lyme folks: is it ever ok to take steroid?

[Michele]

HI all,
I need urgent help. I have the worst sore throat of my life I cannot swallow at all and my throat is coated with phlegm. So I’m spitting continuously into a rag to avoid swallowing. Prolific drooling. When it felt like I was drowning to lie down, my husband called an aska nurse.. who sent me to the ER. ER. Doc really wanted to give me IV steroids immediately. we explained tat I have lyme coinfections and should not take steroids at all. He prescribed vicodin and a numbing liquid for the throat. The liquid numbing stuff doesn’t work much. And today is the worst day of all. I am reaaally sick. The first two days I could swallow liquid and soups. Today I am having trouble swallowing anything. What are the risks and benefits to taking IV steroid or even prednisone to get this cytokine storm in my throat under control. It is closing my throat, too.

Of course this has to happen on a weekend and a day when I cannot ask my LLMD herself.

Has anyone had to make this decision and how did it turn out?

Help!

Michele

[Lynne G.SD]

Hi Michele;
I can’t see too much harm if you only take it for a few days.Last year my SD decided to make a comeback and my hands were so so and swollen that I feared that the rest of me would do the same thing.Doc gave me one week’s worth of pred.Got my hands back,doubled my mino and all is well after a couple months.Sometimes you just have to do it.
Lynne C.

[marypart]

Michele,
Don’t we have the same doctor? Dr. Z? You’ve been to the ER, and you certainly call with a quick question. I did it a couple of times back in the beginning when my son was really sick– left a message for the on call person and they called right back.

Mary

[Michele]

Thanks Mary and Lynne,

Mary, I did not know that there was an on-call nurse available at Dr Z’s office. I was at the ER in the middle of the night.
Which number on their call menu do you have to punch? I can’t talk and my husband just went out for some errands. I will have him call when he gets back…as I can’t talk at all. 🙁
Michele

[Krys]

Hi Michele,
I’m so very sorry you are going through this! 😥
I think it is very smart to call your LLMD / his answering service.
Sometimes we have to do what we have to do and it is the best solution in the circumstances.
I took a prednisone shot in my thumb and when one shot did not help, I had another shot (homeopathic solution + steroid) injection and it helped.
I had to take prednisolone drops for severely inflamed eye for several months.

I wonder if it is a virus. Everyone around me, myself including, has had first a stomach bug for a few days and then a sore throat.

You may try (maybe too late to be the only option, but may help as an adjunct):
— oil pulling / gargling with coconut oil
One before last paragraph at Mercola’s: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/08/coconut-oil-combats-tooth-decay.aspx?e_cid=20121208_DNL_art_1
— gargling with sage (stronger) or chamomile (gentler) decoction. Infusion can be used, but is much weaker.
— I remember that Dr. B. in his guidelines recommended the use of of bleach dissolved with big amount of water as a gargle for thrush / oral yeast. So it could be used for severe bacterial infection in the oral cavity, too. But when I searched right now, this advice is missing. I guess it’s been removed. It IS very radical, a bit toxic, possibly greatly helpful. I tried to find the proportions and saw 1:20 mentioned, but the person was not sure.
— Lynnie posted several times on peroxide rinse, maybe a gargle (3% peroxide diluted in water). I don’t remember the exact proportions. Use the search engine to find out the details.
— water + sea salt solution gargle
— water + Lugol’s iodine gargle, or painting the throat with undiluted iodine
— massive doses of vit. C (as in: titrating to bowel tolerance). It always helps.
My husband, generally very healthy, may get a diarrhea on 500mg a day. But when he has a cold, 12 000mg does not induce a diarrhea and always reduces the cold to 2-3 da

Further tips:
http://tipnut.com/sore-throat-remedies/
http://www.christinas-home-remedies.com/sore-throat-remedy.html
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/sore_throat.html

I hope something helps,
Krys

[Michele]

Update: it was another ER visit tonight. :-(. My husband called and left a message at my LLMD office and NP W returned his call shortly thereafter. Thanks Mary! NP said avoidif possible but in extreme cases ok. Tonight’s ER doc upon hearing I had coinfections went a different route. Fentanyl and tordal for pain and then IV amoxicillin and cipro. I may have one major herx to contend with. My left wrist and knees are swelling and tingling.

Krys, thanks for the go to list for caring for viral throat infection. I had tried coconut oil And several others you mention. Goodnight all. And thanks for your wonderful support. 🙂

[cavalier]

I always use a straight Peroxide rinse after brushing my teeth – no dilution of water – only 3% though I use a food grade one when possible. Anyways I have not had a cavity since doing this for the last 14 yr’s.
My Dentist when he asked me what I do I told him of this – he said that is why.

For what it’s worth. – It does help keep the bugs down in the oral cavity.

Jill SD, Lyme & CPn

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