posted
I have been having terrible back problems lately. So my chiro sent me for x-rays.
It comes back that I have an arthritic spur in my back with another one forming. My spine is also starting to curve to the left slightly.
He told me to prevent it from happening more, I need to exercise.
Could all the joint pain and inflammation from the lyme cause this? I know lyme can cause you to have arthritic symptoms, but can it cause a spur to form?
Is it because I hit my thirties?
Could the long term treatment of the abx have done it?
[ 03-31-2010, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: ladeedah ]
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- LYME does, indeed cause arthritis. LYME is known more for causing arthritis than for the devastating neurological and immunological effects.
You have 70 posts so I assume you are seeing an ILADS LLMD or were? Where are you with treatment for LYME? Sounds like you either did or are doing long term antibiotics. Any supplements?
If you have active lyme, exercise needs to be nonaerobic. If the infection is well under control, you can do more. See Dr. B's guidelines for details. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
Not at all about lyme, still many great links here with an emphasis on self-empowerment: Search results for Arthritis - 73 articles
===================
In addition to supportive techniques and good nutritional supplements, be sure lyme is being thoroughly addressed as Lyme really attacks collagen and that creates arthritis. Read all you can from all the Lyme Literate authors on this issue.
The INFECTION must be addressed. COLLAGEN must be supported. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Also search at Google:
Upledger Institute for someone trained in gentle cranial-sacral therapy.
Feldenkrais method - to teach you the fine points of posture and body mechanics.
Restorative Yoga
Tai Chi or Qi Gong
Therapeutic Massage should be very helpful -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
I have been on abx for 8 months now and I have an LLMD in NY. Been going to him since August 2009. I also have a long list of supplements,some from Dr. B and some from the doc who I see.
My current combo is 2 weeks Flagyl 250mg 3x a day then 2 weeks Ceftin 1000mg 2x a day then back to Flagyl with the Nystatin and probiotics. Are the dosages not strong enough?
The problem is early arthritis runs in my family. My mother was diagnosed at 30 and she got it from her mother.
But my current back pain has increase especially because I had to go off abx for one month due to yeast.
When I did the Ceftin and Biaxin combo, I felt pretty good. This Flagyl thing just makes me feel the same and I still have bad upper and lower back pain.
My chiro told me to due some light cardio because I need to keep my body moving. Nothing where my feet are hitting the floor, so like a bike or an elliptical.
I feel pretty good when I do that after. My back loosens but its only for like a few hours. By night time I feel stiff as a board again.
Same goes for warm yoga. I feel great and loose again with minimal stiffness and then in a few hours it comes back again.
I don't know if the Flagyl is causing the bad back pain or the lyme or the arthritis.
I also go to acupuncture once a week, which was helping but seems to be less effective when I had to stop the abx for a month. NOw back on them, I haven;t really seen an improvement.
I am not sure if its the Flagyl doing its work, but I also read a side effect of Flagyl is joint aches and stiffness.
So I am sort of feeling like ***!!!! Is it the meds or the Lyme? Any thoughts or comments?
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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lymeinhell
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
Why not try some Flexeril at bedtime to help free up the stiffness? Long term therapy with it can truly help, which in turn may encourage you to be more active.
And sleep on an air mattress instead of a spring one (which can cause painful pressure points on us Lymies). Just throw it on top of your bed and see how your back feels.
Also get your Magnesium levels checked - if you are low, muscle spazms are a frequent result. IV or IM of Magnesium is really the only way to restore low levels.
BTW - seeing the word Lymes is like fingernails on a chalkboard around here. It's Lyme, not Lymes.
-------------------- Julie _ _ ___ _ _ lymeinhell
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed. Posts: 2258 | From a better place than I was 11 yrs ago | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
It was a typo. In my second post i referred to it as "Lyme".
I feel crappy enough and stressed out enough I really don't want to have to worry about if I hit an extra key because my brain thought lymes even though I know the correct term is lyme.
Sometimes an extra word or letters are typed and sometimes it doesn't even make sense after.
I come here for support and advice. I mean that as no offense to anyone but I am already stressed out enough.
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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lymeinhell
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4622
posted
Sorry - really was trying to help
Have you tried using Flexeril to see if it gives you some mobility back? My muscles used to get like rocks and it was heaven-sent (to me anyway)
-------------------- Julie _ _ ___ _ _ lymeinhell
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed. Posts: 2258 | From a better place than I was 11 yrs ago | Registered: Sep 2003
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- ladeedah,
Sorry it seemed that way but no one is criticizing you for a typo. The issue with the "s" on lyme is that so many of us have seen doctors who don't know about lyme and some of them use the wrong term, with an "s" - That is a red flag for an uninformed doctor - and then the patients think that's the name.
So, we just want to be sure that you have a good doctor who has read all the literature and who knows all about Lyme. This was all about being sure that you are getting excellent medical advice - it's not about a typo. No one would have ever pointed out a typo. Your typing does not have to be perfect here, really.
You will never see someone comment on another's spelling unless it's a very important matter of clarity. Even then, it's not about criticism but wanting to be sure you have the information you need. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
I'd recommend getting your mag RBC checked, like Juile mentioned above. No harm in trying a muscle relaxer too. I have gotten really tight back and neck muscles before, and using a muscle relaxer once in a while really helps. I was given Skelaxin... not sure if it matters which one is used.
Which supplements have you tried?
Fish oil, pycnogenol and maybe something like Celadrin could help as an anti-inflammatory. I'm considering trying Celadrin next for myself.
And interesting post above about glucosamine. I have never used it, but it was on my list of future supplements to try. At the very least, it seems N-acetylglucosamine is a bad idea for Lyme people -- but it could mean glucosamine sulfate is a bad idea too.
Posts: 584 | From NY | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
I didn't mean to snap, but today my head and mood is all off.
Maybe because I thought I would feel like myself again, but instead I feel like I did in the beginning. No energy, tired, head all funky. Not sure if its a reaction to the Flagyl. Sometimes I just want to cry or scream.
I have an LLMD in NY who is good, just so hard to get him on the phone and I only once a month like most of you.
My doc never seems big on giving me any type of relaxants. He usually throws me another supplement that doesn't really help for the stiffness and pain. And aspirin doesn't really help.
I currently take a day:
CoQ10 300mg B12 Shots and a B12 Sublingual B Complex V D3 5000 ui Cordimmune Advaclear Vitamin C 2000mg Magnesium 1000mg Green Tea Omega 3-6-9 Curcumin Plus 2 probiotics in the morning and 2 at night and 20z of Kefir.
And I think that's it. I will ask him about those recommended pills in April. I was going to take glucosamine myself but will ask doctor first since it seems other have reacted to it.
My mattress now is the Temperpedic which always seemed ok to me. Is it not?
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- * Calcium. I don't see calcium on your list. Now, some think bone spurs are from too much calcium but that is not necessarily true. It can be from too much of the wrong kind or the body not utilizing it correctly. But that's another whole direction of study. A good calcium is important in bone health.
* Tempur-Pedic. I would give my eye teeth for the comfort of a Tempur-Pedic. If it is new, best to air it out in fresh air for a while - in a room that you are not in much. After that, on the days when you launder the sheets, maybe remove the mattress protector and let it air out some with windows open. This is good for all mattress, especially new ones.
The reason is for off-gassing. I don't know about Tempur-Pedic but all mattresses sold in regular stores have lots of chemicals added, mostly fire retardants. You can contact Tempur-Pedic to see about yours. Foam, itself, off-gases (more the newer it is) but you'd want to ask if they add chemicals.
Since you already have it, I assume it's aired out some - maybe still doing some fresh air exchanging weekly is helpful but do ENJOY that bed. They are very comfortable. I slept on one just one night and wanted to take it home with me. But, could it be too soft? You might need more support, still. Have someone look at your spine while you lie on your bed. Another set of eyes may see something to help you make an adjustment.
For those who need to buy a new bed, there are whole sites devoted to that with organic bedding but it's not easy task nor cheap.
* Glucosamine. As you say you are considering glucosamine, the article below indicates that N-acetylglucosamine is dangerous for lyme patients. I don't know what that means for regular glucosamine but I tried that a few times over the years and always reacted very badly to it. So, when I saw this, I was sure to save it:
3/4 of the way down it states: " . . . A popular treatment for arthritis includes the administration of chondroitin sulfate and N-acetylglucosamine.
If the arthritis is Lyme-induced, N-acetylglucosamine is contraindicated. 22 (See Chart 14.) . . ." end quote.
posted
I have had the temperdic for a few years now and it still firm and my bed is by 2 windows. When I lay on a regular mattress, it tends to be too soft for me.
Good point about having someone look at me while I lay down. I wonder if the bed is causing me to curve. But I love that bed so I hope not.
I always had back problems, even b4 the lyme, and it helped considerably with the mattress.
Now with the Lyme, I guess my back is just my weak area.
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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Keebler
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posted
- Do you sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees? Do you have a good neck pillow? Just a check-list.
A Physical Therapist has probably already shown you all that - and how to properly get out of a bed -- do not just sit straight up but roll onto your side, easing legs gently over the side of the bed while an arm supports your torso as you get up. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
I just got a new pillow fro my back and I do the pillow between the knees and the heating pad too. I have one for work and at home LOL
Posts: 134 | From NY | Registered: Aug 2009
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