Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I have late stage neuro Lyme--5 1/2 yrs before diagnosis last June. I've been on various combos of abxs starting with the standard one month of Doxy 100 mg 2 x way. I started taking long hot showers to raise my body temp (advice found online) for many weeks plus a 146 F sauna for 15 min--which really set me back. I had the herx reaction from hell: almost completely incapacitated for 6 weeks--too weak to even sit up and watch TV. Very strong tingling, itching, vibrations throughout body,loud ringing in ears,heart palpitations, zoning out, light sensitive, imbalance, panic attacks. Before abxs I was going down hill beginning of '09, after coping fairly well with periods of feeling OK. Early '09 I noticed a decline in health: intense mood swings, crying jags, increasing fatigue with exertion & some shortness of breath, heart palpitations. For me the first round of abxs (Doxy) coupled with raising my body temp daily created too intense a herx reaction. The LLMD I went to for a consult in Aug last year, kindly suggested not to raise body temp until I felt better. He took me off Doxy saying he didn't think it was working for me. I'm just beginning to have some energy and mood stability after 3 months of Amoxicillin (which did help quite a lot), then Zithromax & mepron for a month, then Zithromax & oral ceftin for one month. Turns out the Zithromax was not working, so switched to Ceftin & Biaxin which seems to be working: no mood swings or depression, better energy, but still suffer fatigue (requiring a nap) if I over exert myself. But the weird sensations in my nervous system (arteries as well?) have not gone away nor have the cognitive deficits. I asked the nurse practitioner if the spirochetes were still chewing on my nerves and she said no, that what I was experiencing was the damage done by the spirochetes ( & in my opinion the extreme herx) which the body would repair over time. I am going to have a PICC line inserted in early spring for IV abxs. If and when I get to remission, I'll maintain that with Buhner protocol etc. I won't go on abxs indefinitely. So far I'm tolerating them quite well. Hope this is helpful. [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? knotweed- thanks for the feedback- I'm in a low spot right now. All hell broke loose after a fungal treatment I decided to try (big mistake) -of flagyl/diflucan)I've been a really bad state/totally stopped sleeping and major neuro symptoms and new ones I did not have before like numbness..... Something similar like this happened to me 2.5 years ago when ramping up quickly on buhner herbs and it took me 5 months to recover (but did not recover back to baseline). This is far worse this time.Neuro plus totally not sleeping now.... I know you did abx.. do you think abx was essential to your neuro recover? I seem to get alot worse with my first experience and new scary symptoms that aren't going away. I'm seeing a nurse/naturopath who has lyme herself and treats-she thinks I'm totally toxic and I don't methylate well/detox. She wants to get me sleeping ,detox me first and the dicuss further treatment. Caught in cycle since treatment terrifies me based on my experiences thus far. I was able to take cat's claw, devils claw , sarsparilla after I stabilezed/recover from first huge flare/neuro explosion. I know I have to take it very carefully. Other lymers tell me that you will get new scary neuro and they will ater resolve on abx. You have to feel like your dieing before you get well? I'm not sure I can take that path. Buhner says follow the wisdom of your body? Where is the wisdom in that? All so confusing. > > > > Has anyone reversed late stage neuro lyme symptoms i.e. muscle jerking, balance, twiching, extreme cognitive issues ,numbness , coordination etc? > > for me those problems have improved a lot on the protocol. > > I still have some cognitive issues (the problems with spelling/typing on the keyboard, slow reaction etc., some memory problems). Numbness, tingling and crawling sensations ('bugs in the skin') are almost completely gone; I think those are primarily a side effect of deficiencies in B vitamins, Mg etc. > > I had severe vertigo before starting the protocol, 95% gone now but still have some problems with balance/nausea from time to time. Also sometimes a strong 'buzzing' all over my body, which feels like all the small muscles and arteries are vibrating. It comes and goes, mostly have that early in the morning. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 Hi, You sound exactly like me, I always had a normal temp, now I'm around 95 - 96, I'm always cold. ears ringing, buzzing, itchiness, buzzing in my body, can't feel my fingers or toes at times, eye issues, vertigo issues, panic attacks, I can't sleep at night, my body won't relax. I did a bunch of oral abx's and recently did IV Rocephrin, and then 3 months of bicillin shots, i actually felt better before i did all that. I have severe mood swings (anger) at times. I have Bartonella, do you have it? At least some of your symptons went away, the eye issues are murder for me, even when I close my eyes, I see spots and they feel like they're moving and sore all the time. I feel like I have a layer of something on my eyes making everything cloudy. I contracted c difficile from the abx's, dr's never told me to take probiotics and I got so ill. So now I take them 2 hrs. after every abx dose, and it helped a lot. It's so frustrating, not to mention financially draining! I live in CT, where are you from? State of CT stinks for insurance laws; they would only let me do 1 mo. on the IV abx's, probably if I did the 3/4 mo's it would've worked. Thanks for listening to me vent! From: KTOvrutsky@... To: Date: 01/14/2010 01:55 PM Subject: Re: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Sent by: I have late stage neuro Lyme--5 1/2 yrs before diagnosis last June. I've been on various combos of abxs starting with the standard one month of Doxy 100 mg 2 x way. I started taking long hot showers to raise my body temp (advice found online) for many weeks plus a 146 F sauna for 15 min--which really set me back. I had the herx reaction from hell: almost completely incapacitated for 6 weeks--too weak to even sit up and watch TV. Very strong tingling, itching, vibrations throughout body,loud ringing in ears,heart palpitations, zoning out, light sensitive, imbalance, panic attacks. Before abxs I was going down hill beginning of '09, after coping fairly well with periods of feeling OK. Early '09 I noticed a decline in health: intense mood swings, crying jags, increasing fatigue with exertion & some shortness of breath, heart palpitations. For me the first round of abxs (Doxy) coupled with raising my body temp daily created too intense a herx reaction. The LLMD I went to for a consult in Aug last year, kindly suggested not to raise body temp until I felt better. He took me off Doxy saying he didn't think it was working for me. I'm just beginning to have some energy and mood stability after 3 months of Amoxicillin (which did help quite a lot), then Zithromax & mepron for a month, then Zithromax & oral ceftin for one month. Turns out the Zithromax was not working, so switched to Ceftin & Biaxin which seems to be working: no mood swings or depression, better energy, but still suffer fatigue (requiring a nap) if I over exert myself. But the weird sensations in my nervous system (arteries as well?) have not gone away nor have the cognitive deficits. I asked the nurse practitioner if the spirochetes were still chewing on my nerves and she said no, that what I was experiencing was the damage done by the spirochetes ( & in my opinion the extreme herx) which the body would repair over time. I am going to have a PICC line inserted in early spring for IV abxs. If and when I get to remission, I'll maintain that with Buhner protocol etc. I won't go on abxs indefinitely. So far I'm tolerating them quite well. Hope this is helpful. [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? knotweed- thanks for the feedback- I'm in a low spot right now. All hell broke loose after a fungal treatment I decided to try (big mistake) -of flagyl/diflucan)I've been a really bad state/totally stopped sleeping and major neuro symptoms and new ones I did not have before like numbness..... Something similar like this happened to me 2.5 years ago when ramping up quickly on buhner herbs and it took me 5 months to recover (but did not recover back to baseline). This is far worse this time.Neuro plus totally not sleeping now.... I know you did abx.. do you think abx was essential to your neuro recover? I seem to get alot worse with my first experience and new scary symptoms that aren't going away. I'm seeing a nurse/naturopath who has lyme herself and treats-she thinks I'm totally toxic and I don't methylate well/detox. She wants to get me sleeping ,detox me first and the dicuss further treatment. Caught in cycle since treatment terrifies me based on my experiences thus far. I was able to take cat's claw, devils claw , sarsparilla after I stabilezed/recover from first huge flare/neuro explosion. I know I have to take it very carefully. Other lymers tell me that you will get new scary neuro and they will ater resolve on abx. You have to feel like your dieing before you get well? I'm not sure I can take that path. Buhner says follow the wisdom of your body? Where is the wisdom in that? All so confusing. > > > > Has anyone reversed late stage neuro lyme symptoms i.e. muscle jerking, balance, twiching, extreme cognitive issues ,numbness , coordination etc? > > for me those problems have improved a lot on the protocol. > > I still have some cognitive issues (the problems with spelling/typing on the keyboard, slow reaction etc., some memory problems). Numbness, tingling and crawling sensations ('bugs in the skin') are almost completely gone; I think those are primarily a side effect of deficiencies in B vitamins, Mg etc. > > I had severe vertigo before starting the protocol, 95% gone now but still have some problems with balance/nausea from time to time. Also sometimes a strong 'buzzing' all over my body, which feels like all the small muscles and arteries are vibrating. It comes and goes, mostly have that early in the morning. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I also have trouble sleeping, was very addicted to Ambien and it got to the stage where I was only getting 2/3 hours sleep a night on that; when you start it you get a good 8 hours sleep and as time goes on, you get to the point where you get barely any sleep on it. I weaned myself off of Ambien; it was messing up my memory and I was in an even bigger fog for a few hours in the morning from it. I now take Xanax to help me sleep, my nervous system is messed up and the Xanax (I actually do generic and only take 1/2 a pill) actually helps my body to relax and I'm able to actually get 7 hours sleep on it. I make sure the room is dark, I put my fan on to make noise so I don't hear the ringing in my ears, and I cover my eyes with something because my eyes bother me and I actually can get some sleep. Some nights are better than other nights. My kids laugh at me because of all my rituals! I would eventually like to get off the Xanax, but for now it helps me sleep, I guess there are worse things I could be taking. Does anyone have any suggestions for non-prescription ways to get some sleep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I have used melatonin for awhile - 2 (I think they're 6's) on Sunday, then 1 Mon-Th then none Fri and Sat cause I can sleep in. Same thing as you - room dark; quiet; no blinking lights; some days that doesn't work if I'm really stressed but usually I'm OK. Camomille tea or sleepy time tea I've used as well. Hot epsom salts bath knocked out my 4 days of insomnia just recently. Tried a cup one night and it didn't work; so the next I poured in the rest of the box. That worked! Let me know if those help at all. _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of alicia.colon@... Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:53 PM Subject: Re: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? I also have trouble sleeping, was very addicted to Ambien and it got to the stage where I was only getting 2/3 hours sleep a night on that; when you start it you get a good 8 hours sleep and as time goes on, you get to the point where you get barely any sleep on it. I weaned myself off of Ambien; it was messing up my memory and I was in an even bigger fog for a few hours in the morning from it. I now take Xanax to help me sleep, my nervous system is messed up and the Xanax (I actually do generic and only take 1/2 a pill) actually helps my body to relax and I'm able to actually get 7 hours sleep on it. I make sure the room is dark, I put my fan on to make noise so I don't hear the ringing in my ears, and I cover my eyes with something because my eyes bother me and I actually can get some sleep. Some nights are better than other nights. My kids laugh at me because of all my rituals! I would eventually like to get off the Xanax, but for now it helps me sleep, I guess there are worse things I could be taking. Does anyone have any suggestions for non-prescription ways to get some sleep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 YES - I have added 2 B-12 Intrinsic/folate, 2 Folapro and a B-12 spray. Have you had a neuropath (or someone) check you for what you are deficient in? _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Katenyc5@... Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 5:13 AM Subject: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Can lyme deplete you of Vitamin B-12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 , what's a Folapro? Folate? [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Can lyme deplete you of Vitamin B-12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I'm sorry, one more question. How often do you get B-12 injections? [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Can lyme deplete you of Vitamin B-12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi , Thanks for the sleeping tips, it's so important to get rest. Some people use peroxide in the bath along with the epsom salts, I'm not sure what the added benefit is, maybe oxygen??? I'm gonna try the melatonin, a friend of my does the sublingal and swears by it. Says you can't take it for long periods, you need to take a break and then restart. From: " " <wilson33@...> To: < > Date: 01/14/2010 08:26 PM Subject: RE: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Sent by: I have used melatonin for awhile - 2 (I think they're 6's) on Sunday, then 1 Mon-Th then none Fri and Sat cause I can sleep in. Same thing as you - room dark; quiet; no blinking lights; some days that doesn't work if I'm really stressed but usually I'm OK. Camomille tea or sleepy time tea I've used as well. Hot epsom salts bath knocked out my 4 days of insomnia just recently. Tried a cup one night and it didn't work; so the next I poured in the rest of the box. That worked! Let me know if those help at all. _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of alicia.colon@... Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:53 PM Subject: Re: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? I also have trouble sleeping, was very addicted to Ambien and it got to the stage where I was only getting 2/3 hours sleep a night on that; when you start it you get a good 8 hours sleep and as time goes on, you get to the point where you get barely any sleep on it. I weaned myself off of Ambien; it was messing up my memory and I was in an even bigger fog for a few hours in the morning from it. I now take Xanax to help me sleep, my nervous system is messed up and the Xanax (I actually do generic and only take 1/2 a pill) actually helps my body to relax and I'm able to actually get 7 hours sleep on it. I make sure the room is dark, I put my fan on to make noise so I don't hear the ringing in my ears, and I cover my eyes with something because my eyes bother me and I actually can get some sleep. Some nights are better than other nights. My kids laugh at me because of all my rituals! I would eventually like to get off the Xanax, but for now it helps me sleep, I guess there are worse things I could be taking. Does anyone have any suggestions for non-prescription ways to get some sleep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Could everyone try to remember to change the subject line when the thread of communication changes. That way those of us not interested in the topic can just delete--saves time. Thanks [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Can lyme deplete you of Vitamin B-12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi , I'm surprised to hear your MD didn't tell you to take probiotics. I guess we have to do a lot of our own research to support the treatment. I was told by the diagnosing MD (not my primary) to start probiotics right away after starting on Doxy. The Naturpath I went to said I needed a more potent one, which has worked well so far (6 months). I'm hoping to work with a naturpath (ND) who will accept people who are taking antibiotics. I didn't think the first one had enough experience, but may go back to her. Plus she wanted me to eat 30-40 gms of protein between breakfast & lunch every day--which I resisted because I don't feel like eating meat first thing in the a.m.! Did you get dietary guidelines? Very important: no refined carbs--look for hi fiber content, hi protein, no sugar (not even honey or agave), no caffeine and no alcohol. Sugar feeds bacteria I was told by the nurse practitioner at my LLMDs office. Kim [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? knotweed- thanks for the feedback- I'm in a low spot right now. All hell broke loose after a fungal treatment I decided to try (big mistake) -of flagyl/diflucan)I've been a really bad state/totally stopped sleeping and major neuro symptoms and new ones I did not have before like numbness..... Something similar like this happened to me 2.5 years ago when ramping up quickly on buhner herbs and it took me 5 months to recover (but did not recover back to baseline). This is far worse this time.Neuro plus totally not sleeping now.... I know you did abx.. do you think abx was essential to your neuro recover? I seem to get alot worse with my first experience and new scary symptoms that aren't going away. I'm seeing a nurse/naturopath who has lyme herself and treats-she thinks I'm totally toxic and I don't methylate well/detox. She wants to get me sleeping ,detox me first and the dicuss further treatment. Caught in cycle since treatment terrifies me based on my experiences thus far. I was able to take cat's claw, devils claw , sarsparilla after I stabilezed/recover from first huge flare/neuro explosion. I know I have to take it very carefully. Other lymers tell me that you will get new scary neuro and they will ater resolve on abx. You have to feel like your dieing before you get well? I'm not sure I can take that path. Buhner says follow the wisdom of your body? Where is the wisdom in that? All so confusing. > > > > Has anyone reversed late stage neuro lyme symptoms i.e. muscle jerking, balance, twiching, extreme cognitive issues ,numbness , coordination etc? > > for me those problems have improved a lot on the protocol. > > I still have some cognitive issues (the problems with spelling/typing on the keyboard, slow reaction etc., some memory problems). Numbness, tingling and crawling sensations ('bugs in the skin') are almost completely gone; I think those are primarily a side effect of deficiencies in B vitamins, Mg etc. > > I had severe vertigo before starting the protocol, 95% gone now but still have some problems with balance/nausea from time to time. Also sometimes a strong 'buzzing' all over my body, which feels like all the small muscles and arteries are vibrating. It comes and goes, mostly have that early in the morning. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi Kim, What probiotic do you take? It was like the blind leading the blind, they pumped me up w/abx's and sent me on my way, and I got sicker, and sicker, developed c diff, took me 6 mo's to recover from that, they never even mentioned anything about probiotics/ carbs/sugars. I went to a holistic dr., to help w/the c diff, (the mainstream dr's wanted to keep me on flagyl/vancomycin I was on it for mo's, it made me sicker). I don't know of any holistic dr's in my area that deal w/Lyme patients, so I'm so thankful for the , they're a life saver for me! I now know to stay away from carbs, etc., I eat proteins for breakfast/lunch, people look at me funny, I'm eating egg whites/turkey sausage/chicken/tuna fish for breakfast. Our choices are more limited than normal folks, I bring lots of cut of veggies and nuts, brown rice cakes, almond butter, humus and snack on it all day long, I love fruit, but don't eat much of it anymore (some berries). I love red wine too (can't have that anymore), and anytime I drink it now, I break out with rashes and feel like I was run over by a bus for several days! When the Lyme first hit me, I was losing weight and very thin, then my body did a strange turn and I gained 50 lbs. and can't seem to lose it. Painful joints don't help, makes it so difficult to exercise, I try to walk when I can, I love to swim, but I'm afraid to get into a pool filled w/chlorine, besides, when I move too quickly I lose my balance now, so things like exercise classes are out of the question. Wishing you and everyone continued strides towards gaining our health back! We just need to keep trekking along and brainstorming! Have a wonderful weekend! From: KTOvrutsky@... To: Date: 01/15/2010 09:42 AM Subject: Re: [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? Sent by: Hi , I'm surprised to hear your MD didn't tell you to take probiotics. I guess we have to do a lot of our own research to support the treatment. I was told by the diagnosing MD (not my primary) to start probiotics right away after starting on Doxy. The Naturpath I went to said I needed a more potent one, which has worked well so far (6 months). I'm hoping to work with a naturpath (ND) who will accept people who are taking antibiotics. I didn't think the first one had enough experience, but may go back to her. Plus she wanted me to eat 30-40 gms of protein between breakfast & lunch every day--which I resisted because I don't feel like eating meat first thing in the a.m.! Did you get dietary guidelines? Very important: no refined carbs--look for hi fiber content, hi protein, no sugar (not even honey or agave), no caffeine and no alcohol. Sugar feeds bacteria I was told by the nurse practitioner at my LLMDs office. Kim [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? knotweed- thanks for the feedback- I'm in a low spot right now. All hell broke loose after a fungal treatment I decided to try (big mistake) -of flagyl/diflucan)I've been a really bad state/totally stopped sleeping and major neuro symptoms and new ones I did not have before like numbness..... Something similar like this happened to me 2.5 years ago when ramping up quickly on buhner herbs and it took me 5 months to recover (but did not recover back to baseline). This is far worse this time.Neuro plus totally not sleeping now.... I know you did abx.. do you think abx was essential to your neuro recover? I seem to get alot worse with my first experience and new scary symptoms that aren't going away. I'm seeing a nurse/naturopath who has lyme herself and treats-she thinks I'm totally toxic and I don't methylate well/detox. She wants to get me sleeping ,detox me first and the dicuss further treatment. Caught in cycle since treatment terrifies me based on my experiences thus far. I was able to take cat's claw, devils claw , sarsparilla after I stabilezed/recover from first huge flare/neuro explosion. I know I have to take it very carefully. Other lymers tell me that you will get new scary neuro and they will ater resolve on abx. You have to feel like your dieing before you get well? I'm not sure I can take that path. Buhner says follow the wisdom of your body? Where is the wisdom in that? All so confusing. > > > > Has anyone reversed late stage neuro lyme symptoms i.e. muscle jerking, balance, twiching, extreme cognitive issues ,numbness , coordination etc? > > for me those problems have improved a lot on the protocol. > > I still have some cognitive issues (the problems with spelling/typing on the keyboard, slow reaction etc., some memory problems). Numbness, tingling and crawling sensations ('bugs in the skin') are almost completely gone; I think those are primarily a side effect of deficiencies in B vitamins, Mg etc. > > I had severe vertigo before starting the protocol, 95% gone now but still have some problems with balance/nausea from time to time. Also sometimes a strong 'buzzing' all over my body, which feels like all the small muscles and arteries are vibrating. It comes and goes, mostly have that early in the morning. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Responding to the eye issues - I drink mangosteen juice, the Ultra brand with 70 minerals in it, and it makes my Lyme eye symptoms go away. It's an antioxidant juice. There are lots of brands. If you try it, go slowly and drink a lot of water too. - Robin [ ] Re: How many people have returned to normal life after Lyme via Buhner protocol or? , I am responding to your comment about eye issues. I have noticed some of the same things, particularly eye strain and floaters. I started using a 95% colloidal silver/5% DMSO solution to spray in my eyes several times a day. This seems to help a lot. deb > > > > > > Has anyone reversed late stage neuro lyme symptoms i.e. muscle > jerking, balance, twiching, extreme cognitive issues ,numbness , > coordination etc? > > > > for me those problems have improved a lot on the protocol. > > > > I still have some cognitive issues (the problems with spelling/typing on > the keyboard, slow reaction etc., some memory problems). Numbness, > tingling and crawling sensations ('bugs in the skin') are almost > completely gone; I think those are primarily a side effect of deficiencies > in B vitamins, Mg etc. > > > > I had severe vertigo before starting the protocol, 95% gone now but > still have some problems with balance/nausea from time to time. Also > sometimes a strong 'buzzing' all over my body, which feels like all the > small muscles and arteries are vibrating. It comes and goes, mostly have > that early in the morning. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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