Since that time I have been on and off abx.

What has happened is that my symptoms are now decidedly worse than they were in the very beginning.

I have just started seeing an LLMD and am into my 6th week of Ketek and 2nd week of Cedax. Although I think I herxed a bit with the Ketek overall I am not seeing any improvement.

My concern is that I am a hopeless case since my symptoms are the worst that they have ever been.

I see my doctor in 11 days and will bring up my fears with him then.

In the meantime, I'd like you to share your invaluable opinions with me as to what you think a good, steady course of abx can do for me now.

Thank you!
 

First.. you need to determine what is making you sick. No, don't hit me yet. That makes sense.

If it is LYME.. that is one thing. If it is coinfections.. ah ha.. something different.

You could be herxing, reacting badly to the strong antibiotics, yeast, and other things.

Until we figure out what the problems are.. and if you think deep into yourself you will come up with ideas... we can't address them.

It is a trial and error thing. We don't have all the answers.

If you were the doctor of you... what would YOU think you should do to help you?

Start there... and see what pops up.

And hopeless.. NO.. never.

I was in bed for years.. and lost much. I am not perfect.. and won't ever be as far as "normal" goes.. but I am better.

Sometimes we need to adjust our expectations to fit the situation.

For example.. I can't climb too many mountains these days like I could. But I can sing a song, write a few notes, fix some meals when the mood strikes me.. and be a general pain in the you-know-what to people who "bug" me.

Yep.. life can still be good. I go on antibiotics.. and off them. I have good days.. and horrible ones. The secret is to try to make it so there are more good than bad days.

Heck.. if I were perfect every day.. then sure enough.. something else would hit me to knock me back down. That's life.

Take what you can get and address the situation.. and keep looking for answers and listening to your inner self.

And...

Read this note below..

------------------
If you get the choice to sit it out or dance...

I believe Igenex that it's just LD. Negative on the co-infections.

My LLMD did say that if it can be fixed (my body) we'll fix it. He didn't mention my mental condition.

I actually have run soon to catch a plane, but I wanted to add that I recommend lining up with a support group if you haven't already.

It can be a very powerful tool, to help keep up with the many variables in feeling better from LD.

I am curious about your LLMD and sent you an email as well...

Thanks and enjoy your day!
 

So far it's proved to be beneficial for a couple of my lyme friends to treat for babesia even if they are negative on blood work....
 

I found--and this truly is just one person's opinion--that ketek is my wonder drug as long as I take it with a cephalosporin (sp?). For me, ceftin was too weak, so I take omnicef.

Also, low doses of flagyl make a tremendous difference. Although flagyl initially caused a huge, seemingly endless herx, it is now invaluable. I find that it boosts my mood, and gives me energy.

Many Lymenet people have been saying that ketek increases their yeast levels, and yeast can make you feel as sick as Lyme does. There are many different treatments and remedies for this. Some people take diflucan. I take nystatin and coptis extract.

In the future, I hope to add IV rocephin to this combination. However, through this board and previous experience, I have been persuaded to embrace the philosophy that Lyme cannot be cured until you get rid of any co-infections. So I'm treating those first.
 

If you take a couple hundred milligrams of this fairly benign herb, and you see a noticeable flare or herx over the next few days, it's a sign you probably have babesia. People on Lymenet often have success by combining artemisinin or artemisia with more traditional malaria drugs. There is some discussion over just how long you have to take them, though, and at what dosage.