Gradual increase in symptoms?

I have so many questions of others people’s experiences.

Did many of you have symptoms that suddenly started and then just slowly grew and grew to the point of frightening or debilitating and nothing you would try to do helped before you got diagnosed and even at the beginning of treatment? The past year has been a steep decline with a few hopeful moments but then down I go again. I am just starting treatment and my doc has me on antimicrobial herbs before starting Bartonella treatment. I don’t know if I am even tolerating them because my symptoms fluctuate with everything.

No definitive test results. Treated years ago for Lyme for months with antibiotics but not much progress. Bartonella is now suspected. Never treated specifically for Bart.

I feel that my pain and fatigue get worse with everything I do and I am getting more limited. What was ok one day is now too much. After I recover (if at all) my threshold is now lower.

One of my biggest issues is weak, tight and sore shoulder muscles that lead to hand and arm pain along with feet and lower legs. Sitting and working at a computer is now too much and weakens me for days. I feel I want to shut down and stop breathe.

I hope this can be identified and I can get to a place where it is not too exhausting to take a bath or get my food. And sleep is a real issue. Not very much no matter what I take. So rest never helps. I just want to lay in bed and never get up, but hat doesn’t help either. Fatigue and pain are just a couple of my symptoms but the ones getting worse.

Anyone have these issues with ever increasing symptoms?

yep - similar for me too

the early years were bewildering and hard to figure out

in my case i had suspected Lyme initially - based on symptoms but all my doctors completely denied that was possible - so i went years without a proper diagnosis

for a long time the only things i found that helped were things that help everyone feel healthier - ill or otherwise
-good diet ( whole food low carb - and then keto worked best
-focussing on getting good sleep
-lowering my stress levels
-gentle exercise - walking in the countryside ( good for lowering stress also)
-but also pacing myself - as if i pushed too hard everything got v bad

initially and even later it was a case that i had to learn what i could cope with and stick to that -

if i did treatments i would have to introduces them one at a time and only v gradually - or it would tend to start a yo-yo ing of symptoms and often feeing worse than i started - or spiralling downwards

so for me a lot of it was learning how to give my system what it needed to stay stable and relatively functional - going hard on treatments either abx or especially herbal ( herx symptoms usually worse for me on herbal ) was a no go as i just couldn't function / look after myself.

so i have had to take a gradually more step by step approach - i am however now around 60% recovered - but i remember well when taking a shower seemed like a monumental task because my fatigue was so profound - so progress is possible