posted
This illness is always so unpredictable, but the one predictable thing over the years is that if I have a day when I feel normal and energetic, the next day I come down with a cold. Once the actual symptoms start I'm no longer so energetic, but I always get much better the day before the symptoms come out.
I've heard the same thing from some other people. I'm wondering how many of you experience the same thing. And I'm wondering if anyone knows how come. Ellen
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Posts: 819 | From New York, NY | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I just replied to another post about this,but the emphasis was more on after the cold hit than before. But perhaps the same mechanism is involved. I don't know enough about medicine (seems like maybe no one does, actually..) to answer why very precisely, but one possibility is that one bug (influenza) may have "waked up" a part of the immune system that the other bug (lyme) caused to "go to sleep"; i.e.,become unresponsive, to the lyme infection. Thus it seems almost like the second infection is fighting the first. Yet another possible factor: having the lyme causes one to be way more conscientious about diet and nutrition; even about exercise; though you're so lame you can hardly do anything you know you better try to do what you can-- you have all these olde lymies like me on here encouraging you, for one thing!.
It may work the other way around, sometimes, too-- though other factors may be involved, such as spending less time out about; I did not get many colds when I had Lyme. (so many people weren't all that enthusiastic about doing things with me, leading to less pathogen exposure, no doubt....)
posted
It has to do with the Th1 versus Th2 immune response. One works more on viral issues and the other more on bacteria. Lyme suppresses one of these and a cold can temporarily shift the immune response.
Hubby has had few colds, but I can remember back when I gave him the IV Ativan on an as needed basis instead of on a schedule (for seizure-like episodes) there were two times he went a whole day without needing any Ativan -- both times were the day before he got a cold. You tend to remember things like this when he normally needed 3 or 4 doses a day back then.
A normal immune system can shift the immune response as needed, but Lyme and tickborne illnesses really mess with the immune system and it gets stuck in one mode (forget which one).
Hope you feel better soon.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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