I had a fun conversation with a friend this evening about my trip to California. The trip overlapped perfectly with the hiatus in Lyme symptoms. So now that I’m back…I feel like crap. In some ways, it’s even worse because I got to have a few weeks of minimal pain (even a day or two of no pain), medium fatigue, and a glimpse of my pre-Lyme self among my old friends.

Over the weekend, I got to talking to another Lyme combattant out in San Diego. He was afraid that what he was doing wasn’t getting him better. I tried to remind him that right around now, things should get worse, that we’ll all have unpredictable (as well as predictable) ups and downs, that he has to look at his overall trajectory, knowing that any given day isn’t a perfect reflection of progress to date.

Well, lo’ and behold, I woke up on Monday with the real signs of the new Lyme season. Unbelievable. That’s just how it goes. It seems the real work begins again. I’ve started coiling. I’ve started detoxing. I’m taking it seriously, hoping not to get as run down as I’ve been before, knowing that I just might.

Acupuncture

I went to see my acupuncturist today for the first time in 3 1/2 weeks. Last time I saw her, I could barely feel the needles. My constitution was strong. My pain levels were moderate.

Today’s treatment served as further evidence that the Lyme is reactivated and that not treating Bartonella for two weeks has consequences. My kidney energy (read: blood pressure, menstrual cycle) is all out of whack (not a technical term). I knew the symptoms, but she confirmed that a lot is off balance in my body. Meanwhile, the needles were more than very painful. I didn’t ask her to yank them back out (almost), but I had to ask her to stop inserting them for a few minutes because the pain was escalating with each needle. After some breathing exercises, I was okay to receive the rest of the treatment.

My acupuncturist touched something deep meaning I needed a 2.5 hour nap when I got home. No headache, thank goodness, like I used to get after treatments back when I couldn’t walk, before I knew about Lyme, and was seeing her for pain management. This time a long nap. And when I woke up, I couldn’t move for a long time. My muscles are so tired. I think she moved something. And I think I haven’t recovered from yesterday’s yoga class just yet.

One interesting thing is that during my after acupuncture nap, my waist reappeared. For the past week or so, my abdomen has been bloated, both in the front and on the sides. Whatever my acupuncturist moved made the swelling go down and my natural shape apparent.

Clues not definitive

I had a night sweat last night. It was very mild. I had a big sweat when the heat went on in the middle of the night, raising the room temperature to over 75 deg F, and I was under a pile of blankets. Separate from that one, which doesn’t count as a night sweat in my book because it was in response to the external environment, I had a mild night sweat on my chest. Just dampness.

So now I wonder: is that a detox response to the first Lyme coiling session yesterday? or is the Babesia still active at low levels?

I’m still using dormant Babesia as my working hypothesis, but I must record the opposing evidence for future reference.

I also had light sensitivity today. Same questions. No way to test the answers just yet.

I think that if the overwhelming fatigue I felt today continues for several more days, I’ll have to go back to treating Babesia for 3-4 weeks just to be sure.

Coiling

• Candida, chest, 2 minutes; abdomen, 10 minutes
• Bartonella, chest, 2 minutes; abdomen, 5 minutes
• Lyme, ilium front, 3 minutes each side; ilium back, 3 minutes each side; side of legs/hips, 3 minutes each; sacrum, 2 minutes

Detox

• skin brushing
• lots of water
• acupuncture
• nap (2.5 hours, I fell asleep so fast I didn’t make it to the BioMat!)
• diatomaceous earth

Body

I felt a coiling hangover this morning. Itchy eyes. Some fatigue at first.

There were the Bartonella symptoms: tingling in my hands and feet which went away within an hour.

Then the Lyme symptoms all day: joint pain in my knees, hips and feet, my shoulders, wrists and hands; car sickness, light sensitivity, bouts of low blood pressure; clicking jaw and left shoulder; neurological pain down the sides of my legs and in my left arm; fatigue, breast pain, floaters in my vision tonight.

It feels like the day was wasted from a productivity standpoint. But from the perspective of healing my body, I think acupuncture + rest = exactly what my body needs.

Disclaimer

• Second Lyme Coiling Season Begins
• Friends are worth their weight in gold

Categories: healing process, Herx reactions

Tags: acupuncture, babesia, bartonella, candida, lyme, symptoms

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