Last week I had my monthly checkout with my LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor). My husband and I drove up to Seattle this time, because I wanted to explain in person just how bad things have gotten.
That I can barely stand for 5 minutes because the back of my legs feel like a rubber band, about to snap, and my back pain has reached crippling status. That even after the 3 days of a decent night's sleep this month (most definitely a record for me) I still felt like I wanted to sleep all day. How I'm nauseous all the time and my stomach issues have gotten worse. That my sinus issues have escalated to the point that even walking by someone with perfume on, or being blocks away from a smoker, can leave me with a sore throat, headache and stuffiness (worse than the usual) for days. The list goes on, and on....
On top of treating the Lyme with antibiotics, and all the other things I'm currently taking, we had recently started another round of treating my candida. So Dr. Ross is quite certain that my symptoms are "simply" a die-off reaction, or what we Lymies know as a "herx".
A lot of people have asked me what this whole "you must get worse before you get better" business is. This is the Herxheimer Reaction. Herxing is created from the die-off of the lyme bacteria. Basically what happens is that the injured or dead bacteria release their toxins into the blood and tissues faster than the body can handle it. So usually, when you change your antibiotics (which is a must to trick those smart spirochetes that like to change shape and hide from our immune system!), add in something new, or sometimes, for no reason at all, herxing will happen - aka, new symptoms will arise and the old symptoms will get worse.
The best way to help with the herxing process is to detox. Although a fair warning - detoxing often makes you feel worse before better as well. I, like a lot of people with Lyme, have a gene mutation called MTHFR - which, in short, means my body has an even harder time getting rid of toxins. A lot of people say that detoxing is a full time job. Unfortunately for me, I already have a full time job. And by the time I get home from it, all I want to do is lay on the couch. So as important as I know it is, getting the energy, time and money to do these things is pretty difficult, so I've only been able to do a few things at this point. There are a LOT of ways to help our body detox, but here are some basic methods:
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- Epsom Salt Baths
- Drinking lots of water (with lemon, even better)
- Oil Pulling
- Coffee enemas or Colonics
- Saunas
- Diet (gluten, sugar, dairy free and organic)
- Supplements (like Glutathione and Activated Charcoal)
- Green Tea
- Rest and Exercise (impossible for me at this time, but if you can do it, do it!)
- Massage and Acupuncture
- Fireball (just making sure you are paying attention, alcohol is a NO for Lyme, even when you're desperately trying to be normal again, oops)
Near the end of my appointment, my doctor discussed treating my mold exposure. He warned me that this will make me feel even worse than I already am as well, but hopefully better in the long run. Lyme and mold often go hand in hand and is a very bad combo!
When we moved to Olympia, we rented a cute little 1970's condo that had been updated to be very modern, with a view of the state capitol and the downtown lake. Right away, I noticed this weird "cat pee" smell in one of the rooms downstairs. The property manager told me we just needed to keep air circulation going in that room because of the "west side" dampness. A year in a half later, we realized that the problem was mold (very bad mold!), when all of our belongings started to accumulate the spores. Oddly enough, all of my horrible back and body pain, along with my sinus troubles, started when we moved here. Coincidence? I think not!! We moved away from there exactly a year ago now, but I am know my body is still dealing with that mold exposure.
So Dr. Ross prescribed a powdery substance called Cholestyramine, which is a vehicle for binding and removing biotoxins and neurotoxins. It is especially beneficial for a detox plan because it helps prevent the risk of those toxins being reabsorbed by the colon before it can make it’s way out. I haven't started it yet, because I'm scared about feeling worse, especially with September being such a busy month for me.
All this stuff is a catch 22, because the things that are helping me to "get better" are making me feel so much worse, that it prevents me from doing the things that I can do to help make the process easier (detox). For instance, lately I haven't even been able to stand long enough to make a meal at home, or go grocery shopping. Thank God for my husband and BBQ season. But this means sacrificing a clean diet, because I can't endure standing long enough to prep a healthy meal. It's been a lot of "easy meals" for us lately, and we all know what that means.
I guess all I can do is take it step by step, day by day. Is anyone else suddenly nostalgic over the 90's and TGIF? :)
Step by step Day by day A fresh start over A different hand to play The deeper we fall The stronger we stay And we'll be better The second time around
