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activity level(s)

I have recently been diagnosed with lyme disease.  I have a pretty good idea that I am a "new" patient.  However, I am not sure when I got bit.  I have always been very active working out, playing tennis, ect.  now if I walk a mile, my joints start screaming.  How long before one can excercise? Also, does heat really help rid the body of toxin?
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Avatar universal
Your question about whether you will be cured when you finish your doxy is a good one.  You don't say how long your treatment has been, but there is a split in the medical community about how long treatment should continue.  

Traditional opinion (held by MDs in the IDSA [Infectious Disease Society of America]) seems to believe that a few weeks of antibiotics is all that is required.

More progressive opinion (held by MDs, often called LLMDs, or 'Lyme Literate Medical Doctors', as a nickname) is that longer treatment with a variety of antibiotics may be required.   LLMDs often belong to ILADS, International Lyme and Associated Disease Society.

The two warring camps of MDs leave us patients in the middle.  Doxycycline is used by both groups, and there are reasons to choose some antibiotics over others, particularly if the tick that bit you carried more than only Lyme disease.  Were you tested for only Lyme, or also for co-infections like bartonella, Babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and a few others?  The Burrascano guidelines mentioned above by Wonko are aligned with the LLMDs of ILADS.

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428506 tn?1296557399
Some people with Lyme develop heat sensitivity, so use caution with the sauna.

This happened to me a lot before I got into treatment.  Heat would make a lot of my symptoms worse, and sometimes induce a heavy fatigue.  If my shower got too hot, I'd literally need to go back to bed for hours before recovering!

I should have thought to warn you of this earlier.

Not everyone has issues with temperature, but do be careful.
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Avatar universal
I also thank you for responding.  I actually did a little weight training, today, very little, to see how my body reacts.  I am also going to try a sauna and see if it helps.  I have not finished my first course of doxci yet.  I have another 6 days to go.  Are patients supposed to be cured then?
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Avatar universal
Thank you for responding.  I have felt very alone in this disease and it seems as if there are no specialized doctors.  It is hard to get answers.  The headachs, joint swelling, and brain fog are really frustrating.  It is nice to be apart of this support group.
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428506 tn?1296557399
The popular Burrascano guidelines (which you can find on the ILADS site or I think a version is linked to the "Health Pages" by the yellow icon above) make recommendations about exercise based upon patient abaility.  Aeorbics are not allowed until the patient has enough stamina, which you may want to take under consideration if you are heavily fatigued.

I've been able to exercise fairly regularly throughout treatment and do think that it has overall helped.  A regular flight of stairs can be tough on my joints, but machines like an elliptical or even a stairmaster are much easier.  As I've improved, I walk/jog more but am cautious because of my joint issues.  I also stretch and do some weights and resistenance training.

I've not heard that heat directly helps with toxins, but it does make you sweat and therefore may indirectly help.  Also there are theories that the bacteria/organisms that cause Lyme and co-infections can't well tolerate increased body temperature.
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Avatar universal
I would ask your doctor when you can exercise again.  Are you being treated?   I have not heard that heat helps the body rid toxins.
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