Aa
headaches
I have been having a horrible stabbing type pain on the left hand side of my head - sort of between my ear and top of head - this is a new kind of headache for me - just wondered if anyone else gets this type of pain in their head - it only lasts a couple of seconds - happens at random times - I guess it could be related to my neck pain -its just that I have not had this before - I have had neck pain from start of lyme - over 3 years.
I have read in several places the same thing you posted about fat-looking stuff resulting from a bowel movement -- intestinal parasites/worms.
Thanks for being graphic! If we can't be straightforward here, where can we be?!
Take care -- hope you're doing all right.
Thanks for being graphic! If we can't be straightforward here, where can we be?!
Take care -- hope you're doing all right.
when I think back to before the 'tick-bite' - I never had the - almost constant - nauseous feeling. Since the 'tick' : some days I hardly noticed it but during a 'flare-up' of my symptoms it would be quite bad - also I would get very badly bloated - a strange thing happened with my stomach after only 10 days or so of taking 'doxy' - I became more bloated there was a lot of gurgling etc, - I was only drinking water for about 4 days and was in bed - I could hardly stay awake for more than 20 mins. - also I was swallowing a lot of - what seemed like - mucus - I had been having pain in my ears - which was a new problem for me - the mucus seemed to be coming from my sinuses - I occasionally felt a spasm in the cheek bone area - very 'odd' - I know I am going-on a bit here but I wanted to tell you the whole picture - on the third day - I had a sudden - short bout of - the worst 'diarehea' I have ever known - to be specific - it was basically water !! - the next day I had a bowel movement [I know this is gross ] which consisted mostly of something that looked like 'fat' - o.k. I will move-on !!
the point is since this episode my stomach - nausea/bloating etc; has been soooo much better [touch wood] - my G.P.s opinion was that the 'fat' was intestinal worms - my LLMD's. opinion was - he didn't know what it was - I may never 'get to the bottom' [no pun intended] - of this - my feeling is it was my body getting rid of 'toxins' - possibly 'die-off' caused by the antibiotics - or possibly the 'intestinal worm' theory.
Children [so I have been told] - are likely to have 'worms/parasites' - just picked-up from playing and not be so bothered/conscious about hand washing etc;
so I had stomach probs. since 'tick-bite' - [3 yrs.] - now since 'odd episode' - I am o.k. in the digestive area.
I now take 'acidophilus' - and eat more fruit and veg. - I drink a lot of water too
I hope your son starts to feel better very soon - I wouldn't suggest you do anything without first consulting the doctor - but what about a 'detox' - I am sure you know that whilst taking antibiotics for lyme it is a good idea to think along the lines of detoxing - to help the body eliminate any toxins that the abx. are possibly causing to 'build-up ' in the body.
Best wishes - keep 'us' posted
gorbsx
the point is since this episode my stomach - nausea/bloating etc; has been soooo much better [touch wood] - my G.P.s opinion was that the 'fat' was intestinal worms - my LLMD's. opinion was - he didn't know what it was - I may never 'get to the bottom' [no pun intended] - of this - my feeling is it was my body getting rid of 'toxins' - possibly 'die-off' caused by the antibiotics - or possibly the 'intestinal worm' theory.
Children [so I have been told] - are likely to have 'worms/parasites' - just picked-up from playing and not be so bothered/conscious about hand washing etc;
so I had stomach probs. since 'tick-bite' - [3 yrs.] - now since 'odd episode' - I am o.k. in the digestive area.
I now take 'acidophilus' - and eat more fruit and veg. - I drink a lot of water too
I hope your son starts to feel better very soon - I wouldn't suggest you do anything without first consulting the doctor - but what about a 'detox' - I am sure you know that whilst taking antibiotics for lyme it is a good idea to think along the lines of detoxing - to help the body eliminate any toxins that the abx. are possibly causing to 'build-up ' in the body.
Best wishes - keep 'us' posted
gorbsx
To both of you and all the others that read these posts....did anyone experience a bad stomach before being a positive to lymes? My son complained for months of stomach aches, gurgles, and bloating. When I took him to the doctor, she said she was going to do a lymes test because 8 out of 10 kids with unexplained stomach problems end up being positive. Sure enough...he was too. Then with all the antibiotics, its really done a number. He takes prilosec, priobotics and extra fiber to try and help. Some days are good while others are bad.
I am putting down this response to your question in quite some gruesome detail, but please do not be scared off from abx treatment for Lyme. There are risks with abx, and I slammed in to one of them, but if you watch your body's reactions and are persistent with your dr if you are having problems, it is all probably manageable to continue working toward getting well. And so:
I'd been having itchiness and redness in the vulvar area ever since beginning on abx, and I told my LLMD, but said I could live with it, and I did for a long time -- about a year, while I was on abx. That redness and itchiness was actually a low level yeast infection.
I was taking fl*rastor, the brand name of S. boulardii, every day with my abx. I was adding supplements, and without thinking, added more generic S. boulardii because I read it was good for the intestinal tract. That was a mistake.
Over about a month or six weeks after adding the extra probiotics, gradually I started feeling bloated at my waistline from side to side, and started burping and having some gas. It was all very gradual and I really didn't think much of it. I also was craving sugar.
The abx were working well and I had been feeling good ... then I started feeling foggy brained again, and aching, and just generally not so well. A lot like Lyme symptoms, and I just assumed the bugs were active and not happy about getting wiped out.
After about a month, my back was aching from midback/waistline up to shoulder blades, I felt tight and bloated in the middle, and was having sharp stabbing pains on either side of my waist. I went to a gastroenterologist, who sent me for an ultrasound and a colonoscopy, which showed nothing.
I got a bad headache, mostly cheekbones and forehead. My eyes got bloodshot, and kept getting redder and redder. My teeth hurt and seemed loose and wobbly. I was having trouble concentrating and really could have cared less about anything ... I was just a dull-witted blob and was not thinking clearly. I went to my eye doctor about my eyes: he said 'dry eye' and gave me drops. I got double vision.
Well, I finally realized after six weeks of this this that (duh) something was wrong and it wasn't Lyme. I went off the supplements and off the abx, and talked my dr into prescribing an antifungal drug commonly given for vaginal yeast infections -- tho I didn't have any of the 'usual' signs of a vaginal yeast infection (no discharge) -- this infection was inside my whole body and head.
After a couple of weeks I was getting better and went back on the abx and yeast-based probiotics, but within 2 days, the bloating and waist pain were back because the yeast was still very active. So I went off the abx and probiotics again and put myself on a zero carb diet: protein and low carb vegetables only, with lots of garlic and onions (yeast hates garlic). The first two days were awful, but after that not a big deal. It's almost 3 months now, and I've lost all the bloat and then some, down about 25 lbs, which is about where I should be.
My doctor at my request has been increasing the antifungal medication to the point that it is finally working (I think) and not just suppressing the yeast infection. I see the dr this week and will get the results of the blood tests done a month or so ago [why can't they call with the results?] to see if the yeast infection had spread into my blood stream, which is very dangerous. I assume it has not or I would be worse. My head is clear, I feel much better, my diet is a little boring and I would kill for a cookie sometimes, but my energy is high and I'm sleeping well.
This is a long and rambling answer to say: the symptoms of an intestinal yeast infection are a lot like Lyme: tired, foggybrain, aching, no appetite. So it's hard to tell the diseases apart. I don't believe the yeast has been eradicated fully yet, so it will be a while before I'm ready to go back on the abx ... which is a pity, because I was doing so well on them in JANUARY, and here it is, the end of June. Lost time.
Have you noticed that people react negatively if they learn you are on long term abx, and ask with some horror, "Can't ... *bad* things happen from that?" I think this is what they mean. That's why long term abx treatment needs probiotics, but in my case, the probiotics were too much of a good thing and overwhelmed my system, which had been pottering along with a low level yeast infection for a long time. I don't think drs look out for this to happen, and even when I reported the symptoms, they weren't taken all that seriously....
...Which is why I bore you all with this detail, so maybe it will help some of you avoid what I just lost half a year dealing with. I should have insisted that the initial low level yeast infection be dealt with a year+ ago. I should not have taken extra probiotics, which just added to the problem. I should have noticed my sugar cravings and figured it out. And now it's to figure out where to go from here! If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them ... but remember this is just lil ole nonMD me and my situation, and your dr is the one to make the call for you.
I'd been having itchiness and redness in the vulvar area ever since beginning on abx, and I told my LLMD, but said I could live with it, and I did for a long time -- about a year, while I was on abx. That redness and itchiness was actually a low level yeast infection.
I was taking fl*rastor, the brand name of S. boulardii, every day with my abx. I was adding supplements, and without thinking, added more generic S. boulardii because I read it was good for the intestinal tract. That was a mistake.
Over about a month or six weeks after adding the extra probiotics, gradually I started feeling bloated at my waistline from side to side, and started burping and having some gas. It was all very gradual and I really didn't think much of it. I also was craving sugar.
The abx were working well and I had been feeling good ... then I started feeling foggy brained again, and aching, and just generally not so well. A lot like Lyme symptoms, and I just assumed the bugs were active and not happy about getting wiped out.
After about a month, my back was aching from midback/waistline up to shoulder blades, I felt tight and bloated in the middle, and was having sharp stabbing pains on either side of my waist. I went to a gastroenterologist, who sent me for an ultrasound and a colonoscopy, which showed nothing.
I got a bad headache, mostly cheekbones and forehead. My eyes got bloodshot, and kept getting redder and redder. My teeth hurt and seemed loose and wobbly. I was having trouble concentrating and really could have cared less about anything ... I was just a dull-witted blob and was not thinking clearly. I went to my eye doctor about my eyes: he said 'dry eye' and gave me drops. I got double vision.
Well, I finally realized after six weeks of this this that (duh) something was wrong and it wasn't Lyme. I went off the supplements and off the abx, and talked my dr into prescribing an antifungal drug commonly given for vaginal yeast infections -- tho I didn't have any of the 'usual' signs of a vaginal yeast infection (no discharge) -- this infection was inside my whole body and head.
After a couple of weeks I was getting better and went back on the abx and yeast-based probiotics, but within 2 days, the bloating and waist pain were back because the yeast was still very active. So I went off the abx and probiotics again and put myself on a zero carb diet: protein and low carb vegetables only, with lots of garlic and onions (yeast hates garlic). The first two days were awful, but after that not a big deal. It's almost 3 months now, and I've lost all the bloat and then some, down about 25 lbs, which is about where I should be.
My doctor at my request has been increasing the antifungal medication to the point that it is finally working (I think) and not just suppressing the yeast infection. I see the dr this week and will get the results of the blood tests done a month or so ago [why can't they call with the results?] to see if the yeast infection had spread into my blood stream, which is very dangerous. I assume it has not or I would be worse. My head is clear, I feel much better, my diet is a little boring and I would kill for a cookie sometimes, but my energy is high and I'm sleeping well.
This is a long and rambling answer to say: the symptoms of an intestinal yeast infection are a lot like Lyme: tired, foggybrain, aching, no appetite. So it's hard to tell the diseases apart. I don't believe the yeast has been eradicated fully yet, so it will be a while before I'm ready to go back on the abx ... which is a pity, because I was doing so well on them in JANUARY, and here it is, the end of June. Lost time.
Have you noticed that people react negatively if they learn you are on long term abx, and ask with some horror, "Can't ... *bad* things happen from that?" I think this is what they mean. That's why long term abx treatment needs probiotics, but in my case, the probiotics were too much of a good thing and overwhelmed my system, which had been pottering along with a low level yeast infection for a long time. I don't think drs look out for this to happen, and even when I reported the symptoms, they weren't taken all that seriously....
...Which is why I bore you all with this detail, so maybe it will help some of you avoid what I just lost half a year dealing with. I should have insisted that the initial low level yeast infection be dealt with a year+ ago. I should not have taken extra probiotics, which just added to the problem. I should have noticed my sugar cravings and figured it out. And now it's to figure out where to go from here! If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them ... but remember this is just lil ole nonMD me and my situation, and your dr is the one to make the call for you.
Do watch that bloating thing -- that's what happened to me when the Yeast Beast took over my gut. It creeps up on you. I felt as lousy from the Lyme as I did from the yeast attack.
I see my LLMD later this week and will grill him on the probiotic situation, because I'm not touching any abx until I get this sorted out and have a game plan that makes sense.
I am just now beginning to feel more normal after having a huge hole blown in my calendar by all this nonsense. Three months gone! POOF!
Hmm think I'll post on that topic of yeasts vs bacteria probiotics ....
I see my LLMD later this week and will grill him on the probiotic situation, because I'm not touching any abx until I get this sorted out and have a game plan that makes sense.
I am just now beginning to feel more normal after having a huge hole blown in my calendar by all this nonsense. Three months gone! POOF!
Hmm think I'll post on that topic of yeasts vs bacteria probiotics ....
thanks - I have been eating a lot healthier of late [can't give up the 'tiramisu' though!] - also am taking acidophilus - my digestive system has been a lot better since starting it - so maybe I will be in a better place to start abx. this time - I was already getting bloated etc; when I started doxy. - which did do some nasty stuff to my digestive system - am I right in thinking that amox. isn't as 'broad spectrum' as doxy.-I will probably start taking it [still dithering!!] - I am interested to see how it affects me - just a bit [o.k. a lot] apprehensive.
gorbsx
gorbsx
I understand. I waited 6 months after diagnosis to start treatment ... I was sick enough already and afraid of how I would feel on the meds. Lyme leaves one so low that there's no reserve to put up with yet more nonsense from the meds.
The tests from Igenex are I understand more informative than the tests from other labs because they include more data points ... but Lyme remains a clinical diagnosis, based on symptoms and supported by other information like testing, but the testing does not control.
I believe in getting tested, but I also believe in getting well ... and could go either way in your shoes -- but at this moment I think if it were I, I would give the amoxicillin a try and hang on for a while to see what happens. If the Herxes are really bad, it occasions a call back to the dr.
If I set myself a goal ("I will take the abx for a week and then reevaluate") it sometimes gets me through the rough parts, but while also keeping a careful eye on severe reactions that should be responded to promptly. Lyme is so wearing on body and soul -- take your vitamins, eat well, try to rest, and most of all, don't beat up on yourself!
So here's an idea ... start the abx, AND get the Igenex tests done. How's that for a compromise?
Others here may have other suggestions -------
The tests from Igenex are I understand more informative than the tests from other labs because they include more data points ... but Lyme remains a clinical diagnosis, based on symptoms and supported by other information like testing, but the testing does not control.
I believe in getting tested, but I also believe in getting well ... and could go either way in your shoes -- but at this moment I think if it were I, I would give the amoxicillin a try and hang on for a while to see what happens. If the Herxes are really bad, it occasions a call back to the dr.
If I set myself a goal ("I will take the abx for a week and then reevaluate") it sometimes gets me through the rough parts, but while also keeping a careful eye on severe reactions that should be responded to promptly. Lyme is so wearing on body and soul -- take your vitamins, eat well, try to rest, and most of all, don't beat up on yourself!
So here's an idea ... start the abx, AND get the Igenex tests done. How's that for a compromise?
Others here may have other suggestions -------
Hi, I have been doing really well but now - well I am feeling 'back to my normal yukkie self' - I felt it all coming-on a few days ago- hoped I was imagining it !!
I have Amox. waiting in their boxes for me to start!! -
maybe I should just get tested by Igenex - I know it is the same old question - but how accurate do you think it is - or should I just swallow the abx.??
I know you aren't medically trained etc; but I do value your opinion - as I do a few others here - the thing is if the test came back neg. - I would still 'feel' I have lyme - since my tick-bite seemed to start all of this
I asked my LLMD. to change from 'doxy' to 'amox'. after the scarey stuff I had with 'doxy' - OH!! - I just don't know anymore - HELP!!! please
gorbs
I have Amox. waiting in their boxes for me to start!! -
maybe I should just get tested by Igenex - I know it is the same old question - but how accurate do you think it is - or should I just swallow the abx.??
I know you aren't medically trained etc; but I do value your opinion - as I do a few others here - the thing is if the test came back neg. - I would still 'feel' I have lyme - since my tick-bite seemed to start all of this
I asked my LLMD. to change from 'doxy' to 'amox'. after the scarey stuff I had with 'doxy' - OH!! - I just don't know anymore - HELP!!! please
gorbs
I have a vein right there that gives me a stabbing pain sometimes, but not often. It was happening when I was at the dentist recently and she was a little concerned about it (stroke risk, I'm guessing but don't know). I used to get migraines that started that way, but not for a while now.
When are you seeing a dr next? If it gets bad or doesn't go away, call your dr's office and tell them, okay? I'm no doctor so don't trust me!!!
When are you seeing a dr next? If it gets bad or doesn't go away, call your dr's office and tell them, okay? I'm no doctor so don't trust me!!!
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