Babesia Treatment Started 6-17-09

Babesia, one of the many co infections of Lyme, is not easy to treat and can cause many symptoms that can disable someone to regular every day activities. This strand of bacteria alone has hundreds of different strands within itself, and is something that my family was not comfortably able to afford testing for. Through Igenex labs in Ca., the one trustworthy Lyme Literate lab in the U.S. that tests for all its infections CORRECTLY, It will cost somewhere up to or around $600 for the extended co infections testing. Just for Babesia, or Bartonella testing, it is somewhere over $100 a piece! This is pricey, as the co infection tests are far more extensive and tough to execute than Lyme Disease. In fact, it is tough to even get one of these tests done through a local lab, and it is almost a waste of time in my mind as it won't be accurate enough to barely tell you anything. However, every person has different body types and the bacteria may show up more for one than another...... it is all dependent on the way god wants it to work out.

So if testing and diagnosis is so difficult, then you can imagine that treatment is tough too. Most of my symptoms (headaches, sleep apnea, concentration, dizziness, fatigue, stretch mark-like rash) all point to Babesia and/or Bartonella. We have tried treatment towards Bartonella and got no effect, so now we have pulled out the big weapons and are going to pack a huge punch to Babesia! Since 6-17-09 when I saw the LLMD, he prescribed Zithromax (a powerful antibiotic usually prescribed in a five day dose to last up to 14 days) so that it could treat Babesia and/or Lyme, mostly Babesia. There are some treatment regimens that claim treatment of co infections before the Lyme is more effective. For me only time will tell. The Zithromax is an every day 500 Mg. dose for me, to be taken by itself without herbs/supplements/vitamins. This is tough to accomplish when you take near 62 pills a day. The effect of the Zithromax was that I had a herx reaction (finally after trying medicines for 9 months with NO effect but steady worsening. Con was that It was July 4 weekend to start with, keeping me out of some exciting events, and that we had roped ourself into puppy sitting that weekend, and I was suppose to help a LOT.). Then I realized a very slight reduction to headache pain. It was just enough to take the edge off of the constant pain I felt, and enough to encourage me to get to work with my summer project of completing redecorating my room.

7-22-09~ the LLMD appointment went good. It has been decided that I am starting Mepron to go with the Artemesia, and Zithromax for a full blown Babesia treatment! The issue is in the Mepron. It is only an oral medicine, that comes only in liquid form, and only in Citrus flavor which I don't even like! This medicine is the thickest, and most NASTY medicine I have ever had to take. It is bright yellow, like a school bus, and literally the texture of paint, Elmer's glue, or nail polish. It feels like Concrete running through your system, and I can feel it moving through my entire GI track, which isn't very appetizing. Having to take a teaspoon of Mepron twice a day right after a meal is kind of similar to having to drink Barium before an Upper GI Test. It has a bad flavor, worse texture, and worse effect of toxicity of my body! I thought nothing could be worse than the Bicillin Injections I tried.

I hope though that this Mepron will move through all my body systems and effectively sweep the Babesia infection out of me, making me feel well enough to move on with my life dreams and aspirations.

GI Symptoms with Lyme Disease

One thing that ropes in with Lyme is multiple types and dimensions of GI ( gastro-intestinal) problems. There can be many sorts of pain in different areas throughout your entire GI track. I have experienced different symptoms of pain and problems for a very long time now, since I was 8 or 9, and all of it was worsened, we believe, by my Lyme infection. Since a very young age I had trouble with the fluid motion of my whole system, and keeping everything running smoothly. One thing we discovered after seeing the GI specialist was that I had acid reflux. Acid reflux is when the bodies esophagus muscles aren't strong enough to hold the stomach's acid where it belongs. This causes pain, 'heartburn', nausea, and irritation of the esophagus. I had mostly an issue with 'heartburn' and nausea, some vomiting at late night hours when I was lying in bed, and the acid was worse. I have taken multiple medicines to reduce the amount of stomach acid over the years, and have had to prop myself up at night. Since I got Lyme the GI track has been far more irritated, and I've had to have a special bed that mechanicaly inclines like a hospital bed, to encourage the acid to stay down (thank you gravity). I am most recently on Axid, which works more with encouraging the bodies natural ability to hold down acid and food with a small sphincter-like muscle at the top of the stomach, between stomach and esophagus. It does also reduce acid, called an acid inhibitor, or antacid. This is a prescription medicine.

I originally in April or May of 2008 wnet in for an endoscopy to see why the stomach was hurting so much worse since October 2007, when I got sick. They discovered multiple ulcers numbering up to 10. his was gtreated with antibiotics in case of H-pylori (bacteria can be in stomach, treated for it even though it was negative, I had it in the past in a stool test, and we treated it then too.) and other soothing medicines to heal the ulcers. Today, July 29 of 2009, over a year later I went back in for another endoscopy to see that the ulcers were gone, and the upper GI system is doing good. The axid is proved to be helping me.

I can't say that my stomach will stay well, as I am still on hard core treatments for Lyme and coinfections and don't plan to be well soon, but it is encouraging to know I am doing a little better in at least one area! :-)