Herxing

Oh, those crazy spirochetes (the little spiral shaped organisms in the picture responsible for causing Lyme Disease)! They always want to have the last word. When you begin your attack on them with antibiotics and they begin dying off, they don't just die silently. Oh, no! They want to go out with a bang! So they release a toxin into your body that makes you sicker than you ever thought possible. This is called a Herxheimer reaction, or a Herx. Welcome, my friend, to hell on earth!

My doctor recently gave me the green light to start back up on Azithromycin. I never thought I would jump for joy at the thought of taking antibiotics again, but I am so happy to be back in treatment again! I felt so good on this medicine, and I'm very hopeful it will help me get back on my feet again. But with this good news comes the reality that Herxing makes me want to spin a cocoon around myself and not come out for a very long time.

Herxing typically lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, while your body works extra hard to get rid of the sudden surge of toxins. My job is to help my body by doing everything under the sun to help flush out all of the extra toxins. I drink water with lemon in it. I take epsom salt and clove oil baths. I have a mini trampoline which I bounce on (VERY, very lightly), which helps the lymphatic system. I drink down homeopathic remedies and various other concoctions. I get weekly massages.

Since, unfortunately, I can't actually spin a cocoon around myself, I do what I now do best: burrow deep into my covers in the Alyson-shaped dent I've created in my bed, and wait for the Herx to end so that I can, hopefully, get some much needed relief from this medicine.