End of Treatment for Lyme Disease and Co-infections

I had been complaining that physically I felt like I was going backward even before I stopped taking my last antibiotic - Zinnat.  I took a month of Ciprofloxican which treats Bartonella and Babesia when I came back from my three-week visit to Rosebud.  I had my final appointment with Dr Andrew on April 4th and stopped taking Zinnat then and there.  It was not helping me get any better but it may have delayed me going backwards faster.  I felt no effect from the Cipro.

Dr Andrew agreed we had exhausted the supply of antibiotics on the PBS.  And he was not able to prescribe for Lyme anyway.  I wanted to stop the antibiotics too.  However I have a feeling that had the Government not put a ban on him treating Lyme kinda stuff, then he would not have agreed to me stopping.  I have been feeling worse already since stopping but there is a complicating factor - an abscessed root canal treated tooth.  It abscessed while I was on the Zinnat and later again on the Cipro.  It tunnelled through my gum to the exterior forming a lump above the tooth several times. It used to go up and down.  If that channel had got blocked I would have been in a lot of pain but what pain I had was totally bearable which is why I kept postponing its removal giving priority to several breaks on other teeth between December and now.  I probably would have given priority to the right incisor (which had broken off at the gum line) at my latest emergency dental appointment had the dentist not made up his mind for me and took the left incisor out.  He said the infection may explain the extra fatigue I have been feeling.  Now I look terrible.  It is a big loss to have to say goodbye to both incisors and it does not help the depression I still have.  I have been depressed and anxious for 12 months.  Life has not been fun even when I had my health.  It makes no sense at all.

Don't ask me to smile

As the tooth extraction site heals I would like to say I am feeling an improvement with my health but 4 days later I can't say I do.  It is Easter Sunday and all I want to do is go and lie down instead of interacting with Scott and Connor.  I've been so bored living alone and now that I have company I am having to worry about the work that it involves like cooking tea and the effect it may have on me in terms of post-exertional malaise (PEM).  I feel sort of dizzy.  I have had that internal vibration feeling after going to the hydro pool to exercise my knee.  I have been paying the price of doing things again for the first time for a year or more.  It is scary to think it all could come back now that I am not taking antibiotics.  I can only hope that the extra stress on my system with this abscess is the explanation for the PEM.

Here are some Easter photos.

My LLMD has had very restrictive conditions placed on his Australian registration

This was posted on the Bare Bones Medicine Co. Facebook page on December 20th:

ANNOUNCEMENT
As of late this afternoon, the following conditions have been placed upon Dr Ladhams by the Medical Board.
He is not to diagnose or treat Lyme disease in Australia as it has not been proven to exist here.
He is not to utilise PICC lines.
A diagnosis of Lyme may only be made by an Infectious Disease Specialist who is a FRACP.
No treatments must be used that will cause a Herxheimer Reaction in any patient.
For full details please refer to AHPRA attached.
Our sincerest and heaviest apologies to our dear patients and potential patients for this terrible news. The Regulators have decided that treating Lyme is dangerous and poses serious risk to patients. We must respect the wishes of the Board.
This is a very sad day for Lyme patients in Australia.

Registration Details

I have my next appointment in March.  I got it into my head that I was finishing treatment after the Rifampicin but that was not to be.  I nevertheless decided that I would do no more Bicillin injections so at my last appointment I was prescribed oral Zinnat (cefuroxime) instead to keep me in a holding pattern until I am ready to start on the Babesia treatment (namely 28 days of Ciprofloxacin and a magnesium supplement).  I will be fitting in a Christmas trip to Hervey Bay and trip to Rosebud before I plan on starting the Babesia treatment. I love not having to have the IM injections.

I finished the Rifampicin a couple of weeks earlier than my last appointment on 29th November and I got considerable relief from the anxiety within 24 hours.  It took another few weeks before I settled down further.

My latest regime also includes Fluconazole twice a week and Nilstat every day.  The Fluconazole can target Lyme cysts and Candida and the Nilstat is for Candida.  I have had far less bloating and gut pains since I have been taking Nilstat which is a long time now and my relief has been total for prolonged episodes.

In March Dr L can still treat me and others for fibromyalgia etc if nothing has changed by then.  I am one of the lucky ones who has my treatment mapped out for a few more months but I feel for all those who are probably panicking about what will happen to them.  Those who were being treated intravenously have my sympathy.