posted
I am so confused by the 1:20 IGM B. Ducanci test and the doc still isn't sure if it's babesia.
I started lyme/bart treatment a year ago, never had shortness of breath. That started in June. And now it's horrible. I just can't feel like I can get a good breath, and it makes reading to my son very difficult. We tried asthma meds, reflux meds, and nothing has worked. Some days are worse than others, but I haven't been tracking symptoms that well until this last week. I also have chest wall pain that accompanies. I've had my heart checked, and it's not my heart.
I noticed that when the air hunger spells flare, I also get horribly nauseated and feel like I can't eat anything.
I also get headaches, which feel like they are on the top of my head.
I have unrelenting dizziness (wooziness is best description) and have had it since symptoms started. I've had very few days where I'm not dizzy, which doesn't seem better or worse during the air hunger flares. But none of my meds really seem to be touching this symptom.
Does this sound like Babs or am I just grasping at straws trying to think of whatever else can be making me sick still? I'm so sick of being sick.
-------------------- Lyme, Bart, possible Babs Currently on IV Doxy, Bactrim, Zithromax, Nystatin, Mepron Been on nearly every antibiotic since 10/09
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
sounds much like it to me. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
You have given an excellent description of "air hunger" which is a classic babs symptom. So, you have diagnosed yourself.
The only thing that will get rid of that symptom is good babs treatment. So, forget trying other things for this symptom.
Bactrim will treat babs. Perhaps you got the air hunger when you started the Bactrim? It wouldn't surprise me if you did. I never had babs symptoms until my doc started treating it with Bactrim.
Anyway, it takes longer to get rid of babs using Bactrim, (about twice as long as using Mepron and zithromax, according to my lyme doc) but it will do the job. That's how I got rid of my babs. I took Bactrim DS (double strength) twice per day. Then, doc added artemesinin on the days I flared. I took the art 3 days in a row every week.
You can buy artemesinin yourself if you want to. But, I would discuss it with your doc first. It would not be wise to do something like this without his knowing.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
I just started Bactrim a month ago, and I haven't been great about taking it (I forget all the time), so I will make sure to be better! I'm also on Zithromax. Have appointment Wed to discuss and am going to try to get on Mepron because babs seems to me the most likely cause of this issue at this point. Is artemesinin sold as something else (Wormwood maybe? I can't remember)?
Thanks.
-------------------- Lyme, Bart, possible Babs Currently on IV Doxy, Bactrim, Zithromax, Nystatin, Mepron Been on nearly every antibiotic since 10/09
I am in the same position as you. I have this unrelenting "dizziness" or "wooziness" it honestly feels like I'm high on a drug all the time, it's my most problematic symptom.
From my research, ,this is a big symptom of babs. Hopefully we'll have some success with babs treatment!
Posts: 306 | From NY | Registered: Sep 2010
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posted
If babs treatment got rid of this dizziness I think I would throw a party!!!
Have you tried xanax or another in that class for dizziness? Apparently it interferes with the nerves in the inner ear and at least temporarily stops the dizziness. I hate taking it almost daily, but it allows me to be functional (until the air hunger/nausea flares).
-------------------- Lyme, Bart, possible Babs Currently on IV Doxy, Bactrim, Zithromax, Nystatin, Mepron Been on nearly every antibiotic since 10/09
posted
"Air hunger" is a term that gets tossed around a lot here. I think there are several different ways to have air hunger.
For instance, I have the chest wall pain you described. It was very, very bad. To the point that I had to sleep on my stomach just to relieve the pressure and feel like I could breathe at night. I had pain radiate around the sides of my chest or even into the shoulders. Sometimes a keep sharp pain, other times a dull aching pain.
During the day, I would force myself to sit up straight, because the pressure was worse if I was lying down. I also noticed it felt like I had trapped air in my chest, and I couldn't even burp the pressure out.
When the symptoms starting relieving after several months, I found myself intermittently burping, like relieving the pressure without even trying. And the pressure from the chest wall was relieving, I felt like I could take deeper breaths; even though if I was in a certain position, I would wheeze because of the inflammation blocking my diaphragm.
All lung tests came back normal, x-ray normal, CT normal. They said my lungs were just fine, and I would wake up gasping for air at my worst times.
Babs? I'm not so sure.
I know I had a serious problem with inflammation. If I took a couple Aleve, it would reduce the pressure I felt, and was much easier to deal with. problem being I was on so many antibiotics, I didn't want to overload my system with NSAIDS -- not to mention the side effects.
Regardless, that major issue resolved pretty much on it's own. It took almost a year for it to get 70% better, but it is. And, I don't account any antibiotics for it. Maybe anti-inflammatory supplements, but not the antibiotics. However, I do know what made it worse. Mold intolerance and food allergies, certain supplements, and a round of steroids that I blame 90% of this on.
Just sharing my story, but try taking an Aleve and see if you feel the pressure relieved. If so, I believe its inflammation in the main nerves of your body cause pressure in the chest wall. Google, "phrenic nerve damage" and you'll see many people describe feeling like they can't breathe.
That may also explain why many of us suffer nerve pain and tingling. I'm doing much more research into this right now.
Posts: 829 | From MD | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
If your inflammation is bad, that may be all the relief you can find with Aleve until you get the inflammation down. Do you feel ANY relief from the air hunger with Aleve?
Some people describe their air hunger as being able to take full deep breaths, but not feeling like they're breathing. That's not my case.
Mine is inflammation blocking the airway, or pressing on the diaphragm. I had wheezing with my air hunger issues. It's worse when I lay down.
That's what I was getting at with the several different types of air hunger.
I'm positive for Babs, but I haven't done any real Babs treatment yet, and that symptom has gradually improved since I started my WHOLE treatment. Meaning, I switched my diet to a mold elimination diet, quit drinking, and started supplements -- even before ABX I had improvement.
I've been on Bactrim and Artemisinin, but from my research that's not an adequate Babs treatment. In fact, I took Plaquenil and it's the one thing that made things worse for me. Maybe it was actually going after Babs, cause my nerves flared up and I had major nerve pain.
If it's all related to nerve inflammation, it makes perfect sense to me.
Posts: 829 | From MD | Registered: Dec 2009
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nefferdun
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 20157
posted
I would sit here for the last year gasping for more air and wondering if this was just plain old hyperventilation or babesia symptoms. Well a test confirmed it is babesia.
So now I know the feeling of "walking off the mountain top into the clouds" is real and not just my imagination. Gasping for air and feeling faint when I climb the stairs is not just me being out of shape. The dry eyes, headaches and hot flashes is not just left over menopause symptoms.
The relentless depression and inability to think is not just me feeling sorry for myself and being a difficult person.
I never had babesia symptoms, nothing to take notice of, until I started Bactrim DS. One month on Bactrim and it all started for me and got worse and worse. I start mepron Monday. I am curious what will happen next.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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