Here’s the newest addition to my program: grapefruit seed extract (GSE). Since I’m now allergic to two anti-fungals, my doctor asked me to try liquid GSE and see what happens. I bought a small bottle at the Vitamin Shoppe today. I took a dose with dinner. Now, as I’m reading about it online, I find out that there is a controversy as to whether it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. […]
Two currents were drifting in new directions today. Florinef & Fungus Update I woke up this morning to discover that I’m developing an allergy to ketoconozole. It was a special, prickly kind of itch. I’ve only felt it once before: the day before diflucan gave me a bright red itchy rash covering my arms, chest and neck, elbow to elbow. I didn’t know then what was causing it, so after […]
Over a decade ago, I stopped taking antidepressants. I don’t recommend them for anyone. They made me kind of numb to what was going on around me, meaning that I missed the subtle cues that life threw my way and left me trying to put my life back together after a traumatic event in semi-darkness. And even though they reduced the amount I cried (not by that much), the side […]
As I work through day 3 of coming off florinef, I’ve been reading a little bit about adrenal glands and adrenal insufficiency/fatigue. There are contradicting statements out there about avoiding salt (because most people with adrenal insufficiency have high blood pressure) and whether or not to take corticosteroids, which is what florinef is. One of things I remembered and read some more about is the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to […]
Today was a classic Saturday with a cold. I was miserable again. I started out worse off than yesterday. The head cold was worse. The chills and sweats were worse. My throat and sinuses burned. My ears hurt and popped. I didn’t want to move. But this time I couldn’t sleep. I woke up craving florinef. These transitions are difficult. I remind myself that if all I accomplish is a […]
I went to the urologist today. The good news is that I don’t have any more kidney stones (or at least nothing shows up on the sonogram and x-ray I had in August). The bad news is that I have a urinary tract infection of some sort, most likely a fungal infection. Oh well. He said he had seen other women who took antibiotics for extended periods of time develop […]
When I was doing research for Babesia Basics, I read a bunch of articles and websites, not all of which I cited. A piece of information from one article stuck with me, and I saw it repeated though I can only find one citation now. Babesiosis may continue for more than two months after treatment. The article I can’t find said that both the symptoms and the protazoan (the microbe […]
Over the years, especially during my time on antibiotics, I used several different “bile-binding agents” to help diminish the Herxes. Some have been useful and some have been problematic. My least favorite was cholestyramine. It was too strong. I took it during a round of antibiotics that killed off a lot of Lyme bacteria, leading to a long lasting, ever increasing Herx. The cholestyramine did reduce the symptoms of the […]
There’s a fine line between pretense and keeping it together for a short, defined period of time. Right now, I’m walking it. I have a friend in town this weekend and too many activities planned. This includes some driving on my part. And some time out and about, walking, food shopping, hanging out with people. For me, this is an incredibly busy weekend. Meanwhile, the Lyme Herx is upon me. […]
After two days of difficulty breathing, I’m feeling moody and off-kilter. I feel like I lost another whole week of not getting to do the things I’d like to do. It isn’t totally true, but I spent some time cleaning up after Punky (not enough to finish) and talking to friends before I lost all that time to the procaine allergy. Today I’ve been on the phone again a lot. […]
Coiling for Lyme 