Lymes disease

[shaper]

A little over a month ago my so n law diagnosed I have Lyme disease. I went through the first month of treatment with antibiotics with little good news. I just started another month of treatment. This can go a long time. The antibiotics do a number on my stomach. I have days of severe loss of energy and difficulty in remembering things. I've been trying to replace the alternator in the wife's car, three days and it isn't in yet. It's odd, I have been collecting for two years to get everything I need to reload all of the most popular calibers. Now that I am ready to smelt, mold, and load, I don't have the energy to walk to my shop. And what is worse, I don't care. Within the past few weeks I have sold off a lot of tools and projects that I now know I will never finish. I'm now thinking of selling off my powder coating shop.
Sorry for going on like this, I'm just down. I have always been very active, now I can't seem to do anything properly. So, I'm asking my brothers to put me on your prayer list.
thank you
shaper
Pat Groover

[flyingmonkey35]

Pat.

I'm sorry to hear about your sickness.

I was going to make a joke and still will..


Sounds like you need rum / salt and some margarita mix. As you already got the limes.

Ha ha ha.


Hang on to your stuff. Don't sell it unless you need cash.

[emoji205]

[MrWolf]

Don't sell your stuff, that is the meds talking. Give it some time and hopefully everything will get better for you. You are in our prayers.

[home in oz]

Time to see a medical specialist of tick-borne diseases, I think....

[Wise Owl]

Get some Pro-Biotics and start taking them. That will at least help with the stomach stuff. Also some ginger tea for settling it down.

The anti's do the same thing to me when I take them.

[JWFilips]

I got it in 2006 and again in 2008. Then I had my 7 year relapse ( as the doctors told me I would in 2013 from the 2006 episode) When I originally got it it works a number on your head ....not wanting to go outside or in the woods ...but I have over come that. In my case treatment was not worse than the disease..... The first episode we thought I had spinal Meningitis . Now a number of years have passed with strange things still happening in my body but Hey I'm getting old not sure if it is the "Cysts" or just old age

[waksupi]

Start doing some research, doctors don't know all that much about Lyme's. A friend of mine has been under treatment for over two years, and she is stil lnot completely recovered.

[leeggen]

LD is no fun, been thru it twice. First dig. was flu then I forced the Dr. to do blood test for LD. Yip I had it antibiotics do and can make you feel just as bad as the disease. Hang in there it will get better. Recovery is relavant to how long you had it before dig., so you will be back up and running. Don't jump to the conclusion you will never get back to ones old self, you will.
CD

[yancey]

Hey Pat ! Hang in there and prayers going out for you.

[MaryB]

I find coke to help settle the stomach and stimulate the appetite a bit. Hang in there, any chronic illness can take a toll. I have been dealing with a crippled spine now for 8 years and have days like you describe. I set a goal to do one small project a day, beyond that is great but I make myself get off my butt and be semi active. The alternative is not in my playbook I am to stubborn to give in.

[Beagle333]

Do hit the health food store and get some probiotics. They really do help the stomach rebound from the abuse. Good luck!

[runfiverun]

greek yogurt can help the stomach also.

[doc1876]

and L-Lysine is a good natural antibiotic. I have seen it even give herpes a run for its money ( would have cured her too, if she hadn't switched doctors, and he had a fit. the original doctor was so impressed by it he is prescribing it for his patients!!). In most cases, 1000 units 2x a day will get you back to the good road, and then 500-1000 each day.

[dtknowles]

I find coke to help settle the stomach and stimulate the appetite a bit. Hang in there, any chronic illness can take a toll. I have been dealing with a crippled spine now for 8 years and have days like you describe. I set a goal to do one small project a day, beyond that is great but I make myself get off my butt and be semi active. The alternative is not in my playbook I am to stubborn to give in.

Listen to Mary. Be a fighter, it will only beat you if you let it. Fight, fight , fight. Do not go quietly into the night.

Tim

[Ramar]

Prayers are with you brother. I feel your pain.
Ramar

[Dhammer]

I'm dealing with an injury that has drained me for last 6 years between extreme constant pain and minimal sleep, to days without sleep at times. So I totally get where your comming from. I look up how to do things make notes, before I start projects and take pictures as reference points with my brain being swiss cheese.

Hang in there first of all.

Depending on stomach issues there are some really good meds as options. The problem with the stomach, depending on your exact symptoms if untreated it can cause damage to your stomach along with above n below. I found that out the hard way.
Next, I would ask for a full blood work up to include testorone, estrogen, thyroid, hemocrit, etc, (the works). Between the Lyme, disease, meds, stress there may be something else now out of whack. Talk to your doc, explain what's going on and that you need to get your quality of life back.

I hope it gets better sooner then later. For me it was finding the right docs. I will never be pain free, will always have really bad days but I've got some days that were better then I had hoped for after the first 3 years of hell. I use my kids as my drive to keep going when it gets bad. I also found it I font keep my brain really active the memory issues get worse. So I keep up on my hobbies even when its bad along with learning new things and relearning things I have forgotten how to do.

Again, I really hope things get better sooner then. The no energy just sucks. I had a hard time admitting and then dealing with the memory issues and few other symptoms.

[.45Cole]

I have always been VERY scared of Lyme disease and religiously checked myself after being out in the woods. The probiotics actually are a mixture of bacteria that help start a colony in your gut that help digest and breakdown intake, beings you scr*w the beneficial bacteria when you throw an antibiotic down the hatch. They also outcompete the bad bacteria (c diff) for nutrients and keep c diff in check, as it is already in your gut.
People have the amazing ability to overcome most stuff on their own, so much so we have to do placebo's to see if something really works. Massage and your favorite place to eat will keep your head in the game an improve your mood. HUGE in keeping your body up to the task of knocking out the disease.

Good luck!

[monadnock#5]

Mindset. If you allow yourself to fall into the trap of believing things will never get better than they are right now, they never will. I will pray for you. We will pray for you. In the meantime, don't sell your stuff.
I don't believe that the Great Architect will hold it against you for praying for yourself in this situation, especially when there are so many looking to you to fight the good fight.

[dragon813gt]

Sorry to hear that you caught Lyme. Unfortunately the disease is sort of politicized in the medical community. There are doctors that refuse to treat it properly. I don't know if it's common in Georgia. Even here, where it's very common, some doctors almost refuse to treat it. After watching friends go through it I will suggest you see a doctor that specializes in it. This usually means very high doses of antibiotics. I watched the friends that went that route recover in a few months time. While the ones that didn't went through years of lingering problems. You want it out of your body as soon as possible.

[DLCTEX]

I had it in the early 90's and was down with it for almost six months due to not getting a correct diagnosis. You will recover, hang in there.

[shaper]

Thank you all for your concern, prayers, and suggestions. I'll look for some of that probiotic. No, I'm not sitting here waiting to die. I finished installing the alternator in the wife's car yesterday. My shop is an old chicken house. It's 30x86 feet. When we moved here I put in a concrete floor, bathroom, roll up doors, spray booth, 400 amp service, and a cold room for my powder. I have been using what energy I have to clean and get rid of things I no longer need. Last week I gathered all of my lead into one place. This week I did an inventory of my brass. I also bought a new Lyman reloading handbook 49th edition and have started reading it when my energy level is low. If I have to see one more of the wife's murder mystery programs I'm going to explode.
The mail just came and delivered a bag of 38 S&W brass. I'm saved.

[Blanco]

I have to agree with dragon813gt Lyme is a testy subject in some areas.
I picked up a tick, some 6 years ago. Had all the classic symptoms of Lyme, BUT never did I ever test positive for it.
Got so bad at one point I could not walk I was in so much pain. I was told by more than one doctor Lyme did not exist in Texas!
I later found out that at least in Texas most MD's would NEVER diagnose Lyme because the insurance companies did not want to pay for treatments.
I finally saw a Dr. that said " You don't have it, but we will treat you like you do have it"
It is one of those sicknesses that takes a Dr. that knows how to treat it properly and a LOT of time(in my case)

I had extreme pain, Brain fog, memory loss, severe rashes from the Herx reactions. The laundry list is long.
With TIME you will get better. Be sure to find a doctor that has experience treating it, even with natural stuff.

it will get better

[BrassMagnet]

and L-Lysine is a good natural antibiotic. I have seen it even give herpes a run for its money ( would have cured her too, if she hadn't switched doctors, and he had a fit. the original doctor was so impressed by it he is prescribing it for his patients!!). In most cases, 1000 units 2x a day will get you back to the good road, and then 500-1000 each day.

If you have cold sore outbreaks, 2 of the 500 mg capsules every morning and every evening will stop the outbreaks from occurring and will speed healing if they have already occurred. Sold in health food stores.

Added: I told Mrs Brass and she added this:
Don't eat any nuts if you need L-Lysine. Nuts have arginine. You can't eat enough L-Lysine to counteract the arginine in peanuts, trail mix, or other nuts.

[NY_Treeguy]

Don't really know why the doc would prescribe a second month of antibiotics.

have had it twice...first time before anyone really knew what it was. Standard is 20 days of doxycyclin. If you catch the tick in the first 24-36 hours one massive dose of 400mg doxy will take care of it. Could be you have erlichiosis or babeosis...most doctors have no clue about these diseases. Get to a rhumetologist or an infectious disease expert.

Working outside and in NY I (unfortunately) have too much experience with Lyme.

[dtknowles]

For about 20 years now I have been worried about tick borne disease. I has kept me out of the woods more than I care to admit. My wife got rocky mountain spotted fever, the doc's were slow in diagnosing and treating it and she almost died, had some permanent memory loss. We were on a camping trip in Tenn. and I took a few ticks off of myself but we never found one on the wife. I have had some ticks on me here in Louisiana. When it is hot (most of the time here) it is uncomfortable to get all clothed up.

I love the woods but if I feel miserable it just isn't the same.

Tim

[Gator 45/70]

Wish you well, Hope it passes soon !

[madsenshooter]

A subject I find most interesting. I was less than 5 when mom pulled the first ticks off my neck. Thing is, I've lived with it, undiagnosed for 52yrs. As I sit here, I'm rubbing a lump on the back of my neck that developed over the years. I can remember when it effected my balance and coordination so the vermin must've spread on into the cerebellum. I've been self medicating with herbals for over 3yrs now, and they are dying! Some in my knees died not long ago. Last year I couldn't get into a sitting position to shoot highpower rifle matches, but this year I can! You just have to keep on keeping on!

On the subject of Lyme in TX: http://bionews-tx.com/news/2014/06/25/lyme-disease-bacteria-now-endemic-to-texas-likely-to-stick-around-study-finds/

NY tree guy, a recent infection, and an infection that has gone chronic, ie misdiagnosed for many years, are two different things altogether. Growing pains they told me when I was a kid! And, with borrellia's ability to shut down the immune system, it's just hard to say what else has gotten in the door left open. The little vermin become deeply entrenched and are very hard to get rid of, sometimes requiring years of antibiotics.

[firefly1957]

Prayers for your full recovery.
A little about what Lyme disease is it is a bacteria a spirochete same type that causes syphilis in time it damages the nerves, muscle, and even bores small holes in the bones. Those small holes lead to arthritis and when in the skull can allow brain infections and brain swelling (Encephalitis). Once established it can be very hard to get them out of your system and some damage can last for years.

[MaryB]

With all the time I have spent in the woods, deer hunted and had deer full of ticks I have wondered about lyme being part of my problem. Doctor refuses to test for it saying the tests are wrong more than right.

[BrassMagnet]

Thank you all for your concern, prayers, and suggestions. I'll look for some of that probiotic. No, I'm not sitting here waiting to die. I finished installing the alternator in the wife's car yesterday. My shop is an old chicken house. It's 30x86 feet. When we moved here I put in a concrete floor, bathroom, roll up doors, spray booth, 400 amp service, and a cold room for my powder. I have been using what energy I have to clean and get rid of things I no longer need. Last week I gathered all of my lead into one place. This week I did an inventory of my brass. I also bought a new Lyman reloading handbook 49th edition and have started reading it when my energy level is low. If I have to see one more of the wife's murder mystery programs I'm going to explode.
The mail just came and delivered a bag of 38 S&W brass. I'm saved.


Got hollow base round nosed boolits?

[NY_Treeguy]

A subject I find most interesting. I was less than 5 when mom pulled the first ticks off my neck. Thing is, I've lived with it, undiagnosed for 52yrs. As I sit here, I'm rubbing a lump on the back of my neck that developed over the years. I can remember when it effected my balance and coordination so the vermin must've spread on into the cerebellum. I've been self medicating with herbals for over 3yrs now, and they are dying! Some in my knees died not long ago. Last year I couldn't get into a sitting position to shoot highpower rifle matches, but this year I can! You just have to keep on keeping on!

On the subject of Lyme in TX: http://bionews-tx.com/news/2014/06/25/lyme-disease-bacteria-now-endemic-to-texas-likely-to-stick-around-study-finds/

NY tree guy, a recent infection, and an infection that has gone chronic, ie misdiagnosed for many years, are two different things altogether. Growing pains they told me when I was a kid! And, with borrellia's ability to shut down the immune system, it's just hard to say what else has gotten in the door left open. The little vermin become deeply entrenched and are very hard to get rid of, sometimes requiring years of antibiotics.

I totally agree! First time around no one really knew about Lyme. Never had any nervous system damage, but ended up with permanent joint damage at 18. Based on the original post I was thinking this was caught quickly, but maybe not....

[square butte]

As I understand it (from a friend who is fighting Lyme's disease and has a "Lyme's Literate" doctor), There is only one test that is really definitive. I am unable to remember the name of the test - But I do remember that the only lab that does the test is in Palo Alto, CA. Apparently it is quite expensive - But maybe worth the money since all the others have a fair rate of false positive and false negative. Anyone know the name for this particular test? I understand that finding a "Lyme Literate" doctor is half the battle.

[dragon813gt]

With all the time I have spent in the woods, deer hunted and had deer full of ticks I have wondered about lyme being part of my problem. Doctor refuses to test for it saying the tests are wrong more than right.

I suggest you get a second opinion. Lyme is not something you play around w/. Everyone should watch the documentary "Under Our Skin" and draw your own conclusions. It's on YouTube at the moment.

[Blanco]

I hate to even throw this in, but being the conspiracy theorist that I am...
I did a bit of research on the subject of Lyme on the internet. You know how sometimes you run across those kook websites that claim everything. I ran across a site that claimed that there was a weapons lab within the shadow of Lyme county and the theory was that Lyme was accidently or purposely released from the bioweapons part of the lab. I know sounds a bit far fetched but I always have the feeling that our government is not always what we wish it was

[dragon813gt]

That is the main story that has been going around since Lyme came to prominence. Well before the internet was around. I don't know how I feel about it.

[tja6435]

Huge amount of relief from Lyme disease can be obtained with daily use of iodine.

Here is is what I recommend, I'd begin with 2-3 drops per day and go up a drop every 3rd day until you're taking 6-10 drops/daily. Unless you cannot take iodine due to thyroid problems. It works, it's cheap and has tons of other health benefits.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001RRH814/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1410713956&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

Dont give up and let it win, you can take control and win this fight for less than $14.

[madsenshooter]

Back when they were first discovering it in CT, I was experiencing the same thing here in Ohio. Joints hurt like he** and would snap and pop, on and off fevers, tired all the time, etc. Odd thing is, the main species of tick around here is the dog tick, which isn't supposed to carry it, in fact, their immune system quickly kills the spirochete. Like it as not, I feel that vaccines have played a role too. Most especially the vaccines that were grown on fertilized eggs, like typhoid. I know I got the contaminated Salk polio vaccine when I started kindergarten in 62, and that was followed up by a typhoid vaccine in 64 that an AF team gave in my little town after a flood. The combination of SV40, the virus the Salk vaccine was contaminated with, and mycoplasmas, a little microvermin that is likely to come along with a lot of vaccines, is pretty sure to cause cancer, going by research I've found. I've survived a couple encephalopathies over the years. I had to go to college back in the 90s to learn what had happened to me, and I didn't get the last piece of the puzzle until recently, the contaminated polio vaccine.

[CLAYPOOL]

We just got 1 of my older sisters threw that this spring. She caught it down in Alabama while visiting her sick daughter. Very bad on memory. I wonder if I have had it as I have bad days and good ones too. Hands shake bad since 1990 but I am at least retired now. State Park system job for 30 + years. Lots of ticks, etc. She went to where she started collapsing and drove into the edge of the garage door. We have a nephew and a gal friend that helps us finish sentence's and remember things some times. Stay strong and come by. I will let you help shoot the walls, roof, and posts down on my bullet trap like the concealed carry people are doing. The roof is starting to sag more than ever..

[TXGunNut]

From what I've read getting a diagnosis and treatment is half the battle. Secret to beating any chronic disease is knowing you'll beat it.

[Multigunner]

A nephew contracted a Tick borne disease while in basic training in Kentucky. He was in a sealed quarantine room for months and it took a long time for him to recover fully. A number of recruits were infected that year.

[shaper]

There is a lot of information on this post. Maybe someone should write a book. Last Thursday and Friday were bad days, Saturday was a good day and Sunday I stayed in my recliner all day. You just don't know what kind of day you will have next. Here is a part I haven't told yet. My older sister contracted it when she lived outside of Boston. One day, to save money, her so called loving husband canceled her medical insurance. The next day he went out and got a full physical. When she got sick and had bad days, he would just say she was lazy and would not let her see a doctor. This went on for years until she collapsed from liver failure. She had a transplant that didn't take, so she had another. We buried her two years ago. She was the prettiest girl in school and she had the heart to go with it. He loved only himself and the Corvettes he had to own and drive on out of town trips alone.
Sorry, I'm getting off track here. I miss her. My son n law is a doctor and he takes good care of both of us. My daughter said I spoiled him by teaching him about guns and Chevy. trucks. Maybe so. I couldn't find a better man for my daughter. We are partners in reloading and all that goes with it.
I had better stop here, I'm getting a little emotional.
Thank you all for your input on this, I'll get through it with all of you and to Lord on my side.
shaper

[tja6435]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/dr-klinghardts-treatment-of-lyme-disease.aspx

[madsenshooter]

A nephew contracted a Tick borne disease while in basic training in Kentucky. He was in a sealed quarantine room for months and it took a long time for him to recover fully. A number of recruits were infected that year.

And I'll bet there were very few of those recruits that got bitten by a tick. Even if they were, KY is dog tick territory. Lots of stuff in the vaccines we're given in the military. Borrelia has the ability to take different forms, it isn't always a spirochete. Let's take something grown on eggs as an example. We know chickens are dirty and often infected with ticks and Lyme. So we get eggs from the dirty birds, dirty birds that we fed antibiotics, to grow the bacteria or viruses on. The antibiotics we gave the chickens have forced the spirochete to take on a mycoplasmal, cell wall deficient form. Then they are in the eggs. In the mycoplasmal form, they're small enough to infect the bacteria that's being grown for vaccine use. But we inactivate those bacteria. Maybe we do, maybe we don't. Even if formalin and or alcohol, both of which have been used for inactivation, kills the typhoid bacteria, it might not kill the Lyme mycoplasma living snuggly in the bacteria's cytoplasm. Once inside a new host via vaccination the Lyme mycoplasma can get out of the bacteria and infect the new host. It was in the 40s that inactivation of the typhoid bacteria changed from heat and formalin to alcohol alone, which doesn't do as good a job. Also, I mentioned above that the chickens were fed antibiotics. That means there's a good chance that the microvermin still alive in that witches brew called a vaccine are antibiotic resistant. In the past, I had no choice about vaccination, either the school system or the AF made me get them, but now if anyone comes at me with a vaccine, I'm going to inject them with lead! I don't care if they say I'll die without the vaccine! Been a rotten life living with this stuff since childhood anyway. I should mention something here, I don't have the same blood type as many Americans, I'm type B, less that 3% of the US population. My dad, who has been ravaged by the first year's production of the Salk vaccine has even rarer type AB. Yesterday's health headlines says they are 84% more likely to develop Alzheimers.

Presently, the majority of tests depend on the presence of antibodies to borrelia, but over time, the production of antibodies is shut down. Age effects that too, I just found some old 1960s research on SV40 in India, where the virus lives naturally in monkeys. People there often have antibodies to SV40, but the older they are, the less antibodies they make.

[Multigunner]

This is the Disease my Nephew contracted


How important is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) in Kentucky?

Rocky Mountain spotted fever has not received the media attention of Lyme disease, but is potentially more deadly. Each year there are roughly 10-30 reported cases of RMSF in Kentucky. (there were 31 reported cases in 1991). Although RMSF can be successfully treated with antibiotics, medical experts estimate that without treatment, 20% of those infected could die.



In Kentucky, the primary vector of RMSF is the American dog tick, although lone star ticks may also transmit the pathogen (a rickettsia). Symptoms of RMSF are flu-like, accompanied by headaches and a very high fever (104-106 degrees F) two to twelve days after being bitten by a tick. The most characteristic symptom of RMSF is a rash that appears on about the second to fifth day on the wrists and ankles, later spreading to other parts of the body. In most cases, the tick must be attached for at least a day for infection to occur.

[madsenshooter]

Not something one runs into often in KY, which isn't very far from me! I see KY does have Lone Star ticks, which are a vector of RMSF. Least you can tell when you have that, Lyme is what's known as a stealth pathogen, sneaks up on you, especially in my area where we have few competent Drs. Bunch of pill pushers for the drug companies. I had to go clear to Cincinnati to find a LLMD. Because I've had it so long, the tests were negative, but she diagnosed me based on things like my big knobby joints and things I had experienced in the past. It is getting better, joints don't snap and pop anymore and I had that from jr high until about a year ago.

[Sghinds]

Will send prayers your way. All will get better and you'll be back stronger then ever.

[dtknowles]

Not something one runs into often in KY, which isn't very far from me! I see KY does have Lone Star ticks, which are a vector of RMSF. Least you can tell when you have that, Lyme is what's known as a stealth pathogen, sneaks up on you, especially in my area where we have few competent Drs. Bunch of pill pushers for the drug companies. I had to go clear to Cincinnati to find a LLMD. Because I've had it so long, the tests were negative, but she diagnosed me based on things like my big knobby joints and things I had experienced in the past. It is getting better, joints don't snap and pop anymore and I had that from jr high until about a year ago.

Don't kid yourself. My wife got RMSF and had no rash or spots, The CDC confirmed RMSF only after she had almost died and had recovered. If we waited for confirmation before treatment she would have died. I twisted the Dr. arm to treat for RMSF because I was bitten by ticks on the camping trip and even though we never found one on her it seemed like a possibility since RSMF had been reported in that area of TN. They were treating her with the wrong antibiotics, doing a spinal tap to test for meningitis. She was delirious and delusional. No spots, no rash, no bite mark but the CDC blood test came back positive for RMSF.

Tim

[madsenshooter]

Wow! You guys got me checking out RMSF now! It is here in Ohio! I have found that the brown dog tick can be a vector, and like dt has indicated, there's not always a rash. I would hazard to guess that the bacteria that causes RMSF doesn't always get the upper hand in the constant war for turf that is going on inside us. A war between a variety of infectious agents that's somewhat refereed by our immune systems. I never had a rash, unless it was one of the times I supposedly had measles when young. Very thought provoking, more research is in order. Thanks gents, I needed something to do.

OP, in time, the nasty feeling you get with the ABX will subside. I didn't like that either and went the herbal route to get away from it. I live in the middle of many acres of woods where some very effective herbs grow.

Ticks, uck! Last year about this time I walked through a reclaimed strip mine. Nice field now that is frequented by deer and wild turkeys. I walked no more than 1/2 mile and picked a couple dozen off that got on my clothes.

[MaryB]

I was scouting camping spot for the girl scouts with my dad. Nice field of grass next to the river they were canoeing. When we got back to the car we both stripped, over 100 ticks each that day. No we did not mark it as a campsite!

[shoot-n-lead]

Will add you to my prayer list and hope you see improvement soon.

[Just Duke]

I have been reading this thread to Miss Barbie over the phone. ICK!

[Just Duke]

Ticks! ick!

[tja6435]

Colloidal silver has also been shown to greatly help the body fight off the Lyme disease and heal itself, along with iodine. Both are cheap and readily available off Amazon

[MaryB]

Hate ticks, find one and then have the creepy crawlies all night like they are all over your body...