I was diagnosed with Lyme in August. Took a month of omnicef and azith and my stomach felt worse and worse. My stomach bloated so bad that clothes were not fitting properly. I finished the meds and did not get to the doc right away so I have been off meds for over a week. ( I know, I know, that was not good.) Talked to the doc today and based on symptoms he thinks I have bart as well.
My symptoms are easy to deal with, basically just aggravating. I guess that is why I have poo pooed treatment.
However, during an exam my spleen was tender to pressure placed on the abdomen so that did get my attention. The itchiness today is driving me crazy as well.
I know a bit about Lyme and little about Bart, info about sites, links, books, etc would be a great help.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
Wow. You mirrored a lot of what my daughter went through when she first started treatment.
The bloating (I had it too, when I first started).
The itching is a histimine reaction to the bacteria and their toxins. She took Zyrtec for that. It has gone away, but comes back when she starts a new abx and it starts killing bugs.
My daughter's spleen was also painful. This can also be a sign of babesia. People without spleens can die if they get babesia or malaria.
So, go up slowly on the meds (with doc's permission). Just think of yourself as a cancer patient, and this is the chemo.
Embrace the herx...it means it's working.
Kelmo
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
The best thing you could read in my opinion is the Dr. Joseph Burrascano lyme treatment guidelines. Here's the link:
Dr. B is the lyme guru. He is now traveling in the U.S. and other countries lecturing on how to treat lyme disease. The Guidelines are meant for docs, so they are not an easy read, but the best thing to educate yourself on this complex disease.
You can also go to YouTube and see the trailer for the lyme movie "Under Our Skin."
That's a start.
Posted by AnneRoto (Member # 13363) on :
Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated.
Posted by gemofnj (Member # 15551) on :
There was also another discussion stating that the TEVA brand of Zith is horrible and gives bad side effects.
Check your bottle, if it is from Greenstone, that one is ok. (rite aide)
Most recommend not to take TEVA brand.
Posted by AnneRoto (Member # 13363) on :
Where is that info found on the bottle?
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
If yours says 3060 on one side, and has a weird, angular looking "G" on the other side, it is Azithromycin by Greenstone (generic Zithromax). I get mine from CVS.
Drugs.com has a tool where you can check what your pill is based on what it looks like.
Posted by AnneRoto (Member # 13363) on :
I checked both scripts, the azith is Greenstone and the cefdinir is TEVA. I have started taking the cef by itself and not at the same time as the azith. I also am slowly going back on, one cef yesterday, one 1/2 azith today, etc. That seems to be working better for my body. I will then be taking full dosages of both by tomorrow or the next day.
How many people have a breathing or choking feeling from Bart or is it the meds? This is one major reason why I am proceeding so slowly. I don't want to have another choking incident. My ribs would not be able to take another heimlich (took me a month to recover from that).
So many people are so ill from lyme/bart/babesiosis. Am I just lucky that my symptoms are minor in comparison? Do some people just have very minor issues and stay that way? Is it worth the heavy doses of abx for minor knee pain, sweats, etc.?
Posted by AnneRoto (Member # 13363) on :
Just wanted to add one more thing. I attended the screening of Under Our Skin in NYC with my daughters. My husband also has lyme and has been treated for 16 months. He is doing very well. I bought a dvd the night of the screening and have shown it at our local support group meeting. Lots of the LLMDs were there including Dr. Jones who I was lucky enough to speak to. I believe Dr. B was there too. I invited Dr. J to come practice in RI and he said he had considered it but cannot find anyone to practice with him that he can pass on his knowledge to.
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
I know that a physician by the name of Schaller wrote a book on it-- might be worth checking out?