I was thinking about going natural, but wonder how everyone affords to travel out of state to that Dr in Atlanta? How much does he charge per visit? How much are the natural treatments? I am thinking we may need to sell our house or take out a double morgage. I don't see how people pay for this? Are you getting help from extented families? I guess we could drop DD out of preschool and save 350 a month but then again? We are not poor by any means and make decent money but I just don't see how paying people pay for this diease? Need some advice. I am to ill to work full time. So I only do part time from home which is hard enough with a 3 yr old that why she's in school.

Sorry for the vent. On the up side my almost 3 yr old is doing great on the treatment! Only 1 month and 2 weeks in and she is finally sleeping through the night and has stopped vomiting! Amazing how fast she is recovering!

However, I am not getting better at all! How long should I give this??? I feel tired and sick like I have the flu all the time. It's hard to function like this....

How much does hyperbaric oxygen chamber cost per session?

Post edited by: ldsucs, at: 06/19/2008 20:18

If you want to pm me, I'll see if there's a naturopath in your area. You can also call chiropractors in your area and see if they specalize in lyme treatment. I know Julie's does, and I saw one here that was listed as a chiro, but does muscle testing, and all sorts of different therapies, and she wasn't the twist and crack type. it was all very gentle. I'm thinking about going back to her for this. I'm on the fence about natural or antibiotics.

I've been in treatment for one year now, seeing some improvements, but have to keep in mind I've had this for so long, probably born with it, that it isn't going to go away over night. the turtle wins the race in the antibiotic world.

I"m so glad to hear your son is doing good on treatment! such good news!

I am very happy DD is doing so good so fast! I thought I would too, but I'm not 2.5...I'm an old fart! LOL

I just broke down some of my costs over on hambolio's thread, how to pay for meds. You can check that out.

Hyperbaric sessions usually run $100.00 per session and you'll need a lot to be effective. So, we bought our own chamber...it beat driving 45 minutes one way every day at $100 per session. I bought it before I even knew I had Lyme. It did help me. However, you can get better without it, too..at least I believe so. It's a 'tool' to help speed getting well. It also helped to decrease my pain. Within a week or two of using it everyday, I was able to cut my pain pill dose in 1/2. It forces oxygen throughtout every cell in your body, lyme and cancer, too ,hate oxygen.

It took eight months for me to see a SIGNIFICANT change in my pain and fatiuge level. Clayton saw a big change in her pain level more quickly. However, she also got aggressive treatment and was at the clinic for two weeks. I only went once a month in the beginning, and at the most, I went to the clinic twice per month and only stayed for the day. Fatiuge is a big factor. When you're killing the bugs, they kick you in the butt one more time with those endotoxins...that's why supporting detox is so important.

I'll check with my docs and see if there's at least a decent naturopath out your way. If you want me to do that, just pm me.

I'm so glad DD is doing good. It does break my heart and make me mad that children and babies get this horrible disease.

Keep fighting for your right to be well and keep asking lots of questions and reading. We can get well.

Oh, my chiropractor/acupunctuist did some nutrition response testing...I tried his 'program' for about 6 months. My energy improved for a while and then I nose dived again...it just wasn't enough. He didn't have me on any natural antibiotics...he just ddidn't know and still doesn't. Bless his heart, he's doing a lot of good, but for someone as seriously sick as a chronic lymie, his program just wasn't enough. Some are more helpful than others, I'm sure of that. My chiro went to Dr. Ulan's school for nutrition response testing. I think it's a good thing, it just wasn't enough for me.

How long have you had Lyme?

Feel free to ask me anything .

Peace,

Connie

I ended up in the ER for a funny "flu that wouldn't go away six years ago. I thought I picked up a weird bug as I worked for the DOD at Great Lakes Naval base in the Ghetto of North Chicago. Two years later the on and off again "flu" turned into the worse neck pain ever! I then got pregnaunt and that made me go down hill fast! I now have plus 4 reflexes leg weakness numbness and since treatment all over pain and crushing fatigue. I hardley even do Yoga anymore. I was a born vegetarian and very phyically fit before all this...So I laugh when people say eating raw works since I have pretty much ate that way since birth. Yes. I was laughed at as a child for it too. I always say that I should have never ran outside and just sat on the couch and ate!!!! Look at me now! LOL!

My worse symptom is my neck pain!

Ahhh, so you've had lyme a long time. My neck and spine were the worst , too. The neck pain was the last to go. Something that really helped my tender spots on my neck was taking magnesium glycinate. I still wake up with a somewhat stiff neck , I take my magnesium and it goes away. I don't know if that would be safe for you or not. I'm also further along in recovery. You may still have a lot of 'activity' and die off.

Peace,

Connie

I have been in treatment since August of 2007. My LLMD wanted to start me "low and slow", because he didn't want me to Herx out of control. Since I had to be treated for Babs and Bart as well, he thought this was the best route to go. In a lot of ways, I regret allowing him to do this, because I continued to feel worse. Not worse as in a Herx worse, but like I was getting sicker. By January of this year, I was frustrated as hell and ready to find a new doc.

My wife is an RN and studied up on Lyme before and while I was getting treatment. She read that because of how sick I was, I should have been on IV abx right away. In early January, I had what my docs thought was a mild stroke...thank goodness all testing came back negative. It was chalked up to crappy circulation caused by Lyme, and my LLMD said it was time to do IV abx. I had an appointment in two weeks with him anyway, so we waited. After the appointment, he only gave me two new supplements and said, see you in a month. I was livid at him, but didn't say anything, because I thought I might regret it.

I went home, calmed myself down, and wrote him a well thought out letter and faxed it to his office the next day. Basically, I told him, start me on IV abx and treat me more aggressively, or I will find another doctor. I felt I was being "fleeced", because all those supplements are expensive and weren't doing a bit of good at all.

After some starts and stops with the IV abx, due to some clotting issues with the first two, I have been on steady IV Rocephin since April 1st. Like you, I don't feel much improved at all, and find myself frustrated to no end.

So, am I writing this message to support you and agree with you? No, I'm not.

I'm writing to say I know where you are coming from, but I keep up my research and read all that I can about the experiences of others, and 10 times out of 10, I get reminded that patience is a quality that all of us Lymies need. As I have stated many times here, this treatment is a marathon, not a sprint. Sure, some get better at a quicker pace...and children seem to be fairly resilient when they get on the right treatment, but it is different for each person.

Please keep your chin up and fight hard. I get discouraged too, but I read a rule of thumb from a respected LLMD here in Baltimore...6 months treatment at the very least for Lyme and for each co-infection...so I have quite a ways to go. After being sick for two years prior to treatment, and not feeling any better yet on treatment, it's enough to get you down. But I refuse to let those little germs get the best of me.

We will get better, in time.

For now, continue writing here and keep yourself busy and distracted as much as you can. Get involved in a support group in your area, or maybe start one if you want. Do research and find out more about Lyme and see where you might want to get more involved in the "big picture".

I find these types of distraction to be very helpful, and I am going to continue with them.

Good luck and be well.

Tom

Then, if you remember I got reinfected...how crazy is that?? Well, you can bet that I was thinking...not again, not another summer blown. Well, I put that thinking aside and was determined more than ever to fight this off. I can do it, I've done it before. THis time, I did get better and fast. (only because my immune system is in better shape and my body could handle the infections the way God intended...with a little help from my friends Samento and Barberry ).

So, keep fighting you guys, I'm cheering and praying for you.

Peace,

Connie

It's just hard when DD herxes like she is now and we miss a whole week. Then I herx the next week, and soon my DH will herx the next week. It's just so hard watching DD get so sick when she herxes...she was pretty bad all last nigh with fever and throwing up. She was so achey she slept on my heating pad and didn't move or eat all day. I just wish I had more energy to take better care of her. Her illness on top of mine really wipes me out. Especially, when she's up all night screaming in pain. I got about 3 hours of sleep. Plus, I feel guilty for giving her this...

I do have help this week since my mom is in town, but after this...??? We don't live near any family so it makes all this harder. I was hoping I would be better by the end of july? I think if I have to give it more like 12 months!

Children do seem to be fairly resilient that's the truth! She had the worse GERD since birth. She throw up at least once or twice a night and every other morning. After her first herx the GERD is gone. We had been to Childrens Hospital for her GERD and they couldn't figure it out. They put her on usless drugs and dx her as having rapid cycling vomitting due to stress! Stress at 14 months? Now at 2.5 yrs her GERD stops after 1 month lymes treatment...It just gets me so mad that these DR's are not dx these poor babies who are born with lyme.

Your right Tom. I want to get more involved with the babies being born with Lymes aspect. It just breaks my heart to think of all then suffering and they have no one to speak up for them. Dr's aren't testing moms for lymes during pregnancy. That is a a huge issue! I almost deliever my DD at 30 weeks now we know it was due to lymes....

Fist Where in North Chicago?? I live in Lake Villa, IL...

Second, with the neck pain put rice into a sock and put into the freezer and apply to the neck, that has saved my life with my neck pain that was so bad I could not sit at my desk I also did that for my knee pain (still do it for the knee pain everynight)...

My chiropractor is great, I love him, he does all natural for my lyme, but it does take time, since doing the natural route since May I feel so much better, the abx's made me feel awful as I'm allergic to 99% of them on the market, so I had to take so much bendrly with each pill I took all I did was sleep and feel awful, plus I had to work and it made it very hard to do...

Julie