MariaA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9128
posted
I was symptom-free for about three months and then slid downhill one day right after Christmas. I assumed at the time it had something to do with eating too much sugar over the holidays as a low-carb diet helps me keep Lyme symptoms in check and many people seem to relapse around the holidays, probably for diet/stress/alcohol reasons.
I shortly figured out that I'd gotten pregnant a few days before my relapse started.
(and, I'm not still pregnant- I had a medication-based abortion (ie 'abortion pill') about a week ago, which was a great experience at home with lots of emotional support from friends and boyfriend and roommates, and I spent a few days feeling extremely grateful to everyone who is responsible for safe and legal abortion being available to me. I didn't realize till later that this was also the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade).
Anyway, I've never been pregnant before and that's got me wondering something as I try to figure out what I was sick with-
-when you get pregnant, how soon after conception do you feel any hormonal changes?
I'm trying to figure out if my relapse symptoms were just Lyme or if they're hormones I've never experienced before. Is it really possible to feel strong physical 'symptoms' just 3-4 days after conception? I often feel very in touch with my menstrual cycle symptoms, such as ovulation-related stuff, so I'm not entirely surprised, but I'm wondering if strong signs of physical change has been any other mothers' experience here (pre-Lyme- I know virtually everything can set off Lyme itself and it's hard to sort out Lyme from other things).
CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
Maria, hi! I can say a resounding "yes" it's possible to feel something a few days after conception, you bet! This happened to me based on a couple of symptoms I'll not list to spare the guys here!
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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MariaA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9128
posted
Thanks. That must be really exciting if you're trying to get pregnant and figure out you've succeeded!
oh and if anyone wants to tell me anything about this off-line since it might be embarassing or private or whatever, feel free to PM me of course- but I've been checking them sorta infrequently lately.
-------------------- Symptom Free!!! Thank you all!!!!
posted
Yes my lyme symptoms dramatically increased during the 3 weeks I was pregnant. I was in bed the entire time, and since my surgery which was thursday I have been feeling a lot better. I started to feel ill 2 days after conception.
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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MariaA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9128
posted
I did some reading online in the last few days and it seems that yes, lots of women start to feel the hormonal changes of pregnancy pretty much right away. A few folks pointed out that it takes a while to return to normal after a miscarriage or abortion, too. My residual physical oddness has me feeling cold frequently for brief periods of time, and it's not because I have a fever or because it is cold- so I think it's hormones-related.
-------------------- Symptom Free!!! Thank you all!!!!
posted
Yes since my surgery ive had some cramping and severe breast pain (on and off). The only thing that got better immediately after was my fatigue.
It takes a couple weeks for your body to realize its not pregnant anymore and for all the hormones to go back to normal.
I also have been having pretty severe cold and hot chills.
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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MariaA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9128
posted
I'm finally feeling GREAT about 10 days after the abortion. The chills and breast tenderness are subsiding so at least part of what I was feeling must have been hormonal. I'm also getting a huge boost of energy suddenly, which is where I was at before getting pregnant/getting a relapse.
I can't totally write off Lyme, though- I got on antibiotics when I got pregnant before I figured out that the 'Lyme' symptoms might just be pregnancy only. so my feeling better might be because doxycycline is kicking in after a few weeks. I never had 'the chills' as a Lyme symptom, though, so that's probably hormones.
(I now have a serious respect for progesterone now- how do you women who use progesterone-only contraceptive pills or Depo-Provera handle this stuff? I'm asking because I'm considering more serious birth control options and I've never taken contraceptive pills before either. I think I'm going to go for the new IUD (which is a very different device than the dangerous 1970's version).
I've heard Lyme called 'the second great imitator' (syphillis used to be called the Great Imitator because symptoms resemble several other diseases, making diagnosis difficult), and in light of that, I'm amused that I might have mistaken pregnancy symptoms for Lyme ones.
I guess I'll never know what of the several possibilities caused me to feel so awful- just pregnancy alone or pregnancy triggering a relapse of Lyme or if it was a coincidence that I got pregnant AND had a Lyme relapse at the same time. I'll wait and see if I return to normal health and stay there- it seems to be happening.
-------------------- Symptom Free!!! Thank you all!!!!
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