feeling awful and need advice!

[Fran]

I haven’t posted in awhile since I found out I had lyme. I started my lyme protocol in September: Omnicef 300 mg 2x per day, Zithromax 500 mg per day, Rifampin 600 mg per day (for bart) and Artemsia. I did very well up until this week (all my RA symptoms have disappeared). But this week I’ve run a fever all week and have a headache/neckache like no other along with tooth/jaw pain and chills/sweats. My LLMD says herx. I am just concerned that this is something else like serum sickness or something. He wants me to tough this out but I haven’t been able to work all week and can barely get off the couch. Its worse in late afternoon/evening although the headache/tooth/jaw pain never goes away. Today I can’t bring myself to take any of these antibiotics.

The only thing that changed was that I’m doing teh artemsia 10 days on and 20 ddays off. I re-started the artemsia on Saturday and by Monday evening all this started.

Any advice? I can barely function here! Thanks!

[Kim]

Hey Fran,

Sorry you’re in a bad way here. If I were in your shoes I wouldn’t keep “toughing it out” with that level of herxing, I would definitely back off and let things settle a bit. If you stop the art and if it makes a difference then you should have your answer, but in the meantime I would put heavy focus on detoxing………..low and slow, of course. 😉

Hope you get some relief.

Take care…..kim

[nspiker]

Hi Fran,

I’m sorry you’re feeling so lousy. It’s a good sign that you have been feeling better until this week. I agree with Kim. If it were me, I would back off everything until I felt better, and detox, detox, detox. I am not able to tolerate artemisinin.

I had one really big herx, and it sounds a lot like what you’re experiencing. It felt like I had the flu, and couldn’t get out of bed. I stopped all antibiotics until I felt better, which took three days.

I don’t believe in toughing it out. Sometimes the lousy feeling is just from too much toxin die-off. Drink lots of water and hydrate yourself. Take a bath and try and flush it out. If you have some binders like apple pectin or cholestyramine, take them to absorb the toxins. Tri salts is another good one, or some bicarbonate.

Hope you start to feel better soon…
nancy

[Maz]

Fran, I am so happy for you that your Lyme protocols have helped so much, so quickly! I can remember when zith was a no-no for you a couple years ago…now look at you, girl!!!

One lesser known thing about Lyme is that herxing can come in monthly rounds for some people. Why this happens is a mystery, except that my LLMD thinks it’s because the organisms synch up their life cycles (much like women living together synch up their monthly cycles) and that they are just more susceptible to abx at certain points in their life cycle.

I’m currently on a Lyme/babesia protocol – Mepron/Biaxin – and am also experiencing the return of the TMJ I had in the beginning (especially upon waking). I also went through a period of heavy sweats/chills and migraine headaches at the beginning of treatment.

One thought that comes to mind is that your current protocol may be revealing an underlying babesia coinfection? I don’t know…it’s just that your symptoms sound a bit like mine have been since I started my new protocol early in the summer.

I wouldn’t like to suggest backing off your current treatment, as it’s probably something you should discuss with Dr. P. I have to admit I’m of two minds about this, because the goal of LLMDs is to elicit herxing…this is the way they determine the treatment is working. It can take a good two weeks to build up a good herx for Lyme, which is why my doc has me on three week pulses right now…with three week breaks to trick the bugs out of hiding before hitting them again. It’s not fun going through it, but…like you…my good days are the best I’ve experienced, so far…so I’m thinking that although the herxing is not pleasant, it means the treatment is working. Barts treatment is somewhat different and treatment usually goes on for several months, minimum, and sometimes in rounds, if it remains a problem. This is why it may be important to discuss this with your doc, because some organisms may become resistant when doses are lowered or stopped for short periods.

[Fran]

Thanks for all the advice! As always, you guys are so knowledgeable. Maz- I am treating for babesia—-that is what the artemsia is for. I do 10 days on and 20 days off. I did test positive for that and bartonella. Also taking Transfer Factor for HHV6, which I tested positive for. Dr. P did want me to try and continue but today I just had to lay off everything cuz I have so much going on with the kids the rest of the week and I haven’t been to work all week either. I am going to try and start back up tomorrow. I did not want to stop today but I just need a bit of relief here that I just couldn’t get. I think too, that I got scared wondering whether this was normal or if anyone else experienced this and how long it lasts! It helps to know others have had this same reaction.

[Author]

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