posted
For the first time i've had brain fog for about 5 days now. It feels like 'drowsy brain'. It also feels similar to when i was getting off paxil. No matter how much I sleep or if I've just woken up from sleep, I cannot get my brain to wake up. I think this is brain fog.
I have also had some dizziness for the last 5 days... but only when I'm thinking about it.
Can these be parts of a herx, and if so I've definitely been herxing for 5 days.... doesn't make sense.
posted
How about herxing 1 year in a row...non stop for a day !
It is funny as one bug goes down the others activates...So if you have more than just lyme ...you can herx for very long.
Now that I have 3 bugs and 2- or 3 in remission my herx can be a few days and turns around ....but before with all of them together ...NON STOP brain "FOG" better say BRAIN SWELLING that can not fit the skull.
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posted
are you saying having brain fog is better than brain swelling, or you're saying you believe my brain is swelled and that is why i'm having non stop brain fog?
posted
Clint, I think Alv meant brain swelling was a better way to describe her experience.
Anything seems to be normal for a herx.
In the beginning, now my situation is different than yours, I was undiagnosed 30 years, sick for 4 years prior to diagnosis, pretty much bedridden at that point .... so in the beginning I often was so dizzy I needed help walking.
Now, with Lyme near remission but still dealing with active babesia, here's an example of what can happen. I asked my daughter a question. She answered, "How are you feeling, Mom?" I answered, "Bad, why?" She said because I had just asked her the very same question two minutes earlier.
I said, "I did?" Even after she reminded me I still didn't remember. She asked if I wanted her to write down her answer this time, LOL.
This is reminiscent of how bad I was, and sometimes it pops up here and there.
I know yours sounds different than this, but this is how the brain symptoms manifest for me. And, yes, it does get better. I'm so happy for you that you have caught it so soon, even though it still will be a tough few months for you.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Yes, "brain fog" is very often a part of the "herx" reaction. It probably doesn't mean your brain is actually swollen, though it might feel like it is. The cause of the "fogginess", or lack of mental clarity and a "confused" feeling, is usually neurotoxins released from dying lyme or other spirochete-type bacteria. BCDavePosts: 4567 | From ithaca, NY, usa | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
I recently was put on levaquin by my GP for a "sinus infection". I have taken this class of drug before with no problems whatsoever.
Even though it was only 5 days, I was having difficulty forming words and was speaking slowly and my hubby told me I was slurring my words. This may sound crazy, but I almost wondered if I would have a seizure or something.
It just felt like my brain wasn't connecting and working like it should. I called my LLMD and they thought it was a herx and to stop all antibiotics until it passed.
I was terrified to stop (on doxy also, and 5 days of levaquin was over) but when I did, I actually felt normal again. (I am seriously wondering about bartonella now??)
I keep saying that if this stuff wasn't happening to me, I don't think I could believe it all!
posted
So wait just a minute here... the brain fog... and all the head symptoms......... which are slowly tapering from my hell week last week and last weekend.
There could be a positive lying behind it? (That I'm getting better)
lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
I definately think it was a herx. Sounds like you just killed a lot of bugs, and the result was more toxins than your body could eliminate at one time.
When I'm in a herx my brainfog is unbelievable...I don't even feel like I'm a part of this world.
And yes, I think you're getting better
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Clint,
This makes perfect sense. It's very rough, but quite typical.
Have you had a chance to read some of the books about lyme or some of the articles at ILADS' site?
I think you will be relieved to know that many of the symptoms that are scary to you now are all par for the course with lyme and lyme treatment.
Brain fog is classic. No one gets out of the lyme experience without that.
Although, dizziness can have many causes, most lyme patients experience various degrees and types of vertigo at all points of illness and during treatment. Ginger capsules or ginger tea can help tremendously.
To read - in the articles and books - about all you are going through helps you know that you are not alone but also helps you know that it's all part of the process.
This can get better, but it's no walk in the park - it's a long journey. One stroll at a time - with many time-outs.
Hopefully, your rest sessions will be of a healing nature.
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
Keebler, any other books you recommend? I am interested in buying a couple. I know Lyme Disease Solution is also supposed to be good.
I'm not as interested in Cure Unknown if it's more about controversy of Lyme than how to treat. I am well aware of the "controversy" after seeing many, many doctors. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
absolutely yes! Any lyme symptoms on the list can show up during a herx.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Books? someone asked.
These are my three favorites and I'm sure most people get tired of seeing me recommend these. Still, even if one is not "into" alternative treatment, the last two offer much insight about lyme and self-care.
Singleton's is a huge help.
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This book, by an ILADS member LLMD, hold great information about pharmaceutical and complementary treatments:
Lyme Disease and Modern Chinese Medicine - by Dr. QingCai Zhang, MD & Yale Zhang
you can access his web site through www.hepapro.com or try www.sinomedresearch.org and use "clinic" and then "clinic" for the passwords or call Hepapro.
The Potbelly Syndrome: How Common Germs Cause Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease (Paperback) - 2005
by Russell Farris (Author), Per Marin (Author)
8 customer reviews and you can look inside the book
about $13.00 -
Editorial Reviews
Potbelly syndrome (PBS) is a metabolic disorder that affects about one-third of the adults in industrialized countries.
Its most important symptoms are abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Contrary to popular belief,these conditions are caused by chronic infections, not by bad habits. (poster's note: well, unless one DOES have bad habits.)
PBS is initiated by a small, long-term excess of the stress hormone cortisol.
The extra cortisol stimulates our appetite and slows down our metabolism. It makes fat accumulate in places where it isn't wanted or needed. Most of the fat settles around our waists, but some of it settles in our liver and muscles.
Liver and muscle cells aren't supposed to store fat, and the fat prevents them from working correctly.
As a result, we feel tired and hungry much of the time. As our potbellies grow and our PBS gets worse, our blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin, and blood sugar levels rise.
Most of the excess cortisol is produced in response to mild, chronic infections. Some of the germs that cause PBS also produce sores in our arteries. When these sores are large enough, they can block arteries and cause heart attacks.
"The Potbelly Syndrome" explains how to diagnose and treat some of the germs that cause PBS and heart disease.
If you've done everything you were supposed to do and still gained weight, became diabetic, or had a heart attack,or if you are a medical professional who suspects that there are serious gaps in the current understanding of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, "The Potbelly Syndrome" will provide you with the answers you need to bring about better health.
About the Author
Russell Farris is a retired artificial-intelligence researcher who spent most of his life solving problems for the U.S.
Navy. After suffering a heart attack in 1998, he began to apply his problem-solving skills to the study of heart disease and related illnesses.
Per Marin, M.D., Ph.,is a distinguished scientist, physician, and clinical teacher from Sweden. He has been writing about obesity since 1985, and many of his eighty-two publications deal with the effects of cortisol on weight and health.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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