I wanted to find out if there are other people who eat pretty well but have lyme and bartonella and not only find it impossible to lose weight, but whose weight has ballooned up very high.... i feel like my whole body is swollen with edema and my weight has skyrocketed... it was getting high before treatment and now with antibiotic treatment (very low dose), i have blown up like a balloon.... i am wondering if this could be from yeast or a herx.... i have read that bartonella can cause edema and obesity... i just don't know how to get rid of it.. i am afraid i will weight 300 pounds before i find what will help me drop this weight and lessen this swelling.
thanks so much for any insight!
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
Yes. I relate to this although I never test positive for Bart nor do the doctors find clinical evidence of bart.
Even though I was an extremely active person, my weight kept creeping up and I always was bloated and gassy. Also, got swollen all over and can remember having trouble squatting down because I was so swollen in my knees that it pinched off my circulation. No joint pain, just felt like the Michelin Man.
Ended up with Rheumatoid Arthritis in all my joints at once. That bloated feeling was actually full body inflammation. Very dangerous condition and I didn't even know it.
The latest Blaylock Wellness Report is on Inflammation and calls it "The Real Cause of Most Diseases".
QUOTE: Inflammation is mainly caused by 4 things 1-toxins 2-infections 3-injury 4-heredity
However, what you eat, your diet, influences all of these factors. A poor diet can increase and prolong inflammation while a good diet can cause it to grind to a halt. END QUOTE:
I don't know how you eat now but some foods that contribute to inflammation are: meats, processed foods and packaged foods, sugar.
Foods that eliminate inflammation: crucerciferous veggies - they cause the liver to produce more glutathione which is needed to detox the body. Fruits- full of antioxidants. Water - drink half your body weight in fluid ounces daily green and white teas-very good
Try a vegan (no animal products of any kind) for 2 weeks. Be sure to eat whole foods (food that grew that way). You could eat saltine crackers for 2 weeks and technically be eating vegan, but it would not do your health any good. So eat your fruits and veggies.
2 weeks should show "significant" improvement in your swelling and bloat. It worked wonders for me.
I am not vegan today, but I have been tested for food allergies and learned I am allergic to diary and soy proteins. I miss cheese and soy is in every packaged product. Diary is in so much too. Anything with cream in it. Canned soups are full of soy and diary.
Just stay away from packaged foods. Frozen foods are fine if they are whole foods and do not have sauces and seasonings added to them.
Do your own seasoning. You will avoid preservatives and msg and flavor enhancers that can kill you.
If you are inflammed, start with your diet. It will really help.
Supplements will be necessary too, but you need a good doctor trained in whole body healing to guide you as to which supplements you need.
More and more LLMDs are getting educated in this area. Ultimately, it is our body's immune system that heals us, not the drugs. Drugs kill a few and suppress many of the bugs. That is why so many people relapse when they go off the drugs. The drugs also damage our bodies.
I'm not saying don't take drugs. Far from that. We are very sick. But if you take drugs without also building up your body, I believe you will be doomed to constant relapse and eventually suffer side effects of the drugs.
Anyway, off my soapbox now. Just try the diet for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference.
See www.drmcdougall.com for more information and research studying diet and chronic illness.
Luvs
Posted by Clarissa (Member # 4715) on :
The biotoxin gene could be playing a role in your leptin levels, hence the weight gain.
I also can relate. Over the past year and a half, I consistantly gained weight, despite no change in lifestyle or eating habits.
My hands and body literally felt swollen, I could no longer get my wedding ring on, ect.
I test positive for 2 strains of bart and mycoplasma pnemonia (but not lyme). When I started antibiotics, the swelling was alleviated somewhat.
But what really made the difference for me was when my gall bladder went baaaad. At this point in time I CANNOT eat anything with any fat whatsoever in it.
So I'm living on fruit and veggies, and for a special treat I had shrimp cocktail (no fat!!) and the weight has fallen off of me.
obviously, this is an extreme dietary change, but not one that I had much choice in (even bread hurts!!) and one that will probably change again after I have the gall bladder removed.
But even though I once again will be able to consume fats in moderation after the surgery is completed, I am going to make a conerted effort to try to keep those veggies and fruits front and center in the diet.
I hope all of this helps, and that you are able to feel more in control of this soon, as I know that it is no fun to feel like your body is exploding and you can not stop it.