Update on my biofilm treatment

Hello to my fellow Lyme sufferers......uh, let me rephrase that......my fellow Lyme survivors!  Ya, that's much better.  (You know, the glass half-full thing, rather than half-empty.) 

I thought I'd bring you up to date on this latest phase of my treatment.  As you may remember, I relapsed in January after being off antibiotics for 7 weeks.  So here I am, back ON the antibiotics, but I've added some biofilm busters - the herbals Banderol and Samento.

I've been working my way up to the full dose of these.  It sure takes a long time when you start with 5 drops and only add 1 drop every 2 days until you finally get to 20.  I'm almost there.....today I did 19 drops of each (2 times).

So how has it been?

Well to be honest, I haven't felt this crummy in a long time!  I'm very tired on this regimen.  I seem to get a lot of headaches, and once in a while, that Lyme brain fog rolls in.  The other night, I had a hard time sleeping.  I woke up every two hours with a splitting headache.  When I tried to nap the following day, I got those brain vibrations/tremors as I was drifting off to sleep, and it kept waking me up.  Strange, I know.  But many of you will understand what I'm talking about.  So many Lyme patients talk about body vibrations.  It feels like you're sticking your finger in an electrical outlet!

So what does this all tell me?  Well, maybe I'm herxing.  Or maybe I have yeast overgrowth which is triggering cytokine production, causing symptoms similar to Lyme.  It's hard to say.  I've made an appointment with my naturopath so that I can tackle the yeast problem if that's what she thinks I have.

If I'm herxing, then that's great!  The dormant Lyme is coming out of hiding, and biofilms are being broken down, and more of the bacteria are being killed off.  And that's the whole point of being on the Banderol and Samento.  So I'm not going to complain.  I just hope that things settle down after doing a few months of this treatment.  I'm even considering staying on a preventative dose of Banderol and Samento when I'm done, just to police the remaining critters.

If there is anyone out there who may be reading this who has actually achieved remission, I'd love to hear from you!  How long have you been in remission?  What are you doing to build up your immune system?  Are you taking any special supplements?

Before I sign off, I'd like to refer you to a wonderful blog entry I read this week from the blog Infectiously Optimistic.  To find the goodness in chronic illness is such a blessing.  I thank the author for her uplifting perspective.

Goodbye biofilms - I hope!

I'm starting on a new herbal regimen in addition to my antibiotics - Banderol and Samento.  I received them in the mail today....finally....after waiting 2 1/2 weeks for them.  I'm both happy AND nervous to embark on this treatment, which will last for 4 months. 

First off, here they are.  Ta da!  They look so lovely and innocent, don't they?  But I hear they pack quite a punch.

This herbal treatment is going to hopefully help me get rid of any Lyme germs that are preserving themselves under biofilms.  Biofilms are a slime coating that exist on some Lyme bacteria, and which antibiotics are unable to penetrate.  Lyme is stealthy.  It finds ways to hide and protect itself, only to come out of hiding at some later date and send the host (aka ME) into relapse.  Banderol and Samento break down biofilms, and are able to kill all three forms of the Borrelia bacteria - the spirochete, L form, and cyst form. 

The downside of Banderol and Samento is that people often report herxheimer reactions (also called die-off reactions).  As the bacteria die off, toxins are released too quickly for the body to dispose of, and symptoms can flare up or you can feel flu-like for a period of time.  I know what herxheimer reactions feel like.  My worst herx occurred 3 days after I started antibiotic treatment in 2011.  I felt awful for 6 days, and then it subsided.  They came regularly during my treatment for about a year, and then finally I was free of them.

Dr. Marty Ross, an LLMD who has a practice in Seattle, Washington, has provided a lot of very good information about Banderol and Samento, and has seen a lot of success with this treatment in his practice.  Check out his website, Treat Lyme and Associated Diseases, if you want to know more about this herbal regimen.

Wish me luck.  I'll let you know how it goes.