posted
Some LLMD's say in order to completely eradicate the lyme do this.... some say you can never fully eradicate the body of lyme? What do you think? It sure would be nice to get rid of it completely! Posts: 747 | From Utah | Registered: Apr 2010
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I think that since there is no test to prove it is gone, and relapses are fairly common, I will always have to live as if it is merely in remission and dormant, and not get too cocky and think I have killed it all.
Otherwise I would eventually stop taking care of myself and let myself get into a situation of stress and exhaustion where relapse could be more likely. Or if I think it is eradicated, I might fail to recognize a relapse if I have one, and delay getting treatment for it.
For me it seems wiser and more optimistic to believe that it will still be there, and I will have to hope to keep it at bay, but have a plan for what to do if it comes back. In any case, even if relapses aren't possible, there are always more ticks, so we still have to be wary of reinfection.
Some people feel better and more hopeful to believe they can kill it all, and when they are better, that it is completely gone.
That may be true, in some people. It's just that right now, we have no way to prove whether it is or not. We do have evidence to prove that in some cases, it is still there hiding.
I think it comes down to deciding which belief will help you the most in achieving and maintaining your recovery, until we have more scientific evidence and better tests. We shouldn't attack each other for our choices in this area, until there is a way to know for sure.
(I say that because I've seen this topic turn into an argument on Lymenet more than once.)
I appreciate my doctor being honest with me about his goal for my treatment. Right now I share the same belief and goal, and I am making progress that I am happy with. If I change my mind about that later on, I suppose I would have to look for another doctor with a different viewpoint, unless science solved the question before then.
-------------------- Don't forget to laugh! And when you're going through hell, keep going!
Bitten 5/25/2009 in Perry County, Indiana. Diagnosed by LLMD 12/2/2009. Posts: 756 | From Inside the tunnel | Registered: Jan 2010
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
The Lyme bacteria live in our cells, especially the nerve cells.
The immune system can kill it only when it's in the bloodstream. That's where the white blood cells are, and they are the ones that phage, or eat, foreign bacteria.
From what I understand, we can never fully eradicate it. But we can strengthen the immune system to deal with it, and provide nutrients to the body to help reduce the symptoms.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
thanks. Wanted to hear it could be all killed too, but felt like that was probably not the case. Regardless, I opt for long term ABX in the hopes to kill as much as possible and keep it at bay.
Posts: 747 | From Utah | Registered: Apr 2010
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bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
I've heard a few LLMD's describe it like this...if you are disseminated it is very difficult to get rid of lyme completely. You will most likely always have it.
However..just because you have it in your system doesn't mean you can't lead a symptom free, 100% normal life. The idea is to get the germ load down so your immune system keeps it in check permanently.
This is just like Chicken Pox. If you've had Chicken Pox, you still have the virus that causes it. But your body is keeping it under wraps. But..it may flare later in life as shingles.
Lyme is the same, or so I'm told. Get the infection down, detox, and strengthen your immune system and you can be well even if you still have it.
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
I think there must be a way to kill it completely, as with other bacteria.
One way may be through a strong enough rife machine. Assuming it works, and you have the correct frequencies, that should be able to kill it no matter where it resides, right?
We need D. Bergy to chime in here.
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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D Bergy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9984
posted
I do believe that it is possible to kill every last remnant of Lyme with frequencies. The trick is what frequencies, and how long does it take.
Many here are working on that right now. I am as near to a cure as ever, but it is not easy to get every last bit of it.
I am always optimistic, and maybe I am wrong, but I am not ready to give up. I learn more every treatment. I have made steady progress over the years, and I am out for a cure as we speak.
No symptoms, but not cured. I am just fortunate enough to have the ability to tell it is still there due to her reactions to the frequencies.
I know it will come back within a month if left untreated. The next time I am testing that, I have that bit of information that I did not have before.
I think it can be cured, but it is not proven to me yet.
Dan
Posts: 2919 | From Minnesota | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Some days, the thought of cure is what helps get me through.
I am extremely appreciative of those who are out there working to identify a cure.
Just the thought of a cure is unreal to me. For me, the frustration is believing the cure is already out there...just under lock and key by the powers that be.
Best to everyone!
Posts: 711 | From Bucks County, PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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I am just as "cured" of lyme as I am of chicken pox as mentioned above. Whether we call it cure or remission is a matter of semantics. I do believe the bacteria is still there, but it's no longer causing illness. We have tons of bacteria living in us!!! I think it would be impossible to eradicate one type completely.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
Six, I'm not having more kids and my husband and I are both infected (he's not "ill"), but I wonder about my daughter. Do you have any worries about your kids (they had lyme, yes?) getting married and having kids?
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
I'm curious, does mainstream medicine think syphilis can be cured?
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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quote:Originally posted by 17hens: Six, I'm not having more kids and my husband and I are both infected (he's not "ill"), but I wonder about my daughter. Do you have any worries about your kids (they had lyme, yes?) getting married and having kids?
One of my kids had Lyme from a tick bite she got on her own. She has been in remission longer than I have (I'm one year this month). No, I don't worry at all about that. I actually had Lyme when I had all my kids and none of them got it except the one after she got bitten.
I got Lyme much worse after having all my kids when I got rebitten 7 years ago ..... but I had it bad enough that three times I was disabled by the fatigue back in the 80's and early 90's.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
I'm responding to Onbam's post. I haven't read a lot lately and maybe missed something...I'm just going on my own experience about marrying when one has lyme disease.
I was sick for many years before being diagnosed with lyme disease, and my husband does test positive for it, but he hasn't had symptoms in more than 30 years of marriage. He's still very healthy, and rarely gets anything that is "going around"--never even has had the flu.
I used to think I got sick 6 months after marriage--that's when I got the "flu that never went away". Once I was diagnosed with lyme disease, I looked back to 7 years before that, and remember pulling 40-60 ticks off the dog every day one summer. How could I NOT have gotten bit then?
Before that, I pulled a tick out of my sister's head, so I was exposed to ticks growing up.
And I remember that, at age 5, I had the mumps twice--with both sides swollen hugely. I thought people only got the mumps once. And I do remember feeling less energetic my last year of High School, and then there was a very slow slide into fatigue developing from that time. So, who knows how long I've had lyme.
I think one thing that may be the difference between my husband and I is that I have 2 detox pathways blocked (out of 5--not good!), the methylation, and the sulfuric one. So, I'm concentrating on keeping detoxified, and hope that will keep me in remission--when I get there!
I think of lyme disease as something along the lines of cold sores. It's possible to get them under control so the infection stays in remission, but the virus is always there. I feel that if the immune system is strong, and everything that can cause a relapse is avoided, the remission can be long term.
I wouldn't count out the possibility of marriage. I'm sure now that my husband was exposed to the spiroketes early on in our marriage, but it's made no difference, that I can see, in his health the first 30+ years, so we're not going to worry about it now!
The question of having children I'll leave to others to discuss.
Posts: 552 | From New Mexico, USA | Registered: May 2007
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
onbam - I think her comment is very encouraging. I think there will be a way to cure it as with most other bacteria...we just have to figure out how. And if it can't be fully eradicated, then we can certainly get it into remission, as others have proven.
I would not treat Lyme as the "scarlet letter", preventing yourself from marrying and having children. Probably most of our population has been exposed to lyme, at least in the endemic areas. Daisy and others have made excellent points. There is no consensus anyway about sexual transmission.
Don't make this any harder on yourself than it is!!! You can still lead a full life...just focus on getting yourself better. If you end up in a relationship, you will tell that person about it and then go from there.
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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'Kete-tracker
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17189
posted
I don't believe one can truely be 100% cured of ANY spirochetal illness... once it has "established" itself thoroughout one's body, that is. The spirochetes are essentially "parasitic" creatures that have evolved to live on within a host & avoid it's immune system.
However, many spirochetes lack the ability to change form- like Borrelia Burgderfori can- & have simpler DNA structures, which makes them much more susceptible to conventional 'abx' treatment. So for these 'ketes, a sufficient course of antibiotics can just About wipe out any remaining viable organisms. (Syphillis is a good example of these.) And the few 'ketes that might remain? They often don't cause any problems... until well into old age. That's when the immune system starts to flounder & all KinDSa things can go whacky. (o boy! Can't wait)
I hope a genetically-engineered drug can 1 day be developed that will incapacitate all the Lyme w/o affecting other bacteria in the body, like in the GI tract. (I still think the flagella are the "Achilles heel" on these suckers. You take away their propellor & they're sitting ducks!)
Posts: 1233 | From Dover, NH | Registered: Sep 2008
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