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Came down with a cold/flu one week into the doxy which prompted him to say again that he now thinks I don't have Lyme.

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Couldn't that have been from a herx? I had flu sx one week into doxy when I took it as well, but I assumed it was from the doxy. Didn't feel like a normal flu to me, as I felt REALLY toxic.
 

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Posted by jenn (Member # 21687) on :
 
Colds and flu's are viral...Yes!! you still are susceptible to these Viral/Bacterial infections while treating lyme.

Depends on how healthy your immune system is warding off these other infections!

You can have symptoms of cold/Flu or other bacterial infections that has NOTHING to do with Lyme even while on abx!
 

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Posted by lyme in Putnam (Member # 11561) on :
 
That happened to me for years, no cold, fever...This year I had a real cold and was thrilled. I asked at the last support meeting and they said that if you get a cold, its that your immune system is working the right way. I didn't know that there was a wrong way for your immune system to work. Confused.
 

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Posted by sonee123 (Member # 18632) on :
 
I have been sick for two weeks with severe cough and chest congestion to a point where i developed insomnia. I had no runny nose or fever. Alot of phlegm, mucus and even feel it now. Its been two weeks today and i still have phlegm cough not as bad because i have been taking antibiotics for it. My mucous color became yellow. So the regular doctor gave me pencilin.

I believe this could be a symptoms of Lyme. Toxins can cause flu like symptoms. This is really hard for me to intake.
 

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Posted by sonee123 (Member # 18632) on :
 
I have been sick for two weeks with severe cough and chest congestion to a point where i developed insomnia. I had no runny nose or fever. Alot of phlegm, mucus and even feel it now. Its been two weeks today and i still have phlegm cough not as bad because i have been taking antibiotics for it. My mucous color became yellow. So the regular doctor gave me pencilin.

I believe this could be a symptoms of Lyme. Toxins can cause flu like symptoms. This is really hard for me to intake.
 

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Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
 
Sonee123,

Have you tried taking a detox bath - warm water, with epsom salts or baking soda sprinkled in; soak 10-20 minutes? Should help with the toxins, whether they are from a cold or from Lyme or whatever...
 

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Posted by sonee123 (Member # 18632) on :
 
I am from USA but currently living in europe. Unfortunately there is not bath tub in my house
 

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Posted by raw vegan runner (Member # 30432) on :
 
I sweat like a stuck pig on a Texas highway. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older.

I do not ever get sick, as in 'normal people sick' when I am actively dealing with Lyme. Go figure. My entire house could be down with something nasty, and I do not get it.

Now, however, I am catching things as a)I am in remission and b) I am on LDN which is making my immune system work...and work it does.
 

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Posted by raw vegan runner (Member # 30432) on :
 
Lyme in Putnam, my understanding is that when sick with Lyme, your immune system basically malfunctions...it tries so hard to deal with the Lyme that it simply craps out, so to speak. Catching a cold is a really good sign that your immune system is strong enough to start doing its thing again
 

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Posted by lajamur (Member # 24593) on :
 
What about those of us who still get colds but have chronic lyme? What does that indicate about our immune systems? That we are slightly better off than those who don't get sick in terms of immune function?

Or is it just something that varies from person to person with no real rhyme or reason?
 

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Posted by onbam (Member # 23758) on :
 
I do.
 

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Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
 
I've never fully understood this.....

Prior to Lyme, my family never got sick other than the occasional cold--but never down for the count as families around us, and I felt that was a good thing--i.e., meaning we had strong immune systems, etc.

Now with Lyme, dd still gets sick occasionally when the rest of us do, and the illness seems to run the same course and duration with her as it does with the rest of the family.

So, I'm still confused about this issue--i.e., be happy when we're sick with a cold/flu or be happy that we're not sick--LOL & UGH!!
 

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Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
 
Sonee123,

Yeah, I know about that one - our bathtub doesn't work correctly (was installed wrong), so we can't use it for baths either. How 'bout a plastic bin in which to soak your feet?

Or dry skin brushing (can use a dry washcloth or towel for this) before you take a shower or sponge-bath?
 

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Posted by lajamur (Member # 24593) on :
 
Wow, so basically my LLMD telling me that the fact that I get colds means I don't have active Lyme is a bunch of nonsense.... or at least NOT something upon which he should be basing a diagnosis. ARGH so frustrating. Glad I'm seeking a second opinion next week. Sorry it took me this long though.
 

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Posted by nellybean (Member # 26774) on :
 
I do on rare occassion. But it does hapen.
 

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Posted by desertwind (Member # 25256) on :
 
Had lyme for abut 7 years and during that time ALWAYS got colds!

Only now that I am feeling about 75% better am I NOT getting colds anymore.

The way I see it for me; When I had lyme my immune system was down and I would catch everything that was going around. Now that I am much healthier my immune system is able to fight such viruses. Pretty simple.
 

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Posted by raw vegan runner (Member # 30432) on :
 
lajamur, does s/he mean active vs. chronic maybe?

I do think this is one more of those one size does NOT fit all issues in Lyme. But, basing your SOLE diagnosis on whether or not you get a cold? Sounds like BS to me.

It all boils down to what your immune system is doing. If you have been sick for years with Lyme, it is entirely possible your immune system is so *tired* it isn't going to fight anything, hence the reason everyone around you can be sick but you. I know in the earlier stages of my Lyme I was sick CONSTANTLY (like, right after I was infected) Then for years and years...never sick. It wasn't until my Lyme was out in full force as of 5 yrs ago that it made any sense to me: I thought I had a super immune system...I just couldn't figure out why I felt like sh*t all the time!

This si why I feel like it is SO crucial for us to strengthen our immune systems asap, as all the abx in the world are not going to fix this if your body can't function to do some of the fighting!
 

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Posted by raw vegan runner (Member # 30432) on :
 
Lack of getting sick does NOT necesarily = a good immune system. A good immune system is when exposed to a virus/bacteria your body kicks into gear, fights it off, maybe you feel bad for a day or 3 and then you bounce right back.

Lack of a reaction is bad. It can mean that your body does not have the ability to fight...this is what I am learning. All those years of me thinking I am fine and dandy...WRONG! My immune system was just so beat down by trying to fight off the Lyme, it couldn't react to anything!

Think about it....why so many coinfections? EBV, HHP-6, Mycoplasma...all things 'normal' people are exposed to and don't necessarily react to, or get sick from, yet us....we have high antibodies to all these things and symptoms...its because our immune systems simply do not have the wherewithal to fight.

At least that's what I am leaning towards...
 

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Posted by lajamur (Member # 24593) on :
 
raw vegan runner,

I think he basically means that if I'm getting colds, Lyme isn't a problem for me anymore. This is despite my worsening vision problems and the fact that I have had mysterious neurological and endocrine issues for many years, plus debilitating periods of anxiety/OCD type stuff. So yes, I am pretty much convinced that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

I grew up in an endemica area in PA and both my parents have had lyme and I am 100% convinced that my sister has it too. I mean for goodness sake, I grew up on five acres of BRUSH and woods in Chester County and spent most of my time outside playing with dogs, horses, and semi feral barn cats!

It's just been one thing after another, since I was very young --

Early childhood: Mysterious rashes all over body, chronic nausea, anxiety

Elementary school: More nausea, no appetite, underweight, terrible anxiety

Middle school: Nausea, anxiety, achy legs, pain in soles of feet upon waking

High school: Nausea, anxiety, achy legs

College: Night sweats, beginning of strange visual symptoms, major muscle twitching, NAUSEA, anxiety, pain in arms, hands, fingers.

Post-college, working: Total hormonal collapse, migraines with aura, nausea, MAJOR panic attacks, ocular migraine variants, spots in vision, rashes, intense itching all over body, night sweats, weird neuro sleep apnea type problems (TERRIFYING, mostly resolved since I started taking progesterone).

Grad school (present): Nausea, panic, anxiety, worsening eye problems, muscle twitching, night sweats, weird transient sensation of pressure in my right cheekbone area...

Those are just the MAIN issues. There's been other stuff over the years...

And he thinks Lyme isn't a problem for me?!
 

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