I stopped coiling for Babesia in mid-January. I heard and read that I should expect a relapse in 3-4 months, but if I’m lucky the relapse might not happen for even longer. The idea is that Babesia has it’s own dormant form, just like the Lyme bacteria, only its life cycle isn’t seasonal.
I’ve also read and heard that Babesia is often initially dormant if there is an active Lyme infection, that the Lyme bacteria emit some kind of biochemical that keeps the Babesia from getting active. This makes sense to me from an evolutionary perspective: Lyme bacteria reproduce slowly so to keep other infections from killing the host, one defense is to put them to sleep.
(It also makes sense that when I was on antibiotics and pushed Lyme into a dormant form that the Babesia became active and created a large enough infection that the awakened Lyme couldn’t force it to become dormant again. So I had to deal with both active infections for a few years!)
As of late, maybe since the ride down to my college reunion, I’ve been extremely tired. My Lyme symptoms are flaring big time, the way they started to in February when I began coiling for Lyme for the spring season. Since fatigue was my biggest issue with Babesia, I thought I would do a quick experiment.
On Monday, I coiled for Babesia. Then I waited to see if I either got a Babesia herx or stopped feeling so tired. The Babesia herx I was expecting: killer headache, light sensitivity, nightmares, night sweats, well, it never materialized. The potential reduction in fatigue hasn’t happened either. So I’m ruling out a Babesia relapse for now.
Lyme on the move
This coiling season, I’m experiencing the Lyme symptoms differently than last autumn. They are much more linked to my menstrual cycle. Maybe 2 or 3 days after my period starts (in fact as it is winding down) I start to feel like a human being. I have some energy. My pain level is reduced. I want to do lots of things and manage to attempt and accomplish a few.
The past few months, I’ve been able to feel when I ovulate. I think it’s called mittelschmerz. That night or the next day, my breasts start to hurt and swell. Then my Lyme symptoms start to act up. The fatigue begins and gets progressively worse until my next period. Then the joint pain begins. I get achy in my spine and lower back first, followed by all the big and little joints in my torso and limbs. This is followed by muscle pain and a sense of weakness in my muscles. A day or two after that, the tingling starts in my arms and legs, along with some numbness upon waking and increased skin sensitivity all day. Sometime in all this, I start having issues with my bowels, accompanied by intermittent swelling in my abdomen and pain in my lower abdomen. Finally, my blood pressure sinks, with yet more fatigue, more sleepiness, some nausea and less ability to concentrate. All these symptoms occur together, rather than in sequence. Yuck!
The few nights before my menstrual cycle starts again, I have insomnia (like the past two nights and maybe this one). That’s when I know it’s almost time for the good part of the cycle.
I’ve read about this happening to other women with Lyme or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I’ve also experienced it in the year or two before Lyme Disease became a disabling condition for me. Only the symptoms weren’t quite so intense back then. Instead, my period itself was a horror show.
This is the part of using the coil machine that is a bit unnerving. By last December towards the end of my first coiling season, I was so excited because I felt well for at least part of most days. Now in the spring, I’m dealing with as many Lyme symptoms as I did whenever each antibiotic stopped working.
I’m taking heart from the fact that as long as the Lyme bacteria are active, they’re vulnerable to the effects of the coil machine. And I’m trying not to worry that the herxes are less obvious during these times when I already feel bad. Mostly I can tell I’m herxing because I get extra headaches and more light sensitivity after I coil my head and spine.
Bartonella coiling continues
I think the Bartonella herxing is harder on my organs than I originally realized. It was only when I stopped coiling for a few days that I realized how bright my urine is when I’m coiling for Bartonella. It is a bright, bright yellow. I drink tons of water. When I’m not doing lots of Bartonella coiling, my urine is almost clear. This is an odd development. I used a castor oil pack on my liver and spleen tonight to see if that provides extra support.
I’m wondering if all the drama with my menstrual cycle is because I’m tackling Bartonella. One of my pet theories is that it has infected my vegas nerve and irritates it during my period.
I’m hoping for a good day sometime soon. I’d like to write down my Bartonella coiling plan, my rationale for it and my coiling history. For now, it has to wait. My arms are tired. My wrists and shoulders hurt. I’ve done all the typing I can do today.
