Just a quick overview....I've had lyme about 1.5 yrs, diagnosed this past Oct. One of my first symptoms was the stomach going from constipation to normal...back and forth.

Then about 3 months before abx treatments, my GI system/bowels just "locked up"...no movements, no sounds...nothing. So, I started on colonics, pysillum, metamusal etc....just to keep things cleared up.

When I started Biaxin, things clicked right back into place and back to normal, just as my llmd said it would...life was, as far as this symptom, back to normal.

Now, out of the blue....things have just stopped again, completly. No change has been made in abx, I'm still on anti-yeast diet, two probiotics, good supplements(including Mg and B6 and B12) etc... has anyone have any ideas what might be causing this old symptom to come back?

I read a post a few days ago and someone answered (GiGi, minoucat???? not sure...) that the build up of bacteria could be a prob in the digestive tract causing a form of "paralysis" to the normal motions of the gut movements.

Does anyone know of such a thing occuring with the GI tract? It's going on week 3, and I really would like to find a way out of this problem.

Also, had complete work up of GI tract (sigmoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasounds etc..)last summer and all turned out normal.

Thanks again to everyone who can help shed some light on this....or has any thoughts, suggestions to try. Meanwhile, I will go and see what other "fiber" I can eat...perhaps my daughter's cereal box...since I can't have the sugar on the inside, perhaps make another use of that cardboard on the outside!

I have problems in this area, but not to the extent that you do. You might try that EM stuff....Efficient Microbes....... http://www.SCDWorld.com

or Multi Fiber by Nature's Secret. I buy it at the health food store.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe the Biaxin is no longer effective against the keets. A switch may be in order.

------------------
oops!
Lymetutu

This has been a real problem for me. Just like you say, nothing works. What helps me is primal defense,but the effieicnet microbes would probably work as well.

Also, you can ask for Zelnorm from doctor. This works too. I don't use it everyday, only when needed. It is a medication for women with irritable bowel with constipation and it makes the nerves and motions of the bowel work better. But after all this time, i beleive bad bacteria and lyme in the gut are causing this.Lyme messes with nerves everywhere.

I was treated for h.pylori which is a stomach bacteria which can get seriously out of control in this kind of situation, you will always test postiive on blood as I have been told we all carry this. Your doc would know if you need to check for this or if you have already.

I've had some problems with my colon off/on for several years, as I am the self-proclaimed queen of IBS.

I realize you didn't complain of IBS pain, and for that you need to be grateful.

As far as the current constipation...I'm not sure I have any good advice but thought I'd just start making some stuff up.

First, and seriously - my doc had done a bicycle stress test on me back in Novem. that indicated that my mitochondria (in the cells) weren't making enough energy for me to sit & breathe.

This, of course was curious because it being prior to Christmas I was doing anything but sitting - but thankfully I was, indeed breathing. MEANWHILE, my bowels decided they'd take a little vacation.

I thought about how it was possible for me to be decking all my halls & such when my cells were low on the energy & it occured to me that PERHAPS some cells were borrowing energy from other cells.

I proposed this hypothesis to my doc, who suddenly realized how brilliant I am, and agreed that was a definite possibility.

After I SLOWED DOWN - and quit borrowing all that energy from other places - bowels started working better...matter of fact, then the diarrhea started. Yes, I know - TMI.

Now I mentioned that to suggest that, as a fellow lymie, perhaps you're cells are a little "low" in the energy department & perhaps you need to lie around a bit - be a little lazy for a few days and see if that helps. It's a good excuse, though, don't you think?

NEXT - since you are into "Java" - I assume you've tried drinking coffee? Coffee has always had a laxative effect on me.

I would really suggest drinking copious amounts of WATER instead, especially since you are into all that fiber. Fiber will get stuck without all the fluidity that good ol H2O provides.

And finally - back to the Java issue - have you ever tried coffee enemas? Lots of fun. Read up on it first if you want to try it.

Remember - I'm no doctor, and the only person that tells me I'm smart regularly is me. So - remember I just made all that up based on my moderately functioning lyme brain.

Good luck & hope everything starts "coming out" well for you soon.

Wish I had just the perfect answer for you. Others have given you great advice.

I don't have a clue if Lyme is the primary root cause of this problem.

Or, maybe it could be a secondary problem brought on by LD; perhaps even caused by meds like Elavil or pain RX.

A quick fix could be Ultra Colon Clenz by Natural Balance at the health food store. (Be sure & get the ``Ultra'' Colon Clenz and not the regular one). It looks like this:

http://www.naturalbalance.com/cgi-bin/showproduct.pl?Item=16416060

I do know that constipation is a classic symptom of low thyroid function or hypothyroidism. Many Lymenetters have their own thyroid stories----all different.

Not all, but some Lyme patients have low thyroid function due to LD or OTHER REASONS. Diagnosis & treatment of low thyroid can be complicated just like LD.

Side effect:
Treating low thyroid can take the struggle out of life for some!

Here's the deal: Your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) thyroid lab test can be normal, but your body may NOT be absorbing thyroid hormone.

Symptoms speak louder than a piece of paper. Inconclusive lab tests can possibly give the false illusion that everything's normal. Can't think of anything more frustrating.

Thyroid tests can be ``normal,'' but if you have low ``early morning'' body temperature, it can be an obvious sign you need treatment.

Here's the shocker: According to the late Dr. Barnes, if your early morning temp is below 97.8, by even a fraction of a degree, you probably have low thyroid even in the face of a "normal" thyroid test.

The late Broda Barnes, M.D. devoted his entire life to treating patients with low thyroid.

He linked low ''early morning'' body temperature to low thyroid function.

The ``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Temperature Test'' was first published in the Physicians Desk Reference, but later removed when the new synthetic thyroid meds hit the market.

Case histories are discussed extensively in his classic book, ``Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness.''

The Broda Barnes, MD Foundation still exists today to get the word out. The home test is listed at the bottom of my reply.

Just FYI:

Did you know the official range for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) on thyroid tests has been changed?

The new official range for TSH is 3 as of 2002. (It used to be 10 - so get your lab work & check it over; old labs may not have modified their TSH values)

Depending on whose research you believe:

Men feel better with a TSH of 1.
Women usually feel better with a TSH of 2.

Perhaps Armour Thyroid (contains both T3 & T4) or whatever your Doctor prescribes might help.

The TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test alone is simply not enough testing.

If your LLMD doesn't have time, ask your Primary Care Doc for TSH, T3, T4, TSO tests. (TSO is thyroid antibody test ---- to test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis).

Here's the catch:

The thyroid lab tests will always have to be run & you will probably have to find a "special" doctor to prescribe the natural form of RX Armour Thyroid or necessary treatment.

RX Armour Thyroid will cost like $10 a month----very cheap. Thyroid revs the metabolism to get the toxins out & the oxygen in the cells. It impacts every organ function & helps fight infection, if you need it.

Three Ways to Find a Thyroid Doctor:

Got insurance? Request that your PCP run a test for thyroid function to include: TSH, T3, T4, TSO. (...,if needed, write the 4 test names on a post-it note & take with you to the Doctor.)

Get a copy of the test results & take to a thyroid friendly physician.

Go to: www.thyroid-info.com
to find a thyroid physician in your state. Patients even rate the doctors here. This is a great site.

The 2nd site to locate a thyroid Doc is: www.armourthyroid.com

Physicians who are members of ACAM (American Academy for Advancement of Medicine) will usually prescribe the necessary thyroid RX.

Go to www.acam.org
And click on ``Public.''

Traditional doctors will rarely treat "sub-clinical" hypothyroidism with a normal thyroid blood test.

I don't claim to understand the science behind hypothyroidism, but I can point you in the right direction for help.

=========================================

TEST DIRECTIONS

``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Temperature Home Test"

Place thermometer at bedside when you go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, place the thermometer under the arm for 10 minutes----- if it's an old mercury kind. Do this for 2 days in a row depending on Doctor's instructions.

Do not talk, move, or get out of bed before finishing the temp.

These are only the basic instructions.

Each physician is different as to how many morning temperatures they require. Some say 5 days in a row at the same time of the morning.

I believe the original test was for l0 days in a row. The Doc will usually add the temperatures together just to get an average temp.

SYMPTOMS

Here are some low thyroid symptoms taken from the book by Stephen Langer, M.D.,
"Solved The Riddle of Weight Loss.''

Symptoms can be very mild or extreme in severity.

(Remember, you don't have to have every symptom to have hypothyroidism----maybe just a slight headache at the end of the day.)

Fatigue

Feeling cold, particularly the hands & feet

Weight gain or inability to lose weight,
despite constant attempts at dieting

Lethargy

Dry, coarse skin

Swelling eyelids

Coarse hair

Pale skin

Enlarged heart

Faulty memory

CONSTIPATION

Hair Loss

Labored, difficult breathing

Swelling of the feet

Hoarseness

Nervousness

Depression

Menstrual problems in females

Low libido

Impotence

Heart palpitation

Emotional instability

Brittle nails

Muscle weakness, pain

Pain in joints

Poor concentration & memory

Anemia

Atherosclerosis

High cholesterol levels

========================================

Headache is a huge under the radar symptom which I've learned from my own family. We all have LD & all take Armour Thyroid.

My grown son takes l grain or 60 mg Armour Thyroid; husband takes 30 mg and I take a 90 mg tablet Armour Thyroid.

Hope you're better soon `cause this has got to be pretty scary.

Let's us know if you find out the cause.

Take Care,
Jan

We've (my husband and I collectively) have experienced 2 kinds of constipation: 1) stools not moving because they were too hard and kinda got stuck, and 2) stools not moving because peristalsis had stopped.

The first was mostly a hydration and hormone issue (happened around my period a lot) for me, solved by lots of water with psyllium fiber and bentonite clay, hot tea, and oil/garlic/ginger liver flushes, and generally getting healthier. I did have low thyroid at the time, so that could have been it too.

The second one (failure of peristalsis) my husband was very prone to for a while.

I don't know the cause, but I've read that candida die off can really slow peristalsis down; also mercury toxicity in the bowel; also Bb die off. Possibly it's also an inflammation issue from Bb and various toxins? And, as DR.W suggests, just all over fatigue.

There may well have been other causes. When my hubby had his troubles, he was awfully ill in many ways and was on a lot of abx.

What helped most with this was stomach massage and coffee enemas, and psyllium husk/bentonite with tons of liquid (bentonite binds abx and everything else so time this carefully).

Since the time (a year) that we treated extensively for yeast, detoxed in several ways, and been most tremendously faithful to probiotics, oregano oil, liver flushes, and psyllium, and other supplements, and treated extensively for Bb and co -- (whew) -- we've had no bowel problems. We're also a lot healthier all the way round now.

Here's an interesting link -- I know there are a ton more, but this is a concise list comparing effective approaches for one person. http://www.cfspages.com/yeast.html

Oh, and we've also been doing the steam sauna every night for 2 months, and I think it helps enormously in every way.

Good luck. Move well, and prosper....

Editing to add that in one of the constipation threads (lovely topic to search on) someone who's mom had been a midwife suggested warm prune juice as the primo decalcifier of the bowel. I'm here to tell you -- it don't take much!

And I'm also editing to add that the worst of the "stopped peristalsis" episodes occurred before we got treated for H pylori and C. difficile. So those two may well have been a contributing factor.

Lymetoo--thanks for the link for the EM. I looked it up and found EM for soil and plants only, though I'm sure that's not the one you meant...I did see the Primal Defense that lymiecanuck (thanks LC!) mentioned...is that just as good? Does it help with the bad bacteria in the gut?

Minoucat--thanks for your help too, sorry to hear both you and your husband had this as well. You offered some very good ideas to research. You also mentioned the bacteria H. pylori and C. Difficile (and Lymiecanuck!). I read other posts regarding this problem...what exactly is it and how is it cured?

If what lymiecanuck said about everyone has this....how do the ducks test for it? You mention additional methods such as stomach massages (which my ND and myself do..) but I haven't tried liver flushes or oil or Oregano...did these help with the GI tract?

My ammo against the yeast is mainly a good diet, tons of H2O, good probiotics and alots of natural herbs,garlic and cilantro in cooking. Anything you did that you notice kicked the bowels back up a notch?

I am doing the steam sauna though...we recently bought a "mini steamer" with an ozonator, so hopefully that will help with issues that Dr. Wiseass (love the name!) brought up.

As for the prune juice...well before lyme, I would of given ya a big "Ewwwww" with appropriate shudders included. But now, well after ALL the stuff we take, how bad can it be?? And if moves these bowels...I will make a shrine of raisins and hum the praises of the prune! Thanks for the tip...

Dr. Wiseass--again, love your name! Stay spunky girl...that's what this disease needs to keep this c%&p in line! I agree with the taking it easy part...but sadly, that's all I've really been able to do. Before this "fun" started, I was a police officer...so I had to de-stress and shift things down real fast.

As for the "Java" thing...you pegged me. Again, with my line of work..it goes hand in hand. Well, one hand with a latte, the other with a Krispi Kreme if I was lucky. I hate to propagate stereotypes, but I do/did love a warm Krispi Kreme...sigh, I did give those up for the cause.

But I still do an occasional coffee, but after so many years of living on the stuff, it doesn't do anything for me tummy wise. Sometimes I thing weening off the stuff was worse than the abx..my body had to detox from that shock alone!

You bring up a very good point regarding giving our cells a break and an energy boost. I'm hoping that the ozone therapy will help with that issue. We are just starting that, so haven't been any real "boosts" yet...I'm hopeful though.

Haven't look into coffee enemas yet...will give a read through. Perhaps this could be a new campaign for Starbucks...I know they had to close a couple of outlets when I stopped coming in...this way I could give 'em back my business!

RecipeGirl05--You are amazing. I wish I had your stamina for information right now. You brought up many points that deep down I've been wondering about. Again, so many 'lyme' symptoms match those of other problems, such as thyroid, it's hard to separate them all. But, when I first started getting ill, I read up on symptoms and thought it was something thyroid related too.

Of course, they ran MANY tests...all came back normal. But I've been curious if that could be still lingering...can you try the Armour Thyroid med without harming your system? I really hate to have to add more meds or other probs, but will deal with it if needed. Thanks for all the great links...it will definately help in getting my duck to look into this.

Wow...sorry my reply was so long. You were all so great with the information, I wanted to make sure I got everything....and as Dr. Wiseass suggested, it made me sit down and relax for abit to read and reply to everyone.

Thanks doesn't cover it friends...but I truly mean it. Really, thanks for all the help...I wish I could just jump in and have something magically clear this up...but patience is the key..though not one I always seem to being able to find when I need it, but i'm trying along with all you great people.

Thanks everyone....will let you know what I find that works, which I hope is soon as my daughter isn't to thrilled with me nibbling on her cereal box!

Health and Healing,
JavaBeing

A little weird.....but you can blame Gigi for that! I take PB8 [probiotic] AND the EM. Not sure if only the EM would do, but it does help bowel function.

Oh no. I was sorry to put you through my long post. Poor thing!!

My new LLMD believes if you're low in thyroid, you really need it to fight infection. It's my understanding she also treats Wilson's Disease------which is over my head.

I'm guessing that taking a trial run of Armour Thyroid would be strictly up to the Doctor. It would probably take a thyroid specialist (not Endocrinologist since they're traditional).

I started taking thyroid back in l994. I wasn't diagnosed with LD until 2003; by then my heart rate was always over l00. Bad.

Before I did my l80 Rocephin injections at home, I had to go to a local doctor for the nurse to give me my first shot. (To avoid unknown reactions/allergies.)

This Doc happened to be a superb thyroid doctor & wanted to put me on thyroid after filling out her thyroid questionnaire.

I'm positive she would have run routine thyroid tests to get a baseline, as well.

However, my pulse was like l04 due to Lyme & she said she couldn't prescribe thyroid with fast pulse.

I don't know for sure, but if your regular heartrate is over 75, I kind of doubt they'd do it.

But, if you have low body temperature in the a.m., any symptoms of low thyroid and a normal heart rate-----I know that the "thyroid specialist" I saw would treat you after running thyroid tests.

(If I remember right, she's listed on one of those thyroid links I mentioned.)

If a person develops insomnia due to thyroid or a fast heart rate due to thyroid, then they would likely reduce the dose.

If needed, your doctor can prescribe tablets which you can easily cut in half with a pill cutter.

Depends on the person, but my Doc back in l994, instructed me to take the thyroid RX(away from other meds) right before going to sleep so it would help me get up in the morning.

I've been reading about nutrition since l990 when I was first misdiagnosed with myasthenia gravis for 5 years. I learned about this test from a nutrition book.

Really, not so much energy here. With the internet, now I just copy & paste. Suppose I'm a poster girl for thyroid. I occasionally give informational handouts to family members who request it.

I don't think everything is caused by low thyroid, but if you need supplementation---------to me it's a crime to go without it.

If I can help further, please ask.

(I'm strictly amateur, though!)

Get well,
Jan

Editing to add this:

Couldn't resist this little FYI since you're "JavaBeing"---------The thyroid specialist's questionnaire asked: Do you need caffeine in the morning or afternoon to keep going?

I think we did the breath test for it. My husband had lots of ulcers and polyps plus a lot of gut misery; I "just" had a lot of intestinal distress, no ulcers or polyps.

It's worth reading up about because it's one of the great stories of discovering the disease/treatment in the face of massive resistance from the medical status quo. See http://www.helico.com/ for a great overview.

We did the Pepto Bismal/ Flagyl/tetracycline/proton pump inhibitor tx as described on the CDC page athttp://www.cdc.gov/ulcer/md.htm. Took 4 weeks, no retreatments needed.

C. difficile is another unpleasant bacteria that often shows up after abx tx and in immunocompromised people. Its toxins cause inflammation of the colon, and often cause diarrhea (hmm,doesn't quite seem to fit you...). And, I presume, a lot of other unpleasantness, as toxins will. Again, my husband had the worst sx; I didn't have the diarrhea but did have major gut discomfort.

The treatment our GI guy used was Flagyl, so it was treated concurrently with the h. pylori. Dx was based on stool samples (but our doc said this was pretty useless except for insurance, since so many people are asymptomatic carriers) and sx. It can be very persistant, but was not for us.

The doc treated us both as soon as he determined the hubby was definitely infected, since both bugs are easily transmissible. See http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/CDifficile.html

The first time I was treated for h.p was by blood test, and the second by symptoms. It can be very difficult to irradicate for some.

The primal defense really helped my gut, some use other things, but I seen much help with this. Coffee has always been my laxative but when everything stopped working this did nothing and other laxatives took too long to work and caused me big distress. I also did n't mention that I know yeast was involved for me as well.

But ultimately Zelnorm worked great until I could get thing under control again, as the constipation was making me very toxic. I had this paraylsis so bad it almost killed me and could get no help for the longest time and feel it did much damage as a result. If only I had of known what I knew now.

Good Luck
Lymiecanuck

I was not given flaygl either time for h.p infection but this is used alot. Gut problems are big in my family and i think the h.p is the reason.

All I can say is I totally relate...I have literally NO FUNCTION for over a year...I totally rely on weekly colonics, and now learned to do home enemas, as I am running low on funds to continue colonics...sometimes I am so "frozen up" that even the colonics or enemas don't work...my body just ends up holding the water, and can't release it....It's an awful feeling!!

I hate spending money to do something everyone else can do for free too, you know...

But I have tried every natural way to get things moving, and every med...and NOTHING "unfreezes" me...It also occassionally freezes my stomach...and/or the sphincters (valves)...and then food just sits in my stomach and won't "travel down"...then I feel real nauseas and sick

I think it's some neuro lyme related thing...and/or toxin related (as I have multiple food "allergies" due to toxicity, that I am still working on clearing...went a year on IV nutrition because I was so allergic to everything) All my lyme treatments have had to be put on hold because I am too senstive to handle the die off...although I was doing lyme treatments when this all began...Ugh...so who knows

Keep me posted if you ever figure out "the key" to fixing this...

Frustration doesn't begin to cover what trying to figure out for ourselves what our bodies are trying to tell us, but whether it's this problem or another, just having OPTIONS to keep trying is encouraging.

Warm prune juice here I come! And I'm placing an order for the Primal Defense as well....not sure if or what will work, but maybe the combo will make the bacteria not want to be sharing the same space as me and move on and move out....(my husband may be a different story)

Aniek--thanks for the link. That is an incredible story/journey that she went through...amazing that even within her own profession, she wasn't taken seriously. This disease plays no favorites. I hope others have/will read this too....it gave me me another boost of adrenaline to go off from.

Kira--Hang in there. As shown here by some incredible people, they've been there and done that. We will get this figured out...just keep trying whatever you can. I totally believe the lyme is playing with the nerves in the GI tract, just like it has everywhere else.

But we got alot of people here who have figured some ways around it, through it and behind it (okay...that pun WAS intended...but humor is a positive re-enforcement that we gotta use too, right?) Lots of options...just have to find the one that works.

Believe me, if I find something that works, I will be here with the good news. Strange, a year ago, I would've never thought such a topic would need my attention, much less happily sharing such info with anyone else...if nothing else, this journey shows us how fragile, humble and caring humans can be.

TheSkyKing--Hey Brian..I've ran across a few of your posts. I've found alot of what you've posted quite interesting. Another poster, "Orion" started interest with how her daughter (and her..) had such positive progress with their ozone therapy. Through chatting with her, I found that she, like alot of us, believe you got ran at this disease from more than one direction. So, I'm giving the ozone therapy a try.

Through her research, she also found alot of supportive info on Rife, which she though was benefical as well. To be honest, the costs of the two different alternative methods was the main decider right now...but the Rife I believe has some serious merit. I would be interested in trying once $$$ isn't a major factor. If you know if ways around the cost, please email me.

Right now, I'm going try an obvious option, and try and tweek the abx around. My llmd wants to see what my Babs test from IGENEX has to add, then I might be going with Biaxin and Amoxicillin combo.

Meanwhile...I'm gonna sing the praises of the prune and get some good microbe support, hoping that sometimes something simple can work too. Just a quick question...what are the treatments for the h.pylori and c. difficile strains?
And please, be kind....if it's something worse than warm prune joice, say like liver and onions....just keep it to yourself. The human body can only take so much....

Thank you everybody....just notice it's official midnight...and my birthday. I share my birthday wish with all of you in finding the path that takes us over this mountain. Meantime....
Health and Healing,
JavaBeing

Doctor's Data in St. Charles, Il does this. Your doctor can contact them for a kit.

You likely have no good normal flora left if you have not been religiously taking very large doses of GOOD probiotics.

It all starts in the gut. You cannot absorb nutrients from foods OR supplements until you restore your gut flora.

Loading doses of probiotics will likely be necessary. They must be taken with a FULL GLASS of water ONE hour BEFORE a meal. This will dilute the stomach acids so the strong stomach acids don't knock off the "good guys" which need to get to your intestine to set up "housekeeping" and replicate.

The friendly bacteria make for us many vitamins, some enzymes, and even some natural antibiotics.

High levels of stomach acids PROMOTE the growth of the friendly bacteria. This makes sense...stomach acids break down the food we eat which the "good bacteria" then can utilize.

Timing all of this gets tricky...if not impossible. You may need to take a "medication vacation" or seriously consider pulsing your abx.

Bart, Bruc , Babs , and other parasites can all cause constipation. I just figured out that when I take an iron supplement that it starts to constipate me, and it turns out that all these little nasties just love iron.

When I stop the iron, things get back to normal. I think that it is because the iron helps them to proliferate. This happens even while taking biaxin and tini. These meds help a little against the bart and bruc that I have, but not enough to keep them from getting stronger when I take the iron supplement.

I started taking iron becuase my hemoglobin has been low since I got sick, and that is listed as one of the reasons why. I do feel stronger with the iron for a few days, and then it is not helping as much, and the sluggish bowel thing happens.

I picked up a free magazine called "Essential Cleansing" at the health food store this weekend. I opened it up today, and there's an article on constipation!

I know you've gotten tons of info already, but I'd just read your post and it seemed like fate, so I thought I'd try to summarize some of the article for you:

Note that the article didn't give any specifics about dosage, duration, etc. So I see this more as a jumping off point for finding more info.

Good herbal/nutritional supplements:

black walnut
apple pectin
yellow dock
magnesium
folic acid
psyllium or ground flaxseeds
triphala
cod liver oil

"The 1-2-3 Supplement Solution"

1. Take a 1-week to 1-month natural cleansing program, either: (1) mineral bowel flush using magnesium or (2) herbal bowel flush. Aloe, turkey rhubarb, buckthorn, black walnut, and triphala are effective.

2. Take a daily fiber supplement with both soluble and insoluble fiber

3. Take a daily flax or fish oil supplement

"The 1-2-3 Lifestyle Solution"

(to do in conjunction with, and after, the 'supplement' solution)

1. Exercise
2. Drink more water
3. Stress reduction

Regarding diet, most advice was obvious. Cut out processed foods, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, gaines, legumes, seeds, etc., but here's a list of the "10 Best Cleansing Foods" (for both antioxidant and fiber properties, both of which are important to bowel health)

1. small red beans (dried)
2. wild blueberries
3. red kidney beans
4. pinto beans
5. blueberries (cultivated)
6. cranberries
7. artichokes (cooked)
8. blackberries
9. prunes
10. raspberries

I wish I could get you the entire article. I can't find the publisher online. Obviously, as a free magazine it's selling supplement ads, but they didn't mention any brands at all in their articles, which I thought was good.

I know this is a complicated, long-term problem for you, but I hope this helps some.

monkeyshines

btw, if anyone else can find this free magazine, it also has articles on toxity as the root of disease, mercury, liver cleansing, organics, herbs, juicing, sauna, and yoga.

Boy, I wish I had some good news...the prune juice isn't doing anything, though strangely, the taste isn't as bad as I thought. Scary huh?
I've order some Primal defense, but that will take a few days.

Marnie--Thanks for jumping in here and throwing out some ideas. I've been going through denial in that I keep thinking...this CAN'T last forever, but never say never to Lyme and it's ability to go places nothing ever should.

What ideas are good for a good, strong Probiotics regime overhaul as you suggested? I'm on two (HMF Forte capsules and Progenena Prodophilus Powder) probiotics now...and don't really want to jump off the abx right now as it's starting to help with the head stuff...but I can ease down abit.

I'm drinking tons of water, and have the basic diet of the a cave dweller like everyone else. Deep down (no pun intended...)I really feel like the good flora has left to fend for themselves elsewhere...and the Lyme has taken the foothold within the GI nerve department and making itself quite at home. Any ideas on how long to put myself back into balance?

Marblenose and Monkeyshines--Thanks for the input..it's kinda there with Marnie suggestion of just "re-booting" my system and starting again. But what to do first?? Do I flush everything out...then start with the super heavy probiotic re-establishment regime or visa-versa?

This sounds like it may take a bit...and worth all the effort. But meantime, I gotta get things moving...I'm really conscience of what the build up these toxins are doing or have done, and I got get a handle before I get too toxic to be able to nip this quickly.

Any ideas to help with keeping toxin levels down so it doesn't make me too ill while I'm trying to adjust my innards? Gotta feeling that all the water I can drink isn't going to off-set that scenerio. Though I'm still plugging away at my prune juice cocktails. If misery loves company, then I figure this lyme should have all the prune heaven I can throw down at it...

BTW Monkeyshines, thanks very much for the heads up on the article. I will give a look at Wild Oats and see if they have that same magazine...I'm a big believer in fate and what it puts up for us to trip on...sometimes we just got be flat on our face to see the message.

Well, I've still abit of reading to do here(gratefully so!)...thanks folks for the info, the help and the encouragement...my llmd said to try some "kristlose" to help the bowels get a running start...Okay bad pun, but my head is floating from all the fluids I'm drinking, at least I tell myself that's what it is....

Thanks again one and all....and if someone has a good idea for a ER detox to make sure I keep the rest of me from looking like a toxic glow stick that might come in handy too!