A Few Steps in the Right Direction

So I just wanted to add a couple of steps forward in the right direction.  It has been almost 3 months of using antibiotics so far.  I did about 7+ months of Buhner herbals last year and before that I did 3 months of antibiotics.  Throughout the time, other than the last few months, I have taken a daily regimen of ALOT of vitamins.  Since starting the antibiotics up again, I have been pretty bad (only taking vitamins a few days a month!)  Despite that, I have seen improvements from the antibiotics that I hadn't seen in the first 3 months of taking antibiotics for the first time as well as the herbals.  Those improvements are...I am no longer feeling as constipated all the time and my stools are forming properly...yucky to say but it makes a big difference because it signals how digestion is doing.  They are now softer, brown rather than yellower and floating in the toilet with oil residue.  Okay.  Gross.  Gross overload.  But I think it is making a big difference.  It shows I am digesting my food properly now which is a BIG deal.  Also,  things that have improved are 'headaches' behind the eyes.  I really don't get them. OH!  I knew there was another big deal.  Blurred vision.  I had this nearly 50% of the month.  Each night, as I would put my kids to bed, I would try to read them a story.  Half the time I couldn't read them a story because my vision blurred at night.  Not my general vision - I could see fine - but my reading vision - the black words would all blur together - was shot 50% of the time.  Now, every night I have been able to read to the kids.  I have had this blurred vision stuff going on for years since Lyme so this is a big improvement for me.  This month I have added in some workout videos (Tracy Anderson) a few times a week to work on strength training using your body as resistance so no equipment is required.  In the past, working out has sent me into a major, MAJOR herx that lasted weeks.  It happens about 3 weeks into exercising.  Thus far, I have done the DVD workout 3x and am at the one week point.  I am big time hoping that I don't have a major herx and can continue working out.  We shall see.  Anyways.  That's the news to this point.

2nd Pulse of Tinidazole

So, about a week ago I began my 2nd pulse of Tinidazole.  My LLND has prescribed a 2 week on/2 week off approach to taking the medicine.  I am also taking Doxycycline and Rifampin as well as Fluconozole (Diflucan) but these are not pulsed.  The fluconazole is taken only a couple days a week.

So the update goes as so.  On my first pulse of Tinidazole, by the 3rd day, I felt VERY tired.  Very, very tired.  Slept a lot.  And towards the end I felt a bit depressed.  So this time around, I don't seem to be as tired as that.  But I am experiencing muscle soreness, sensitivity to touch (like if a finger is pushed into my skin).  I am also getting depressing thoughts as well.  Not all the time, but they will come and just hit me unexpectedly. 

The good news is - I still have NO anxiety.  I can barely believe it.  I have spent the last years fighting the anxiety.  In fact, when I first got sick - the intense anxiety is what took me over the edge - I could handle the weight gain, foot pain, light sensitivity, hip soreness, hot flashes, mood swings but anxiety - I should say intense, like you are nervous X 100 is what did me in.  I couldn't function.  Not to mention the mental confusion, the flashing lights, the numbness, the tingling - all that fun stuff.  So I am still quite happy that about 7 months of the Buhner Protocol plus Nattokinase and Zhang's HH2 seemed to get rid of it.

My main things right now are sluggishness, foot pain, depression that comes and goes and muscle/body tenderness.  Of course there are always other things going on (vibrations, stabbing pains etc) but those I feel I can live with.  I want to be able to go for walks and jogs and not have the bones in my heel be in pain for days afterwards.  And the sluggishness, I really detest it. I am still a far cry from when people used to comment that I was always on the go, quickly completing one thing and moving on with speed to the next.  Speed eludes me these days.  Speed is once again my goal! 

That said - I am SO much better than I was.  SO MUCH BETTER.  But I am moving on.  With that goal in mind.