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Treating lyme disease in older people

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 11/19/2016 10:03 PM (GMT -5)
My mother just got diagnosed with lyme disease. She is 74 years old. She's been having fainting spells.

Is there a different approach for treating lyme in older people?
Posted 11/19/2016 10:17 PM (GMT -5)
Gotta go slow and low ..my 65 yo dad just got dx ..he acts like 90 yo ..he got on doxy ...maybe encyst it forever ..dont really herx em ...? I dunno how is the rest of system ..i been fainting since i was 18 just kinda thought everybody did ...

it may hypoglycemic in which case spirulina helped to build glycogen store in liver ...honey may help too...

my llmd had her 80 yr mom on 3 abx ,stopped the parkinsons but now cant do any more rocephin after 2 yrs ..so now what ?.. she was surprised when i showed her my permanent picc(port)and bee venom marks

Maybe pulse low dose stuff. ...herxing with impaired liver function aint fun.but my dad just did 6 days of cipro and after a bad herx he says he feels great
Posted 11/19/2016 10:56 PM (GMT -5)
gfields, I am so very sorry about your Mom.

I don't think age is the deal. I think activity level is. I was 64 when I got bit, but I was super physically active. Lyme sure slowed me down and I quit most physical exercise. I took a lot of naps.

I am in remission now and slowly getting back to my physical self, but I am not very patient in doing this.
Posted 11/19/2016 10:58 PM (GMT -5)
Yes, I think that's good advice bluelyme. Thanks.

She fainted and is in the hospital right now. They're holding her overnight. Hopefully she feels better in the morning.
Posted 11/19/2016 11:02 PM (GMT -5)
I think you're right Peteza. She keeps saying she feels perfectly fine. I think she feels fine because she's retired and can take a nap whenever she wants and has no stress. When I quit my job and had no stress it greatly reduced the lyme effect. Now that I'm back at work, I can feel them again.

She seems to faint whenever she is doing some sort of activity. She fainted at a fair that she went to during this past summer. Tonight she fainted at our friends 70th birthday party. The high activity level probably stirs up the lyme for her. Also, I had her take a doxy pill last night. That might have stirred up her lyme quite a bit.
Posted 11/19/2016 11:11 PM (GMT -5)
gfields it depends a great deal on her existing health, her immune system shape, and any pre-existing issues like any arthritis, teeth or gum problems if she has dentures, that sort of thing And her diet. Older folks, at least my Mom, kept a much healthier diet than I did, for the most part, and ate sparingly, which is good.

Low and slow IS the best advice. Keep watch on her blood pressure and other vitals that get fragile in our later years.

I wish her quick healing.
Posted 11/20/2016 8:57 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks Julymorning!

Luckily she has always ate healthy, so that's a big plus in her favor.
Posted 11/20/2016 9:06 AM (GMT -5)
I agree that it's her overall health that will make the biggest difference. She's had 74 years that her body has been working, and if she has had these infections for a while, she will get be toxic (we know the body looses "effectiveness" as it ages) - and any other conditions she has will also contribute to her ability to heal and deal with treatments.

We know that the younger the person is, the more stress the body can handle, so things like herxing will be harder on an older body, so she needs to take it slow, as has been said, but she will also likely require more support for her body and a more careful balance between the herxing and treatment.

Even 10 years can make a big difference in how a person's body can handle the flu - and this is much harder on the body than the flu.

Also, my mom is 74, and she grew up being taught to not complain - and I don't know about your mom, but mine saying she's okay doesn't mean she really doing well, she just doesn't want to complain. Especially if she feels it's a "minor" thing. Fortunately, I can tel by the way her voice sounds if she's really okay or if I need to kind of gentle prod her to tell me more.

I would suggest, if you can, to make sure she's detoxing well, eating well, taking her meds slow, taking any meds she needs for any other conditions she may have, not ignoring any signs that her body is struggling and needs more help, and so on.

Best of luck in helping her through this. We're here to help if we can. Oh! And invite her to join us!!!
Posted 11/20/2016 11:09 AM (GMT -5)
The fainting is a worrisome thing. I definitely would get her blood pressure monitored and see what it is doing. How about her thyroid? Hypoglycemic can cause you to be weak and faint in older people.

Also as I age I get this stuff I call "over stimulated." It is just like a little kid that can't handle all the excitement. I am retired and can come and go as I please and my life is super calm and peaceful. Going to family functions or parties can put me in stress just with all the noise. Being talked at by 2 people and tugged on by little ones and I get all jittery inside. I have been known to excuse myself and take a break in the bathroom when I didn't even have to "go."

And, as Traveler said, many of us "more mature" people always say "fine." It was how we were raised. Not to complain and always put on a happy face. I can't tell you how many times I have hurt myself and someone would say, "are you alright?" My immediate response without even thinking is "yes, I'm fine." Most times I was not fine.
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