Are You Suffering From Lyme Or Post-Lyme Syndrome?

Post-Lyme syndrome. Don't you just cringe when you read those words? I know they give me the heebie-jeebies because they are the favorite jargon of IDSA and its puppet institutions for diagnosing Lyme disease sufferers after two weeks of antibiotics have failed to cure them.

The antibiotics are just too expensive or the doc is at a loss to explain why you still have symptoms, and so you are given the Post-Lyme Syndrome stamp of approval, even though you probably still have an active borrelia infection, among others.

But I've been thinking; just because the IDSA refuses to acknowledge the truth about Lyme disease, and just because a physician is left confounded by symptoms that remain after weeks, or even years of treatment, doesn't mean that Post-Lyme Syndrome can't happen to some people.

I mean, borrelia and its co-infections do damage the body's organs and tissues, don't they? Wouldn't it be logical for symptoms to remain, even if the infections have been eradicated, until the body has a chance to recover and rebuild?

I know. It's depressing to consider, isn't it? How can you know for sure, after having treated with years of antibiotics or another remedy, whether you still have Lyme and all of the junk infections that go along with it, or if you are simply experiencing symptoms as a result of the mess that the critters have left behind in your body?

It has often been said that the human body has a remarkable ability to recover. I know someone, for instance, who lost three-quarters of her liver in a motorcycle accident. One year later, however, her liver had completely regenerated. That is truly amazing!

But when it comes to Lyme disease, it's difficult to quantify the damage that has been done. Especially if you have been sick for years with multiple infections. Don't you wonder what those suckers have done to your liver, heart, brain and central nervous system? How many cells and enzymes they have destroyed? Have they made such a mess of your body that only a super-duper detoxification crew and a daily feeding of mega-nutrients for the next ten years will be required to get everything back into order?

I know of people who have treated their Lyme disease and experienced remission from symptoms almost instantaneously after the infections have been removed. Yet others have done everything under the moon to treat their Lyme, and still remain symptomatic. While they may still have infections or other toxins contributing to the problem, I wonder if, for some, their biochemistry is yet skewed by years of destruction by borrelia and simply needs time to recover? Although that brings up another question...can their bodies recover fully from the onslaught of previous infection? If my friend's experience of having had her liver fully regenerate is any indication, then I would say yes. Then again, regenerating an entire body that has been destroyed by Lyme is quite different than simply restoring one organ.

What I would suggest, if you suspect that your infections have been reduced but you yet feel yucky, is getting a CD-57 test and PCR or antigen test for Lyme and co-infections, to determine whether these are still a major problem. At the same time, however, you will have to discover whether other toxins, such as heavy metals, or incidental infections such as candida are lurking in your body, as these can also be significant factors in recovery. A good muscle-test practitioner can discern the latter.

Personally, I feel that many of my major infections have been mostly, if not completely, eradicated. But I still have symptoms, and one in particular that refuses to go away, despite my best efforts at treatment. All others have abated to some degree, except this one. The nice, neat little name for it is POTS, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Basically, when I stand up for any length of time without walking or moving, my heart starts to race, my blood pressure drops, and I get weak and tired fairly quickly. I hate standing in lines and grocery shopping, in particular, can be quite challenging. Lyme disease has screwed up the normal operation of my autonomic nervous system, and I think my body needs some time--and perhaps assistance--to set things back on track, since it has been functioning in "abnormal" mode for so long. Maybe my heart has forgotten how it's supposed to beat, or perhaps my adrenals are just so darned exhausted from fighting illness, that they need time to recover. Maybe it will take a few years to replenish the missing hormones and biochemicals destroyed by the cell-bashers. I wish I knew.

I will leave you with one thought. If you have treated for your infections and all signs are pointing towards their eradication, then consider that what you might really need now is some pampering--a good diet, a restful schedule, continued detoxification protocol and care for your body, so that it can "catch up" and restore the years that the locusts have eaten away.