Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Rachel--24]

I had my amalgams out in 1991 and got significantly better until my most recent Lyme flare-up which started in 2003. My mercury tested barely over the limit (4.1, supposed to be 4 or lower), and I had forgotten that I had eaten sushi (like I should be eating sushi with Lyme , but I love it and it's easy!) past the last day I was allowed to have fish before the test. I think it would have been within range without the sushi.

I think mercury is a big issue with Lyme patients because it does weaken the immune system. I've read that mercury is a factor in almost all chronic illness.....not necessarily that it *caused* the illness but once the illness is chronic its harder for the immune system to recover with mercury in the body.

Obviously someone with chronic Lyme who has a mouthful of amalgam is probably going to have some issues. The constant exposure to mercury would have to have some very undesireable affects on a body which is trying to fight a major infection.

I could definately be wrong but I would think that *any* amount of mercury would put an extra burden on someone whos fighting Lyme....compared to someone who is perfectly healthy.

I wonder about that. If a healthy person tests at high normal levels for mercury and someone who is sick like us tests at the same exact level.....wouldnt the level of mercury have more of an impact on somebody who's already dealing with chronic illness??

I would think NO amount of mercury is safe for anyone...but especially us.

I havent had my challenge test yet but I'm soooo curious of what my results would be. I wonder if they will be really high...like I would suspect??

I think I *want* it to come back high so that it will confirm everything I've suspected for so long.....but then again high results aint such a good thing to wish for.

I guess I'm a little bummed that I'm not ready for the challenge test...but still starting on the NDF....I wanted to see what my levels are at right NOW.....not after I've been taking something for months.

Some days I become rather withdrawn and don't communicate well (listening or talking). So, even though we don't develop autism, it seems that some of the characteristics of it can be present. On days I don't communicate well, it's still easy for me to communicate via email or message boards. Autistic kids often can communicate with keyboards.

This is totally true. When I still had my fillings/crowns in and was still eating normal I was really messed up. I was messed up to the point that I couldnt of been able to be a part of this message board.

I can communicate much better when writing but I've been this way my whole life anyway. Its different now though. Even though I'm MUCH better than a couple years ago...I still have days that I struggle to get words out. Its like my brain gets "stuck".

When everything was bad I couldnt make eye contact with people anymore and I couldnt hold conversations so I just avoided everyone. Also for some reason at that time (and I think this when I was getting the most poisoned) I would start really sweating if anyone started talking to me...it was like I had to try really hard to *focus* and things in my body would start malfunctioning.

I dunno why that would happen....maybe from the stress of making my body and mind try to function??

All I know is I would sweat, get lightheaded or shaky....I would pretty much feel weak after trying to "hold" a conversation...it would literally wipe me out.

I would forget stuff mid-sentence and just totally space out.

I would sometimes repeat the same things over because I couldnt really bring in any "new" thoughts. I would just keep having the same thoughts over and over.

I think these types of brain problems are what autistic children go through.

The similarities stick out to me....when I asked Anna about it she said if I was dealing with all of these same issues at age 1....instead of age 31...I would have been at risk for Autism.

[CarlaB]

Carla---I'm assuming Omnicef is gluten free, since you are taking it?

L

Yes, it is.

[happygirl]

Thanks Carla .

I had my third IV Vit C today, and did much better with it than my second bout last week. So I am happy for that. i just took the omnicef with dinner...fingers crossed.

[Rachel--24]

Should I call? I'm thinking this is normal, just part of being on antibiotics.

Antibiotics can have that affect but its hard to say exactly what could be going on??

I dont really know.

I think if you're feeling really bad and its not going away...I would call just to make sure its normal.

Antibiotics can be brutal...even when they're not killing stuff. They definately have their side effects but if it were me I'd probably call to get some reassurance.

I dont know how many people here need reassurance like I do but I dont think a single day has passed in 4 years that I havent asked someone "Do you think I'm gonna get better?" I dont just ask once either....and there are other questions to follow....

Am I the only one who does this??

[CarlaB]

I could definately be wrong but I would think that *any* amount of mercury would put an extra burden on someone whos fighting Lyme....compared to someone who is perfectly healthy.

I can agree with this. However, I up until recently I ate a lot of fish, several times a week. Plus I ate the sushi before the testing, so I think my levels are pretty good considering. I have to be getting rid of some of it on my own. The interesting thing is I took MSM and garlic for years not knowing it's effect on mercury. I didn't take chlorella or anything, but the MSM and garlic must have helped.

[Rachel--24]

I had my third IV Vit C today, and did much better with it than my second bout last week. So I am happy for that.

Yay!! Thats great Laura...I'm glad things went alot smoother this time.

What is omnicef??

[CarlaB]

Antibiotics can have that affect but its hard to say exactly what could be going on??

I dont really know.

I think if you're feeling really bad and its not going away...I would call just to make sure its normal.

Antibiotics can be brutal...even when they're not killing stuff. They definately have their side effects but if it were me I'd probably call to get some reassurance.

I dont know how many people here need reassurance like I do but I dont think a single day has passed in 4 years that I havent asked someone "Do you think I'm gonna get better?" I dont just ask once either....and there are other questions to follow....

Am I the only one who does this??

I might give them a call. Things like this are so hard to describe, I don't want them to take the call as meaning they should be less aggressive in treating the Lyme. I don't actually hurt, I just lose my balance and am very weak. Maybe I'll try them tomorrow just to be sure.

[CarlaB]

Thanks Carla .

I had my third IV Vit C today, and did much better with it than my second bout last week. So I am happy for that. i just took the omnicef with dinner...fingers crossed.

Glad the treatment went well this time. Good luck with the Omnicef.

Rachel, it's an antibiotic ... it's the new one they just put me on!

[happygirl]

Omnicef is a pretty serious antibiotic.....and expensive, at that!

[Rachel--24]

I can agree with this. However, I up until recently I ate a lot of fish, several times a week. Plus I ate the sushi before the testing, so I think my levels are pretty good considering. I have to be getting rid of some of it on my own. The interesting thing is I took MSM and garlic for years not knowing it's effect on mercury. I didn't take chlorella or anything, but the MSM and garlic must have helped.

You're probably able to detox better than some....everyone has different chemistry...also you had the benefit of living a pretty healthy lifestlye...unlike some of us.

I ate processed food and fast food and smoked cigarettes and had alot of stress and pushed myself too hard with everything.

I'm sure the MSM and garlic can be helpful for detox....they have alot of benefits. When I say they are not useful by themselves I'm referring to using them as a chelator. They wont be effective as far as that goes.

To chelate mercury from the body you need to have two "thiols". Garlic is just one "thiol" and so is MSM. Basically they might "move" mercury around but the wont escort it out of the body. They cant grab onto the mercury and create that "bond" with it.

Furthermore, folklore has given rise to the use of various high sulfur foods as "chelating agents". These include onions, garlic, green foods and sea-weeds. Sulfur supplements like MSM or NAC have also been used. These are not actually chelating agents, as chelators involve multiple bonds to the metal atom and these foods and supplements involve compounds that are only mono-thiols.

Yeah....I guess I'm getting more and more nerdy by the day cuz now I'm reading "chemistry" stuff.

[CarlaB]

Rachel, I completely agree that there needs to be more for chelation than just MSM and garlic. I think they just helped me to not store as much of it somehow. The clean diet helped, too. I used to take NAC, too.

Laura, here are the Omnicef ingredients. None of them looked suspicious to me.

OMNICEF Capsules contain 300 mg cefdinir and the following inactive ingredients: carboxymethylcellulose calcium, NF; polyoxyl 40 stearate, NF; magnesium stearate, NF; and silicon dioxide, NF. The capsule shells contain FD&C Blue #1; FD&C Red #40; D&C Red #28; titanium dioxide, NF; gelatin, NF; and sodium lauryl sulfate, NF.

It is pretty expensive, thank goodness for insurance! The Mepron is over $2k per month!

[AndreaB]

Omnicef is a pretty serious antibiotic.....and expensive, at that!

Glad your vit c went well.

Hope you do ok with the omnicef.

Keep us posted as you can please.

That's always my request for everyone.

[AndreaB]

Yeah....I guess I'm getting more and more nerdy by the day cuz now I'm reading "chemistry" stuff.

That's ok....you search out all this stuff for us so we don't have to go crosseyed.

[happygirl]

Thanks, Andrea. You are always so thoughtful and it really means a lot to me.

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is...for some reason it was really fitting for me tonight and made me cry. Esp when they talk about all the food issues....Open Original Shared Link

xoxo

[AndreaB]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is...for some reason it was really fitting for me tonight and made me cry. Esp when they talk about all the food issues....Open Original Shared Link

That is really sad , but thanks for sharing it. I don't think it's been posted before.

[Rachel--24]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is...for some reason it was really fitting for me tonight and made me cry. Esp when they talk about all the food issues....Open Original Shared Link

Wow Laura,

I never read that before....its really heart-wrenching and at the same time it hits home. Its like a punch in the stomach. I've felt so many things that were written there....especially when I was too sick to work.

Alot of those symptoms have subsided but I'm shocked at how much I could relate to the author....four years ago if I'd read something like this it would seem bizarre...and even after experiencing much of it...it still seems bizarre to me.....in a very very sad way.

I am allergic to most foods, and many medications but not really, my body just thinks it is

I can eat only 5 foods for months at a time

My immune system is thwarted by something I cannot control

My brain manipulated, my body stressed

This thing controls every aspect of me, I see the world through a filter

I struggle to regain my physical strength

Desperate for human connectedness

A kind word, an understanding heart

Save me from this isolation I feel

An unwelcome blanket of silent uncertainty

This whole thing just made me cry me eyes out.

[Rachel--24]

I was seriously struck by how many symptoms I've had which were written out in "The Forgotten".

I've had the same symptoms and the same feelings.

Even though I know that Lyme and mercury toxicity (or any neurotoxin poisoning) can have identical symptoms....its hard to read that and not think about Lyme for me.

I read this to "reassure" myself...

Mercury toxicity is a serious problem in all age and

geographic groups because dental amalgam fillings

consist of 50% mercury, and mercury vapor leaks from

the fillings at toxic doses.

Symptoms of mercury intoxication

include all the neurologic symptoms that have been described

in Lyme disease (e.g. cognitive dysfunction, memory loss,

mood disorders, increased sensitivity to sound and light, tremor

insomnia, headaches, etc.). In addition mercury toxicity can

cause gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, immune dysfunction,

shortness-of breath, sweating, fevers, palpitations and so on.

sound familiar?

It is not unreasonable to suspect that people

with an infection of the nervous system may be more

susceptible to the toxic impact of mercury.

Probably the main thing which leads me away from Lyme is the fact that I got alot better after eliminating alot of toxins and making necessary diet changes. Removing the metals seemed to halt progression of this illness...but I remain "as is".....which we all know is "not good".

I would think with Lyme there would be flare-ups...or progression....especially considering the amount of mercury and fungus/yeast I have going on.

When a guy from LymeNet suggested I have Lyme (2 years ago) I told him that I had a huge improvement which was dramatic and almost immediate after beginning the candida diet and eliminating processed foods, gluten and dairy. I asked him if this was possible with Lyme??

Could I improve that dramatically with just diet changes if I had Lyme Disease?? He said it probably wasnt lyme if I'd experienced that much improvement in such a short time.

I just dont know what to think and my appt. with Dr. Derksen is still 2 weeks away.

I feel like I've been dragged up and down and all around with ruling Lyme in or out. I just want to know for sure.

Inside I think I'm not getting worse and just staying the same because the metals are out but I'm living with the exsisting mercury and yeast issues. I cant get better....but I havent gotten worse either....this is one reason why I would seriously question Lyme.

Its bad enough I've got mercury and candida but if Lyme were a part of this I would expect to be even worse off...instead I've made alot of improvement w/out treatment. The improvement came from diet. Alot of the most severe neurological symptoms subsided after the metals got taken out.

If Lyme were spewing out its toxins in my mercury toxic body I just think I'd be having alot more difficulties right now.

I think I could have every one of those symptoms from sudden mercury poisoning. I think because it came on so fast it was more likely to be Lyme...so this is the direction the Dr. started off in.....but I really think I could be just dealing with mercury and its fungal/candida/parasitic infections. Not that this is "better" but I dont think my body could handle Lyme on top of this.

What do you guys think??

Here is more.....

STORED METALS. But others see a more complicated -- and serious -- health problem. Even if the blood is readily cleansed, Dr. Richard Horowitz, an internist in Hyde Park, N.Y., says mercury can be stored in body tissue, including the brain. Dr. Horowitz, who treats many Lyme disease patients, says the symptoms of chronic Lyme disease mirror those for metal toxicity. He suspects some Lyme patients' continuing problems, such as fatigue, are linked to metals in their bodies. If so, that may explain why they don't get better when they take the antibiotics used to treat Lyme.

Dr. Horowitz does not rely on the standard blood test to diagnose the presence of mercury because it measures only recent exposure. Instead, he gives patients a chelating agent -- a chemical that binds to and pulls metals from tissues. He then measures the amount of mercury excreted in the urine. He also uses three-month regimens of alternating chelation, vitamins, and minerals to remove stored metals. He has seen symptoms ease in about 10% of those treated.

Carla, is this your Dr.??

Do you guys think I might just have mercury toxicity....and no Lyme???

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

Clark, the IGeneX test is very highly regarded in the Lyme community. As you said, any test can come out negative while you still have it. They don't test directly for the bacteria, rather for the antibodies. Do you have your other test results? They may not be as negative as you think. Most non-LLMD's go by CDC standards. LLMD's study which bands you have along with your symptoms. Certain bands are specific to Lyme.

The minimum tests to order are the two Western Blots ... you need both of them. I ordered the complete test. Even if you have the kit sent to your house, when you take it to the doctor is when it's paid for, so if you're going to do it, I'd go ahead and order the kit.

I did not turn in my blood tests or LLMD appt. to insurance. All other treatment I have is within Network, and I have a $1000 deductable out of network and I have to pay 30% of "usual and customary" expenses, then 100% of above usual and customary. The LLMD was about $1100 (with a LOT of blood work) in January, and the IGeneX was about $400 in December. It wasn't worth alerting the insurance company to what I have when I wouldn't get anything back anyway. Right now they're paying for my prescriptions, which is the really important thing right now.

I just checked my lyme test results from labcorp and all it says is that I came up less than X... it doesn't specify what the actual value was..

as for Igenex, I've heard about the lab from a couple sources not on the net previously but just didn't pursue getting tested as I got caught up in other things (gluten-free diet, food allergies, candida, etc.) and didn't want to shell out more money without a fairly strong conviction first... but I'll be ordering the test within a week or so at this point.. thanks for the info, I'll get at minimum the western blot tests

Well, I'm less inclined to continue these shots than I would have a few months ago. One of the last times I had my shots, I mentioned to the girl who gave them to me that I was considering stopping them, and she looked at me like and said "oh no you have to continue forever". Um, I don't think so, lol. From all I've read on the Internet and in some of my allergy books, most people get them for around 5 years (although granted some longer, but not FOREVER, lol). I've been on them almost 5 years now (but with two different doctors--with this doctor only about a year and a half). So, I'm sort of not to sure about what they tell me now...then there was that fiasco of forgetting to tell the doctor I was there thing...that sort of cemented the deal in my mind.

forever, lol... I had mine for about 5-7 years when I was in elementary and middle school...

it'd be interesting to see if your shots do contain thimerosal... I unintentionally came across this information regarding thimerosal being in at least some allergy shots and I want to try and check if my old shots contained them though I don't have time now to try and find out..

Dear ClarkBent as Stupor-Man,

I used to take allergy shots when I was a kid. Do they have adverse effects? I never heard about it. I do not even know what kind I was on. All I know is I had to be taken off of them, because they made me mean.

I really don't know much at all about allergy shots.. just came across a few references to thimerosal being in them..

If you have Lyme it impairs your body's ability to detox......the bacteria pruduces neurotoxins which "poison" the body. It can have the same affect that mercury does. This in turn causes other toxins to build up in the body....mercury is always an issue. Alot of times people with Lyme need to have their amalgams removed in order to recover from Lyme.

Also...were you aware that mercury and candida always go hand in hand? When there is mercury toxicity there is always going to be a candida problem. The yeast and the mercury have an affinity for one another and yeast will bind with the mercury molecule.

This same exact thing happens with Lyme and mercury....they are buddies.....the bacteria will bind with mercury. There is no chance of that mercury getting detoxed when its firmly attached to the bacteria or yeast....and when the livers detox pathways are impaired.

mercury binds with a lot of good stuff, huh? so when you take a chelator, does the chelator free the mercury from the binds with yeast, lyme, etc. and then attach it to the binder in the chelator? or does the chelator take the yeast and lyme attached to the mercury with it?

The Western Blots are the most important tests. Other tests can be ordered later on if needed but my Dr. only ordered the Western Blots to start with.

My Dr. ordered the Lyme tests the first time I saw him...he only uses Igenix so it worked out for me. I never got tested by any other lab. He told me that other labs are useless and rarely are positive for Lyme.....they miss most cases.

My Dr. is out of network so my insurance only covers 50%. My portion for both tests was about $95.

my mom told me that there was only one lab out in CA that used to be used for diagnostic purposes, which I think was Igenex... I'm guessing that after some time other labs got certified (or whatever the process is) to test for lyme and insurance companies started shifting to using their own labs to save money..

95 bucks doesn't sound too bad at all.. don't know if the prices are still the same but even if I have to pay the full $190 or so for the western blots, that's not that bad..

[Rachel--24]

so when you take a chelator, does the chelator free the mercury from the binds with yeast, lyme, etc. and then attach it to the binder in the chelator? or does the chelator take the yeast and lyme attached to the mercury with it?

The chelator will only bind with the metal....the yeast or Lyme would then be freed from the metal. My Dr. told me that I would get worse with my Candida situation once I start chelating mercury....because once this happens yeast will start flooding my system.

I read on another site where a dentist had a darkfield microscope and looked at what mercury does in the blood. It forms a small cluster of metals that have the opposite electrical charge as red blood cells. He says wherever he found these clusters of metal in the blood...he found chaos.

Once he began chelating them out using cilantro and chlorella, the clusters disappeared but the candida got worse, much worse, at least for the first 2-3 days of chelation.

This makes sense.....if the metals are being pulled from the body the yeast would lose its bond and then yeast would be freely flowing through the blood. I could see how the yeast situation would flare up during chelation.

[Rachel--24]

95 bucks doesn't sound too bad at all.. don't know if the prices are still the same but even if I have to pay the full $190 or so for the western blots, that's not that bad..

The price should still be the same. I only got tested this last October. Igenix is in my area so I actually went to the lab to get their opinion of my results. I was very impressed with the lab. The lab director sat down with me in his office and spent about 20 minutes of his time giving me advice and getting into detail about testing and what steps I should take to get a more clear answer.

He also was familiar with my Dr. and other Lyme Dr.'s in the area...he gave me some insight as far as the Dr.'s and various treatment methods as well. Of course I had heard and read everywhere that Igenix is the lab to use but when I stopped by with my questions I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well I was treated by the staff. I would say its a very professional and high quality lab.....these people know about Lyme and how to diagnose it.

Its a specialty lab....the other labs running Lyme tests are not. The difference is that those labs have a sensitivity of less than 60%....Igenix has a sensitivity of over 95%. I could be off on the numbers but its something close to that.

[rinne]

If you have Lyme it impairs your body's ability to detox......the bacteria pruduces neurotoxins which "poison" the body. It can have the same affect that mercury does. This in turn causes other toxins to build up in the body....mercury is always an issue. Alot of times people with Lyme need to have their amalgams removed in order to recover from Lyme.

Also...were you aware that mercury and candida always go hand in hand? When there is mercury toxicity there is always going to be a candida problem. The yeast and the mercury have an affinity for one another and yeast will bind with the mercury molecule.

This same exact thing happens with Lyme and mercury....they are buddies.....the bacteria will bind with mercury. There is no chance of that mercury getting detoxed when its firmly attached to the bacteria or yeast....and when the livers detox pathways are impaired.

Thanks for articulating that so well Rachel, it is the same conclusion I have arrived at.

Some days I become rather withdrawn and don't communicate well (listening or talking). So, even though we don't develop autism, it seems that some of the characteristics of it can be present. On days I don't communicate well, it's still easy for me to communicate via email or message boards. Autistic kids often can communicate with keyboards.

Since you only know me from here, I should also say that all the above is completely different from my personality type! I'm generally very outgoing, I even talk to strangers, I love to be around people, etc. Right now I hide away at home.

With the mental confusion I find it difficult to talk with people, so it's easier to stay away. I have trouble with word recall, and trouble remembering what people are talking about. My family's used to it. I have a friend here in town who also has Lyme and was diagnosed around the time I was. She's the same way. She doesn't even like to answer the phone because of it. We like talking to each other because we understand!

This resonates with me though for me it also includes message boards.

I dont know how many people here need reassurance like I do but I dont think a single day has passed in 4 years that I havent asked someone "Do you think I'm gonna get better?" I dont just ask once either....and there are other questions to follow....

Am I the only one who does this??

I notice my daily tendency to check in with myself, am I improving and will I in fact get well?

To chelate mercury from the body you need to have two "thiols". Garlic is just one "thiol" and so is MSM. Basically they might "move" mercury around but the wont escort it out of the body. They cant grab onto the mercury and create that "bond" with it.

Yeah....I guess I'm getting more and more nerdy by the day cuz now I'm reading "chemistry" stuff.

Interesting information, I've started using Chlorella for mercury detox. My mercury levels were twice the maximum acceptable limit.

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is...for some reason it was really fitting for me tonight and made me cry. Esp when they talk about all the food issues....Open Original Shared Link

Thanks for sharing that, much of it resonated with me though I have never been so ill, it is incredibly sad to know that others suffer so much and in such isolation.

I have been without motivation to do anything through so much of this winter, only recently have I begun to feel like I can imagine doing something other than laying around. I am so glad to find Rachelville continuing and am sorry for my lack of attention.

Big hugs.

[dlp252]

Well, I had a followup appointment with the Dr. Rick at HN yesterday. He reminded me that I HAVE made some improvements even if I don't feel like it, lol. One thing he reminded me of is my dizzyness...I haven't had that in a long time, whereas when I first went to see them it was a daily occurrence...now I just get it once in a while.

We also talked about the coincidence of my two "sick" spells right after the two major amalgam removal sessions. He said it could be the mercury that was released (because no matter how careful the dentists are, SOME mercury will still be released and absorbed) OR it could be that I was reacting to the new materials that were used. He said that my body may have just reacted to the "flood" of whichever of those two it was and now is getting back to normal. It could also just be the added stress that put the burden on my adrenals.

We also discussed the allergy shots and he seemed to agree with me that most of my airborn allergies (which just happened in the last 5-6 years) might be related to whatever is dragging my system down.

He also thinks that my adrenals are not yet working right, but that they are headed in the right direction and that is evident by the fact that I AM progressing, even if it's slowly. I told him I am still taking melatonin and myocalm to sleep, but that I am taking much less of each. He thought that was great, but says if I still need any of it to sleep in a month or two then that would be cause for concern re my adrenals.

My stool test results came back and I am H.PYLORI FREE!!! Yay! That confirms what Anna's test showed so I can be doubly confident that it's gone.

I got worked over by the physical therapy guy...they have a new guy who I just love. He is a lot of fun (and kind of cute, but oh so young, lol)...anyway he really digs into my muscles which is what I feel like I need, so he was able to work out some of the soreness from my trip on the stairs, lol. He also teases me a lot, so that makes the time pass quickly.

When everything was bad I couldnt make eye contact with people anymore and I couldnt hold conversations so I just avoided everyone. Also for some reason at that time (and I think this when I was getting the most poisoned) I would start really sweating if anyone started talking to me...it was like I had to try really hard to *focus* and things in my body would start malfunctioning.

Okay, I get this too, lol. I always thought I was just a little shy, but it seems more like a body function reaction rather than shyness and now that I've heard it happens to someone else I feel better, lol. I also have a hard time holding conversations...

I had my third IV Vit C today, and did much better with it than my second bout last week. So I am happy for that. i just took the omnicef with dinner...fingers crossed.

YAY!!!!!

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is...for some reason it was really fitting for me tonight and made me cry. Esp when they talk about all the food issues....Open Original Shared Link

Wow, that was powerful! As I read it I thought that I should take a copy to the doctor's offices that haven't even tried to figure out what is wrong and leave it there.

I think I could have every one of those symptoms from sudden mercury poisoning. I think because it came on so fast it was more likely to be Lyme...so this is the direction the Dr. started off in.....but I really think I could be just dealing with mercury and its fungal/candida/parasitic infections. Not that this is "better" but I dont think my body could handle Lyme on top of this.

What do you guys think??

...

Do you guys think I might just have mercury toxicity....and no Lyme???

I think you have lyme. I also think it's not causing problems for you because you have taken enough stressors off your body to keep it in check.

it'd be interesting to see if your shots do contain thimerosal... I unintentionally came across this information regarding thimerosal being in at least some allergy shots and I want to try and check if my old shots contained them though I don't have time now to try and find out..

Yeah, I did a little search on the Internet yesterday after I read your post and thimerosal did come up in connection with allergy shots a few times. I don't know that it's in ALL allergy shots, but the sites I saw definitely said it COULD be in them. I'm definitely going to ask.

[dlp252]

I have been without motivation to do anything through so much of this winter, only recently have I begun to feel like I can imagine doing something other than laying around. I am so glad to find Rachelville continuing and am sorry for my lack of attention.

HI RINNE!!! Good to see you! Don't worry about lack of attention. I think of this as a big ole family...sometimes we just need our personal space, but the difference here is that we all understand that need and give it to one another! My energy and motivation as been even lower than it normally is (which is low to begin with, lol). I still haven't put away my suitcase and stuff from my trip in December!!!

[CarlaB]

Rachel, your logic, as usual, is sound. However, back in 1991 when I addressed the mercury and the candida, I got completely better and lived very normally until 2003, my next Lyme flare. I definately think addressing the mercury and candida helped and changed my health for the better, but the Lyme was there all along probably instigating the problem to begin with.

Even though I was healthy, I still had symptoms, and my pregnancies were miserable. I was VERY symptomatic during my pregnancies. I just thought it was how I handled being pregnant. I had a kid in 1993, 1995, and 1998, so that was much of the time I'm considering that I was healthy after 1991.

Eventually I had to address the Lyme. I think addressing the mercury and candida will be a huge help for you, but I don't know if you'll be able to not address the Lyme, at least at some point.

When I first went gluten-free, I felt like a different person. Immediately prior to that, I went on a VERY strict anti-candida diet for 6 months because a 21 day round of doxy had made me feel horrible, I assumed it was candida as I'd never considered Lyme. Obviously, it was a herx. I had such bad joint pain, which I had never had before, that I couldn't bend my knee. Going gluten-free made the joint pain go away entirely.

So, I think there are other pieces to the puzzle that you can fix and feel better. It wasn't until last August, after over 3 years of dealing with this, that I started really, really going downhill. I never reached my full-health changing my diet and addressing the candida, but I didn't get as bad as I am now until August.

So, I think you're on the right track working on the metals and candida. You certainly wouldn't want to start Lyme treatment with a candida problem! But, even if you get mostly better, you still might want to look at the Lyme one more time before you write it off. You don't want to backslide after all this work.

Yes, that is my doctor.

Clark, your labcorp test must have been the ELISA, which is notoriously unreliable. There is usually a two-tiered testing done for Lyme, the first being the ELISA. The WB will give you MUCH more information about what's going on. As bad as I have it and as many positive bands as I have, my screening test was indeterminate (mine was the one IGeneX uses, which is something like the IFA?), so I wouldn't put much weight in that test.

[CarlaB]

Great to see you, Rinne!

Donna, congrats on the progress!! YAY!