Cats Claw Herxing

[Suzan]

I'm starting to transition dd10 onto Buhners herbs, in tandem with her antibiotics for now but with the intention of getting her off abx because she is not improving anymore on abx and the candida is becoming a problem, I think.

 

I am starting very slowly since I know what a punch cats claw gives. I started resveratrol and andrographis, just one a day for a couple of weeks. This week, I gave her one cats claw every other day so I think she's only gotten 3 pills.

 

Today she came home with a stiff and painful neck. She can't move well in one direction or up and down and any bumps jar her neck. Scares me for things like meningitis but she has no other symptoms. When I realized it was probably a herx, I got all excited and exclaimed how great it was if she was herxing again. LOL, she did not think it was so exciting.

 

I've given her ibuprofen and benadryl tonight along with an epsom salt bath and some heating pad time. She is sleeping now. I hope that will be enough. If it's not better she won't be able to go to school tomorrow.

 

In case you don't know about her, DD10 started out with a pandas diagnosis but was not improving with IVIG and had very bad pain every day. Burning pain, muscle twitching, aches, roving pain, periods of inability to walk, along with all her pandas symptoms. She has improved so much after 9 months of lyme treatment. Rarely any pain! But she has not improved much in the past few months. She has emotional liability, anxiety and some OCD as her primary symptoms left.

 

Susan

[NancyD]

Hi Susan,

 

Interesting you mention stiff and painful neck. I have not had ANY joint pain or stiffness in months since starting my treatment for Lyme. But since starting Rifampin over a month ago I have been herxing really badly. Aside from extreme fatigue, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and increased foot pain, I have been experiencing a really stiff and painful neck.

 

I have never used cat's claw but i am interested in hearing more about it and how it compares to abx. I too worry about DD taking so many abx. The neck pain certainly sounds like herxing to me. I hope this is a positive sign for your DD, Susan!

 

Nancy

[NancyD]

One thought, Susan -- more sauna time for DD may help with neck stiffness and pain. Are you also giving her charcoal?

[Suzan]

Nancy, I have run out of charcoal but I do have bentonite clay which I'll give her this morning to see if it helps. She's been taking alternating weeks of DMAE and Chorella for detox. She's in another salt bath right now. I'll be sure to have her do the sauna as you suggest. She has a sore throat and is very tired this morning but she can move her neck more.

 

I learned all about these herbs by reading Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner (hope that is spelled right). It's a very great book. I started trying out the herbs along with my abx as an experiment before even thinking of trying the girls on it. I can really tell a difference in how I feel. I think alone or with abx, it's a great program. Email or PM me if you want more info.

 

Susan

[NancyD]

Thanks for the info, Susan. I have that book though I haven't yet read it. Hopefully I can get to it soon. I hope your daughter is feeling better!

 

Nancy

[Suzan]

Thanks for the info, Susan. I have that book though I haven't yet read it. Hopefully I can get to it soon. I hope your daughter is feeling better!

 

Nancy

 

Oh good! I keep it on my bedside table and refer to it often. Let me know what you think of it.

 

dd10 stayed home today. She felt better and worse throughout the day. By this evening her nose was running. I go back and forth between thinking it's a herx to thinking it's a virus. No fever so I'm glad about that. I get so nervous with stiff necks.

 

She was so cute though. I was comparing all the difficulties she was experiencing from the pain and stiff neck (getting up from lying/sitting, getting dressed, etc.) to the time last year when my arm was paralyzed and I had so much neck pain. She said "OMG, it was that bad and we didn't even help you at all". Now she knows a little bit of what I went through and she recognized it on her own. I thought that was cool.

 

Susan