LymeNet Flash: 4th week of Bicillin shots, does it get easier? feeling low from pain

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Posted by sickoflyme (Member # 5461) on :

I just had my fourth shot, or should I say shots. 2.5 ccs of bicillin from my Ludington Michigan doc working w/Missouri LLMD. I though it would get easier each week, but last week was bad. Nausea turned into pain in abdomen and ended me in Er again yesterday. I was at work and thought I was going to pass out. Has anyone been on this regime and does it get better as you go along?
It seems like I am ill every day, either with nausea, brian fog, stomach pain, lyme headache or tired. Guess there is a war going on inside me. Shouldn't it get better as soon as most of lyme is killed?
Need some encouragement. I will not give up!
Jane Swanson

Posted by Graneet2 (Member # 6078) on :

I have the same doc in mo that you have and will probably go on bicillin in a few months. I have no info on how it effects you and glad your gonna hang in there.

Your herxing im sure its whats going on.
But there are a bunch of people in here that have felt so much better on bicillin after a few weeks of treatment. To hang on you will probably be glad you did.
Graneet

Posted by minoucat (Member # 5175) on :

Hi Jane. I've had a much easier time on bicillin than you are having, but that's probably because my bacterial load was much reduced by the time I got to the bicillin therapy. Are you doing the shots 2x week?

In the abx tx that I had before that -- everything from IV Rocephin through IV doxy -- I had exactly the response you describe. The misery got worse before it got better, I'm sorry to say. But it DID GET BETTER.

Now that I'm finally treating coinfections too, I actually see me being reasonably healthy soon.

The things that helped me at that time were flushing the liver, the occaisional colon flush, Vit. B12, anti-inflammatories (Esgic worked well for me), evening primrose oil, and gallons of all kinds of tea. I've done a lot of other supplemental stuff, too, especially probiotics, which helped.

Ultimately, I've done several rounds of questran to reduce the toxin load. I think this really helped, but it's NOT something to do when you're already feeling terrible.

When the herx is really miserable, sometimes nothing helps except to just keep breathing.

Talk with the LLMD about herx management; too much herxing can be damaging. I hope others will come along with tales of how they've managed their herxes, too.

I've done better on the bicillin, with the Babesia tx, than I've ever done before. As long as you nail the coinfections, detox, and keep the yeastie beasties and other GI track bugs (c. difficile, h. pylori) under control, I think you'll do the same. It does take a while, though.

It's very demoralizing to have to go through this at work. Big hugs and lots of sympathy from me.

Posted by sickoflyme (Member # 5461) on :

quote:
Originally posted by minoucat:
Hi Jane. I've had a much easier time on bicillin than you are having, but that's probably because my bacterial load was much reduced by the time I got to the bicillin therapy. Are you doing the shots 2x week?
In the abx tx that I had before that -- everything from IV Rocephin through IV doxy -- I had exactly the response you describe. The misery got worse before it got better, I'm sorry to say. But it DID GET BETTER.
Now that I'm finally treating coinfections too, I actually see me being reasonably healthy soon.
The things that helped me at that time were flushing the liver, the occaisional colon flush, Vit. B12, anti-inflammatories (Esgic worked well for me), evening primrose oil, and gallons of all kinds of tea. I've done a lot of other supplemental stuff, too, especially probiotics, which helped.
Ultimately, I've done several rounds of questran to reduce the toxin load. I think this really helped, but it's NOT something to do when you're already feeling terrible.
When the herx is really miserable, sometimes nothing helps except to just keep breathing.
Talk with the LLMD about herx management; too much herxing can be damaging. I hope others will come along with tales of how they've managed their herxes, too.
I've done better on the bicillin, with the Babesia tx, than I've ever done before. As long as you nail the coinfections, detox, and keep the yeastie beasties and other GI track bugs (c. difficile, h. pylori) under control, I think you'll do the same. It does take a while, though.
It's very demoralizing to have to go through this at work. Big hugs and lots of sympathy from me.

Thanks so much. It really helps to know someone else has been through this. All I can say is that I didn't know how bad I had Lyme until this. My insurance company, AARP refused tocover a anti nausea med so I told them tha I wouyld return to ER if the pain ot nausea got uncontrollable. I guess I am just tired. HAs two days two weeks ago amd was hoping it was getting better. Sunday P.M. i felt as if my head was a overripe cantaloupe that had 1/4 smashed in. I was so woosey and cold, out of it as if I was separate from my body, but I fough it. Thought it would be better after that, but evidently I have more Lyme to go. Again ,thanks for helping.

Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :

Jane:

Hang in there. I am in the same boat & it does feel like it is sinking sometimes. I have had 6 rounds of 2.4 units of Bicillin. And, I think I am going to die about 30 hours after each injection. But, I have started to get some really good/functional days that I didn't get on other meds, except for Rocephin. The nausea is so bad that I need someone to drive me to work, etc. I sometimes take Meclizine or Reglan but not too often. Meclizine is cheap so, maybe your Dr. can Rx that & you can try it. Also, ginger and tea. Bicillin veteran Dave suggests Yogi Detox tea & I have to say it really does help.

Keep us posted on your progress. I am curious, as we are on a similar time frame.

Posted by David95928 (Member # 3521) on :

My first couple of months on Bicillin were MISERABLE. I felt worse than I had ever felt from Lyme alone. What a herx!
It still happens episodically. Yesterday I felt almost too tired and sore to walk. Today is much better but I have been drinking Detox Tea, as beachcomber mentioned. It really seems to help.
All this said, I'm still extremely thankful that I took the Bicillin plunge early in treatment as, overall, I've done very well.
Now, I started more slowly, 1.2 MU one a week for a month, then every six days for four doses, then every five days for four doses, etc...
I wonder if 2.4 MU is too much for you when your bacterial lodad is high.
Try to hang in. It's good stuff.
David

Posted by Poochini (Member # 3534) on :

Jane,
For nausea, meclizine is also known as "low-drowsy dramamine." You can buy a drugstore generic for really, really cheap. I have a bottle of a hundred. Nausea throughout Lyme treatment comes and goes. So does dizziness.
I am really sorry to hear the bicillin is causing such a dramatic and unpleasant herx.
Are you going to continue to have a nurse administer them? Or will you eventually learn to do them yourself?

Cave, for your bicillin Rx, were you able to get a month at a time or more? I am going to go on bicillin soon. Also, are you taking anything else, or is it just the bicillin shot once a week?

I admit it scares me to think I may possibly feel that old sick and tired feeling while starting bicillin. That is the worst. The perpetual flu.

Pooch

Posted by David95928 (Member # 3521) on :

Cave,
Al the ups and downs I referred to were herx related. Despite that, my recovery has been remarkably linear. My point was that Bicillin is known for tough herxes but tends to have good long-term outcomes. I literally have a new life.
David

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