My son's symptoms - reaction from Mepron?

My son has been taking Mepron/Zithro (Mino.) not added in yet.

He has had a bad cough since he began. Sounds like an upper respiratory tract infection.

Has anyone had this reaction to Mepron/Zith? Is it a herx? Seems like more than a coincidence that he started meds and got this.

On a good note he already tells me his headaches are a little better.

July,

Thank you so much. Have you had your cough since Lyme? I am trying to figure out if I need to take him to the pediatrician to check for walking pneumonia or something. The cough is deep and frequent but I don't think it's mucousy. Sounds a little like a bark. We are not a family that gets coughs so don't have a lot of experience.

Thanks and very happy to hear your headaches are better too - or at least go away quickly.

I have a humidifier/air purifier in his room and we keep the room heat off.

July,

I'm so sorry you have been through so much and for so long. You are an inspiration. Thanks for helping me to help him. I will keep an eye on him. I just asked him if his ribs hurt and he said no. LLMD called me back and said to take him off of Mepron Friday-Sunday and see if it let's up.

Has he been tested for cpn ....www.cpnhelp.org ......it is a common opportunistic infection..like toxoplasmosis. .in normal folk nbd ..but not us it is thought to be the root of ashma and ms

I would agree with CD on this, see what you can get him to do to increase his detoxing, if he's herxing, it should help.

Hi Huddie,
So glad to hear he's experiencing fewer headaches!! DS had a dry cough at the beginning of treatment but it cleared up with the abx and malarone (similar to Mepron). It could be a herx or symptom coming out. DS had an explosion of symptoms in initial treatment but by sticking with it they gradually went away and now we are down to just a handful. It takes patience and time and the knowledge that more may erupt as you cycle through the medications but hopefully by the end he will be getting more and more relief. For a long while it may feel like 1 step forward and 2 back but now we are feeling 2 steps forward and just 1 back

DS also had mycoplasma. Has your son been tested for opportunistic lung infections that are easy to test for unlike the tick co infections?

Oh, I know exactly where you are at - the beginning of treatment is 2-3 steps back and .5-1 step forward for awhile. I'm sorry about that - DS missed a lot of school last year for the first 6 months of treatment. But it means treatment is working.

For herxing, I honestly don't know what worked or didn't and sometimes teens just don't feel like doing it. Please don't beat yourself up if you can't get him to do it often. We did do the stuff you mention. Also tried Benadryl (cuts inflammation according to his LLNP) and Alka Seltzer Gold. He does take milk thistle and dandelion daily and in his lemon water I add cilantro, parsley and Burbur Pinella daily. Once DS feels well enough to shower he always follows with a cold rinse. While he usually just does foot baths if he's feeling like a shower he will do a full epsom salt bath just before the shower/cold rinse.

We did everything during the initial period and nothing really seemed to work (his LLNP said they have suspicions that detoxing may not always work -as evidenced by everyone here) but I do think eventually you do find stuff that works or at least is soothing. DS still seems to not be able to get over a herx until exactly 36 hours which is now much shorter than the several day long herxes last year. It starts in mid afternoon and goes until the following early evening. Every once in awhile a few capsules of activated charcoal shortens it but not often. Also when he's feeling okay he should get active - walk, lift some weights even light ones at home. The more exercise he can tolerate (without herxing as a result) the more I think young people can keep the toxins flowing out.

Also, some other thoughts for you. Is there anyway he can drop some of the "electives" or all they all core classes? Are there any classes he can take P/F? I would cut everything back as much as possible related to school work this year so he can focus on healing. Hopefully it won't be too much that he needs to repeat but if that's what needs to happen then it may. I know he's not happy in his current situation.

Alternatively, could he do online school to complete this year - there are many choices there and he can work on his own timeline- and then go back to his old school as you are hoping next year? There's is an online school called Christa McAulliffe out west that lots of kid actors use. You can work at your own pace which could be AWESOME for him. They are accredited. We looked at it for DD who is a ballet dancer.

Also how do you think he'd feel if he needed to re-enter his old school a grade behind? Would this be devastating or a possibility? If it would crush him, I would consider the online option similar to what I mention so you *know* he will pass 9th and can get back in. He could then REST and not have that long commute etc. It would probably help with healing.

Last year about 1/2 the time. This year it averages 1 school day a week. He is never sick on the weekends, lol! But everyone is different. He slept a lot and wasn't able to do much with sports and just took it an hour at a time. I often picked him up early. I've only had to do that 1 time this year so far. He gets sick the last period of the day and just stays but knows he'll be too sick the next day. Last year he got sick whenever.

It sounds like your DS may make it. Hopefully the teachers and school will be accommodating. We pretty much got over worrying about grades and always told the school that our goal is to keep him in school for his sanity, even if he was missing a lot. Luckily they have been great. Our kids have a college essay tied up in their diseases so those can be explained.

Burbur Pinella - just start with a drop and work up. No herxing on that for DS but I guess people do since it's a detoxer. DS takes 1 dropperful (20 drops) daily. His LLNP recommended it.

DS is doing pretty great. Thanks for asking . He is on his first 2 week break from all abx which is the first time in 1 year. He was taking 1 abx on his "off" weeks. He was sick yesterday but is up again today and isn't asking when he goes back on the drugs which is progress! Last year by the end of his 1 week break he would be wanting to go back on the abx because it made him feel better (even though he still herxed plenty). He is pretty much off of his inhaler and away from the scary breathing episodes the past month so progress on that front too. His fevers are less frequent as well.

Good morning,
Breathing issues were from mycoplasma and babesia and both seem to be in remission! Took a year of treatment. Now they are working on Lyme, always, and bart. I'm sure if breathing comes back he'll go back to that treatment.

Probiotics: His clinic recommended Primal Defense Ultra for him, plus I added in 2 others that I give every couple of days, Hyperbiotics Pro-15 and InnonvixLabs Multistrain Probiotic, all from Amazon. They have a bit of overlap but I chose the other two because they have different strains, plus the Hyperbiotic is a pellet that gets into the intestines before opening up - I feel this is imperative. He also drinks a small serving of kefir nightly with the probiotics just before bed.

DS did great over the summer, needed his inhaler, took his abx, but was out in the sun and got lots of vit D. No fatigue, but that is back and only 1-2 serious breathing episodes that were heat related. He had to drop out of lax camp after one breathing episode. He rode his bike alot, started cross country in August and rested, played video games (We had no XBox in our house until after he got sick and it has been so helpful when he has the energy lapses or just needs down time. He's so active and this is a good outlet at this point in life - he can play with his friends from a distance and talk with them etc if he wants. Never thought I'd be a proponent of video games but they seemed to be "just what the doctor ordered" just like grades have gone out the window pretty much too. As we all know, you do what you gotta do.

Hope you have a good weekend!

Huddie have you checked his WBC count?
Abx can reduce WBC, and then person is more prone to infections.