Babesia and Mepron

Lyme is so complicated. 

Some symptoms have gotten much much better.  Others have gone away only to return in a frustrating fashion.  The dizziness, though, has not changed at all, except for a couple of weeks (over the course of two years) where it disappeared and gave me a glimmer of a normal, healthy, lyme-free life. 

I also started getting breathless in June.  I had been working out with a trainer, trying to regain two years of inactivity.  But I stopped because I was struggling to breathe.  We've tried everything to figure out the cause of this "air hunger" from reflux meds to asthma treatment.  Nothing has worked.

Air hunger is a known symptom of a lyme co-infection, Babesia.  Even though I had some symptoms of Babesia, we really didn't think that was a problem for me given that I didn't have fevers.  But I don't run fevers.  Ever.  My appendix ruptured in 2002, and I was VERY VERY sick, and yet the highest my temperature got was barely over 100, and by the time we went to the ER, it was 99 degrees. 

During my last phone appointment, my doctor decided to test for Babesia.  My test was barely positive, though I imagine it's a little like being pregnant where you either have it or you don't.  So we're going ahead with treatment.

I picked up my Mepron, also an anti-malarial, the night before Thanksgiving and swallowed the first of many thick, yellow, liquid doses.  There's a segment of moms who refer to their breastmilk as liquid gold (which quite frankly nauseates me).  I've decided that Mepron actually is liquid gold.  I should film a video of how thick this stuff is. 

My mom asked why I took it the night before Thanksgiving.  Well, my COBRA ends early in the year, and this drug is $1100 for three weeks.  I'm on a time crunch, and even Thanksgiving is not so important as to impede medical progress. 

Mepron has made me the absolute sickest of all of the drugs.  Within a few minutes of taking the drug, I feel nauseated.  If you don't take it with 30-40 g of fat, it can cause all kinds of digestion issues, which I learned the hard way Wednesday night.  I get a headache within an hour.  It causes sweats and body pains.  But it's worth it.  There is a theory in Lyme treatment that you have to get worse to get better.  I believe in this drug.  I think it might be the missing piece to reclaiming my health... and my life.  And I'll take the side effects to get there.