I'm feeling like crapola tonight. I ache all over, I have a headache, I'm nauseous and fatigued.
The only new thing in that list is the queasieness. Every thing else is just 3 times worse than usual.
I've been on doxy, nystatin and cholestyramine for a month, and I thought the herx was starting to pass, I was feeling a bit better earlier this week. I had normal energy for about 8 hours and not much pain. Was nice while it lasted.
I've had 2 mornings in a row where I have spent 30 minutes in a sauna. (regular as no FIR available) I drank pedialyte to keep the electrolytes in balance, so I dont' think it's that.
So anyone know - does sweating (detoxing in my mind) cause flu like symptoms, or am I possibly getting the flu (on top of it all).
the Valentine's day plans went from dinner out to take out, to macaroni and cheese over a 90 minute time span. The mac & cheese was great, but geez, it's kind of a let down, I felt apologetic about being ill.
Karen
Posts: 112 | From RI | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes! This is to be expected! It could actially be akin to a herxheimer reacton from antibiotics. When you raise your temp by several degrees, the Bb bacteria don't fare well; this is true of other antigens as well, I believe, and is probably why your body temperature raises (you get a fever) as a result of infection. If some of the Bb die and are then broken down, toxins, which are the cause of many symptoms, are released. This hypothesis would explain the exacerbation of certain symptoms that often results from sitting in a 160 or more degree sauna for 30 miutes.
30 minutes is actually a fairly long exposure. What was the temp? There probably a table somewhere, but just like with abx doses, you may need a little stronger (hotter or longer, in the case of a sauna) than the usual for the best result against lyme. Did your doc advise you on this (I'd run it by your doc!)
If it gets real hot you may want to breathe through a wet washcloth to prevent singing your nose.
If the sauna doesn't have a thermometer, you should get one to bring in with you. Keep tabs on your feelings amd don't stay in too long. Your cells don't like it TOO hot, either!
posted
I am totally convinced that the sauna sessions aided my recovery tremedously! They helped me avoid entirely losing my physical condition. After I sat in the sauna (I usually went 15 minutes or a little longer, but at 160 or 170 degrees; fairly hot), I could exercise; otherwise it hurt so bad to do anything that I was afraid to try. Certain "nsaids" helped in this, too, but I would recommend avoiding ..'celebrex'... LIKE THE PLAGUE! (actually, I think they took it off the market, but I was one of the unfortunate "guinea pigs".) DaveSPosts: 4567 | From ithaca, NY, usa | Registered: Nov 2000
| IP: Logged |
Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
30 minutes???
That's a very long time if you are at all toxic, but I don't know your history. All I know is that when I was dealing with heavy metals years ago, literally a couple of minutes in the sauna would cause them to mobilize in me and make me very sick.
Had you started out at a shorter time and worked up to 30 minutes or did you just start out at 30 minutes?
And as Dave said, heat will kill Borrelia so you're getting die-off of that, along with other toxins, etc.
I hope you feel better soon. That's crummy that it affected your Valentine's Day plans.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
My doc told me to do Far Infared Sauna, but the few publically available saunas I could find are all regular heat. I wanted to try out sweating as a modality before I consider buying a FIR.
Somewhere along the line I heard/read that the FIR sauna should be 30 minutes, maybe from my llmd, in order to get up a good sweat, to move the toxins out of my body with the sweat. I'm sure that by now what I read here, what she says, and what i read elsewhere is all getting mixed up.
I will call her tomorrow. I usually speak to the assistant, convey the question and then hear back, so I'll see what she has to say.
Thanks for the info.
I'm sure that one of my problems is that now that I finally know what's wrong with me, I want to get better as quickly as possible.
It's funny (not really) but I've been sick for a long time (1992), and especially sick this last year, not knowing why, and I had built up a tolerance for being sick. Just keep on keeping on. got treatment for various symptoms, some treatment worked, some didn't.
Then when I found out it was lyme, and that there was a treatment for the *cause* of my symptoms, I completely lost patience with being sick.
I think my enthusiasm for detoxing has got me in a bit deeper than I expected. I suppose I have more reading to do.
Karen
Posts: 112 | From RI | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
The heat from a FIR sauna is very different from a traditional sauna. A FIR has radiant heat, so the air is comfortable to breath and the temperature is significantly lower.
I have a FIR and use it daily. For the first couple months, I had to nap afterwards and felt ill. Now I don't feel so bad when I'm finished.
I think it helps tremendously in detoxing. I use mine for 40 min. to an hour, but I worked up to that. I did start at 30 minutes, but it takes me 20 before I even start sweating because of the different type of heat.
A regular sauna is good because sweating and raising your body temperature is a good thing, but it has been proven that FIR helps you to eliminate more toxins.
I'd give it another chance, but ease into the time and realize that a FIR will be more comfortable that what you're using now.
One day I took my temperature an hour after leaving the sauna ... it was over 99 degress, so it does cause a slight fever.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have been having the same experience with sitting in a sauna. I have been in a regular sauna 4 times, and 3 of those times I have been feeling ill afterwards. Once was really bad with dizziness, chills, sweats.
It has taken me by surprise - pre-lyme I would sit for up to 30 minutes and feel so good afterwards. Now my body aches and I am exhausted afterwards. I can't tolerate the heat very well either.
I've noticed that it all is worse if I am on flagyl the day I'm in a sauna. wonder why?!
Doesn't heat help the abx getting around in the body?
Posts: 155 | From Norway | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic