Why do we have to get worse before we improve?
Lyme has a cycle of growth, every 4-6 weeks, some strains grow all month. Lyme ONLY dies when it grows, hence the herx cycle. Most links do not mention - with Lyme disease, as long as you are in treatment you can herx off and on all throughout - people have reported years of off/on herxing. Herxing can occur when antibiotics doses are changed or a new antibiotic is added/started and even remaining on the same antibiotics throughout treatment, you can herx.
Echoed across Lyme forums, "good your herxing, you are on the right track!" or "You must get worse before you will ever get better". Herxing can last throughout treatment off and on. The point is to slowly have more good days than bad an with each herx ending you should feel better. This "feeling better" can be so gradual it may not be noticed at all. It is imperative to keep a daily journal/diary of your symptoms. Had I not kept a diary, I would think I hadn't improved at all, it is amazing to go back in that diary and see the symptoms I no longer have and had forgotten about completely. In my diary I rate each day as good, meaning - symptoms low. Tolerable, meaning - symptoms had to be managed w/pain meds or other symptoms relievers, Bad, meaning - BAD, not even symptom relieving meds helped. I total at the end of each month my good/tolerable/bad days. In the beginning I had 3 "good" days per month and 27 bad/tolerable. It has reversed almost - now I have close to 20 good days and 10 or so tolerable or bad. Bad days tend to blend together, I feel at times like I haven't improved at all, but looking at my diary I know I have and I will tell you, it has been a very slow road.
Herxing is created from the die-off of the lyme bacteria. When Bb (lyme) or co-infections die it creates an "ammonia", which you feel as an increase, new or old symptoms flaring. Our body does have its own "detox" system. Anytime you use the bathroom, sweat or cry you are detoxing. But many say the toxins need more help to be eliminated from the body because it creates inflammation & herxing generally is not good for the body. There are many different methods of detoxing, baths, activated charcoal, drinking lots of water w/lemon, ask you LLMD for more help with detoxing.
If herxing becomes too much for you, always contact your LLMD ask about dropping your dose down or perhaps even pulsing i.e, every other day. Herxing is not good for the body and the harder you herx the sicker you feel. For many people herxing doesn't subside on its own and the antibiotic must be stopped or dropped to a more tolerable level. Please always check with your LLMD if herxing has you in the "suicial thoughts" zone...you are over doing it. The point is to kill this bacteria, not you!
Lyme treatment can be a marathon, not a race and you don't get well faster, based on hard you herx, that is a myth. Detoxing can be key for some and always ask for symptomatic pain, anxiety, etc., relief from your LLMD, no hero's needed when herxing.
TruthAboutLymeDisease.com • View topic - Explanation of herxing - increase of symptoms on antibiotic
www.truthaboutlymedisease.com
