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Chronic Infections: Part 2

My results arrived yesterday. Most of what i have is not surprising. Through the years i've had multiple infections such as shingles at 14, EBV (twice), CDC positive lyme and the list goes on...high Strep counts in my urogenital system yet multiple doctors always noted it was fine. :) Totally fine! Even though i've been battling bizarre hidden infections in kidneys etc for years. Invisible. For instance, in 2011, i stood on my feet for too long throwing my son a birthday party and by the end of the night i was with fever and very painful kidneys. Moderate to Severe pain. Press repeat over and over. Go to doctor, negative for uti. I couldn't do much without collapsing though. An exploratory surgery was done by two doctors in 2013 which i almost did not return from and they found i had a deep infection that would't show up on tests and cauterized it in my urethra. Antibiotics for a month. Helped until it all came flaring back despite all attempts to eradicate it. Eventually i developed mast cell activation or it worsened considerably and i became allergic to most all antibiotics.

Anyways, heres my results. A summary. I'm not going to list all 12 pages of each level. I currently have moderate levels of Borrellia burgdorferi, Borrelia Californiensis, Coxackie, Borrelia Maritma, Ricketsii typhi OmpB, mycoplasma pneumoniae, streptococctal A and a few HHV strains. I currently have high levels of EBV EBNA1 and VCA gp125 and low levels of EBV EA antigen and EBV23.

So, suffice it to say, i have a heck of a party in me right now. I don't even want to know my levels 3-4 years ago when i was comatose often. It fluctuates given certain factors in and around me. I have incredibly low levels of bartonella and babesia in me that my immune system has under control i've been told. According to my bloodwork as of now.

Interesting to note, if you read my Healy Device blog, the Healy Device scan i did in May for infections came up with, Strep, few strains of lyme, Coxackie and high EBV levels....3 months later these results were most certainly confirmed through Vibrant Labs bloodwork.

I am going to ask Rain my nurse friend to help me locate old lyme strains tests for myself in 2015/2017. And possibly old EBV levels. Urologist and gynecologist were less than helpful when i was trying to identify what strains of strep in me. They told me it was benign but i am going to look if those results are anywhere..

It’s good to know what i'm still working with and which coinfections (especially) that i've never been tested for or made aware of. Helps me understand which parts of my treatment need more antiviral action or anti-bacterial action etc. You may be asking how i plan on treating all of this. I will summarize a bit in this and next blogs in this chronic infection series how i've gotten my system to the point of being able to treat as i've been lowering cytokine storms and remineralizing my pillaged cells for 2? years now. Slowly over past year i have added tiny amount of things (transdermal and internal).

I would like to add another section of Stephen Buhners book here:

"Reading these pages one cannot help but be impressed with the intelligence (yes, intelligence) and consciousness (yes, consciousness) of these organisms. While i have struggled to learn to treat these same organisms, i cannot help but admire my adversary (even awed at times) and to do so i must understand what it needs and wants from its host. To imagine that merely giving two weeks of an antibiotic will eradicate it for all patients bitten by a tick is tragically missing the boat.

Understanding the physiology of these infections....allows us to understand his clear approach: learn what structures and cell lines are being infected and protect them, quiet the outpouring of inflammatory cytokines, provide herbs that can modulate the dysfunctional immune system, help the body process the toxins that are being produced by these microorganisms (especially when we kill them with antibiotics), reduce the specific symptoms that manifest in that patient, and provide materials that will specifically treat those microorganisms.

Put another way, we must find ways to allow the bodys innate healing system to do its job properly (since those systems have been essentially hijacked by the microbes needs). "

Buhner puts it this way, some of these microbes have been around for 15-20 million years and plants predate them with a history of at least 700 million years on earth. Humans have only been at it for 300,000 years 'ish'. Plants have had a little bit of experience protecting themselves from predators and parasites.

Which, i will get into further in the next blog installment. :)

Comments

Also, a note about the lab I used to test for this array of infections. It’s called tick borne 2.0 panel by Vibrant labs. It does require a dr to order it.

“Vibrant uses a proprietary microarray hybridization technology platform, using the whole-genome data to simultaneously detect over 300 microorganisms with 99% specificity and 98% sensitivity, unheard-of levels of accuracy in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms.”
 
Hi sunshine was thinking of u today... So v v great u have a super mind to be able to do all of this and be your own physician
 
Hi sunshine was thinking of u today... So v v great u have a super mind to be able to do all of this and be your own physician
haa! i don't know about that Emma, i think we get super creative when so few options present.

yaay! i'm excited for you friend :) best wishes with it! let me know how it goes 💓
 
Eye opening test list results Sunshine. Like you said, no real surprises, but there is still a lot to deal with there. Here's to hoping with black and white lab results someone competent in the medical field will step up and do their job.

I have an appointment with a functional doctor next mth who is in new York
As in you will be flying to NY in Sept? The city or elsewhere in the state?
 
Eye opening test list results Sunshine. Like you said, no real surprises, but there is still a lot to deal with there. Here's to hoping with black and white lab results someone competent in the medical field will step up and do their job.


As in you will be flying to NY in Sept? The city or elsewhere in the state?

Honestly though. Yes, let’s hope 🙏🦋
Rain and a few others think I should take some of these hospitals that neglected me and refused me care to court … but I would just like to survive. I unfortunately don’t have that battle in me right now. Nor do I have much faith in our current judicial system.
 
Eye opening test list results Sunshine. Like you said, no real surprises, but there is still a lot to deal with there. Here's to hoping with black and white lab results someone competent in the medical field will step up and do their job.


As in you will be flying to NY in Sept? The city or elsewhere in the state?
Lord no.. The only flying I do is in my dreams 😁 zoom consultation
 
Rain and a few others think I should take some of these hospitals that neglected me and refused me care to court … but I would just like to survive. I unfortunately don’t have that battle in me right now. Nor do I have much faith in our current judicial system.
I've had the same thoughts run through my head about my own experiences before, but then the reality of the length of time, sheer amount of energy, money, and strife the entire process would take... with no guarantees of results. Just finding a qualified lawyer to battle a megalith like a major hospital and the doctors who all have insane legal protection clauses... and far more money than I, is daunting. :headslap:
The only flying I do is in my dreams 😁 zoom consultation
ha, ha, got ya! Yes, I don't fly either anymore. Though there are plenty of places I would love to go that require flying. 🤨
 
I've had the same thoughts run through my head about my own experiences before, but then the reality of the length of time, sheer amount of energy, money, and strife the entire process would take... with no guarantees of results. Just finding a qualified lawyer to battle a megalith like a major hospital and the doctors who all have insane legal protection clauses... and far more money than I, is daunting. :headslap:

ha, ha, got ya! Yes, I don't fly either anymore. Though there are plenty of places I would love to go that require flying. 🤨
Indeed! Tbh if I could get to the local green space it would feel like a holiday! 😁
 
So relate taking on big disputes requires a lot of energy and time. I went through it all last Yr re my living situation now there is another issue in this living situation but I'm being guided to stay low and allow time to rectify...
On the other side of things what ever we take on I've found just requires 'OK I can do a little action today and keep it in manageable small tasks. But of course sometimes can't and sometimes externals can be demanding..

Health first
 
sorry to hear of your struggles

a few snippets that may be of help

its a little known but well documented fact that EBV and borrelia antibodies cross react - its therefore not really possible to tell from serologic testing whether a person with antibodies to either has one or the other or both - or perhaps neither - as they also cross react with bacteria from the alphaproteobacteria family ( many capable of chronic infection ) - and even protozoans / apicomplexans - like toxoplasma gondii.

chronic urinary tract infections have recently been confirmed and added to the list of known biofilm forming infections by mainstream microbiologists researching this area. This is important because conventional medical clinical practice is not yet aware of this fact -or are in denial about it - and take lack of patient response to abx as evidence that cause of symptoms is not infection. but biofilm infections typically do not respond - or respond only partially to abx. biofilm forming infections are also notoriously hard to culture - so again gives rise to disbelief by clinicians. combinations of antimicrobials and anti biofilms agents taken long term are likely to be helpful in treatment.

my partners tick born illness symptoms started with a UTI then Kidney infection in the run up to getting fully sick - and she had repeated UTI flare ups through her illness. these all resolved as she recovered from the illness.

systemic infections like Lyme, bartonella etc subdue and dysregulate the hosts immune system to aid their own survival - and this the likely cause of other opportunistic infections getting a hold.
as you say - the key is getting the immune system back in control and doings its job properly.
a task easier said than done - its rarely a matter of just popping pills - as we are used to for simpler infections - and so it tends to take multipronged approach to start to make consistent progress.
eg
  • cytokine reduction - herbs etc can help here - but also lifestyle interventions like mindfulness, time in nature, avoiding rumination etc
  • sleep is vital - at least 7.5 to 8hrs a night of actual quality sleep
  • antimicrobials to lower the infectious load
  • anti biofilm agents to help break up the biofilm colonies ( biofilm gets treated like a kind of fake news subject in some circles - but it is a very real phenomenon that has been well studied in microbiology for at least 40 years - all biofilm colonies in nature are multi species and even multi phyla in nature - and Borrelia are a known prolific biofilm forming organism
  • diet - often the gut is affected - and the immune system is using a huge amount of its resources trying to manage a dysregulated gut - bloating, inflammation, sibo, dysbiosis, leaky gut are all common - but it is very hard to treat directly in this population - however, taking the load off here can help dramatically
i am in a similar boat -but am now around 60% recovered following the above approach - its a long haul - but progress is possible

all the best in your journey through this.

ps. there is also a welcoming and knowledgeable support forum for Lyme disease patients here
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30
 
sorry to hear of your struggles

a few snippets that may be of help

its a little known but well documented fact that EBV and borrelia antibodies cross react - its therefore not really possible to tell from serologic testing whether a person with antibodies to either has one or the other or both - or perhaps neither - as they also cross react with bacteria from the alphaproteobacteria family ( many capable of chronic infection ) - and even protozoans / apicomplexans - like toxoplasma gondii.

chronic urinary tract infections have recently been confirmed and added to the list of known biofilm forming infections by mainstream microbiologists researching this area. This is important because conventional medical clinical practice is not yet aware of this fact -or are in denial about it - and take lack of patient response to abx as evidence that cause of symptoms is not infection. but biofilm infections typically do not respond - or respond only partially to abx. biofilm forming infections are also notoriously hard to culture - so again gives rise to disbelief by clinicians. combinations of antimicrobials and anti biofilms agents taken long term are likely to be helpful in treatment.

my partners tick born illness symptoms started with a UTI then Kidney infection in the run up to getting fully sick - and she had repeated UTI flare ups through her illness. these all resolved as she recovered from the illness.

systemic infections like Lyme, bartonella etc subdue and dysregulate the hosts immune system to aid their own survival - and this the likely cause of other opportunistic infections getting a hold.
as you say - the key is getting the immune system back in control and doings its job properly.
a task easier said than done - its rarely a matter of just popping pills - as we are used to for simpler infections - and so it tends to take multipronged approach to start to make consistent progress.
eg
  • cytokine reduction - herbs etc can help here - but also lifestyle interventions like mindfulness, time in nature, avoiding rumination etc
  • sleep is vital - at least 7.5 to 8hrs a night of actual quality sleep
  • antimicrobials to lower the infectious load
  • anti biofilm agents to help break up the biofilm colonies ( biofilm gets treated like a kind of fake news subject in some circles - but it is a very real phenomenon that has been well studied in microbiology for at least 40 years - all biofilm colonies in nature are multi species and even multi phyla in nature - and Borrelia are a known prolific biofilm forming organism
  • diet - often the gut is affected - and the immune system is using a huge amount of its resources trying to manage a dysregulated gut - bloating, inflammation, sibo, dysbiosis, leaky gut are all common - but it is very hard to treat directly in this population - however, taking the load off here can help dramatically
i am in a similar boat -but am now around 60% recovered following the above approach - its a long haul - but progress is possible

all the best in your journey through this.

ps. there is also a welcoming and knowledgeable support forum for Lyme disease patients here
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30

Thank you kindly for sharing your journey and it’s CERTAINLY a journey!!

You bring up some good points. I had mono when 2 (hospitalized) and mono when 17. The dr. Actually kept testing me for
My ebv numbers monthly because they were so extremely high. I did this for 2 years until
I Moved away and because there was no
Antiviral anything they told me. Unlike when
I had shingles a few years prior. I started having weird symptoms and health
Complications after my second round of ebv. Then, in 2017, I was Lyme cdc positive. A nurse that volunteers to help me quite a bit said Lyme and ebv are good old buddies. She is very big on me tackling biofilms as well. As I can. I’ve heard this from other people with Lyme as well. Wild how these viruses all interact and co mingle.

I’m so happy you are experiencing improvements! And honestly your list is very important. Focusing on it along with some other things is really the only thing that’s helped me on this long journey. Beyond iv rocephin which was short lived and I developed a full body mast cell reaction too.

Thank you for sharing 🦋
 
I've had the same thoughts run through my head about my own experiences before, but then the reality of the length of time, sheer amount of energy, money, and strife the entire process would take... with no guarantees of results. Just finding a qualified lawyer to battle a megalith like a major hospital and the doctors who all have insane legal protection clauses... and far more money than I, is daunting. :headslap:

Exactly. It’s all way much more than I can bite off at this point. Plus I’d rather be spending that energy on healing and getting better! Not
Energy draining legal stuff 🙈
ha, ha, got ya! Yes, I don't fly either anymore. Though there are plenty of places I would love to go that require flying. 🤨
 
So relate taking on big disputes requires a lot of energy and time. I went through it all last Yr re my living situation now there is another issue in this living situation but I'm being guided to stay low and allow time to rectify...
On the other side of things what ever we take on I've found just requires 'OK I can do a little action today and keep it in manageable small tasks. But of course sometimes can't and sometimes externals can be demanding..

Health first

Yeah, well said. My strategy as well. ‘Do what you can , with what you have, where you are’.

I mean is it devastating that the medical system didn’t even attempt to help a woman that lost the ability to walk and feed herself for awhile, etc? Yes. Of course. So many feelings. But, I know better to think I have any kind chance in this corrupt legal system that certainly does not have my best interests at heart.

And unfortunately, they know it. My neighbor was here today and she’s taking a nursing home to the Supreme Court (her case was accepted) because of her fathers death in a nursing home that was tragic and unnecessary. They had to pay privately for their own autopsy etc. the facility couldn’t find anything and records conveniently disappeared and even in this incredibly clear cut case of harm being done…. In the state I live in, it’s next to impossible to bring a case like this to court her lawyer told her. She looked for a YEAR to find a lawyer even willing to take it on.

Laws are currently not designed to assist the vulnerable. That’s for sure.

Anyways, full moon rant over.

May we all prevail 🙏🦋
 

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