My Bartonella Symptoms

Okay, I started Rifampicin for my Bartonella and it was a wild and crazy ride.

No, my tests for Bartonella were not positive and if I have learned anything about Tick disease is that the tests are unreliable, expensive and pretty much a waste of time. I firmly believe that the reason that most people do not fully recover from Lyme is because co-infections, particularly Bartonella is not treated. Anyone with with Lyme should be treated for Bartonella first or early on in their treatment. Why? Because the mood disorder associated with it is so intense and damaging and can interfere with other treatments. Many drugs and herbs can be used to treat Bartonella (another blog to follow- I promise). In the textbooks and forums people talk about the symptoms of Bartonella. Well I want to tell the world what my experience of Bartonella is like.

Depression is major symptom. Not just "I feel down,"... not PMS "I could kill you for cutting me off" depression..It is, " I hate my life, nobody loves me, I can't do this anymore, I want to die depression".......it is associated with crying and teeth chattering and end of life feelings. It can have you cry in your sleep. It is always worse in the night and early mornings, but it could be anytime. It is uncontrolled tears. I could cry buying cereal, or cooking dinner. It is draining. It makes you feel isolated. You feel that you have become another species- not quite human. dribbling, down and out, subhuman, needy and without hope. You have an incessant need and desire to be loved and cared for. You need someone to understand, and they don't . It is the end of the world even though everything is okay sort of feeling.

Heat and sweats are common and intense and no, it is not your hormones!! It is sometimes cold and then suddenly very hot, like a microwave went off inside of you - your hands and feet are cold while you feel like you are being cooked from the inside out. Sweat erupts from comes your chest and groin and face. (I do not get rashes with my heat but the other person who started this blog does - she gets the classic rashes that look like stretch marks or bruises. Sometime she sends me photos of these. I just get heat and sweats. You can also sweat from Babesia and Mycoplasma.)

Burning Pains can occur anywhere- I had it primarily in my elbows- it hurt to put my arms on a flat surface. Some people get these symptoms in the their feet/shins/legs/toes/soles of feet.

Headache can be bad and pounding and at the top of your head (Babesial headaches are more in the temples/ Mycoplasma are more in the sinuses). Nux Vomica high dose (G1 from Germany) helped my headaches.

I did improve gradually after a few days. But when I got a flu and then a cough and I had to start treatment for Mycoplasma (Doxycycline and Azithromycin) the mood symptoms recurred. My mood has once again improved. I am learning to ask for more help and loving support. I am learning not to waste my emotional or physical time on people who don't care or don't know how to show it.