So the Herxing has Begun

So the Herxing (Herxheimer’s Reactions) has definitely started, which is apparently a good thing. Have you ever seen or read the Twilight series? You know in the final book when Bella is coming back to life as a vampire? That is the closest visual description I can give you to what I have been feeling over the past two weeks. It’s like all the cells and nerves are bursting inside of me, sometimes as though someone is jabbing a knife into various parts of my body and twisting. Each week it’s been different areas. Last week, I was feeling these pains in my knees, ankles and shoulder. This week it’s my abdomen, feet, neck and shoulder.

Additionally, I spent three days straight wanting to visit the porcelain god, I was so sick to my stomach. I’ve also woken up with a few rashes. In fact, I had one that looked like a hand-print with too many fingers to be human. Maybe I was abducted by aliens.. or perhaps I am turning into a vampire!?

My CD-57 score came back last week, confirming the Doctors diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease. The CD57 is a blood test that [in a nut-shell] measures how progressed your disease is. A good level is 100 and up, the closer to 300 you are, the closer to being cured you are. My number came back as 56, which is a good thing because it is treatable. If my number were below 20, it would likely be a lost cause. The only catch about a 56 is that it qualifies me at the chronic level. This explains all of the neurological and cognitive issues I have been having this year. However, because I am considered to be this far progressed, it will take longer to heal. I could be on antibiotics for anywhere between two months to a few years. Unfortunately with this disease every case is different.

In the past two weeks I have had about 2-3 days with minimal symptoms. Today is one of my better days, my mind feels alert. On most days, my mind is exhausted from the headaches and brain fog which leaves me incapable of typing something like this. For the most part my recovery has consisted of the excruciating nerve busting pain, itching, exhaustion and extreme headaches. I’ve been taking baths in Epsom Salt and Hydrogen Peroxide to help detox my body. It’s supposed to help with Herxing, but so far all I have noticed is really smooth legs and feet. 😉