posted
First off, thank you to those that have posted so much helpful information over the years in this forum. I learned a staggering amount from all of you. I've been on a crash diet of constant Lyme/CI research since August and LymeNet has been my primary source and jumping off point to external literature. I truly appreciate all the effort that has gone into your collective sharing and research.
I started Bactrim 3 days ago and began to get periodic crawling skin sensations on Day 2(yesterday). I've read every thread I could find about Bactrim and most of them point to allergy type causes and various folks recommend stopping the drug. However, is there any possibility that the crawling skin is caused by something else positive (or neutral)... die off of some sort, nerve stimulation/agitation, other? I experienced this sensation in the past during my undiagnosed years when I was not on any antibiotics. It typically came on with dietary origins, most of which I thought were healthy at the time. Come to find out from Fry's writings and LymeNet that fats (even the good ones), protein & magnesium are like steroids for FL1953 or PR as it seems to be called here. My diet was basically jet fuel for FL1953 in that case. I spent year after year trying to figure out why I would get itchy all the time, especially at night while trying to sleep. LOL, so frustrating.
At any rate, the crawling sensation I experience is difficult to describe, but it does not require intense itching in the same spots over and over. The sensation moves around quite a bit and is most noticeable on my torso. It disrupted my sleep last night and is returning a bit stronger right now. I have no rash or other visible indicators of a problem on the skin. For most of the day today it was not noticeable. I had a bit of air hunger in the middle of the afternoon a few hours after I took the Bactrim, which was interesting. Wonder what caused that? Only noticed this for about 30 minutes. I do not have any mouth soreness or raw feelings that others reported leading to SJS issues.
One half-crazy theory that passed through my mind today was that by killing off some Bartonella for the first time with Bactrim, the FL1953 has less competition and is now proliferating.
Current Bactrim dose is 1 pill per day (for the first week). Next week supposed to bump to 2x per day if I am 'tolerating' the drug well. Though I will likely delay the bump up for another week to allow for my scheduled Tindimax pulse to be tried with my current dosages of Bactrim/AZ/Mino.
Additional Background if you're interested: Tested somewhat positive (negative CDC) for Lyme (but not positive enough to count) back in August via standard WB. Negotiated a Doxy Rx from them while I sought out a LLMD. Found one relatively nearby and got in to see them in mid-Sept. They ran a bunch of tests, including the Igenex and Fry bloodwork. Igenex confirmed Lyme, Fry showed tons of biofilm, was suggestive for high levels of both Bart and the Fry bug-FL1953. Tested negative on the 3 different Babesia tests, but that doesn't seem to mean much from what I've read on here. I feel fortunate to have felt mostly normal since the week in August when I first went to my PCP. Was on 1 week of Amoxicillin, then Doxy for 2 weeks by itself. Following the 1st visit to my LLMD in mid-September I was on a combo of Doxy/AZ and pulsing Tindimax every other week starting in October. Starting mid-October, Doxy was swapped out for Minocycline. Overall I have been tolerating all the meds fairly well including the Tindimax. No major herxing at any point. Occasional brain fog and word finding challenges are the only things I sporadically experience. Fwiw, I believe that I first picked up Bart and possibly Lyme in August 1999. Though the only time I ever was knowingly bit by a tick was in the early 80's. I'm in my mid-30's and have been fortunate to live a fairly healthy life thus far, even in the years since 1999 when I believe I was first significantly infected. I rarely get sick, which was a blessing since I sought medical help this August when I suddenly got sick for no apparent reason. The experience only stood out to me as unusual because it had been so long since I was sick. That said, so many 'mystery' symptoms I've been living with for 14 years make so much more sense now!
Posts: 58 | From Virginia | Registered: Nov 2013
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posted
Update from the overnight hours. I took Ambien and a half-dose of a supplement containing theanine/5-HTP/Phenibut prior to going to bed. The crawling sensations were eliminated within 30-45 minutes of swallowing the pills. The skin crawling sensation remained on hiatus throughout the night. This would indicate to my naïve mind that an allergy is not the issue.
Posts: 58 | From Virginia | Registered: Nov 2013
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
The largest organ in the body is the skin. Have you gotten into a detox bath daily or at least 3-4 times a week?
Bartonella causes so many skin issues. Detox baths really help draw some crap out. Even though you have no visible skin issues like many, crawling skin can be helped greatly through the detox baths.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6479 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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Thanks Pam. I have not done detox baths, but I go to the sauna on non-workout days provided I am not travelling for work. I tend to feel quite good doing this... time will tell if it helps with the skin crawling stuff.
Posts: 58 | From Virginia | Registered: Nov 2013
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