posted
Every month, for about two weeks, I get these symptoms: increase in neuropathy pain, low grade fever, fatigue,hypersensitivity, weird body aches almost like flu and of course the head/brain pressure feeling.
I increase my neurontin which takes care of the neuropathy pain and some what helps the hypersensitivity. When I need to function, I can ingest lots of caffeine to combat the fatigue, but mainly I limit my activities.
However, the weird body ache/flu like feeling is something I haven't found a treatment for. It would be easier to deal with it if I weren't so darn miserable. Advil, alleve do nothing.
Have you found something that helps with the weird body aching associated with lyme/herx?
-------------------- Lyme is like the flu. You can get it and recover, but you can always get it again. Posts: 607 | From (deer tick)Heaven! Angeles National Forest | Registered: Oct 2000
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i found that epsom salts and hydrogen peroxide baths really help me. i get the bath water pretty warm and just soak for about 20 minutes. drink a ton of water tho cause you sweat so much and get dehydrated.
i sleep like a log afterwards.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
Maybe it is the sweating that does the good? and the salts/peroxide just help draw it out?
On that theory, anything that causes me to sweat might be good...?
-------------------- Lyme is like the flu. You can get it and recover, but you can always get it again. Posts: 607 | From (deer tick)Heaven! Angeles National Forest | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
am i getting this right? From the lack of responses, i am thinking there is no relief from the symptoms of a herx?
one just has to suffer through it? again and again and again .............as the daily fever is creeping up on me.....and the head pressure increases......I have to keep telling myself, the worse I feel the more bacteria I'm killing
-------------------- Lyme is like the flu. You can get it and recover, but you can always get it again. Posts: 607 | From (deer tick)Heaven! Angeles National Forest | Registered: Oct 2000
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
What is your current liver support and protection? Are you taking glutathione? NAC? Milk Thistle?
How much magnesium is your current dose?
How much Fish Oil?
Vitamin C?
Massage?
Are you gluten-free? That can really help relieve pain.
Drinking enough water and eating enough protein (it helps your liver make glutathione), good fats and complex carbs with lots of colors? You need lots of fiber so that toxins can move on out.
---
You said: " . . . I can ingest lots of caffeine to combat the fatigue. . ."
Actually, caffeine use can increase pain and also increase fatigue. It is on the "avoid" list of Dr. B's guidelines for lyme patients.
Green Tea may be easier to tolerate and you can get that decaf, too. There are many benefits to Green Tea from gentle energy support to also calming, just right.
============
Some pain meds can create symptoms indistinguishable from a herx:
[ 06-26-2009, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
This doesn't sound like a herx to me, unless you take a treatment only once a month. A herx corresponds to treatment. If it happens once a month, then it sounds like something that is corresponding to the Lyme cycle or a hormone cycle.
For muscle aches, there are things that help. The medications that have helped my muscle aches are: Flexeril, Zanaflex, Vicodin and Oxycodone. The Flexeril I took just at night, started at a really low dose, because it causes fatigue. It took about a month to get up to a dose that reduced the pain, which was 30 mg at bed for me.
Lyrica might also help, it helps with muscle pain from fibromyalgia and many Lyme patients have similar pain.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
if it is a herx (as opposed to the hormonal cycle) then look into iv glutathione. only thing i've found that has really helped me with pain/fatigue from antibiotics.
-------------------- Wildlife biologist working in tropics since 1997; tick bites in Nicaragua in March 2007, started getting sick May 2007; diagnosed with Lyme based on serological testing in Jan 2009; treatment starting Feb 2009. Wish me luck! Posts: 116 | From Seattle | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
I drink lots of water. No problem there. I eat a home made muffin almost daily, for breakfast made of flax meal, almond meal, wheat gluten flour, eggs, splends, margarine, cinnamon and water. Going gluten free, would be a great hardship for me as it is one of the staples of my diet.
The low carb baking mix that I invented, which is the base for the muffins, is the staple food of my diet. I make muffins, pancakes, brownies, cakes and cookies from it.
I am type 2 diabetic and eat a low carb diet consisting mainly of proteins, fats an low carb vegetables. The carbs I do get are mainly from flax meal. Eating any more carbs than I already do, isn't feasible.
As for all the other supplements mentioned, that is why I started this post. I don't know what I ought to be taking.
My income is extremely limited. We are over our heads in debt. I get $180 a month from a long term disability policy. Social security has been applied for.....long wait.
I can't handle the large fish oil capsules. The only fish oil I've found that I can tolerate swallowing are the small cod liver oil capsules.
If it will be worth the cost and effort, I am willing to take some supplements. I have been taking a multi vitamin, but that's about it.
I could deal with a short list of supplements and/or prescription medications (to ask my doc for).
So, I will read the links. But, what I get so far is I should add magnesium, vitamin c and fish oil....for a start.
I can't take opiate based pain meds. Have to be careful with anything that is has any potential for abuse. No lyica. Will research flexeril and zanaflex. Its worth asking the doc.
And, it is definitely a herx. I felt fine, other than the neuropathy, before I went on antibiotics. Since then, all hell has broke loose for a couple weeks a month...not coinciding with my period.
This time has been particularly rough.
-------------------- Lyme is like the flu. You can get it and recover, but you can always get it again. Posts: 607 | From (deer tick)Heaven! Angeles National Forest | Registered: Oct 2000
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
The caffeine will increase your pain tremendously.
Also you may have parasites that come from the
immune system being so low it did not fight them off.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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CherylSue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13077
posted
My Lyme specialist recommends Activated charcoal tablets (over the counter and cheap). Take them at least 2 hours from any supplements or abx.
I take 2 tablets at a time when needed. (i.e. 2 at 10 am and 2 at 2pm)
Also, Walgreens sells something they used to call a "bed buddy", but now it's called somtheing else. (under$10) Can heat this tubular sock in the microwave and put around your neck. It helps.
Lemon juice in water helps a little. Keep drinking lemon water.
Same-E with acetyl l carnitine helps to tolerate the abx and also detoxifies the liver. Read THE LYME SOLUTION by Dr. Ken Singleton.
The above have helped me. However Epsom salts and Green Tea made it worse. Everybody's chemistry is different.
Good luck. CherylSue
Posts: 1954 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2007
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