Warm Thoughts Appreciated

[pipergirl614]

I'm about to start antibiotic #3 tomorrow Methonidazole 250 mg 2x a day adding it to my Doxy and my Cefdiner.  I appreciate my LLMD adding things slowly to hopefully not cause a huge herx.  I live alone and support myself.  Need to be functional.  Any warm thoughts you could send me would be welcomed.  Thank you....so glad I found this list.

[JackieCalifornia]

Oooh, I like the Pac Man image -- !

Like in the old Batman show:  >Bang!Whack!POW!<

Glad you're doing all right -- keep us posted!

[pipergirl614]

Thank you everyone for your caring and support.  I have never been a pill taker, or even sick beyond the normal colds and flu we all get.  So putting all this medication in my body is pretty new for me.  

I am so grateful that my only Lyme symptoms is the arthritis and then, only in my knees and wrists mostly.  My heart goes out to all of you who are struggling with this.

So far, on day 4 of all 3 antibiotics I am no worse, and maybe a little better.  I do enjoy visualizing my antibiotics being like Pac Man and devouring all those little Lyme thingies.  

[Ricobord]

Hang in there!  May you not have any noticeable herx, just steady improvement!

I learned to ease into every new med or supplement with antibiotic properties.   On my first antibiotic, I am not even sure I felt anything the first month.  But when I got my first shot of Bicillin, I could hardly walk for a couple days for the pain in my ribs.  Big die off there!  

Some of my worst herxes came 10 months into my treatment.  There were a couple meds where I didn't notice a herx, and then others where I was surprised at the sudden and overwhelming fatigue that took almost a week to wear off.

I don't know if the ones that triggered big herxes were more effective in me than the ones that didn't.  Lots of people get well without any herxing at all, so who knows. But based on my experience, I am convinced that rotating antibiotics every few months is a good thing.

[mojogal]

Good luck to you. I have been on a few of those meds and everybody is different. When I first started treatment I did have bad herxes but I would say to myself, this is good, I am having a die off.

You can do it and we are here for you!

[JackieCalifornia]

You go, girl!  I've been where you are, and it can feel uncertain and rattling on the nerves, but you will get through -- the diagnosis is often the hardest part.  Treatment may be easy or not so easy, but you are well on your way now, and that is much of the battle!  Give yourself a big hug for a job well done thus far -- this is truly an achievement, so take comfort in knowing that you have already accomplished a great deal.  Seriously, wrap your arms around yourself, look in the mirror, and say 'Good work!' and give and get that hug!  (You can also mutter under your breath, 'Take THAT, bugz!' if you're feeling especially combative.)   ;)

I would sometimes talk to my body when I was lying in bed trying to figure out what to do next to get well, and making conversation with my poor beat up body and assuring it that things would be all right somehow gave me a sense that we -- my body and spirit -- were moving ahead together.  If you're religious, that works too -- it's a matter of remembering to look ahead to better days.

May they come to you soon!  >Hug!<

[pipergirl614]

Thank you Jackie - that's exactly what I needed to hear!

[JackieCalifornia]

Good for you!  Every doc seems to have different approaches, partly due to their individual views and partly to the combination(s) of co-infections that we each have.  I was on two of the meds you are going to take, and was also on two others, at different times.  

Everyone is different, but I *never* felt worse on the meds than I had before beginning treatment.  It was just a slow but steady path toward feeling better.  I had little to no herxing -- perhaps I was just lucky, but here is a little package of luck for you too:  

    --------------------
    [ best wishes ]
    [      and        ]
    [ good luck!    ]
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Hang in there, and keep us posted -- take care, and take it easy.