___Joint pain and stiffness (often both Left and Right sides as opposed to Lyme which is often on one side only with pain and stiffness that changes locations)
___Muscle pains especially the calves; may be twitching and cramping also
___Foot pain, more in the morning involving the heels or soles of the feet (sometimes misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis)
___Nerve irritation symptoms which can be described as burning, vibrating, numb, shooting, etc.
___Tremors and/or muscle twitching
___Heart palpitations and strange chest pains
___Episodes of breathlessness
___Strange rashes recurring on the body often, red stretch marks, and peculiar tender lumps and nodules along the sides of the legs or arms, spider veins
___Gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain and acid reflux
___Shin bone pain and tenderness
Bartonella is a bacterium that causes illness, the most commonly known of which is a disease called "Cat Scratch Fever." Thousands of known cases of Bartonella occur in the U.S. each Year, with the vast majority of known cases due to bites from fleas that infest cats or infected dogs (may also occur directly from bites and scratches from infected dogs or cats). Bartonella can also be transmitted by ticks that transmit Lyme Disease. In fact, in a study published recently, deer ticks from New Jersey had a higher prevalence of Bartonella organisms than of Lyme organisms.
It is unclear whether the organism that we see transmitted along with Lyme disease is actually a Bartonella species (such as B. henselae or B. quintana) or is "Bartonella-Like Organism" (BLO) that is yet to be fully identified. While BLO has features similar to organisms in the Bartonella family, it also has features slimiar to the Mycoplasma and the Francisella (causes tularemia) families.
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Babesiosis
As with other co-infections, there is a lot of overlap of symptoms between Lyme disease and Babesiosis. An accumulation of the following signs and symptoms probably warrant testing and/or treatment of Babesiosis:
___Chills
___Fatigue and often excessive sleepiness
___High fever at onset of illness
___Night sweats that are often drenching and profuse
___Severe muscle pains, especially the large muscles of the legs (quads, buttocks, etc.)
___Neurological symptoms often described as "dizzy, tipsy, and spaciness," similar to a sensation of "floating" or "walking off the top of a mountain onto a cloud"
___Depression
___Episodes of breathlessness, "air hunger", and/or cough
___Decreased appetite and/or nausea
___Spleen and/or liver enlargement
___Abnormal labs (low white blood count, low platelet counts, mild elevation of liver enzymes, and elevated sed rate)
___Headaches (migraine-like, persistent, and especially involving the back of the head and upper neck areas)
___Joint pain (more common with Lyme and Bartonella)
___anxiety/panic (more common with Bartonella)
___Lymph gland swelling (more common with Bartonella and Lyme)
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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posted
i know.. but i made 1/2 year of aggressive bartonella treatment and still have brain fog... treating since 14 months straight now...
Posts: 371 | From velocity of light | Registered: Sep 2009
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posted
I have positive babs duncani....treating since Jan this year........have had glimpses of it lifting some days then other days not........
-------------------- Oct 09 Positive CDC Western Blot Jan 10 Positive Babesia Duncani Jan 10 Cd57 28 Mar 10 EBV, IgM, IgG HHV-6 IgG Posts: 739 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2009
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posted
bcb, could you elaborte on where you got the information on bartonell and babesiosis? very intresting, i'd like to show my naturopath. maybe a website?
Posts: 255 | From - | Registered: Jun 2009
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Haley
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22008
posted
I have tested positive for Lyme and Bart. I still do not have a positive test for Babs but I am treating Babs.
I believe that most of my brain fog is related to Babesia or possibly another parasitic infection. It may be a combination of both Bart and Babs.
This is listed under babs:
Neurological symptoms often described as "dizzy, tipsy, and spaciness," similar to a sensation of "floating" or "walking off the top of a mountain onto a cloud"
Mepron and Artemisinin help me to think more clearly.
Posts: 2232 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2009
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lightparfait
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22022
posted
I believe brain fog is yeast/candida /fungus and die off related.
Posts: 1009 | From NJ | Registered: Aug 2009
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bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
Someone posted it here and I copied. I found it on other sites as well.
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
My brain fog lifter 100% after a round of doxy early in treatment. I still get memory loss but that is from the lyme.
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
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blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
My brain fog lifted 100% after a round of doxy early in treatment. I still get memory loss but that is from the lyme.
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
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quote:Originally posted by lightparfait: I believe brain fog is yeast/candida /fungus and die off related.
i had brainfog right at the beginning of the disease.. no yeast.. no fungus.. no die off.. just bacterial load..
Posts: 371 | From velocity of light | Registered: Sep 2009
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posted
mhhh.. dizzy, spacy, but also concentration, memory loss.. cant work up things with my brain which is see/hear etc. my doc calls it encephalopathy... i read this symptom often in babesia symptoms on different websites, just wanted to ask here who has this symptom according to babesia
Posts: 371 | From velocity of light | Registered: Sep 2009
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onbam
Unregistered
posted
Yes--Mepron/Zith was the only thing that helped it. I may have been tking double doses of mepro--not sure.
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I was treating babs for 4 months (Jan-May) and saw improvement. The brain fog it was still there but not as bad.
My LLMD decided to go after bart with Rifampin in May and I stopped Mep/Zith/Plaquenil.
It was terrible, the brain fog came back stronger than before with periods of derealization. At first I thought it was a herx. But after 3 weeks my LLMD said it was not a herx.
I stopped treating bart at the end of May and I'm back on Mep/Zith/Plaquenil again and pulsing artemisinin.
I'm taking 1.5tsp of Mep and 500mg x2 day. The brain fog feels better, however it's still there, but it's not as bad.
I can remember things and function, but I'm still spaced out and feel like I'm "floating".
BTW, I'm convinced that it's babs causing the way I feel. Also, I just got Roxi and plan on starting that and stopping Zith.
I'll let you know if that helps with the brain fog.
Posts: 133 | From Philly/NJ | Registered: Nov 2009
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thanks for response! the brain fog thing is still curious... many say its from bartonella.. but like i said.. i treatet bartonella for 1/2 year aggressive with combinations like levofloxacin+minocycline+bactrim ds... or rifampin+bactrim ds.. my brain fog improved only a little bit with aggressive bartonella treatment.. lets see what will happen with babesia treatment.. i will tell u my expirience
Posts: 371 | From velocity of light | Registered: Sep 2009
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Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13480
posted
Massive brain fog was always my main babesia symptom together with extreme fatigue.
Many people report excellent results when they put babesia dormant, like a big step up towards a better life. In my case, getting babesia was always a bitg step up.
I was reinfected twice with it, and both infections caused me extreme fatigue with extreme brain fog, plus light sensitivity (or expanded pupils), extreme problems with lack of ferritin... also flushes of heat here and there, night sweats...
When I first took Riamet and saw all these symptoms vanishing and the head explosion due to what I call babesia herxes, and then my brain got clearer after 3 days of Riamet, I knew what caused me such symptoms was Babesia.
The only problem is that I relapsed 2-3 weeks after Riamet, so it was not a definitive solution, but it killed a great amount very fast.
It happened to me twice, that is why I tell you certainly, babesia caused me both a massive brain fog and very strong herxes. And in both cases, getting rid of babesia meant for me feeling about 60-70% better.
good luck!
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
up
Posts: 371 | From velocity of light | Registered: Sep 2009
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Remember to Smile
Unregistered
posted
Personally, I don't relate to the term, "brain fog." Our experiences are unique given the infectious mix each got from the dirty biting insect/arthropod mouthpart AND given that we each had a different set of genetics, environmental factors, stresses, nutrition, prior infections, etc.
Reading Haley's post above from June 25, i have experienced that!
I'm infested with at least two spp of Borrelia, Babesia duncani, and Bartonella (probably quintana).
Hadn't understood "depersonalization" until i was on 400 mg/day doxy for about 3 wks. Suddenly one afternoon i realized i was more fully "present" than i'd been in maybe years. A night or two later, i was literally able to see more clearly. My vision improved markedly, but that didn't continue.
Just began Mepron & azithromycin atop the doxy, so we'll see...
My successful LLMD & another successful LLMD nearby both believe we must treat & clear Babesosis before Borreliosis or Bartonella can be controlled. Babs first.
daniel, since you haven't attacked Babs yet, there's no telling what symptoms you'll exhibit.
Since June I've been back on aggressive high dose babs treatment. NOTHING changed as far as the way I feel in my head.
I stopped taking mepron/zith last week to detox this week before I start my new treatment. I'm still pulsing art 3 days on/4 off.
I've notice new symptoms appearing since stopping the babs treatment like muscle twitching and bone pain. I'm still very spaced out in a depersonalization type of way.
I'm going back to treating bart again this time with Avelox for 1 month. I hope Avelox helps me with this "fog".
Posts: 133 | From Philly/NJ | Registered: Nov 2009
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posted
Hi Daniel: I am on a pretty agressive Babs treatment now and yes, my brain fog has lifted except when I am herxing really bad... and that happens with Bolouke. Whew... that stuff... I can tell you it makes the drugs go deeper but you better not need to do too much... It really has made me herx old symptoms that were mild-- like tinnitus and chills like crazy. I am also on Bicillin shots (primarily for Lyme) but I think the babs treatment (mepron zith) is kicking things into high gear. I think it is like my doc said... a lot of the time it is finding the right combination of drugs/adjunct things (B12 shots rock for energy) -- So I would say YES! Hang in there... I am Posts: 243 | From Charleston, SC | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Remember to smile... thanks for your post up there. I think I am experiencing what you have described ... since the babs is being killed finally... mercy the herx is rough- I feel like I am herxing for all three-- primarily babs and bart... But the tingling on my head... it just dawned on me ... has finally gone away... and I think that is supposed to be Babs too... Thank you all... you are a wealth of info. through all of this!
Posts: 243 | From Charleston, SC | Registered: Oct 2008
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