Lyme disease itself can be extremely hard on the stomache. The symptoms you describe are typical of several things -- Lyme, babesia, and yeast overgrowth.

Vitamins can help, but if your stomach is a mess it can be very difficult to absorb nutrients. In addition, Lyme and the coinfections make you very tired, and as long as you're infected, you'll struggle with this fatigue.

There are supplements that can be extremely helpful in fighting Lyme. Foremost, good probiotics and digestive enzymes to help offset what the antibiotics do to your stomache flora and to prevent yeast overgrowth. Controlling yeast overgrowth is critical.

Secondly, antioxidants, minerals (like magnesium), natural anti-inflammatories, and some immune support supplements can be quite helpful, although they won't make you feel wonderful if the LD/coinfections have a strong hold. If you do a search in the Medical forum on "supplements" you'll find good info, and someone's posted a question about supplements there as I type. Be sure to read Dr. Burrascano's Guidelines (in the Newbies link) for suggestions on supplements and probiotics.

I don't know how up to speed your parents are on LD, but the more they know and can support you, the easier it will be for them and for you. This is such a weird disease, and so difficult to understand unless you're actually experiencing it. There is information you can give them in the Newbie file, and there is a support group exclusively non-lymies whose family members have Lyme at LoveyOn Lyme

Finally -- do you have a good LLMD (one recommended by other Lyme patients, or who is an ILADs member?) And have you had your child checked, too?

I am going to have my son checked but his dr said he does not show any signs of it.

Welcome.
I always like to take a moment to say to hello to as many new people as possible, even it there's not much I can say to help.

I also was a single mother battling a disease that was undiagnosed until a month ago (9 years ago). I know how tired and overwhelmed you must feel some days. Being a single mom, especially while I was ill and working full time gave me strength I didn't even know I had. Lean on people. Do as much as you can without overtaxing yourself. Let the small things go. I tried for too long to be perfect supermom. You can read more of my story on "Sleep cycle reversal/brain herxes" written on Nov 30th.

I do believe that supplements are a very important component to all of this. My llmd gave me a list of supplements and alternative approaches to take.

Please let me know if you need to talk. I would be happy to speak via email as well.

regards
paisley

Welcome to LymeNet. This is an awesome place. I started coming a few months ago and the people here have helped me immensely.

I am a 22 mother of a 13-month-old (not a single mom though), and another one on the way. I understand how difficult it is to be a young mother attempting to do the best you can by your child while you're tired and dizzy and sick all the time.

I am here to offer support and to do anything I can. People here can reccommend great doctors, and give you good advice on everything having to do with Lyme. Glad you found us.

You're at the right place! I know how you feel. I'm a mother of four and it's very hard (especially off the antibiotics) to cope with a new baby. Sleep when the baby sleeps. Don't breastfeed. As you probably know, Lyme can be passed on to your baby via breastmilk.

Get a Lyme Literate doctor if you don't already have one. Check for co infections. Take Probiotics every day. Get up and out even if it's for short outings especially if you have muscle and joint pain to keep them from atrophying. Listen to your body. When you are tired go to bed if you can. Even if you don't sleep, the resting lets your immune system do it's thing. Drink lots of water, especially when you start the antibiotics again. Don't drink alcohol or eat carbs or sugar.

I just read this over, and it sounds like a mom. You don't need another mom I'm sure. Sorry. Only good intentions!

Good luck. We're all here in it together. We will learn from each other. I'm pretty new here too. We all have a tiny piece of this puzzle called Lyme.

Sara, best of luck you your 13 month old and the one on the way.

Meem, you sound like a mom but in a good way. It is good to talk to people who are in my situation also.

Minoucat, thanks for all the info. I read some stuff in the "newbies link", very helpful.

Welcome to the site and I hope you'll get the info and support you need here.

FYI, my mom had stomach problem too since she's being on medication for her high blood pressure so it was tough. I'd discovered that it's not good to eat salad during evening meal because it's cold, rough, hard to digest and contains sour base salad dressing. This could contribute to the existing problem so she's not eating salad for dinner anymore. That seems to help so maybe that works for you as well.

I've been using agaricus blazei murrill, a natural herb so it does not irritate the stomach like drug does. This is for my CFS and that helps me a lot. I don't get tired like I used to and I felt the difference after my 4th day so maybe you check it out at www.medicalmushroom.com .

Probiotics = acidophillus. You need a top quality one (not the kind you get for $4 in the food store), take at least 2 capsules 3 times a day on an empty stomach, at least 1hr-2hrs before food or antibiotics.

Another thing that might help your tummy is Supercritical Omega 7. My stomach was such a mess (IBS queen), I lost over 50 lbs. This stuff helps rebuild the lining of your stomach, gi tract so that yeast can't take over (which it sounds like it has).
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/browse/sku_detail.jhtml;$sessionid$OH2J222DXAZUKCQUAOWSFEQKCQB1AGXK?SkuID=235568&BreadCrumbType=SearchResult

Take it once a day with food.

Be sure to watch your diet. You need to be on a high protein/low carbohydrate/no sugar diet so that you're not feeding yeast that are trying to take over your body.

Antibiotics kills off all the good bacteria and keep the yeast at bay. That's why you need to take acidophillus (probiotics), and continue to take it, even when you're off the antibiotics.

You've got lots of reading and learning to do. Hope this helps some.