I got an email last night from someone I met when I was getting IV Rocephin just over a year ago. He said he hadn’t seen me in the IV room for a long time, then asked if I had any “magic bullets” for those still taking IV antibiotics.
I’m not against antibiotics. I think they are very useful, especially for people who aren’t incapacitated by their infections and for people who aren’t ready to head off the map of mainstream and alternative medicine to the coil machine. I haven’t written back yet, but I’m struck by the question of a magic bullet.
When I was on antibiotics, I made slow but definite progress. Until I stopped making progress and was starting to have old symptoms reappear as badly as before. It seemed I had reached the treadmill stage where I would have to alternate among antibiotics to keep the symptoms at bay. I was still very incapacitated and had stopped improving much after the initial progress from Rocephin. All the antibiotics had destroyed my gut flora, taxed my detoxification routes and made it harder for my body to start rebuilding from the damage caused by Lyme and other infections.
Using a coil machine is no magic bullet. In addition to the amount of time I have to use it on a daily basis, I don’t have clear instructions on how to make it fully clear my infections. I have clues from other users who have been successful in getting better (better than I am so far) as well as those who have actually gotten rid their infections. I’m in charge, no doctor or specialist to help, and I can only get as well as I can figure out how to make the machine effective…and how to do the other work of rebuilding my body.
The coil machine is helping me make steady progress again. Of course, every time I see an improvement, it makes me realize how sick I’ve been, how long I’ve been sick, and how low my expectations of daily functioning have become. Nevertheless, I’m making steady progress that I can see from month to month.
The coil machine doesn’t help me get around the fact that it is difficult or impossible to kill bacteria and other tick-borne microbes in their dormant states. I’m preparing for seasonal Lyme flares as well as relapses of the other illnesses, both of which will require coiling again after I eventually stop.
The coil machine by itself isn’t enough. It is as important to detox when using the coil machine as it is when taking antibiotics. This is especially true since I don’t know how big each herx is going to be, how long it will last and which symptoms I’ll have. (Maybe that’s true of antibiotics, too…) It’s also important to rebuild all the tissues and nutrient stores that have been depleted during the years of untreated and antibiotic-treated Lyme Disease. Without rebuilding my body, the coil would become a burden rather than a help because my body was so weak and so toxic for so long.
Having listed all the difficulties, I’m more than pleased, excited sometimes, that I started using a coil machine as my way of getting rid of Lyme Disease. After a few months off antibiotics with just the initial coiling, my digestive tract started to work better. I’m still doing clean up and rebuilding in my intestines, but my stomach is much, much better. Even my food allergies cause fewer symptoms than before.
More striking is the difference in my muscle strength. It is amazing to be walking so well and so much. It is amazing to be able to go up and down the stairs without extreme concentration and effort. It’s wonderful to have my balance back when I walk or stand. It’s nice to be able to open jars. It’s great to be able to use a computer for an hour (or even two) before I have to deal with intense joint, muscle and nerve pain in my arms and neck. My concentration has improved. The number of days per month lost to headaches has gone down dramatically. I’m sleeping better. I have more of an appetite. I’m interested in life again. It’s pretty amazing the difference a year makes.
I’m not out of the woods. I’m still dealing with pain, sometimes at a debilitating level. I’m still dealing with heavy fatigue that put me in bed for the whole day, especially after mild exercise (like a yoga class) or from Lyme herxes. I still have problems with my menstrual cycle. The food allergies, headaches and physical limitations aren’t completely gone.
Yet the key is that I’m continuing to heal, to see improvement and to have more of my life back. I stopped seeing that on antibiotics. So I haven’t found a magic bullet, but I have found the yellow brick road.
Coiling
Since I’m wiped out the day after yoga and the day after coiling my upper body, I’m condensing the two to see if I can only lose one day this week.
- Bartonella, abdomen, 5 minutes; chest, 2 minutes; sacrum, 1 minute
- Candida, abdomen 10 minutes; chest, 2 minutes; one minute each: each side of head+each hand, each shoulder, spine in 3 places+elbows, each hip, knees, feet, lower abdomen/pubic bone
- Lyme, chest, 3 minutes; sides of ribcage + arms, 3 minutes each; shoulder fronts, 2 minutes each; shoulder blades, 2 minutes each; bladder/lower abdomen, 3 minutes; upper abdomen, 3 minutes; upper back, 3 minutes; central back, 3 minutes; lower back/sacrum, 5 minutes; crown of head, 3 minutes; back of head, 3 minutes; sides of head, 3 minutes each
Detox
- skin brushing
- yoga
- nap (1 hour)
- biomat (1 hour level 4)
- juiced greens
- kombucha
Body
I got a rash on the back of my hands last night after I finished typing. Itchy, dry, rough, red and spotted. I’m not sure what it’s from. My solution was to put sweet almond oil on it overnight. I used Weleda almond oil for my face. It’s supposedly hypoallergenic and very mild, so I thought I would try to sooth my hands. The rash is still there but less inflamed today.
I went to yoga and came back exhausted. I forced myself to make a few phone calls during business hours, so I’m still overtired after my nap.
Both before and after yoga, I’ve been dealing with very loud and tight joints: jaw, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles. My neck, lower back and hands are in moderate pain. I’ve got floaters in my eyes.
Meanwhile, the VSL#3 is still causing tremendous amounts of gas. I’m pretty sure there is a war between the probiotics and the Candida colonies. I can’t figure out where all the fecal matter is coming from. My abdomen is pretty bloated and hard. I get gas cramps which relieve themselves in short order. Then I get cramps shortly before I have to defecate. These are temporary, so I’m not complaining, just keeping track.
Categories: healing process, Herx reactions, using the coil machine
Tags: bartonella, candida, lyme, symptoms
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Coiling for Lyme 