Still recovering from Lyme and Co-infections

Dr. N,

I have been treating Lyme and co-infections for just under two years now, using combinations of oral antibiotics as prescribed by an ILADS-member physician.  Other treatments I use include supplements (vitamins such as B, B12, D, also Mg, probiotics, and herbals such as milk thistle and samento).  I exercise regularly (usually several times a week unless my symptoms are flaring).  As needed, I take diflucan for yeast.

Overall I have improved immensely, having gone from barely able to work and often bedridden for days at a time back to a demanding full-time career.

However, I am still symptomatic and still experience obvious (Herxheimer-like) responses to even low dosages of oral antibiotics.  Symptoms I still experience on a daily basis include muscle and joint soreness, paresthesias (burning, tingling, zapping) that can be transitory, lasting only seconds in a certain location, or persistent, lasting days in the same location, floaters, "flashing lights" when I move my eyes, lymph node pain (especially near my underarms, fibro-like skin sensitivity, fatigue, sensitivity to smells/sounds, facial flushing (my face often turns bright red, lasting hours at a time), and weird small, hard red/white bumps on my skin that are filled with a very hard whitish substance.  There are probably more symptoms I'm forgetting here, but that gives you an idea.  My routine blood work is overall normal, but consistently shows moderately elevated SED and/or CRP levels and some indications of low thyroid (untreated).

My question is, based on my improvement but persistent issues, do you have an opinion as to whether or not I might fully recover?  I am thrilled to have so much of my life back, but continue to feel that I am secretly fighting with one hand tied behind my back.  In your experience, can patients eventually become symptom-free after years of chronic infection?  Note I don't know when I first became infected, but got "bad" in '07.

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

My guess is that you will eventually recover, but this has to be a long term commitment.  I would also guess that you are taking care of your diet, getting modest exercise and taking some other supplements for enhacing immune (several possibilities) and mitochondrial function (NTFactor).  

The elevated SED rate indicates that you are still moderately pro-inflammatory and still require some treatment against Lyme co-infections.  Depending on what types of co-infections you have, treatment can vary.  Thyroid problems are common with these infections, but this eventually resolves with treatment, but it can take quite a while.

Prof. Garth Nicolson