Just when you thought you have exerienced just about everything that Boris and Myrtle and the rest of the Bb clan could throw at you up they come with another wrinkle. They just show it to you and show it to you and show it to you. For so called one celled organisms they certainly are fiendishly-indeed viciously-intelligent, a lot more intelligent than people around here and certainly they each have more brains in their little flagella (plural of flagellum, ie tail) than 99% of the clowns out there with MD degrees.

My probem is this: Three weeks ago while in Maine in the middle of a heat wave I got a massive herheimer shock reaction on top of a toxic reaction to the augmentin that I had been taking. I got really sick, herx, pain, massive GI spasms and nausea, PN and arthritis. An indescribeable and undignified mess-all in the blazing heat.
Weel, I could describe it but I will spare you.

I have taken no antibiotics for three weeks. I am very sick and exhuasted with the LD and the pain and peripheral neuropathy have gotten worse. In addition I am having bad stomach pains, gatrointestinal spasms of pain with the ususal messes and intermittent epeisodes of nuasea. Rurther the arthritis is back with a vengaence, and the very painful prostatitis has decided to join the party as an uninvited and decidedly unwanted guest. Life is just not much fun of late. It is called mortifying the flesh. Well I for one and weary of all this mortification. It is getting very boring. I am getting very boring.

So does anyone have any suggestions?
Should I go back on the augmentin/biaxin at a lower dose. My stomach cannot take the augmentin. What on earth do you do about the spasms, pain and nausea. Does anybody else have that problem. Right now I am just so tired I cannot see straight-keep falling asleep. Please do not tell me to go onto Bannanas, Rice. Applesauce and Toast. I could not stand it. The cure is a awful as the disease.

Further could someone be so kind as to tell me how to locate a posting on July 11. It discussed taking artimesinin with Bicillin and biaxin with specific doses. The person doing it seemed to be having good results. I would like to try that. Nothing else has seemed to work. Naturally with my brain dead bird brain I could not copy the thing off and then could not locate it.

Finally, on a more cheerful note. We at the SC lymenet work have a billboard that is moved around in the central part of the state as space becomes available. The owner of the bill boards does it as an act of public charity. The thing has a giant red tick on it. It certainly does catch the eye. Well today I was driving up the hill on Garners Ferry Road past the Med School and there one block from the University of SC School of Medicine, the head duck machine of SC was posted our giant red tick billboard. Every duck at USC must see it on the way to work every morning. The thought of it cheered me up immensely.

Your kind patience in plowing through this drivel is appreciated. I just got back from a massively delayed flight from Maine and am non compos mentis at all. But at least I did not have to spend the night in the DC airport. Hundreds did.
Cheers. Thomas Parkman

Have you looked into the extract of aloe to heal intestinal problems?
http://www.molocure.com/index.shtml

To reduce inflammation I am taking Serrapeptase and Wobenzym. My pain meds seem to be working better for my aches and pains, as I feel like I am 88 years old, instead of 100.

I wish you could get your gut back in shape before you insult it further with antibiotics. Which is why I suggest the aloe vera extract.

I'd try the aloe vera extract, maybe calla round and see if they have any at your local health food store. I used to work for a company that sold aloe juice and many people swore by it for GI stuff.

I have no medical background but... stay far away from the augmentin! If it made you this sick don't play with it, take your ball and go home!

Are you able to eat anything? For some bizarre reason eating makes nausea go away temporarily for me.

Sorry, I've had these type of stomache problems and don't have any good answers. I've stopped a lot of orals because of them.

I hope you feel better soon.

I am in the run away mode right now. Pretend I don't have lyme. It works as long as I don't try to do anything.

NOT FUN!

Sorry to hear you are feeling lower than non compos mentis.. whatever that is.

Thoughts on your situation.. other than jumping off a bridge... or laying down in the middle of a big highway.

1. Yeast. Are you on Nystatin? Is your tongue a pretty pink? It should be. But the tummy stuff sounds a bit like yeast.. and/or...

2. Another bacteria called H. Pylori. This should be checked out by the doctor.

3. I have NO clue why.. but anytime I try to take acidophulis that does not say "milk (dairy) free".. I get the same symptoms you have. AWFUL!!! I am NOT allergic to milk.. have it all the time.... but for some reason I get sick as git out. JUST a thought??

4. Drink some decaf green tea. Get re-hydrated. It will also help clean out some of the garbage. If you dehydrated in the heat you will feel really bad... and it can cause spasms.

5. Ibprofen (800 mg Motrin) may help reduce inflammation.. and help joints and other things. Ask doctor FIRST!

6. Good old Pepto Bismol. It has bismuth in it. Bismuth helps kill keets supposedly (early research thinks so). I drink LOTS of water after taking it. You aren't "suppose" to take it WITH antibiotics.. but your tummy needs a good coating and some relief... and this always helps me. I take half doses.. and notice big improvement in a day. I ONLY take it maybe 2 times a year. Since you are off antibiotics... should be ok. Ask doctor. I never do. HA!

7. Bartonella. It can cause BAD stomach stuff.

8. Babesiosis. It can cause nausea and a few of the other things.

My best guess?

Herx caused problems. Now you have toxic garbage that is making you sick... along with yeast and/or bacteria. The toxic stuff has to have somewhere to go.. and digestive system is it.

I would wait to start something new until your tummy is better or you may just make the problem worse.

You may need to consider IV at some point if tummy stays this way. But I would get tummy RIGHT first.. THEN do some thinking about what to do next.

WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER!

Feel better soon. THEN we can have lobster.

OK?

PS.. You have felt my smile.

Soooooooooooo much I want to put a BIG bulletin board in front of Hopkins.. just to make ME smile.

Good for you!!!

It usually takes me a month to six weeks to clear the big cytokine cascade symptoms...like a massive herx.

Aloe vera supplements do help me...particularly Mannatech's Ambrotose...Yeah, it's from a MLM, but I don't care becuase it help my stomach survive.

A true southerner's recipe for tummy troubles? Flat Coca Cola, chilled of course, and saltines....

I wish that I could be of more help.....

Carol Ann

I was on vacation in Turks a few years back and we had a taxi cab driver showus around the island.
He told us he used to have bad ulcers, and other stomach symptoms.

He said he drinks a little of aloe vera, and hasn't had problems since!
He did say it was very bitter, and he added water and drank it quick every morning.

I mix mine with a little gatorade. I normally don't have stomach issues, but when I do...I drink the aloe.

I got mine at a health food store, and it was only $4.99 for a quart. You only need to drink up to 2-8oz. It's also organic.

I am not a doctor, and don't know if it'll work for you, but this taxi cab driver looked way younger than his age,and was very healthy!

I'm sure living on that island made it more of a plus, but it's worth a try!
Ask your doctor first.

Augmentin can be very harsh, ugly. Just wondering if maybe you got another tick bite? Hoping that's not the case and it's a reaction to meds.

When I have GI problems I go to the health food store and buy bottled ginger-lemon tea. Ginger is very good for the stomach.

If you have diarrhea maybe a C. diff toxin stool test is indicated. Best to check with your doc.

I have been on IM Bicillin, 1.2 million units twice a wk , ketek, 800 mg 1x/day and nystatin now for 3 weeks. I don't want to jinx myself but I am seeing improvement, after 8 months of orals with no improvement.

The shots don't hurt much, I've been able to give them to myself. Ice before and after. I herx 24-30 hrs after the injection, not too bad tho.

Each of us is different, I was previously treated for Babs and tested over and over for the other co-infections.

Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast worked for me when I came home from Mexico with diarrhea. But that was my only problem then. BRAT's not so bad. You gotta do what you gotta do.

If your Lyme symptoms are getting worse perhaps you need to go back on abx. But first and soon get your gut settled down.

Do you take any antifungals-nystatin or diflucan?

Good to hear about the billboard, I saw a photo of it, it is definatey eye catching. Good job, SC.

My best to you,

Janet

In regard to your nausea, I would suggest a prescription drug named Zofran. It seems to work for me. The downside is that this medication is very expensive, thus medical insurance would be most helpful in this case.

Also, if you are experiencing symptoms of reflux, nexeum might be helpful. It is easy sometimes to not be able to distinguish between nausea and reflux. It is possible that you may be suffering from both conditions. You might want to a google search on the two conditions and discuss this with your doctor.

Unfortunately, both problems are not treated by the same drug. In my experience, it is the nexeum taken once daily and the zofran 4 mg taken once to two times daily as needed that has allowed me to tolerate the lyme treatments.

By the way, loved the image you shared of that billboard on route to USC-good to know the wheel is a turning.

Best wishes-Debbie/RI

[This message has been edited by Deb (edited 18 July 2005).]