Monday, November 16, 2009

Experimentation and confusion

Just a few items of note on this very rainy Monday.

1) After stopping all antibiotics for three days to re-boot my system, I re-started the IV ceftriaxone (made by Wockhardt). None of the previously bothersome symptoms appeared. Huh. So perhaps I do not need to switch to the more expensive Sandoz-made ceftriaxone.

2) This morning I re-started doxycycline. I tried taking all 400 mg in one dose. I'd previously feared that this would lead to extreme nausea and vomiting. However, apart from some very mild stomach discomfort (which could be attributed to my breakfast of strong coffee), I was fine. Perhaps the sucralfate is helping? Or perhaps I'm just a morning doxy person? Weird.

3) I just found out that new research indicates that Plaquenil does not kill the cyst form of the Lyme bacteria. Indeed, when introduced it can actually encourage the bacteria to seek protection in the cystic form. I'll need to talk to my doctor to find out if I should stay on the Flagyl or maybe switch to Tindamax or some other anti-cyst antibiotic, as well as if I should take the Plaquenil at all.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about this new research beyond what I just wrote. I'm hoping to find out more in the next few days.

3 comments:

  1. Hi! I keep checking back in to read your blog and hope to find you feeling better. I'm sorry you are going through this. I got sick in July 2007 and spent a year going through every doctor and test imagineable until being diagnosed with lyme in June 2008. I went though most of what you are going through now and finally realized that I was not getting any better at all. I stopped all med's and started the salt/c protocol - I know it sounds crazy but I was desperate and then the next big thing I did was slowly wean myself off of Klonopin - which my LLMD gave me to help with the dizzyness supposedly caused by the lyme dye-off. As soon as I started reading about klonopin tolerance and withdrawl I realized that it was causing most of my symptoms. I am fianlly, finally starting to feel like myself again after a very long road. I love reading your list of things to do once you are well - I hope it will be soon!
    Kristi

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  2. When my LLMD got back from the ILADS conference, she took me off Doxy & said that it too encourages the cyst form. I'm catching up on your blog. :)

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  3. Woah, what's this about plaquenil and doxy encouraging cyst forms. please do tell the details!

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