Category: SYMPTOMS

LYME HAIR LOSS IS REAL!

Lyme never comes alone. Besides the co-infections, the people infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi may experience a myriad of symptoms, from those specific to the illness to some unexpected ones.

Each day brings a new struggle. The Lyme journey is anything but boring! In fact, it is a learning experience, as the Lymies have to learn on their own how to navigate their path towards  their recovery.

 

As if dealing with a multitude of symptoms on a daily basis was not challenging enough, Lyme sufferers have to overcome other disheartening problems such as hair loss or nailbreaking.  Many of the patients complain about losing close to 50% of their hair. Men and women equally are affected by this undesired and stressful experience.

 

Since the bacteria has the ability to evade the immune system, would you be surprised to learn that Lyme is the culprit for the hair loss? More than thirty years ago, research shown that Lyme had the ability to cause a hair loss similar to a telogen effluvium.

 

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES CONTRIBUTING TO HAIR LOSS?

  • Stress (physical and mental)- all Lymies have it skyrocketing!
  • Mineral Deficiencies – iron, zinc and magnesium
  • Vitamin Deficiency – vitamin B and vitamin D
  • Hormone Disruption – low hormonal levels
  • Autoimmunity – The inflammation from Lyme and autoimmune conditions can attack the hair follicles and lead to hair loss.
  • Drugs -prescribed medicine, antibiotics
  • Toxicity build up – difficulty to flush out toxins due to an overload

 

HOW TO SUPPORT HAIR REGROWTH?

  • Switch to an anti-inflammatory diet
  • Ensure you have sufficient levels of iron and vitamin D as Lyme depletes your iron levels. Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles, so a deficiency may lead to hair loss.
  • Take supplements ( biotin, gelatine, collagen as well as primrose oil)
  • Inquire the doctor or the pharmacist about  the side effects of your medication.
  • Choose a natural shampoo without any of the following ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfates, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Myreth Sulfate, Siloxanes Derivatives of Lauryl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol (Antifreeze), Olefin Sulfonate (Deodorized Kerosene). You may want to look for one in a natural products store. If not you can try out Nizoral for couple of months.
  • Do not blow dry your hair!
  • Do not bleach or dye your hair. If you do, ensure you use natural products!
  • Use less hair products!

 

HOW TO BOOST THE GROWTH OF YOUR HAIR?

Try some of the following:

  • Do a hair treatment with organic coconut oil at least once in two weeks!
  • Apply olive oil, organic primrose oil, almond oil, argan oil or jojoba oil as they hydrate and stimulate the growth. You can apply a small amount (the size of a quarter) on damp hair and work it through your ends.
  • Rinse with colder water in order to protect the inner layer of your hair and retain hydrating oils.
  • Once in a way try rinsing with apple cider vinegar to restore the pH balance in your hair. You can mix 2-3 spoons of apple cider vinegar with water and pour the mixture after you had applied the shampoo and conditioner. Let it sit for a few minutes then rinse again.
  • Apply herbal tinctures or simply fresh plants such as aloe, rosemary, sage, witch hazel or parsley to the hair, as they are known to help with hair grow back.
  • Create a daily detox routine and stick to it! It can be a bath, a sauna session, oil pulling, massage, a smoothie, anything!
  • Love yourself and keep an eye on your energy levels.
  • Laugh and make room for healing!

FULL MOON AND LYME DISEASE

There is no doubt  that the moon’s gravitational pull is strong enough to control the tides.

Thus why are we surprised to find out that it can affect our bodies which are just sacks of tissue and water? Everything under the sun is affected by the lunar cycles. Why should humans be different?

Some people may be more aware of its effect on them while others would not have a clue about it as the effects would go unnoticed.

 

WORSENING SYMPTOMS NEAR THE FULL MOON

How does the moon (full or new) affects each individual is hard to say as it is an unique experience. Not all Lyme disease patients will feel the same way or have the same symptoms. Some may experience widespread pain, body buzzing, tearfulness, insomnia, shortness of breath, while others will suffer from joint pain or headaches.

 

Full moon seems to exacerbate some of the symptoms experienced by Lyme sufferers or even add new ones to their ordeal. Apparently their emotions and state of mind tend to be affected by this phase of the moon.  

 

Many patients complain about struggling with sleep disturbances and anxiety at night and feeling shaky inside. The best description of this symptom would be to imagine how it feels to have a TGV train passing inside you while you are in bed.

 

Headaches, dehydration and body aches are other symptoms noted by the Lyme sufferers during the super-moon. They all experience a flare-up.

 

Those infected with Babesia tend to have a longer flare-up. Usually symptoms occur somewhere 8-10 days before the full moon. Women tend to suffer even more, especially if the full moon occurs close to their monthly cycle.

WHAT CAUSES THE FLARE-UP?

 

Parasites. They are the main culprits for the flare-up. We may not like to think about it, but inside of our bodies, most of us have worms, unwanted parasites that we are not even aware of. If not addressed properly, a parasite infection can hinder the healing and it can even lead to other serious health problems.

 

Around a full moon, not only the Lyme patients will feel worse, but also those who have parasites, because during this time, the parasites’ activity peaks, causing us, the host, to feel unwell.

 

The parasites are active during the full moon too as it is their mating season. Every couple of weeks, the parasites and bacterias hatch and form new babies. To be more precise, the spirochetes have a reproductive cycle each 28-30 days, which coincides with the full moon cycle.

 

The flare up is due to the fact that during this period of time the spirochetes are far more active. As for the co-infections, they have a 3 to 5 days cycle, which explains the ups and downs on the symptoms experienced by patients.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FEEL BETTER?

 

Detox. Try detoxing before and after the full moon in order to get rid of more toxins. Detox baths, far infrared saunas, coffee enemas, etc. More toxins you will flush out, better you will feel.

Exercise. Try yoga, pilate or a bit of exercise! Remember to follow your own pace. Killing yourself over the machines at the gym, won’t do you any good!

Essential oils. Experiment with some of these essential oils and see what works better for you: Lavender, Thyme, Oregano, Cinnamon Bark, Tea tree, Frankincense and Myrrh, Clove, Marjoram or Vetiver.

Medication. Ideally would be to avoid adding more chemicals to your body while fighting Lyme or any co-infection, though sometimes taking an Ibuprofen may offer some relief.

 

NOTE

Track your symptoms! Having a small health journal would help you notice how you feel, if there is any pattern repeating around the full moon.

THE WORST 40 MINUTES IN MY WHOLE LIFE

Years back, while I was still struggling to get a diagnosis for my mysterious invisible illness, I reached the limit of my patience. I still remember this incident as if it took place yesterday. It was my first visit to a neurologist’s office. 

I really had high hopes for this appointment. After seeing many other specialists before him, all unable to offer me an explanation for my multitude of symptoms, I was hoping he would be the one that would have a breakthrough. I was kind of at the end of the line, facing a dead end.

To my surprise, this prestigious neurologist told me that I was perfectly healthy, that nothing was wrong with me and that I should return to work. I remember clearly  his annoyed face when he said to me: “Miss, everything is in your head! You are fine to go back to work!”

In that second, I was shocked. I couldn’t tell exactly what was more painful: the physical pain I was enduring or the frustration accumulated within all those months of useless medical investigations. Or maybe it was the arrogance of this doctor who was insinuating I was a pretender.  

My mind was telling me, that at least he could have had the decency to buffer it, and tell me I may suffer of a psycho-somatic disease, meaning basically almost the same thing. I wasn’t aiming for compassion or empathy from him. All I wanted was an explanation for my symptoms. It’s hard to move on when you don’t know what you are fighting. 

But him, in his mind, he had taken a decision. He had labelled me as a lazy person trying to exploit the benefits offered by the workplace’s insurance company and avoiding to return to work. Within less than an hour, he turned me from a sufferer into a scammer.

Those 40 minutes spent in his cabinet seemed like hours. While I was there I experienced such mixed emotions. I felt powerless, angry, ashamed and miserable at so many levels.

  • Frustrated because the doctors couldn’t help me again. That I was tired to be treated like an interesting case and be passed over from one specialist to another.
  • Aching. I was physically aching. Running around from one hospital to another, waiting long hours until the actual consultation in the cold weather with temperatures way below zero were just some of the factors contributing to my chronic fatigue, exacerbating some of my Lyme symptoms.
  • Angst because I thought I was getting closer to my death since my whole body was in pain.
  • Ashamed because suddenly I had become someone who needed help. My pride dissolved into my anger.
  • Hurt because my genuine suffering was left unheard.
  • Angered because someone was thinking I was acting. Also for not being taken seriously and  not being treated with the respect and care I was deserving, that any human being actually deserves.
  • Scared because I did not know what was making me feel that way.
  • Worried because I did not know if whatever I had was curable or not.
  • Petrified by the idea I will loose my independence completely and I will end up in a wheel chair or even die.
  • Lonely because I was an emotional mess and my partner was also sick at the time. I spared him the details of my days, thinking that dumping all my problems in his hands will not help him recover from whatever he was fighting at the time. Therefore, I had only myself to share all of this colossal burden of thoughts.

 

What about you? What were you worst two minutes? Would you like to talk about it?

TOP 10 WORST SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE

 

If someone would ask me what are the most annoying Lyme-related symptoms that I ever experienced, I would have a list ready within less than a minute. As a late stage Lyme disease victim I experienced a lot of symptoms, mostly because my illness was not discovered on time. Thus I ended up developing neurological symptoms, muscles and joints problems, heart and circulation and digestion.

Let’s start the final countdown and see what are the insidious symptoms. Keep in mind that the list below starts with the less annoying symptom and ends with the winner, the most disturbing symptom of them all.

 

  • FLOATERS. Floaters are a common visual disturbance of the eyes. When exposed to bright light, a Lymie may see in vision dots, lines, or streaks ranging in colours from blue, green, yellow, or red. Floaters can prevent you from performing some activities that require using your sight. That covers a lot of the basic daily activities, from reading  to driving.

 

  • BRAIN FOG and COGNITIVE PROBLEMS aren’t fun either. When you find yourself stopping in a middle of a sentence without knowing what you were trying to say, or looking for your words makes you feel like you are either a toddler struggling to talk, or a lost person with no idea of what’s going on. Both scenarios, you feel like awful. Needless to add that forgetfulness is your daily companion.

 

  • CHRONIC FATIGUE. Imagine your energy levels are completely depleted and a long night of peaceful sleep can’t help you reach a state where you feel better. Somedays the fatigue is so bad that you can feel it in your bones. You are totally zoned out and incapable of doing anything but dragging yourself from the bed to the couch.

 

  • PARESTHESIAS (electric shock sensations in the trunk or in the limbs). The electric shocks are far more disturbing than the numbness, tingling or itching. If you have to think which leg you put down first when you get off the bed, in order not to experience a sudden electric shock going from the lower back to the tips of your toes, then you must know what I’m talking about. Regular people, wake up and don’t have to worry about which foot goes down first. Some even jump out of bed. This Lymie can’t afford that risk, as I may crumble to the ground, unable to sustain my bodyweight while facing the unexpected shock and the pain caused by it. Experience makes you more aware of your own limitations and teaches you how to avoid certain triggers.

 

  • JOINT/ MUSCLE PAIN. The migratory pain is an unpleasant reality of Lyme disease. When you wake up in the morning, before leaving the bed or even before moving the feet or arms under the covers, you wonder what will start to ache first. Where did the pain move? Is it going to be on the knee as the previous day? Or somewhere else? Will it shift to the neck or the shoulder? There are endless variations. 

 

  • MIGRAINE HEADACHES. Another annoying symptom is the headache. You’d say: “Come on! Everybody gets headaches!” I agree. The only difference is that a Lymie has to handle a throbbing migraine headache on top of other disturbing symptoms. It requires a lot of self-control and determination to stand and perform a normal activity like washing the dishes or preparing dinner while experiencing a combo of symptoms.

 

  • BURNING UNDER THE SKIN. The “famous“burning sensation mentioned by all Lymies, refers to the sensation of having your body on fire. The fire can migrate from one area to another and change its intensity. If you want to read about about this read my previous post.

 

  • SHORTNESS OF BREATH.  Walking up one flight of stairs without gasping for breath?  It’s not due to the lack of exercise! Feeling like you are running out of air is not an unusual symptoms among the Lymies, especially those diagnosed with Babesiosis co-infection. That can trigger shortness of breath, chest pain, vascular headaches and so on. Lyme  gets you the whole ordeal.

 

  • HEART PALPITATIONS. Most of the chronic Lyme sufferers have learnt or experienced that any sudden move, small physical effort, even a good laughter or a bigger meal can make you feel your heart is about to pop up, come out of your chest.

 

  • HEART PAIN. There’s nothing fun in feeling or going through the symptoms of a heart attack. When you lie in bed (that’s if you made it all the way to the bed, otherwise you may be lying on the floor) with your hand clutched to your heart, trying to miraculously make the pain go away or at least reduce its intensity, offering your poor self some comfort, you know that it is by far the worse symptom you ever have experienced.  

The level of pain experienced by a late stage Lyme sufferer can vary from short-term and mild to excruciating long-term or any combination in between. People experience pain differently. The above list is based solely on my experience.

What are your top 3 worst symptoms?