I'm baffled

[motherbear]

Hi everyone,

this is going to sound really stupid. My son almost definately herxed with muscle pain, sore throat and slight fever. He also had strange feelings in his hands, burning and itching..

My question is if you herx then will you always herx in the same way or can it change.

He now has a sore throat, headache and feeling sick. He also has a runny nose but not too bad.

If you show signs of the flu like symptoms do you actually have the runny nose or is  he really starting of with a real bug? 😕

I would love to think he is herxing but as he has just started college he could have brought home more than homework with him!  🙁

Thanks

Caroline.

[Joanne NJ]

I personally herx different at times, but not often thank goodness. I am herxing right now, huge flare with swelling in my right knee, had to go to the dr. Wed and now doing a prednisolne taper. But I have noticed a few herxes with a sore throat, fever and flu feeling. When it goes away, I feel fabulous for weeks, then it sometimes will happen again, sometimes with just one joint flaring and swelling, or I will have the sore throat version with a fever, but never a runny nose. They are getting fewer all the time and I feel great on AP, which I am doing for my RA. Hope this helps.

Joanne

[Maz]

[user=2147]motherbear[/user] wrote:

If you show signs of the flu like symptoms do you actually have the runny nose or is  he really starting of with a real bug? 😕

Hi Caroline,

The runny nose does sound like it might be a passing bug, but the difficult thing about herxing is that it's only really possible to tell, I found, if it was herxing, by looking back in retrospect. With herxing, there is usually some improvement afterwards (just as Joanne described) and it's pretty transient, only lasting a day or two. With flaring, this portends worsening that will go on for an extended period. Other than this, it's quite a challenge to really distinguish between a herx or a flare, as they're pretty close in symptoms.

Flaring can and often does continue to occur while on AP, but over time flares should diminish in frequency, duration and intensity. So, it's the longterm trend you want to be watching. Your son's labs are improving, so this is your best indicator in terms of his response to AP. But, don't be surprised if these go up and down for a while. During herxing or flaring those numbers will usually worsen….again, it's the longterm trend that is the one to watch. 😉

I guess you'll know if this is a bug soon, if his sniffles turn into a cold? If the symptoms pass quickly, then you can probably put it down to a herx.

Peace, Maz

[motherbear]

Joannne and Maz,

Joanne: thanks very much for the info. I will have to watch and wait and hopefully after a few more of them I will be able to tell. At least I know it won't necessarily be the same every time.

Maz: you did say something that I never thought of , after his first herx he did feel a lot better for a while compared to what he normally is. Thanks for your reply, I will watch the runny nose but it is hardly anything considering how he's feeling.

Take care

Caroline.

 

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