Update: clonus, calf cramp

Hi Mike

herx reactions can cause lots of odd symptoms

including typically flaring of existing ones to higher levels - but also entirely new ones popping up

whilst the exact cause of herx reactions that last days or weeks in chronic lyme patients isn't fully understood - what is clear is that they involve lots of dysregulated inflammation in the body - and its this inflammation and the likely immune dysregulation that it causes that is probably driving the wide array of symptoms

inflammation is involved in just about every disease process we know about - so its easy to see how excess inflammation could drive a wide variety of symptoms that may differ from one person to the next

its also just as possible the calf thing is simply another random symptom driven by the infections themselves - which are known for driving a dizzying array of different symptoms that can pop up at any time seemingly randomly - i am going through something just like that at the moment with problems with pain in the tendons of my right arm - so the the new symptom may not necessarily be related to the antibiotics

its always so hard to know for sure - but its always worth getting anything strange and concerning checked out for peace of mind

i hope its of some help

Quin said...
Regarding blood clots, I had problems due to two different mechanisms.

First there is the problem of hypercalcemia. Calcium mediates clotting via von Willebrand factor (VWF) so too much calcium in the blood is bad. The borrelia colonies become calcified, and the calcium is released when herxing. This is made worse because immune activation can lead to increased conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which increases calcium uptake.

The second problem is borrelia getting into the endothelium. The endothelium produces a clot-dissolving protein ADAMTS13, and the immune response in the endothelium can lead to autoantibodies against ADAMTS13, causing blood clots and bruising.

What showed up on my blood tests was slightly low platelet counts and increased mean platelet volume (MPV) but this was often borderline and not always apparent. It may also be possible to get a test for ADAMTS13, although not all labs offer this test. Additionally, my blood tests showed low 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and sometimes high 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, although this varied and was not always consistent.

I'm working on balancing my calcium metabolism, and my 1,25D/25OH ratio is also very high.
I recently tried Stephania tetrandra, thinking its calcium channel-blocking effects might be positive , but it actually increased my 1,25D levels further. So I'm starting to think maybe we need more calcium intake. What was your PTH values?
Do you have any advice on restoring proper vitamin D levels and preventing excessive conversion to the active form? I've heard supplementing D3 is not raccomanded in this situations