Are there any Chronic Lyme success stories? I need inspiration/validation...

[Guest guest]

Hi- I was diagnosed with FMS (Fibromyalgia) 9 years ago following a

whiplash accident. I thought I managed it well and was building my

health through an extreme diet (no wheat,dairy, all organic, little

sugar etc, ), exercise , bodywork, and supplements until 1 year ago I

had a bout of optic neuritis (not a FMS symptom) with vision loss in

one of my eyes. Over the past year increasing neurological systems..

lightheaded all the time, dizzy, loss of balance, weak legs,

coordindation off, eye pain in both eyes, headaches, insominia,arms

asleep at night, electrical sensations, muscles jerking/twitching

etc. Brain MRI was normal last year. Just saw a neuro and he does not

believe it is MS. Have 2nd MRI tomorrow to validate. In December 2006

I started zhang's herbs and accupuncture... artemisa for 3 months and

then switched to his lyme protocol. Then in addition I started added

Buhner's protocol.. cats claw in May, then added reservatrol then

andrographis. My western blot IGG ws positive according to IGENEx

last fall. In July, after being on Zhang for 8 months and cat's claw

for 21/2 months (incombo with zhang), reservatrol (1month),

andrographis 2 weeks... all hell broke loose after a week at the

beach. I noticed increased eye pain and lightheadedness while summer

progressed with heat before major flareup with new symptoms. I thought

I was herxing but when I had the explosion of new neuro symptoms in

July which are still going on now but to a lesser degree ( I have

still not recovered back). I consulted zhang and he said I should not

be experience an explosion of new and intense symptoms after 8 months

and to look into abx or primary MS. I stopped all the zhang /buhner

herbs. It has been 2/1/2 months since major explosion and I am still

not back to where I was before the major flare (worst thing I've ever

experienced in my life) I am hesitant to go down the abx route since

I've read so much about the gut being health of the immune system and

I'm very chemically sensitive and know I need to keep my body as clean

as possible. I'm worried about long term effects of abx on my body.

I'm not finding any success stories when I talk with those with

chronic lyme (assuming it is lyme and not some other unknown pathogen)

only stories of life long abx and problems etc. Buhner has no

clinical examples or success stories in his book. I need validation to

what is going on with my body and if there are any answers. I'm a big

believer in herbs, but they are letting me down I'm afraid. Are there

any testimonies.. someone I can talk to? I need that right now. I

need to know there is hope and this is not going to be life long. My

mother has had FMS for past 20 years, although nothing as intense as

what I have such as the vision loss and neuro issues, so I wonder

about the lyme connection versus something else. Sorry for this long

sob story! (I'm a 45 year old female/working mom-- to young for all of

this). it is so frustrating to fall into this black hole.