Home Forums General Discussion Bloodwork Results and 2nd Lyme Appt Update

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  • #304557
    tbird2340
    Participant

    I had my second LLMD appt on 7/28..

    Current Protocol:
    Minocin 100MG (1) 2X Daily
    Nystatin 500000U (2) 2X Daily
    L-Lysine (2) Daily
    800U Vitamin D Daily
    1000MG Vitamin C Daily

    Things in addition to current protocol being added:
    Famciclovir 500MG (1) 3X Daily
    Clarithromycin 500MG (1) 2X Daily

    I think the famciclovir is for something with mono? Anyhow.. I've attached a link to my bloodwork results from 5/04.. If any have time to look at it and give info I would greatly appreciate it.

    http://drop.io/aqagyxx/asset/bloodwork-pdf (just click link and then on the page that opens click the download link on the right)

    Thanks!

    Tom

    #350225
    Maz
    Keymaster

    [user=851]tbird2340[/user] wrote:

    Things in addition to current protocol being added:
    Famciclovir 500MG (1) 3X Daily
    Clarithromycin 500MG (1) 2X Daily

    I think the famciclovir is for something with mono? Anyhow.. I've attached a link to my bloodwork results from 5/04.. If any have time to look at it and give info I would greatly appreciate it.

    Hi Tom,

    Your basic blood counts and metabolic panel look great! Everything within range. What I noticed was a conspicuous absence of inflammation markers….did Dr. S test you for your CRP and ESR by any chance?

    Looks like you're positive for candida and EBV (mono), which could account for some of the inflam you're dealing with, but the doc is addressing this with Nystatin and the Famciclovir. Anti-virals can be hard on the liver, so be sure to get your LFTs run regularly while on it. It could be why he put you on Nystatin instead of Diflucan, too, as Diflucan is a more effective systemic for candida, but is also quite tough on the liver.

    Btw, I was on clarithromycin (biaxin) in the same dose for a year and tolerated it very well. That, in combo with tetracycline and bicillin shots, brought my very high labs down by 50% (after a 3 month period of heavy herxing).

    Interestingly, your albumin is a little elevated. If you look at the following link on the main site – Differentiating a Herx from a Flare – Brown actually found that when someone was herxing, the serum albumin would lower. In your case, this may actually be a very good thing, because according to his findings, patients suffered more from herxing when the following occured:

    https://www.roadback.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=studies.display&display_id=184#Anchor-The-51540

    1. “WBC will elevate in a Herxheimer and lower in a flare. [/*:14c93bhg]
    2. A Herxheimer will also exhibit a coincidental elevation of SED rate, gamma globulin and total globulin, and a fall in serum albumin and hematocrit. Patients who exhibit this flare reaction accompanied by anemia, depression of serum albumin, elevated total globulin and gamma globulin are probably reflecting a more intense reaction pattern to anti-L substances than in hematologically mild cases.”[/*:14c93bhg]

    My best fellow-patient guess, based on this info, is that candida may be causing you to flare, as apparently it can mimic RA….but take this with a pinch of salt, as it's just surmise on my part.

    Your rheumatoid factor is pretty negligible, all in all, at 34.4. It can be elevated as much in someone with a passing or chronic infection. The anti-CCP is pretty high at 527.5, but if this helps, at all, mine came down when I started on protocols that addressed the infections causing my high anti-CCP. In fact, the antibiotic that worked best for me was Moxatag (extended release amoxicillin) in this regard. Brown used the penicillins when strep titers were high, but this abx is also excellent for Lyme. Perhaps when you've been on your new protocol for a while and things have stabilised or you reach a point of plateauing out, you could ask Dr. S about trying this abx in combination with Diflucan? This is a terrific protocol for Lyme/RA, I personally have found.

    I see Dr S has tested you for two strains of bartonella (henselae and quintana), but there are now known to be 26 strains, at least, of this infection (see Spring '10 RBF eBulletin). So, although he may have covered bases on the two most common ones, there are others that may be offenders. One rheumy in MD is currently researching all this – his belief – that bartonella may prove to be a major player in the cause of RA (he's found 20% of his rheumatic patients have some type of this infection and he is working to develop a more sensitive test).

    Same applies to babesia and its various strains….I think he's only tested you for Babesia microti? However, there are other strains and some more virulant than others. Unfortunately, no test is 100% accurate for any of this stuff and it would be a costly business to look for every possible strain. This is why therapeutic probing with different antibiotics for Lyme makes good sense….both cost-wise, but also because not to treat can be more damaging than treating with some of these infections. You're not showing any signs of anemia, though, which would provide further clues if babs was involved.

    I think that's about all that comes to mind, Tom…all in all, looks like your body is holding out well in spite of the pain you're experiencing…no blips in your CBC or metabolic panel, which is a good thing. 🙂

    Wishing you well with the new protocol and just be sure to keep a close watch on your labs every month, if poss, with this new anti-viral you'll be taking and the higher dose abx combinations. Hang in there and expect some herxing….if it doesn't happen, then great…but if it does, then you know you're hitting stuff.

    Peace, Maz

    #350226
    tbird2340
    Participant

    Maz, thanks so much for taking the time to read and post that!

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