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Long Covid and Doxycycline: Inflammation Theory
Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 | Last Active: Jun 24 8:27pm | Replies (25)Comment receiving replies
I am so sorry to learn about all of the issues you have had since COVID. And as a person with a long ago medical career and trainer of EMT's (really long ago), I probably know enough to be dangerous. Your situation sounds similar to mine. I was given Doxycycline when I had what they thought was a chest cold as COVID test was negative. I knew something was really wrong and the Urgent Care I went to did not have an x ray machine. I wanted an x-ray as I felt something "not right" in my chest. Two days later I went to a different Urgent Care, they had an x ray machine and I said I NEED AN X RAY. Still tested negative. But the kind doctor, retired Air Force medical director showed it to me and I had pneumonia. He gave me a Z-pack. Well I went home and the next day could hardly swallow, and I tested myself for COVID and BINGO, positive....so back to the retired air force doc and he tested as well, and said "well there is our answer." He had me stay on the Doxycycline, finish the Z Pack, and gave me Paxlovid. He wanted to place me in the hospital saying I was one very ill woman, but I said no, just give me 3 days. I went back to see him on Thanksgiving night, three days later and I felt so much better. He took another x ray and the pneumonia was clearing up. He said I had turned the corner and to finish up the meds. A week went by and BANG....I had a relapse and that is when I truly felt like I had COVID. Fever, sore throat that felt like I swallowed glass, no sense of taste or smell, chills, fever and body aches. And that was Thanksgiving. The sore throat went away, fever and chills gone, pneumonia gone, but body aches are awful, and constant 24/7 heart palpitations began and haven't stopped. I also have intermittent loss of smell and taste. I had Lyme Disease back in 2016 and was miserable but eventually it cleared up with Doxy. So, after much research from my Lyme experience, and now COVID, Doxycycline seems to maybe be one part of an answer. All I can say is that I started taking Doxy as of 4 days ago, and the unbearable fatigue has diminished by about 75% almost immediately. There are people who take Doxy for rosacea skin issues 100 mg a day and it keeps it at bay. This has been for years now. So, I am giving it a go hoping it continues to let me feel somewhat normal with less scary side effects. NONE of my physicians really want anything to do with me because why? Well I've know for years there is no money in a condition I have from a tick bite and that is Alpha Galactose Allergy AND Lyme Disease, and they don't want to spend time learning about if it's not their specialty. But it is the first thing many blame on odd symptoms such as heart palpitations, etc. I know what I have is not from AG or Lyme, it is from COVID Nov. 2023. And there truly hasn't been enough time for physicians to know what will happen to people who have had it.
I will end my rant.....no apologies from you necessary.....LOL.
Replies to "I am so sorry to learn about all of the issues you have had since COVID...."
Your experience sounds a lot like mine with having to be your own advocate and trialing of meds!
I know before finding an infectious disease(ID) specialist who focuses on chronic illnesses and doesn’t subscribe to “there’s no chronic Lymes”, I was trying to talk every doc I know into assisting me with finding something, ANYTHING!
I found Paxlovid was my hero and then I added Cipro and WOW! That made me feel like my long remembered self!…
But that only lasted 2 weeks and Paxlovid caused too much GI distress after 6 mo use.
I finally got into to see my new LC ID doc who has helped me make sense of things. I’m trialing other meds from lab results showing a reactivation of both EBV (mono) and VZV (chickenpox). So it makes sense that antivirals (Paxlovid) helped my symptoms and then because these are GI viruses and they can cause other issues like SIBO or bacterial overgrowth, then the one round of antibiotics helped clear out all of the bacteria overgrowth but the second or third were ineffective.
One important aspect she mentioned is that what they’re finding is Covid reactivates other dormant viruses and bacterial infections. So your past Lyme’s along with the antibiotics really helping you makes a lot of sense because it sounds like your Lyme’s is reactivated and Lyme’s is bacterial.
Just an FYI, Paxlovid rebound is not caused by Paxlovid but there are some case studies showing insufficient viral clearance with only 5 days. IMHO, I believe those who have underlying conditions or past infections (like Lyme’s or bad cases of EBV, CMV, have MCAS, CFS, etc.) should get 10 days of Pax and that would stop the rebound ( I had it really bad too). But that’s my theory and would need further research.
I’m no expert here but from family experience as well as research, I believe Lyme’s needs even more than Doxy to really kill everything off, as my Aunt had treatment for a year with a cocktail of many herbs and antibiotics. I believe that Doxy alone isn’t truly killing everything but merely managing the active growth while others are hiding (in stationary phase), so it can return. But definitely need an expert!
I hope you get answers and treatment for your Lyme’s! And I hope this is your answer to healing 🙏🏻
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My sympathies for all you've been through and for the frustration/anger at the nonresponsiveness. Not to excuse the pros, but think it's just all too new. Nobody really knows. I've read thatCovid can reactivate latent conditions like Lyme and herpes. Did you ever try the late Stephen Harrod Buhner's Lyme protocol? Buhner was a brilliant herbalist, scrupulous researcher, and thought outside the box. Check it out. He wrote a book on Lyme...good luck. Sending hugs.