It is my pleasure to welcome you back to…
This is My Lyme Life: Dr. Alyssa (postscript)
It’s been just over six months since I last updated you on our story. That time period has seen us move through summer, into autumn and now winter. As I sit and write, snow covers the ground in the Northeast, yet less than 24 hours ago my car thermometer read nearly 65 degrees. It’s been a wacky winter to say the least. It’s been a bit “wacky” for us in the Lyme and TBD (tick borne disease) world as well.
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Last I left you my older son and I were taking medical grade herbal remedies by a company called Beyond Balance. To treat Lyme we were using BB-1 and for Bartonella, Bar-1. We were not addressing the diagnosed Babesia at first. It takes awhile to get up to full dosage with these drops, adding a single drop/week to each dose of morning and evening, or in some cases, even waiting two weeks to increase a single drop. Throughout this gradual process things looked up. He and I both felt better and better…but then…as often happens with these conditions, we hit a wall.
Sometime this past autumn, while the leaves were changing color, our moods began to change as well. I got a little foggier (my most common symptom) and he got little edgier (his predominant symptom). It was at this time I started thinking it was time to address the Babesia. I consulted our trusted Shrewsbury LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) and she suggested adding BAB-3, a comprehensive drop that would help kill not only the Babesia bacteria but any lingering protozoa and a few other offenders as well. Adding this final drop felt as though the missing piece of the puzzle finally slipped into place.
That being said, this drop has taken the longest to introduce, and still remains at a lesser dosage than the other two. Every time I have tried to raise it any further, we’ve both herxed (had a Herxheimer reaction) and it was just too much. We have been in this holding pattern since early December and it has been going well. With one exception.
About two weeks ago I was thinking it was time to reevaluate and see if we even need to continue on the drops at the current protocol, or perhaps drop (no pun intended) to once/day or consume less twice/day. Well, funny how life sometimes gives you the answer to the question you never quite asked.
Friday night, January 27th my older guy came down with his version of the stomach bug. He threw up twice, but nothing extreme, and had some loose bowel movements the next day- again nothing horrific. It was just enough, though, that I felt it might add insult to injury to give him the drops when all he was consuming was dry (gluten free) toast and water. Well I certainly learned the hard way that he was not ready to stop! There was such a regression of his mood and overall behavior that by the time he got back to school on Tuesday I had an email from his teacher asking me what was going on with him. Of course she is aware of what we’re dealing with, so when I told her we were off drops for a few days and easing back in she understood immediately. And like so many things that have amazed me along this journey, within 48 hours of being back on the drops, the powerful little boy who hides deep, deep inside during these episodes, happily reemerged.
Given what happened last month, I can’t help but think another six month on this protocol is not out of the question. And since there is no real harm in taking them (and I don’t want to know what’s on the “other side” for me if I stop) our journey will just continue on for now. I recognize that this experience- plus everything I do to support myself- from exercise to eating well to detox protocols (see My Lyme Life: Dr. Alyssa (Chapter 3) for more details on my wellness health habits and My Lyme Life: Dr. Alyssa (Chapter 6) for more information on detoxification through the infrared sauna) makes me stronger in body, mind and soul. After all, healing from Lyme and TBD is a marathon, not a sprint.
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Over the past few months I have invited others to share their Lyme and TBD stories. Some were interested but have not yet put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). As you can imagine, others were just not ready to tell their stories. If and when they are, this remains a safe place for them to do so. In the meantime, please share this- and any previous blog posts- with anyone you know who would benefit from reading them. The more we can educate about Lyme and TBD, and offer support to those in need, the better.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Yours in Good Health,
Dr. Alyssa Guglielmo