I was bit, had the rash, and diagnosed with Lyme almost 20 years ago and had minimal treatment but felt better. I had a relapse about three years ago and have been treated again.I had been on antibiotics for 1 1/2 years until I could no longer tolerate any more. So I started the Cowden Herbs.
On Friday I noticed a "bug bite" on my arm. I am extremely sensitive bites of any kind so I put ointment on it covered it with a bandaid so i would keep my hands off it, and went to bed. Yesterday I woke up and the rash had spread. I had swollen glands and a headache. By last night the rash had spread to about 2 inches in diameter looking very bullseye like. Today it is about 3 inches.
I had been to the river earlier in the week, checked and rechecked for ticks, found a couple on the dog, but nothing on me.
So I am wondering if this is a new bite or is it possible the Cowden herbs have caused a re-emergence of the EM almost 20 years later ? Is the trip to the river a coincidence and nothing to get worried about?
I don't have the money to see my LLMD especially if this is just a reaction to the protocol. But if it is a new infection I am on board for another round of antibiotics.
Thanks for any feed back. Ann
Posted by klutzo (Member # 5701) on :
I never saw my original rash, but when I was on the the Cowden Protocol and herxing like crazy, I found out why I had not seen it.
I was checking out a GYN problem one day to see if it had gotten any worse, when I found a classic EM rash on the upper back of my left thigh, almost in the groin, right where you'd expect it if you were wearing shorts and sat on a log to rest while out hiking.
I was very outdoorsy before this sh*t hit me. Because it did not hurt or itch and because of where it was located, I never would have noticed this rash at all, if I had not checked the GYN problem, which thankfully was not changed.
Over the next month, the ring cleared in the center and expanded, then started fading, only to be replaced by another EM right next to it. This process repeated itself twice, for a total of 3 EM rashes.
I don't have an LLMD, but I went to my PCP. She is not Lyme-literate, but the first thing she said when she saw my rash was "that looks like a tick rash". This occured when I arrived at the highest dose of Samento I was able to tolerate.
So, yes, I think it could be the Cowden Protocol chasing the little buggers out through your skin.
However, if I were you, I'd not take that chance. Since you are lucky enough to be able to take ABX (I am allergic to all of them), I would go for another round of the early stage ABX protocol ASAP, just in case this is a new reinfection.
After all, the nymphal ticks are the size of a grain of pepper, so you might have missed one.
Good luck, klutzo
Posted by kellyb2411 (Member # 15467) on :
Klutzo.
How have you found the cowden protocol in general? Has it improved you and how much?
Thanks
Kelly
Posted by amjrn (Member # 18996) on :
Klutzo Thanks for the information. I called Nutramedix yesterday and talked with the director. He said he had not heard of re-emergence of rash on cowden protocol. But maybe people weren't reporting it. As the rash is resolving for me, it looks more like a spider bite. Also this hurt and was itchy which seems to be something up for debate whether EM does hurt or itch (it depends on who is writing the information). I was wondering if there is a website/blog where people are sharing their experience using Cowdwn protocol. Anybody know? Ann
Posted by keltyl (Member # 14050) on :
I have been on the Cowden and a few months, and never got that. But then, everyone is different.
I find Nutramedix very helpful if you call them. When I first started, I was allergic to cumanda. At the time, I didn't know if it would be allergy or a herx reaction. They told me to stop it right away and what to do.
Posted by klutzo (Member # 5701) on :
Anyone interested, I've already answered Kelly's question in a PM, but for anyone else interested, I put up with 4 yrs. of almost unbearable herxing from Samento and quit when the Lyme rages caused by the herxing threatened my marriage.
However, I can't take the appropriate ABX at all due to allergy, and am told Cowden works much better as an adjunct, rather than a stand alone therapy.
I now take Epicor, an immune modulator supposed to be proven to raise Natural Killer cells by 400%. It does not cause herxing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ANN, I never even thought of calling Nutramedix and reporting the rashes to them, so if other people are like me, it may be as you say, and folks are just not thinking to tell them when that happens.
I do remember reading that rashes might show up again when the dosage got high enough to really work.
I read it on a Lyme forum, but whether it was this one or another one, I can't remember. You might try the search engine here and look for posts on "Samento", not just "Cowden".