posted
I am about a year into treatment now, off antibiotics for a few months. Been lurking for awhile. Besides the fatigue and joint pain, there just seems to be something off in my digestive tract.
I am taking pro-biotics ( VSL#3, saccharomyces boulardii tc). I drink peppermint tea and Egyptian licorice tea. I really would like to avoid proton pump inhibitors but I just don't know.
Before Lyme I went to a gastroenterologist as I thought I had shifting food allergies...some weeks certain foods would bother me. I did an elimination diet (3 months GF, removed things and added back in), had food allergies tested... All negative.
In the evening I get stomachs aches, not sure if it's just the time of night or that dinner is largest meal. I put my bed at an incline in case it was acid reflux. Afraid it's chronic gastritis.
Doc told me I was just 'constipated' so I drink water and add psyllium husk ( realized that made my stool too bulky and caused pain).
Now I think perhaps I have acid reflux/ gastritis and perhaps super poor gut motility (nerve issues)? To be frank, I get told by my docs to "go" more frequently but my gut doesn't push it down daily, by the time it does its impacted at the beginning and causes tears and fissures. Sorry to be graphic but I'm tired of going to the docs and being told to take collace or drink more water.
Any Lyme sufferers have issues? I'd like to avoid pharmaceuticals and stool softener but I'm at a loss. I don't want to develop scary complications. I hope antibiotics didn't damage me too much, I hope the Lyme didn't give me nerve damage .
I don't want tummy aches all the time and be afraid to go to the bathroom. Is it time for another useless gastroenterologist appointment? They don't seem well versed in Lyme complications
Posts: 1 | From Glen Echo | Registered: Oct 2025
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kgg
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5867
posted
Welcome Evelyn! I think that gut issues with Lyme is common. You are correct. Fiber is not the answer. At least it was not for me and my family. It does exactly what you describe. I am sorry you are dealing with this.
In my journey of Lyme and gut issues I have found that allergy testing is woefully inaccurate. I first questioned results when it told me my son was allergic to lima beans. He has never eaten a lima bean.
I am a retired RN. We used prune juice in the nursing homes for constipation. It works! My husband and son eat prunes daily. We buy them at Sam's club. I would start with one and increase. My husband eats about 3. My son probably 1, 2 if he is really constipated. We decided the fruit was better than the juice due to more sugar in the juice.
Prunes have a sorbitol in them. That acts as a laxative by drawing water into the intestines. They have some fiber as well. But the real action is hygroscopic. It softens the stools to make them easier to pass.
People with Lyme can get gastro paresis. Delayed stomach emptying. I believe they recommend keeping your meals on the small side for that along with other diet changes such has eating cooked vegetables opposed to raw.
People with Lyme can have IBS. I found the FODMAP diet helpful with that. There is a university in Australia that first came out with the diet. They have an app that I found helpful while grocery shopping. They want you to use it as an elimination diet. I did not do all of that. But I did find what foods I needed to eliminate or consume less of to keep the runs away. It was not allergies but more intolerance.
The FODMAP diet discusses IBS-D or IBS-C. I had the D. Sounds like you have the C. Here is a link to introduce the concepts: https://www.monashfodmap.com/
Your probiotics may be contributing to your constipation. I especially found Saccharomyces boulardii constipating. I also do not take it every day, if I am not on antibiotics. I never tried VSL#3. It was really expensive when it first came out and I had to be careful with $. But there are specific probiotics for people who have diarrhea or constipation. A search will probably direct you. But perhaps eliminating them totally while you are trying to get your gut moving would be helpful?
If you want to avoid prescriptions I would not see a gastroenterologist, unless they are in functional/integrative medicine. If you try prunes, dropping the probiotics and consuming less FODMAPs and are still having problems, then I would see an integrative doc.
There is a test called a CDSA (Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis) and probably others are out now, that will see if there is any pathogenic activity that needs to be addressed. They also may recommend a supplement instead of a prescription. They may recommend a product that has deglycyrrhizinated licorice root (DGL) in it. Licorice can increase your blood pressure. So I always look for deglycyrrhized.
Sorry if this was too long. I hope something here helps.
Posts: 1844 | From Maine | Registered: Jun 2004
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Phoiph
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 41238
posted
Evelyn,
In addition, you can research the Vagus nerve, as it is often affected with Lyme. This can cause myriad different symptoms similar to what you describe:
Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Years ago post op patients were given an ilopan injection x1 to prevent a paralytic ileus It stimulates peristalsis. Research it and see what it is. Google: “ilopan IM”
It protect the gut lining/barrier, sodium butyrate helps me.Normally short chain fatty acids via specific probiotics make it.
Google: “sodium butyrate mast cells” too.
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Persons with long covid also have a gut imbalance. Specifically this is the probiotic needed - faecalibacterium prausnitzii. It is very hard to replicate it, hence supplements are nil.
However, specific foods with fiber and inulin (not insulin)can increase it in the bowel. I have on order Meta Mucil fiber gummies -orange flavored - to increase that ***anti-inflammatory probiotic***!!!
When we have enough of that good probiotic - down goes NFkB and IFNy. IFNy -> an enzyme called IDO which metabolizes tryptophan via the KYN pathway. Ultimately supplying NAD for the pathogens to use. Non stop IFNy isn’t good.
In Wikipedia find “tryptophan metabolism” and see a picture of the pathway. When tryptophan goes down, so does serotonin and ultimately melatonin too.
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
After you read the above, here is more. Our immune response to Bb’s OspA is IgA2. IF we can make enough - genetically/otherwise
OspA happens when Bb is in the tick’s stomach and when it senses a blood meal, OspC is expressed instead.
I suspect once camped out in biofilm, OspA is expressed again.
IgA2 also binds to the anti-inflammatory probiotic called faecalibacterium prausnitizii which produces butyrate and helps protect the intestinal barrier.
Who here remembers Tritec to clear all forms of Bb in the gut- given with abx?
In the liver a complex can form - IgA2-AST.
In my case my liver AST went up for a day when I was having a COPD exacerbation due to C. Pneumonia converting from RB to the EB form trying to migrate and lock onto and infect other cells.
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
PLEASE read the above and then…
If you are HLA-B27+ (like I am) this puts you at risk for “autoimmune” and …get this…impacts your
gut
immune IgA2 response.
I did have very serious IBD and had a 6 hour bowel resection post my original Cpn infection and brevetoxin exposure.
My gut couldn’t handle excessive IgA2 response to control inflammation.
And I’ve had Covid x3.
= ongoing excessive inflammation that my gut good bacteria can’t counter.
Cpn, Covid and Lyme all trigger a IgA2 response!
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
BTW…Google: “HBOT IgA”
This all fits!!!
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
Evelyn Herrera: You are getting some good info here.
Look into Kefir. You can get Lifeway Kefir at the grocery store. This provides bacteria that your large intestine needs to digest long chain carbohydrates. The full fat kefir tastes much better than the lowfat version.
If you drink a cup per day, you should start seeing some digestive improvements within a week. I noticed less gas within a couple days. And eventually reduced aroma.
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I have found that drinking mangosteen juice daily relieves constipation. It also stops any eye symptoms! It's a very anti-inflammatory juice.
Posts: 13171 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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