felt like I was melting..... My legs would weaken, my brain would slow and even my speech would slightly slur.... I could barely stand in that hot shower for a minute. This was my first experience with lyme being affected by heat.

Since those early days I have not taken a hot shower. Mine are all now slightly cool.

I also felt discomfort after I ate. I dreaded eating anything. I think my gut was affected by the bugs. The ONLY think that helped me (by the way, this was after many, many tries of everything I could think of) was Pacific brand, Turkey bone broth. Chicken and beef had no effect, but the turkey bone broth was awesome.

I have since learned to eat it the minute I have any tummy trouble. I have frozen organic peas, green beans and organic chicken already cooked (Whole Foods) always ready to spice up the broth. And I throw in some grated carrots, celery and a hand full of spinach leaves. Instant soup and I get my needed greens.

The biggest lesson I had to learn with lyme was PATIENCE! Patience with myself. More forgiving of my errors and not so hard on me.

I am not a boss, but very bossy to myself. Type A, anal retentive, perfectionist.

So patience with myself was difficult. I was a lot more forgiving of others, but not myself.

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz4G31LGyog -- This helped me immensely!!!

Yes they are good people but still decisions have to be made and most of them usually I would make in a instance before. Now it takes time. Embarrassing with the workers. Does the brain fog ever lift