March 2017 Update- Relief From Brain Fog

I have a great update to share with y'all!

It's been 4 weeks since I've had brain fog!

Let's back up a bit... This dizziness and brain fog didn't feel like lyme to me. Other than those 2 symptoms, I felt pretty good, but the brain fog and dizziness was pretty debilitating and I couldn't drive, I didn't have any energy, I was really clumsy, couldn't think and  couldn't function doing many things around the house.

I tried taking Jernigan Nutraceuticals Neuro Anti-tox, which helped my brain fog when it was caused by die off, but it didn't help this time.  I tried taking B vitamins and some others. Nothing seemed to help.

I kept reading and I couldn't find any answers, so I made an appointment with a new chiropractor and started going 2 times a week. She did adjustments, the Graston technique and K-laser on the super tight muscles in my neck. I was able to make it to the appointments the first week, but thank goodness my husband was able to drive me to a Friday appointment because the brain fog was bad and I felt awful. That was the last time I had brain fog.

After my fifth K- laser treatment, I felt pretty good. Just a bit of dizziness during the day, especially if I did too much, but no brain fog. I've been able to drive and get work done around the house since then. I still have neck and back tightness and some pain, but not having brain fog is a BIG DEAL!

There's still a lot of work to do on the tight muscles in my back and neck and will be going to the chiropractor often. I think having 2 K-laser treatments a month will help. Just so you know, K-laser is a brand of cold laser that helps your body heal.
Here's the video that explains how it works. 

K-Laser Mechanism of Action, Human from K-Laser on Vimeo. 


 You can find out more about K-Laser on their website HERE.

Some other good news- Last month I started to be able to ride in a car without it being a white knuckle ride. 

This. Is. Big. 

Being in a car used to cause me so much anxiety and it's nice to be able to go somewhere and be relaxed.
More good news: I've been able to go to church and not wear ear plugs during worship and the sermon. Yay! (Last Sunday after working too hard the previous day, I felt awful and wore them)

So, I think I have the brain fog and anxiety symptoms are taken care of. What about the other symptoms?

I still have some remaining symptoms that are irritating and one, in particular affects and limits my daily life. After reading Dr. Rawls' post on Bartonella again, I realize the remaining symptoms I have point to Bartonella. You can read Dr. Rawls' Bartonella post HERE. I've tried Buhner's protocol for Bartonella twice. Both times I could only stand it about a week or 2 before it got too bad and had to stop. I think I'll start some of the herbs and supplements again. I'm thinking the Sida Acuta is the herb giving me the horrible symptoms. We shall see. 

So here's my plan this month:

1- Chiropractic: adjustments weekly and K-Laser twice a month($50 a treatment)

2- Parasite Cleanse- ordered and received a parasite cleanse from Dr. Morse

3- Biological Dentist- 3rd appointment at the end of the month to discuss a treatment plan

4- Bartonella protocol- waiting until April to start. Daughter will be visiting and Taxes need to be organized, so I can't be sick right now. 

4- Vital Plan Supplements- Now on Advanced Biotic (previously called A-Biotic) and Adaptogen Recovery

6- Various supplements, especially Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin E, Lithium Orotate, Curcumin, Co Q 10, DigestEase, Ashwagandha, L-theanine, Selenium, Formula 303, Acetyl L Carnitine.

7. Migun Infrared Mat daily, Infrared sauna 3 to 4 times a week. 

That's it. Getting well isn't for the faint of heart. 

My husband Tim and I

Do something today to help yourself heal.

Hope today is a good day for you

Pam

Here is the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet - seems to be getting better

swollen pads on bottom of feet near toes-a little better

dizziness/off balance- better.

brain fog- seems to be gone!

difficulty finding words. 0

blurry eyes - a few days clear, then a few days blurry

urgency  (3) - still a problem

noise sensitivity (2)

startles easily- very little unless it's a really loud noise.

muscle pain -2 some days more

muscle weakness (2)

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing. High pitch comes and goes,

not being able to follow directions - hasn't been a problem.

98 +   temp

Weight is stable at between 125 to 129

Feeling Great...month 13

Last month was pretty depressing for me.  I tried not to show it in my post, but I was disappointed in my progress before last month and there wasn't much to write about other than I tried (and didn't succeed) with some essential oils. It wasn't that they didn't work; it was that I couldn't handle the herx.

diy Design Fanatic is my other blog

After the essential oils, I tried Buhner's protocol for Bartonella since I had been having some irritating Bart symptoms and I was impatient and wanted to get rid of them.

I added Japanese Knotweed first and actually felt great the days I took them. Then I added most of the others - Arginine, Sida Acuta, EGCG, and a few others. I added everything but the bacteria killing Houttynia. You can find the list of herbs on Buhner's website or the revised protocol in the latest addition of his book Healing Lyme.

After about a week on all of those herbs and supplements, I started to herx and felt bad. I felt bad enough that I ended up spending most of the day resting in bed. All of my old neurological symptoms returned and then some. Then, a couple of days after that the ice pick headaches started, so I stopped all of the extra herbs and went back to only the Restore formulations. My goal had been to do the protocol for 30 days and I thought I could handle the herx for a month, but I couldn't.

 Those of you who have had ice pick headaches know that they are no joke. They actually feel like someone sticking an ice pick into the side of your head and mine were every 5 seconds.(I'm not exaggerating) The ice pick headaches slowed down in frequency and intensity, but continued for 5 or 6 days after stopping the extra herbs. Seems that I stirred some bugs up.

I started feeling better a couple of days after stopping the herbs for Bartonella. It's really difficult to feel awful after having a couple of months of not feeling bad and feeling good some days.

One of the main reasons why I stopped the herbs for bart is that we are getting our house ready to put up for sale in May and the "get the house ready to sell" list is really long and I need to be working on that list every day and I couldn't afford to be out of commission for even a month now that I'm feeling better.

I am feeling pretty great these days - most days I'm working on the house the equivalent of working a part time job. I still have to take breaks, but most days I work about 6 hours on the list and doing household chores.  One day I worked 10 hours with 2 breaks for meals and some smaller breaks in between. I worked pretty hard for 3 days straight, then took it easy for 2 days after that. Not bad.

I'm happy to report that the past 3 weeks I've felt really great almost every day. That's how progress seems to work... A year ago I felt bad/awful, then I started having a day or two where I didn't feel bad. Then those  days got closer together.  I started  having a day when I felt good, then those feeling good days start getting close together. Finally, the feeling great days showed up and now I'm to the point of feeling great (like I can conquer the world) most days. That's a far cry from being in pain and not having the energy or even the motivation to get out of bed (remember, I have a type A personality).

It feels good to get to this point. Yes, I still have some symptoms to resolve, but they are minor annoyances and sometimes, if I sit really still, I feel totally symptom free.

One thing I would love to share with you is that I found something that's helping me sleep better. One of the reasons why I wanted to do the bart protocol so desperately is that I was getting up to go to the bathroom every 90 minutes to 2 hours at night. Sometimes after I went back to bed it was difficult to get back to sleep. Restful sleep is so important for healing, so in my search for a remedy, I found Ashwagandha and ordered some.
I ordered this one:

I took 26 drops in a few ounces of water and drank it before bed. 
It. tastes. awful. 
But, I only woke up 2 times that night instead of 4 or 5. Progress.  I didn't wake up feeling groggy either. I also remembered dreaming right before I woke up and felt rested in the morning. Last Saturday evening I slept all the way through the night and didn't wake up once! So excited about that sleep!!! That doesn't happen every night, but most nights I'm only waking up once or twice, which is a big improvement.  Last night I slept for 4 hours, then woke up and 4 hours again. That's perfect! I think I remember reading that 4 hours straight is restorative sleep, which is what I need.
Ok, so where am I with my healing and what does my day look like.
I still take my morning slow, but I'm waking up at 8 or 9 am, when I was sleeping until 10 or 11 in January.  I have enough energy during the day to work on the house list throughout the day and do daily chores. I'm currently working on painting most of the trim and doors in our house. There is a lot of trim in our house because it's BIG, which is why will be downsizing!

I've been busy painting trim all over the house. My husband painted the walls, I painted the trim. The painted box is a small makeover project.

I'm able to drive to the store and shop without brain fog taking over. I still have to be careful though. I was able to go to church last week and take out one earplug during the sermon. No, I'm not a crazy lady, I've just been sensitive to noise and anything amplified on a microphone or speaker since having lyme.  I'm looking forward to eradicating that symptom!

In summary, I've made a good jump in feeling great this past month, especially the last 3 weeks. I've come a long way since January of 2015 and I'm looking forward to complete healing.

Hope you are having a good day and can't wait to hear that you are making good progress if you have lyme disease. 
Pam

ps: remember the Collagen Protein from Dr. Axe I started adding to my smoothies last time? I'm happy to report that it's made my face really soft. The skin on my cheeks had been really scaley and not it's just really smooth.  Here are the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet is finally getting better!

dizziness/off balance- is mostly gone - I still get a little wobbly when I'm really tired.

blurry eyes - not as bad

urgency  (3) - still a problem, but not as bad

noise sensitivity (3)

startles easily (2)

muscle pain -only on a bad day

muscle weakness (2)

tremors - only happened once during the month when something stressful happened

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing - high pitch is not as loud and I can hear the low pitch now

98 +   temp

Weight- down to 123- 124 Waking up at night- only once, maybe twice - down from every 2 hours  or 90 minutes.

Month 12- Focusing on Bartonella

I'm a couple of weeks into month 12 on the Restore Program. The weeks since I wrote my month 11 update didn't seem to bring any progress. Dizziness was pretty common and brain fog was popping up many days. It was a little disheartening.

At this  point, I'm willing to try different herbs/oils, etc that may or may not help as long as they seem reasonable and can't hurt you. Why not?

With this in mind, a couple of weeks ago I mixed a couple of drops of each oil and added coconut oil, so the mixture was 50/50. The mixture was applied via a bottle with a roll on top and applied topically.

Two problems I really wanted to work on are bladder issues, which wake me up at night several times and partially numb feet. I did some reading and mixed up some oils and applied them topically to the areas. I took them for about 4 days, but was feeling so bad I stopped taking them. Oils will definitely make you herx. Even with extra detox (liposomal glutathione & sauna), the herx was pretty bad.
I REALLY didn't like going back to feeling bad after a couple of feeling good.
So, I stopped.

We are trying to get our house ready to sell (we're downsizing) and I really need to feel well enough to do some of the projects, since my husband works full time and can't do it all.
This was my dilemma...do I treat more and feel bad or keep on the same dose of Restore?

January is when I had planned to do Buhner's protocol  for Bartonella, but was hesitant because I didn't want to feel bad. I decided to go ahead and try since I ordered the herbs last month. I am continuing to take the full Restore herbs. I started taking Japanese Knotweed - 1 cap 2x a day, then bumped it up to 2  caps 2 x a day, then 2 caps - 3x a day, which is the full dose Buhner recommends.
I expected to herx, but actually started feeling pretty good, even really good - and I had energy!
The past week + has been great and I've been able to get a lot done. Evidently, Japanese Knotweed stops the cytokine cascade, which causes inflammation and makes you feel bad. (I don't understand how that a cytokine cascade is different from a herx.)
I haven't added everything in the full Bartonella protocol yet, so there's no telling how I'll feel once I have.


So far I'm taking the full dose of Japanese Knotweed, Sida Acuta, EGCG(green tea) &Hawthorn.
I also added the Arginine and Milk Thistle a few days ago and maybe starting the Houttuynia tomorrow. I'm a little afraid of taking the Houttuynia and herxing, but we'll see. I can always back off.

As for changes to diet...still aiming for 50% vegetables, gluten, dairy and sugar free. I do eat organic butter (cow) and Romano cheese (made from grass fed sheep's milk).
I've added a tablespoon of Collagen from Dr. Axe, which is made from grass fed cows. I've recently read that Buhner recommends collagen for muscle wasting. I definitely should have started adding that to my smoothies 
sooner because my muscles are pretty atrophied. I've also lost my previously latina behind and now it's flatter than flat. I've been taking the collagen every day since January 9th and already the skin on my face feels smoother. I had to exfoliate several times a week before because it felt scaly. 

The Website says the collagen helps this way

• Healthy gut repair and brain function*
• Greater mobility and flexibility. Strong, healthy muscles. Healthier, stronger bones and joints*
• Vibrant, firmer, glowing skin and fight back against the effects of normal aging*
• Easier weight management and/or weight loss, due to its satiating effect on hunger*
• Deeper and more restful sleep*

You can purchase the collagen directly from Dr. Axe's website HERE.

As for the symptoms/areas I need to resolve(in this order please):

bladder

eyes

balance issues/intermittant brain fog

sound sensitivity - loud rooms cause tremors

numbness in feet

tinnitus

 I keep treating and reading and looking for information that might help. I hope you will do the same. Treating lyme and co-infections is a marathon, no a sprint. It's easy to get discouraged when you aren't feeling good or don't have any energy. Keep trying.

Hope today is a good day for you.

Pam

Here are the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet remain the same

swollen pads on bottom of feet near toes-a little better

dizziness/off balance- comes and goes.

difficulty finding words  about a 2 when really tired

blurry eyes - a few days clear, then a few days blurry

urgency  (3) - still a problem

light sensitivity (negligible)

noise sensitivity (3)

startles easily (2)

muscle pain -2 some days more

muscle weakness (3)

tremors - only when exposed to constant loud noises, but it's minor

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing - high pitch is more present,

not being able to follow directions (2-3) -comes and goes

98 +   temp

Weight- I think I've lost another pound. It fluctuates up or down 2 pounds.
Most symptoms are the same, some days are worse, because I've added the Bart protocol. Some days I have a lot of energy and get a lot done and some days I just want to sleep for half of the day- I just go with it!

Beginning Month 9 - Back on Track...Again

Last month I told you I was back on track and started to feel like my old self again, but the day after I posted, my father passed away. The day after that, I flew out to Southern California with my daughter. At the time we made the arrangements, I had hoped to see my father one last time, but he passed a few hours after I booked our flight.

view from my dad's patio

I would have had trouble navigating the airport had my daughter not been with me. The noise, hustle and bustle of all the people in a place I don't go to every day sent my brain into total confusion and I couldn't think or even figure out how to use the machine where you print your boarding pass. It was difficult to follow directions.

I'm glad I brought my cane with me even though I hadn't needed it for awhile,  because by the time we got in the line for security I was experiencing pretty substantial tremors in my hands and head and was having some balance issues.

At the gate, there was seating marked for handicap persons and I sat in one of the chairs. Just before boarding, someone from the airline came over and asked us if we would like to board first, which was really helpful. 
I had a couple of leftover Valium from  a procedure I had done a couple of years before and took that once on the plane to calm me down. I don't normally like to take prescription like that, pain killers, or even tylenol, but Dr. Rawls mentioned on our Facebook group that something like that would be a good thing to take during a stressful time. I think my situation qualified for that!  I was glad I took a valium because I  slept for a couple of hours on the plane! By the time I woke up, it was almost time for the plane to descend.

We had to change planes in Phoenix and we had arranged for a ride from one gate to the other because the airport is so large, the gates are so far apart and I knew that I couldn't walk that far. It was a good thing we had done that back in Charlotte because the plane was late getting in and would have definitely missed our flight otherwise. Even with the ride, we were the last to get on the plane. 

We arrived at the (small) Long Beach airport and only had to walk across the parking lot to get our rental car. I was a little tired, but ok to drive. The streets there are straight and wide, with stop lights every 1/2 mile or so. I did not drive the freeway at all.

My husband arrived a few days later, thank goodness, because I was tired of driving and we needed to drive on the freeway to get to where we were going.

With the exception of one day, where I slept for half of it, I was able to function, had energy and felt well. I was glad I brought all of my supplements and my Migun infrared mat with me, even though they took up most of the room in my suitcase.

We were staying at my dad's place, so I had access to a kitchenette and was able to keep my eating routine pretty much the same as at home. We did eat out quite a bit, but I kept to the diet, except for 2 times when I had to have a cheeseburger from In-N-Out. I didn't break my diet until after the funeral, though.

On the way home, I had similar symptoms as when we flew out, but at least we were all flying home together and my husband and daughter both took good care of me.

I seemed to crash the week after getting home. I was really tired again. My tremors continued and I was having brain fog and balance issues. Brain fog, for those who haven't experienced it, feels like having had one too many drinks. I can't think clearly, stumble and slur my words. My brain, between my scalp and my skull also felt like it was smoldering. That symptom can be easily taken care of with a frozen gel pack placed on top of your head.

The tremors subsided after about a week or so, but the other symptoms remained for about 3 weeks. 

I was a bit frustrated with the new symptoms after traveling and wondered whether or not these symptoms were from a build up of ammonia in my brain (from bacteria die off). I've read that bacteria die off can build up in the brain and it needs to be detoxed, so I searched around the internet and found several people had good reviews for a product from Jernigan Nutraceuticals. I  used it for several days and then the brain fog was better. I don't know if it just subsided or the product actually worked. 20 drops is the doses on the bottle, taken 3 x a day. It doesn't taste bad.  You can find this product HERE. I read about this product on Suzy Cohen's blog. (she's a pharmacist)

 I started feeling better last week. I did have one day where I had a bit of brain fog when I was tired and on the way home from running errands. I had trouble with following the commands at the self checkout. It was a good thing I was only a couple of miles away from home.

The past several days, we've spent a lot of time in the garden doing Fall chores.

At my request, my husband picked up a few garden tools  that would make the Fall chores easier for me. Not that he wasn't going to help. We have gas powered tools that are too heavy for me to use and I'm not strong enough to pull the string to get the gas blower started. 

Let's just say, I went a little overboard on 3 different days.  Last Sunday I worked (with my husband) practically the whole day) at least 5 hours outside. Of course, I took several breaks, but we had to get everything done. We also had our young marrieds group (we lead) that evening and I was a little tired, but felt good.

I threw caution to the wind yesterday and went out again to finish up a bit in the yard. I worked 3 hours by myself and really pushed it. I probably should have given myself a day in between. Today I'm resting and have that smoldering feeling in my head, but I still feel pretty good. There are still about 30 shrubs that have to be trimmed and shaped, but that will have to wait. We're hiring some teenage boys to pick up the trimmings. That's half of the work!

As for what's next, I've ordered some extra herbs to treat the Bartonella symptoms. The protocol is listed on Stephen Buhner's website. The Vital Plan Restore Program is based on the Buhner Protocol. Restore includes some herbs that addresses microbes other than borrelia, but the Bart symptoms have been pretty strong since returning from our trip. I plan to take the herbs for Bartonella for 30 days.

That brings you up to date as I begin my 9th round of the Restore Program

Hope today is a good day for you.

Pam

ps: leave me a comment as to how you're doing if you are recovering from lyme disease.

Here are my symptoms as of today:

Generally, I feel good and symptoms are a minor annoyance

fatigue - changes daily, but today it's about a 3-4 Some days it's only a 2 :)

Numbness, tingling in feet got worse and now back to what they were last month

swollen pads on bottom of feet near toes- same

dizziness- only when tired

difficulty finding words (1- 3-4 when really tired)

blurry eyes ( has been worse lately)

urgency  (3)

light sensitivity (negligible)

noise sensitivity (3)

startles easily (2)

muscle pain - same as last month

aching forearms-haven't noticed any

muscle weakness (4)
tremors (had them when I traveled really bad, but went away after about a week and a half- also had them a      little previously)

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing - have developed a 3rd pitch that comes and goes

brain "smoldering" - (3 - when I've work too hard the previous day)

brain fog ( 1 day last week- previously every day after coming back from SoCal)

not being able to follow directions (3-4) -comes and goes

98.6  

Weight is still the same- Have lost about 30 pounds since December