Do I have Alzheimer’s think I am herding

[Tlpitts]

I have been herx on and off for awhile and while I agree that backing off minocycline to a lower dose would reduce the herxing I would rather grit my teeth and wait it out(of course if this continues much longer I may try a lower dose haha) anyway I feel bad for a few days and have a good half a day so I am making progress before the minocycline I hadn’t had a good day in a long time. I am having the flares with my RA but I also have some brain fog and feel like I might have Alzheimer’s sometimes. I didn’t relises it before but I believe I have been depressed I know this because when I have a good day I become interested in things I did before .i keep very busy all the time to keep my mind off things I still work full time and go to school.but on my days off I want to stay in bed the whole time and have to force myself to get up the first hour after getting up the pain and stiffness from the RA of course you all know what I am talking about.anyway, I will take all this one day at a time I am having sometimes now where I feel ok so I will hold on to that. It really helps to read the stories here and know we are all not alone. God bless you all.

[Maz]

@Tlpitts wrote:

I am having the flares with my RA but I also have some brain fog and feel like I might have Alzheimer’s sometimes. I didn’t relises it before but I believe I have been depressed I know this because when I have a good day I become interested in things I did before .i keep very busy all the time to keep my mind off things I still work full time and go to school.but on my days off I want to stay in bed the whole time and have to force myself to get up the first hour after getting up the pain and stiffness from the RA of course you all know what I am talking about.anyway, I will take all this one day at a time I am having sometimes now where I feel ok so I will hold on to that. It really helps to read the stories here and know we are all not alone. God bless you all.

Hi Tlpitts,

There is an article on the main site describing the kind of cognitive dysfunction you’re going through and which many of us here have also experienced, including me.

http://roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/education.display/display_id/189.html

Inflammatory cytokines are the likely culprit, caused by both flaring or herxing. The mechanism of both is pretty much the same – toxins released by bugs, either randomly (as in a flare) or in a controlled setting (as in a herx). This is where learning to detox can be so helpful, to support the body to get rid of circulating antigen as quickly as possible. The goal with AP is to keep herxing to tolerable levels (kill the hugs, not the patient), but when starting out on AP (or re-starting it, as in your case), it’s a good sign that the abx are hitting their targets.

While some folk find it easy, I always found it hard to discern herxing from flaring until after the event had passed, because the tetras aren’t immune-suppressive, so flares can and will still occur until remission is reached. Also, as herxing can come in rounds (depending on one’s pathogen load and the susceptibility of the offending bugs at various points in their life cycles), sometimes it’s just hard to see the forest for the trees, especially in the early days when disease activity, itself, is also running high. For me, herxing always has had a cognitive component with increased brain fog, depressed mood, lethargy, and increases in pain and generally feeling “toxic.” In the beginning, even my skin felt sensitive to the touch and almost like it was burning. It took me a long time to figure out that my body was struggling to detoxify, but when I began to do this in a measured way, trying one thing and then another to see what worked for me, it made a huge amount of difference.

You’re not alone, Tlpitts! Probably everyone here can equate to what you’re experiencing. Hang in there…you got to remission before and it can be done again. Just keep being kind to yourself and getting all the rest you need….and, when you feel able, do what you can to start detoxing, too, as this should help. With the PsA, have you managed to clean up your diet a bit? Starches seem to be pretty big offenders for the spondylarthritides.

[Tlpitts]

It’s good to know that the antibiotic is working . I don’t eat a lot of starch of any kind I am diabetic and my sugars are running high right now no matter what I do. Could this be part of the die off? I have not been active but am doing small amount of exercise and working my way up everyday. I eat a healthy diet for the most part lately mostly trying to keep from having to start on insulin. I feel better today and thank you for the information about the die off affect. I just started juicing with cabbage and carrots to try to help possible leaky gut from so many years of Tylenol ect. My brain feels clearer today and am not aching all over today. Again thank you.

[Maz]

@Ruffian wrote:

Maz…

You mention that starches are pretty big offenders….

I’d like to know if there is a reason….why does this happen?

Hi Ruffian,

Gee, sure would be nice to be a genius. 😆 I just do a lot of research and, when younger, used to have a photographic memory…it’s not so photographic anymore, though, and most days I’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on tight.

Here is some info on KickAS.org from UK researcher, Dr. Alan Ebringer, regarding the starch question and ankylosing spondylitis (though it probably relates to all spondylarthritides, including PsA):

http://www.kickas.org/as_dietary_primer.shtml

“Beyond identification of K. pneumoniae as the causative agent behind AS, Dr. Ebringer has employed a diet low in starch, both experimentally and in clinical practice, to reduce the primary food source of this bacterium (5). This approach actually lowers this species

[Maz]

@Tlpitts wrote:

I don’t eat a lot of starch of any kind I am diabetic and my sugars are running high right now no matter what I do. Could this be part of the die off?

Teresa, glad to hear you’re feeling a bit better. I think with spondylarthritides one has to be pretty consistent about eliminating starch altogether (see researcher remarks above). John (Dragonslayer), who runs the KickAs website can probably offer more insight on the diet question for you, if you’re interested in learning more.

With diabetes and sugar imbalances, I think I’d personally be looking into candida overgrowth. Having chatted with another poster who suffers from both RA and diabetes, when his doctor put him on Diflucan to lower candida found in the gut, sugar levels and need for insulin dipped pretty significantly.

http://www.candidahouse.com/page/1402655

Have you by any chance been tested for candida overgrowth in the gut? Candida can be prevented quite well with adequate probiotic intake, but if it was pre-existing or grabs hold later, it can mimic RA symptoms by leading to leaky gut (candida hydra drill into gut lining causing tiny perforations) and, by default, food intolerances which exacerbate hypersensitivity and inflammation.

[Tlpitts]

I take a good probiotic twice a day took diflucan last month and just ordered some kefir grains to help with yeast I figure with just the diabetes I already have yeast overgrowth and now with the minocycline if I don’t add something I will become a big ball of yeast.

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