Abx after herbal treatment

I did Buhner herbs for a few months pre diagnosis and did more herbals under the care of a LLND
After over a year I then did heavy abx for a few years

I have been in remission for a few years now

Changing your antimicrobial approach makes sense if you have gone a while without improvement and still have troubling symptoms - whether that means different herbs, pharmaceuticals, rife, or whatever strikes your fancy.

It's also possible that you have some damage done by these infections, or conditions triggered by these infections, that need to be treated directly. This was my experience, and antimicrobial treatment only took me so far. I remained quite limited by symptoms until I addressed mast cell activation syndrome, dysautonomia, and limbic system impairment triggered by infections.

It's also possible that something else like mold exposure is driving your remaining symptoms.

Just a couple of angles to consider!

What are your remaining symptoms?

saraeli said...
Changing your antimicrobial approach makes sense if you have gone a while without improvement and still have troubling symptoms - whether that means different herbs, pharmaceuticals, rife, or whatever strikes your fancy.

It's also possible that you have some damage done by these infections, or conditions triggered by these infections, that need to be treated directly. This was my experience, and antimicrobial treatment only took me so far. I remained quite limited by symptoms until I addressed mast cell activation syndrome, dysautonomia, and limbic system impairment triggered by infections.

It's also possible that something else like mold exposure is driving your remaining symptoms.

Just a couple of angles to consider!

What are your remaining symptoms?

Thanks, that's encouraging!

My remaining symptoms are muscle twitching, muscle weakness (not that bad right now, just can't handle training), mild anxiety and stress intolerance. Sometimes there is some neck pain/weakness, insomnia or feet pain but these come rarely and lasts a few days only.

My apartment doesn't have mold but I took into account that it might be hidden and that's why I'm moving to a 100% safe place soon just to be sure.

i agree - if you have plateaued on herbs - its wise to try alternatives

and from the studies we have - most people who recover do so after long term antibiotic treatment

also your symptoms seem to be those most associated with bartonella - which is known for being one of the hardest to treat co-infections

we don't really have the studies to know for sure - but it could be that lyme weakens the immune system to let bartonella in - and bartonella then becomes dominant - or visa versa

either way it makes sense to treat both simultaneously - but in my experience it seems to be bartonella that is the hardest to make progress on usually requiring a comprehensive multifaceted approach, diet, lifestyle, herbs and supplements, stress management, as well as antibiotics.

earlier in my illness i treated with a combination of doxycycline, azithromycin and rifampin for over 3 months and just went backwards for the first 4-6 weeks before making only modest improvements by the end.

i was confused and disappointed with this outcome - as my assumption going in had been that 3 known active antibiotics for lyme and bartonella taken together for 3 months would be enough of a magic bullet to get me pretty much fully well - or at least give a clear signal that this was the answer.

this was before my recent progress with an antibiotic protocol - and before i had figured out that antibiotics on their own are not a magic bullet for people who have been sick with these infections for a few years - rather they are just the final ingredient that moves the needle 10-20% in favour of the host - and allows their body - if all other things are in order - to do the real heavy lifting.

at that point i stopped looking for magic bullets and started focussing on anything that moved the needle even a few % - and just kept the things that did built them into my routine - and started looking for the next thing - then layered one on top of the other to systematically move forward.

just wanted to pass on this perspective - as although its tempting to hope for and believe in magic bullets - as i did for many years - looking for "the thing" that would cure me - so far, in terms of single effective treatments, they do not seem to exist for most chronic patients - and the realistic path forward is more likely a comprehensive lifestyle based approach with antibiotics as only one, perhaps minor, element.
This was also how other chronic bacterial diseases were treated before antibiotics - for instance TB.

ref keto / low carb - if you have no gut symptoms, can tolerate a wide variety of foods without bloating, discomfort, digestive or fatigue issues you may not need to adopt a low carb diet approach like Keto - but most people with bartonella seem to have gut issues and 80% of the immune system is located in the gut - so if its not right its a big drain on your bodies immune system that will detract from its ability to fight infections - and why i think this approach was really the start of the recovery process for both my partner and i.

she had severe bloating distension discomfort and mood issues after normal otherwise healthy meals and made a huge step in recovery after only switching to a keto diet and no other changes. she went from housebound to going for a 2 mile run within 2 weeks - i had been totally against it at the time -as it seemed so restrictive and antithetical to everything i had done well on before lyme - but after seeing this i had to change my mind and try it myself. my results were not quite so dramatic - but can still track the start of my gradual recovery to this point.
she was actually almost fully recovered and back to full time work within 12 months - after only 2 weeks of heavy antibiotics for an ear infection and another 1-2 weeks a few months later for a kidney infection, when before this we are both pretty much housebound and unable to work for 4-5 years.

not trying to give you the hard sell - just wanted to illustrate the value of lifestyle based approaches as think there is value there

btw - keto or low carb diets need not lead to weight loss (something is not quite right there). i have eaten this way for 4+ years now and am gaining weight and strength on a very low carb whole foods diet. There are also elite level bodybuilders who eat a ketogenic diet. essentially - instead of eating more carbs to gain weight on a regular western diet - on low carb approaches one just eats more healthy fats to gain weight.

i hope there is something useful for you here.