posted
I know that for Lyme disease you aren't supposed to drink alcohol
because it is so hard on the immune system...but I am a college
student and so much of social life is centered around drinking. Is
there any amount that's okay?
-------------------- College Student Suspected tick bite: 07/2007 Diagnosed and started treatment: 01/10 Posts: 33 | From Ohio | Registered: Nov 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Do you want to live or do you want to die partying?
Would you be willing to flush your tuition money down the toilet?
I'm not trying to be cute or mean but, seriously, it comes down to that.
If you have lyme and you want to live, you will not be able to drink at all. If you need counseling about that get it.
I don't buy the line that alcohol is so tied to social events. You might need to talk with a counselor and honestly look at your relationship to alcohol. If it helps you feel less inhibited, a counselor can help you learn how to have fun without the rocket fuel.
Ask the counselor to teach you how to have fun. Really, many people have never really learned good ways to do that. You can have a zanny time and be totally sober. Really.
Join a theater improvisation class - even if that is not your field of study. It will help you to relax and have fun.
If you need help relaxing, take a Yoga or Tai Chi class. That centeredness you find will last through your evening out with friends.
Find a good lyme literate ND (naturopathic doctor) to help with safe supplements that can help you with mood, etc.
As for holding a glass in your hand, there are many healthful options.
NO amount is ever okay during lyme infection / treatment. Ever.
Spirochetes are just waiting to kill you. Lyme can kill. Alcohol is the favorite fuel for spirochetes but alcohol also can cause liver failure in a lyme patient. Spirochetes don't take off because it's a Friday night.
Liver disease can make you exhausted and dim-witted for life. For life. Really. There is no way to avoid some degree of liver disease if one has lyme and alcohol is tossed onto that fire. Brain cells die, too.
Lyme patients are much more susceptible to developing diabetes. Even if just for that reason, avoidance of alcohol is important as alcohol plays havoc with blood glucose levels and can put one in a life-threatening situation.
For lyme patients, the lining of the stomach is also seriously compromised. Even a little alcohol makes that much worse, leading to far more serious complications.
Please, opt for health. Health can feel much better than anything alcohol can give you. Imagine HEALTH.
And, another vital point of consideration: You should be fast asleep by 11 pm. Every night. Really. So, go out earlier with your friends, employ healthful alternatives and get home early.
The decisions you make now are essential. Have fun. Stay safe. Plan out a full lifetime for yourself. -
[ 09-04-2010, 04:58 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
It is one of Dr. Burrascano's Absolute Rules that must be followed if you want to get well. NO ALCOHOL!
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
BIOCHEMISTRY OF LYME DISEASE: BORRELIA BURGDORFERI SPIROCHETE / CYST
by Prof. Robert W. Bradford and Henry W. Allen
EXCERPT:
. . . A discovery of great importance relating to a toxin produced by the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, has been linked to a similar toxin produced by the organism Clostridium botulinum (botulism). . . .
- Full article and great photos at link above.
=====================
See the "Secondary Porphyria" article first - just one way alcohol causes more liver stress but not the only way.
A helpful search: "Hepatic Encephalopathy" and "Lyme Encephalopathy" -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Now, after all that, a plan.
This is similar to what I did when in college with mono and alcohol made me so sick that I didn't even want it.
On weekends, I also studied in early evenings when it was quietest, went out for an couple hours and was back in bed by 11 pm - mostly because I could not stand the NOISE in most bars and I was so tired. Friends would meet me at a certain time at one or two of the quieter places, where we could sit down and eat some food. Even they liked the change of pace.
This worked for me. It can work for you, too.
Where ever you plan to go, call ahead. Look at their web sites for the full menu. If they don't have beverages you would enjoy, take your own, but tip well for ice or for a cup of hot water for tea.
You might be able to schedule an appointment with the managers of certain bars during a weekday afternoon to discuss options.
They could make a list for others in your position. You'd want to avoid sugars and keep it as natural as possible. Avoid additives and dyes, too. It's not enough to have "non-alcoholic" drinks. Sugar is also to be avoided. So are all artificial ingredients.
I'd like to start a list of options that others can add to:
* Tomato Juice is good (but some brands have added MSG. You have to do your homework on this). You can add a dash of lime or lemon juice.
* Cranberry Juice - or Pomegranate Juice (unsweetened) with Seltzer or Soda water - take some packets of STEVIA (from a plant source) with you. Not splenda or any kind of aspartame, those are toxic to your brain.
* Other fruit juices (unsweetened) with Soda water. Never straight, though. A little juice to a lot of water.
* Every bar and every restaurant has lemons & limes. They have water. You carry stevia with you. Poof ! Lemonade. Every Frat house has a kitchen. Make yourself at home. Even at a ball game, you can make this work.
* Tea. Really. Hot or Cold. Decaf is best and you can take your own tea bags with you if where you are going can't help.
A CHAI drink is very tasty. Again, watch the sugar. You'll save money with your own tea bags. Yogi CHAI GREEN is very nice. www.vitacost.com has a good price.
Still, if you take your own tea bag and ask for hot water, you should give a reasonable tip for the service and your taking up space. You will be better served the next time you come in, too.
* NUTS - not a drink, but a good source of nutrition when you are out and about. Something to do with your hands, a socially accepted thing to do. Raw nuts are best as the roasted nuts can be dangerous when their oils get old. And by the time any roasted nut gets to the consumer, they are too old.
Get the places you go to carry a nice assortment of raw nuts - or carry your own.
* Sliced veggies. Ditto. Carrots are brain food and good for the liver, too.
and the list can go on . . . . -
[ 09-04-2010, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Hi. If you are on antibiotics, you may not be able to tolerate the sugar in fruit juices, and of course, the chemicals in artificially sweetened soft drinks are a no-no, and for some of us, nightshades cause inflammation, so I couldn't drink tomato juice. Like you, I want to be social. Two things I had to adjust myself to. First, getting past the natural inhibitions associated with sobriety when I am in a social gathering of tipsy people, and second, finding something that was reminiscent enough of an alcoholic beverage that I didn't feel conspicuous.
The first was the more difficult of my two challenges, and the best I can do is to remind myself that I'm working on being healthy. I invision myself as I was before I got sick: full of energy, vibrant, and sharp. At least that puts me in a positive frame of mind instead of feeling negative because I can't partake in the buzz part of the activity. The rest is a version of theater. I really don't need alcohol to get me there if I can get my mind in the right place.
The second I've researched a lot because I do not want to be milling about sipping water. There is nothing celebratory or special-feeling about that. I found a brand of soft drink called Zevia that is sweetened with stevia and erith... (an alcohol-based sugar substitute - safe and natural). That's pretty good. There is also a carbonated lemon drink Crystal Ice Lemon that is very nice and looks great in a glass. Again, very low sugar carbs. If I'm feeling creative I toss a few slices of strawberry and a couple of blueberries in the glass.
If I'm out, I will stick a bottle or two of this in my bag to bring along to restaurants, parties, dinner gatherings. I also bring my own snacks since generally the stuff served at cocktail parties is not on my food list. I bring fancy raw unsalted walnut halves, a great little gluten free low sugar (agave) bar cut into cubes, carrot slices, gluten free crackers (only a few b/c of carb count). It took awhile to get used to doing this, but now I don't even miss it most of the time. What I am doing is more healthful than what the people around me are doing. And I have the hope that someday, if I want to enjoy the occasional glass of wine, I will be able to. But even if that never happens, it's okay. I'd rather feel good and be healthy than to eat or drink anything in particular.
I hope you will be able to find a suitable substitute for the things associated with parties and social gatherings so that you will not feel deprived or conspicuous. If you can, take the long view and know that this is what's best for you now and once you get through this, you can reevaluate things to decide how you want to eat once you are well.
Posts: 212 | From San Francisco Bay Area, California | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
I'm 25 and treated (poorly) Lyme disease last year. I became gluten sensitive and could only only drink gf beer. You can't find that at a bar. So I'm the designated driver. It's not as unbearable as you think. You can still go out and have a good time with your friends. But now, you'll be sober enough to see (and remember) the stupid things your friends do when they are drinking. Pretty amusing!
And if your friends don't get it, they aren't really your friends. Not being able to drink is SO NOT the worst part of Lyme... Wait till you herx or become incredibly fatigued and you won't even want to get out of bed.
-------------------- June 2009: Lyme IGM 23 and 39 positive, Titer 1.12. September 2010: Rediagnosed with Lyme as well as Babesia coinfection. Posts: 27 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Aug 2010
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nefferdun
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 20157
posted
Alcohol adds to the toxins your liver and kidneys have to process.
Also, alcohol is a from of sugar. Bacteria thrive on sugar. So does cancer. If fact, cancer patients are given radioactive glucose and then scanned because the glucose will be concentrated in the areas where the cancer is growing. So when you drink (or eat food high in sugar) you are feeding your disease.
We are entering a rough time of year, starting with Halloween, when we revolve around sugar festivities. It is a good time to rethink how to celebrate and entertain.
There are other ways you can have fun with people. Sports, movies, concerts, hikes, skiing trips, games, clubs. . . .
When you really think about it drinking parties really aren't that much fun. People with any kind of addiction place the addiction before anything or anyone else so they are incapable of true intimacy. That are just looking for people that make their addiction ok either by participating with them or by care taking them. Even if you do not develop a problem yourself, you will be exposed to people with problems so why go there?
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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posted
i use to love beer. i would drink 20 beers a week. it was a daily part of my life, a beer when i got home and one with dinner. it was one of my favorite things in life. i now have one beer a month at most. if not being able to ever drink again is the price i have to pay to get better than i have no problem with that. small price to pay.
the problem is i dont drink, dont eat sugar at all, and have been in treatment now for 11 months and see no end to this focking disease. whats the point in giving all this up to still feel like shat half the time?
-------------------- sick since 9-09 igg, 18,23,41 reactive igm, 41 reactive Posts: 436 | From Kansas City | Registered: Jan 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Eleven months is really not all that long for lyme treatment. It often takes 3 years just to see progress.
What's the point? It is possible to see a good strong remission but it does take a lot of dedication and commitment to a disciplined healthful life style. And, yes, that gets very old very quickly and sound so much easier on paper. And, yes, having lyme is awful. Truly. But if we don't do the best we can, we can get MUCH worse.
We all just do the best we can but it's important to be aware of how one bad decision can change our lives, especially around alcohol with lyme (with the liver in mind).
Flushing hard earned tuition money down the toilet with a flush that will resound for years to come. For starters.
You want treatment to have a chance. Even with the best treatment, not everyone makes it. You don't want your name to land here: --------------
Yes, treatment can be miserable especially when it does not make us feel better for years and it seems so far away. Still, there are MANY things that can bring enjoyment to our daily lives. MANY.
If it comes down to a beer being the only thing to live for, please stop everything and walk down another street. There can be lots of good things that won't knock you over. Lots. Really. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Mallory~ So many good suggestions and comments out here for you.
I completely agree with Keebler.
Your long term health is far more important than being social. There are so many things to do besides meet for drinks, and your real friends will understand that you need to prioritize your health. If that's not the case, there are plenty of people who WILL understand, and who don't drink excessively, that you can befriend. And, those are the kind of people with whom one can develop meaningful relationships. It may take a shift in perspective if your current circle of friends doesn't get it...
As someone else pointed out, it can be really entertaining to just observe all the tipsy people around you...sometimes observing others under the influence of alcohol is great motivation to abstain from alcohol - most people act pretty foolish!
I did not realize that I was dealing with lyme etc during my college years & kept pushing myself to "keep up" with my "friends". In retrospect, I realize that I was self medicating with caffeine and alcohol, just trying to keep going. I went from being an A student in HS to trudging through college in a brain fog, fueled by caffeine. I wish I had the knowledge then that I do now!
You are so fortunate to know what you are dealing with and to be well informed regarding how best to support your system as you heal.
Best of luck to you!
Posts: 23 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2010
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posted
Mallory, I loved a few beers after work until the Lyme diagnosis in January. It was especially difficult on weekends from the hobby I do where indulging yourself after a fun day was a ritual. I physically experienced that just drinking a couple would wipe me out for days and set my progress back.
Set goals for yourself, both short and intermediate. When the short ones are met, set new ones. I realized even if small amounts alcohol was incorporated in the lifestyle, those short term goals were not being met. The better care that is taken, the sooner this ordeal will go away.
It is a personal decision and most college students need a release or to let off some steam. Find that release and good luck.
Posts: 199 | From Let's Go Pens! | Registered: Apr 2010
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i never, ever touch alcohol.
i heard it turns to pure sugar or something.
anyway, it's just bad for me. i rebound later and get sick.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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You've gotten some great replies here....Obviously a lot of people here care about your greater well being.
I just want to say that I have always had a lot of friends.
And i've never been a drinker.
(Yes, i made it through 8 years of university and never gave drinking a thought.)
If your reason for drinking is that you want to connect with people, i'd seriously look at who you are wanting to connect with and how "connected" you can really be if you are under the influence of alcohol.
There are countless ways to meet people that have nothing to do with alcohol.
I'm very supportive of friendships and loving relationships....my experience is that they are lot more genuine and satisfying when we are clear and present with each other.
Sending much peace and ease your way.....
Posts: 164 | From North America | Registered: Mar 2009
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Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13480
posted
Hey Mallory, best way to know is try a drink and see how you feel.
During lyme, I felt very very weak after drinking even good red wines (that were supposedly still doing some good things to health!).
It took me a couple of days to get back to myself. It drained my energy, but I still drank from times to times, socially, as the disease was way too long and I felt better some times.
I don't though advise drinking ANY alcohol if lyme is active. It really makes the job for your body harder, I mean, to fight infections and clean it.
Social isolation was very bad, I agree, but meeting people and feeling crap after drinking socially was not a solution all the times. I did though, in Xmas, NY, and some parties. I was not too bad when I drank though. When I was very bad from lyme, I couldn't stand on my feet, so no way about thinking to drink. I was planning about how I was going to be able to take a shower that week!
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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ukcarry
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 18147
posted
I sympathise with the way you feel, Mallory, especially in the environment you're in, but would like to encourage you to avoid alcohol if you can, as, especially in the relatively early stages of lyme and its treatment, it is not giving your body the best chance to recover....and ,believe me, as someone who has been ill a very long time, you want to give yourself that BEST CHANCE. More than that, having alcohol is actually counterproductive.
I think it is a different decision for people who have been ill a long time, have not had a good response to treatment, and choose to have the odd glass of wine or whatever on occasions if it does not overtly make them worse.
Go on, Mallory, give yourself that best chance to get better,
posted
I have been ignorant of all this above information, having been dealing with Lyme (also in ignorance) and just recently joining this group.
I don't drink often, but this past weekend we had a friend over Saturday and visited neighbors Sunday evening. All told, I had 5 beers between the two occasions. I feel awful and suspected it was the alcohol consumption, but now I know.
Thank you all, so much.
-
-------------------- "Yes, I'll have a Cosmopolitan... but please, hold the Lyme." Posts: 17 | From Maryland | Registered: Jun 2010
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