The Latest

I had another doctor's appointment in Seattle on Monday. It went well, but it was discouraging in some ways. I had been feeling really well (more energy, less aches, no numbness in my arm & leg) for almost 5 weeks. Three weeks ago I finished my initial prescription of Mepron, and after three weeks off the medication, many of my symptoms have returned. It was wonderful to have a reprieve and feel better for awhile, but it is really discouraging to have things coming back.

My doctor was very encouraged that I had responded so well to that particular cocktail of antibiotics and other medications. Because she believes we are on the right track, I'm going to be doubling all of my meds, in addition to starting on a blood thinner. The latest research on Lyme shows that 80% of patients that develop chronic Lyme have a coagulation problem that prevents the medications from being fully absorbed. The blood thinners help counteract this. Last time I was in Seattle I had blood work done that confirmed this condition and so hopefully the blood thinners will make a difference as well.

It's great news that we have found the right cocktail, but doubling my doses combined with boosting absorption with blood thinners means that I will probably be a lot sicker for awhile. I was really discouraged by this, but I just have to remember that it's part of the process. I've read a lot of stories of people that respond well to medications after a month or two, but then as soon as they go off of them, the symptoms come back. This is the reasoning behind long-term antibiotic therapy.

I've read testimonial after testimonial of people that had been told by their doctor that after a month or two of treatment, they would just have to live with their remaining symptoms and ailments. In desperation, each of these people sought out the physicians who believed in long-term antibiotic therapy, and after a year or two of treatment (sometimes more) most of these people have made full recoveries. It's controversial, but the idea is that the symptoms are caused by an ongoing, chronic and active infection...and that once you finally eradicate the infection, the symptoms go away.

I'm about five months into treating the infection. While I'm very grateful to know what's going on, and to feel like I'm on the right track in terms of treatment, I have to repeatedly remind myself that it's a long process. I guess I'm a little impatient. I'm trying hard to be positive, and to focus on the good things in my life. When I feel good, I've been trying to make the most of it, which sometimes causes me to try to make up for lost time and I end up over-doing it. There's a balance and I'm trying to find it.