Tummy trouble on ABX's

I'm right there with you on the stomach problems. Have you tried probiotics?

hi Purplegirl,

Why are you "stuck" with the probiotic the LLMD gave you? While you should follow your doc's instructions regarding prescriptions, probiotics don't fall in that category. There are many, many different kinds of probiotics available, not all of them suit all people.

You don't have to go with the most expensive. You can also combine them to get the most flora.

Are you eating with your abx? I find eating a light meal, waiting a little for it to settle and then taking my meds, and then sitting upright for a further 30 minutes makes all the difference for my stomach.

When I read the instructions that came with my antibiotic, it said to remain upright after taking them. I thought that just meant not lying down. Nope, just the normal activity of getting up and down, leaning forward and generally sloshing the stomach contents around causes irritation.

Try out different things to relieve your discomfort. Sometimes dairy helps, sometimes a dry cracker. There are homeopathic anti-acids that I found relieved some of my discomfort. Nibbling on crystallized ginger helped me (I know there's sugar in that). Also, yoga/meditation/relaxation -- I found I had gotten into a habit of clenching my stomach in anxiety that was adding to the problem.

Keep experimenting!

The problem with the instructions the nurse gave you about taking those abx is that you only get one stomach to last you your entire life - don't let it get torn up by high dose abx. Eating will only slow the absorption by a bit and will only interfere a bit with absorption. You won't really loose that much if you eat before taking your abx.

Do be sure however, to keep the abx and the probiotics at least two hours away from each other! The abx will kill off the probiotics if taken too close together.

I use ginger a lot for my tummy troubles - it's been a real life saver for me!

I don't think there's a person out there - even doctors and nurses - that would follow their instructions if they took the same amount of meds we do!!! We also have to take them for so long, it only makes sense to protect the stomach! So glad you are going to eat something before taking your abx now!!

I tried the ginger tea first, but quickly realized that it wasn't enough. I never tried the candied ginger - the sugar and I don't get along. I actually buy the bulk powdered ginger root from my health food store and fill my own caps -saves me a lot of money as I do this with other herbs as well.

Yeah, the sugar makes my intestines cramp and spasm really bad. I'm sorry to hear that you now have to deal with Hypoglycemia - Lyme did a number on my adrenals as well. The good news is that all of this isn't necessarily permanent damage though!

It's really quite easy if you can afford to get a "Cap-M-Quik capsule filler system", or something similar. ***I don't get any kind of compensation from this company in any form*** www.cap-m-quik.com/

At the above site you can get an "all-in-one" packaged set to get started, but I would suggest that you look on places like Amazon or Ebay or other internet shopping site for the 'filling station' (for lack of a better word) and for the empty gelatin capsules. There are different sizes of capsules, but I generally use the "O" size as that will hold between 400 and 500 mgs of most powders. I usually get the brand "NOW" as they are firm enough to stand up to my handling them. ***Again - I receive absolutely no compensation from this company in any form*** Just my experience has taught me to use what works.

I spend a lot of my evenings (for an hour or so) relaxing in front of the tv with hubby and my pups - filling my capsules!!! :smielwinkgrin:

I'm all about saving money where I can!!

It will depend on your own situation- things like how stressed out your adrenals were before supporting them and how well you are able to keep from putting more stress on them.

For me, I think (hope, hope, hope!!!) I may be seeing real improvement with my adrenals now!! I've been supporting my adrenals with a Homeopathic remedy for about 20 months now. about two weeks ago, I suddenly didn't need a minimum of 9 hours of sleep each and every night, I have better stamina, and I'm not dragging around by 2 p.m. anymore - unless I have just done too much! Although I am no where near others my age are in energy and such, it's been a massive improvement for me!

Another thing I've been doing, as I was having a hypoglycemic reaction when I didn't get the "right" amount of protein in any given meal, has been to take cinnamon. Something you might want to do some reading about and consider using yourself maybe.

Thank you for your kind words!- but me, a doc?!?! LOLOLOLOLOL!! All I know is some tips, tricks and just enough info about these infections to make me dangerous!!! Giggle!

Although I do know more about Lyme and co-infections than the doc's in my immediate area, but how hard is that???? They are all in denial!!

I realize that you just said that right now you can't get off of the Hydrocortisone, but you really should talk with your doc and get him/her to devise a plan for you to wean off of them. They are steroids, and steroids are hard on healthy people!! They suppress the immune system making it much harder to heal from any infection - even more so with a complicated infection such as Lyme.

You really will need to have a doc's supervision to wean off of the steroids, and you most likely won't feel the best while doing so, but your body will be able to heal once those steroids are out of your system - and that's what we are after, healing.