posted
I should have researched more maybe, but I was desperate and I started taking a multivitamin and immune booster. I figured it was all natural stuff, so what could it hurt, right?
I feel so bad I can barely type. I'm so short of breath that it is scaring me, my hands are numb and tingling, my head is about to explode and my neck is burning and stiff and for some reason, I can barely swallow.
To make matters worse, I feel like I'm getting another kidney infection. I'm worse now than ever and I don't know what to do...I can't even think...I just want to crawl into a corner and die! What is wrong with me?
Posts: 7 | From Washington | Registered: Mar 2009
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Starfall1969
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17353
posted
I can't even pretend to know what's going on, but my advice would be to back off what you're taking for a few days to see if that helps.
Also, if your symptoms are really scaring you, I would play it safe and go to the ER.
Make sure you take along what you've been taking, just in case you're having some kind of allergic reaction.
Otherwise, I would say drink plenty of water and try to rest.
Make sure you have someone nearby in case you need help.
Hope you fell better soon.
Posts: 1682 | From Dillsburg, PA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Sorry you are having a bad time....
I agree with Star.. please go to the ER if you are having problems breathing. You may be having an allergic reaction or something serious.
Let us know how you are doing after you see a doctor... ok?
AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
I agree with the ER suggestion. I'd bring the bottles of the pills you took with you.
Sorry you're going through this. It sounds horribly frightening.
hugs & prayers, Ali
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
This is all speculation and could be off base. I'm prefacing my response with the fact that I am not a doctor, I don't know your history or the medications you are on or the ingredients of the supplements that you took.
That said, if the immune booster is strong and working, you may be having a die off/herx type reaction. The shortness of breath can be from borrelia toxins messing with your acetylcholine.
I get air hunger when I get massive die off. You may get some relief with a simple over the counter supplement such as lecithin or choline or huperzine a, at least for the air hunger symptoms.
This is all speculation but it does make sense to me. If you are really worried and don't want to go to the ER, then at least call your LLMD's office and leave a message telling them what is happening so that they can direct you. It is the week-end so you may not hear back until Mondy.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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bejoy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11129
posted
I agree with Terry. Also, your kidneys are responsible for clearing out much of the toxins. They can hurt if they get too congested. Besides calling your doctor, I'd suggested drinking lots of water with lemon juice in it.
-------------------- bejoy!
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 1918 | From Alive and Well! | Registered: Feb 2007
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
I agree with all of the above. If you cannot breath, that can create anxiety/panic which makes it even harder to breath!
Please go to an ER if this continues. I have had that reaction from herxing, esp after starting a new abx.
Drinking water with lemon juice is a good thing.
One thing to add -- could you be having an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the vitamins and immune boosters that you took?
Allergic reactions can manifest through difficulty breathing.
If you think that is a possibility, then you can take an over the counter antihistamine and go to the ER.
I am not a doctor, so best to speak with your about this! Feel better soon.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Thanks for all the replies. It took me a while to get back to writing anything. My mind just doesn't work so good when I'm having those awful headaches.
I went off the vitamins and immune booster and slowly went back to my regular crappy feeling which is much better than the worse crappy feeling.
I kind of like to breathe and that was what scared me a lot. Sometimes my heart feels like it's racing, but of course it's just fine when hooked up to an ekg.
I decided not to go to the hospital for fear they would just make me feel crazy...ER's are good for that.
I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction because that does cause breathing difficulty...been there done that. I have a feeling it had more to do with the immune booster. All my regular symptoms basically intensified.
I wonder if I should try to go back on the multivitamin alone. It's hard to explain to people how scary it is to try new things, especially when they think they're really helping.
All I know is that I am not going to go through the evil herx unless it is going to actually help. I have 36 years worth of toxins built up in my body and seriously doubt an immune booster and some vitamins are going to magically cure me.
Why would anyone with Lyme suffer worse symptoms unless it was actually going to help in the long run? Some say I will never be cured because I've had it so long. If that is the case what am I doing messing around with silly vitamins and immune boosters?
I think I'll just go back to my usual suffering.
Posts: 7 | From Washington | Registered: Mar 2009
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posted
I had issues with multivitamins and also too much D supp. If it were me (and it sounds like you already have a good handle on this) I would stop the immune booster, and try Half of the multi for a few days.
I went nutsy coo-coo on too much D. I hear you.
Posts: 374 | From United States | Registered: Nov 2008
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nenet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13174
posted
chrissy, you might want to check the ingredients on your new multivitamins and supplements. Some companies use binders, coatings, and other ingredients that can cause sensitivity or even allergic reaction in some people. Lyme patients are prone to this from having a constant inflammatory state.
The immune booster also might just be contraindicated for you right now. Perhaps an antibiotic regimen would be better for you to start out with, until you get the bacterial load down?
Please don't give up on treatment. Have you found an LLMD yet? You sound like me - I believe I have had Lyme and possibly co-infections for my whole life - 36 years. Most likely I was infected congenitally, and also reinfected throughout my life (dozens of known tick bites, but possibly hundreds not known about- I was a big outdoors-person).
I have been sick for a very very long time, and was in denial about it because I could still function (although with some difficulty and a lot of stress). I didn't do anything about it until I got so sick suddenly that I became housebound.
I know how discouraging this can seem, but I have been in low-dose antibiotic therapy, ramping up to larger doses as I can handle them, and I am seeing improvement, mostly in neurological areas, and cognitive abilities.
Sometimes I get little windows where I have all this physical and mental energy, and I can almost remember what this health thing is that I'm fighting to recover, and I am filled with the joy of life - antibiotics gave me these windows, and I keep persevering with them (along with alternative treatments on the side). You really don't want to give in to Lyme, because you may think it can't get worse, but it can.
Remember, a Herx is not forever, and you can reach remission. You just got to buckle down and find an LLMD however you can, and start treatment. I know how daunting it sounds, but it isn't so bad once you get started and start seeing little improvements, and it is so worth it.
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