Regarding the Air Hunger symptom, would you describe this as an inability to get a good breath? I am sure it is uncomfortable and scary, but is it painful in the checst or throat?
Any other main Babesia symptoms that are almost always present?
Thank you very much. Scott
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
Scott, for me air hunger is the feeling of being unable to breathe deeply enough. By deep breathing, I mean when your stomach expands fully as you inhale. When I have air hunger, I am unable to breathe this deeply.
For me, it is not painful in the chest or throat.
Other hallmark symptoms of Babesiosis are heart palpitations, shortness of breath, night sweats, sweating with little exertion, chills, severe headaches, and muscle pain/weakness.
Do you have Babesiosis?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
BABESIA SPECIES- � Rapid onset of initial illness, often with sudden onset of high fever, severe headaches, sweats and fatigue, thus it is easy to know when infection began. � Obvious sweats, usually at night, but can be day sweats as well. � Air hunger, need to sigh and take a deep breath; dry cough without apparent reason. � Headaches can be severe - dull, global (involves the whole head, described like the head is in a vise). � Fatigue is prominent, does not clear with rest, and is made worse with exercise. � Mental dullness and slowing of reactions and responses. � Dizziness- more like a tippy feeling, and not vertigo or purely orthostasis. � Symptoms cycle rapidly, with flares every four to six days. � Hypercoaguable states are often associated with Babesia infections. � Rarely, splenomegaly � Very severe Lyme Disease can be a clue to Babesia infection, as it will make Lyme symptoms worse and Lyme treatments less effective.
Just want you to know that I didn't have any of the typical babesia symptoms, but I tested positive for it nevertheless through Igenex.
Also, when I began treating for it, it was VERY obvious that i had it. Wow!
Posted by agmorgan (Member # 36230) on :
Air hunger for me is the same as Sammi. I just simply cannot get a deep breath. Not usually painful.
But I also have terrible costochondritis (especially right now) which hurts like no other. Not sure if this is a typical babesia symptom or not...maybe someone else can chime in?
TF, you say it was obvious you had it once you began treatment. Is that because these textbook symptoms hit you after you started the treatment?
Posted by beths (Member # 18864) on :
Anyone have painful thighs from babs?
Posted by manybites (Member # 33750) on :
Yes muscle lost and deep thigh pains as well.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
agmorgan, no. As soon as I started treating babs, I got a weekly babs flare (my doctor's terminology, not mine). It was like clock-work. It started every Friday evening about 7 p.m. and ended on Sunday at 7 p.m. A total of 48 hours of hell.
That sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? It was so unbelievable to me that I didn't call my lyme doc or anything. I just put up with it until my next monthly appt.
This is how I became during a flare: I lay there and didn't talk, move, eat, drink, etc. I went in and out of consciousness. I had an overwhelming sense of doom. I believed that this is how I would feel the rest of my life. No escaping for me. I called it "the zombie" mode.
When the same thing happened the next weekend and the next, I tried to tell myself that it would end on Sunday night, but there was no reasoning with my brain.
My husband could tell when it lifted because I would get up, go to the bathroom, then feel like looking in the fridge, drink something, start talking to him, etc.
It took courage to tell my lyme doc about it because it seemed totally, totally crazy! But he told me that it was a babs flare. He said babs had a 7-day cycle and a 14-day cycle. so, this was the 7-day cycle.
He then added artemesinin to be taken starting before the flare started Friday morning and ending when the flare ended on Sunday night. He said to "encompass the flare" with the art.
The first weekend, it was like a miracle. The flare was delayed until Sat. afternoon and lasted only 6 hours total, and it was MILD. Nothing to write home about.
Each weekend the flare got less and less until it was just an overwhelming urge to lay down and sleep no matter if I was driving or what.
Then, it jumped to every other weekend--the 14-day cycle.
We knew when I was done treating babs by when I had no more flare whatsoever.
So, that is my wierd babs story. I had the microti strain. It took 7 months of treatment for the flares to totally stop. Then, because it was winter, my doc required me to continue treating until spring--another 5 months.
Then I was done. I had already treated lyme and bart. So, when the babs was gone, that was it for me. That was 7 years ago, praise God! I'm still symptom-free, enjoying my life.
This story lets others know that your flares can be different from the 4-6 days that Burrascano mentions. Or, it may be a matter of how you count the days, I don't know which. If you count from the start of one flare to the start of another or if you count from the end of one flare to the start of another. My flares were 7 days apart from the start of one to the start of another.
I had undiagnosed lyme disease and cos for at least 10 years before I got my diagnosis and got any treatment.
Posted by Larae30 (Member # 35220) on :
I haven't experienced any chest pain with air hunger.
TF- That is so good to hear that you have been well now for so long! I have been feeling hopeless lately.
What else did you take for babs besides art?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Bactrim DS. I was unable to take mepron/zith, which was my doctor's first choice for treatment of babs.
He said bactrim would do it; it would just take twice as long with bactrim. He was right.
Also supplements and the Burrascano exercise program (1 continous hour of weight lifting every other day--a full body workout)
The exericise is essential so that you won't relapse when treatment is complete. Read it in Burrascano. It also helps to clear the diseases.
Posted by jackie51 (Member # 14233) on :
I would be out of breath just running up a flight of stairs.
I also sighed A LOT. I didn't know this was a symptom.
Posted by agmorgan (Member # 36230) on :