Herxing from new meds

Natalia and I had our Lyme check up's last week.  Her meds were tweaked a bit.  Mine a lot. 

I was having a lot of issues that I had not experienced in a while so we needed to attack pretty hard before they took over.  After starting all the new medication I was feeling pretty good.  I also did hot yoga Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The most strong medication started Wednesday and I take it for three days in a row every other week due to the harsh effects it has on your body.  By the time Saturday came around I thought I was in the clear.  I took the meds for three days and felt fine, even great.  By Sunday it was a different story.  It actually hit me Saturday night and I thought I was coming down with the flu.  Just started feeling like crap.  By Sunday afternoon I could barley move.  My body hurt so bad.  Even typing this is hurting my arms.  It was then that I relized that I was having an Herxheimer reaction.  I have had them in the past but never this bad.  So what is a Herxheimer reaction?

The herxheimer reaction, nicknamed "herx" or otherwise referred to as Jarisch-Herxheimer (J-H) was originally observed in the treatment of syphilis, but later found in other illness. In general terms, it is described as a temporary increase of symptoms when anti-syphilitic drugs (antibiotics) are administered. What is known or speculated about Lyme disease herxheimers are based heavily on the reactions seen in syphilis. This is due to the fact both diseases are caused by a bacteria known as a spirochete, the former being Treponema pallidum, the latter Borrelia burgdoferi (B.b). However the herxheimer reactions in Lyme disease are not identical to those seen in syphilis, especially in terms of timing, frequency and duration.

In Lyme disease it is thought that the cause of herxheimers are the result of endotoxin release, that is toxin within the spirochete that are released as the B.b are killed or broken down. This may be a result of the toxin(s) itself or the body's immune response to such.
The general description is a temporary increase in symptoms, but also included is the development of new ones. More specifically the most common events include: increased joint or muscle pain, headaches, chills, fever (usually low grade), drop in blood pressure, hives and rash. A multitude of other symptoms have been described.
This is individualistic and Herxheimer can occur within days to weeks after the onset of antibiotic therapy. In some patients they occur only once or twice (if at all) and with others continue throughout the course of treatment, usually lessening in severity. They can occur and are more often described in cycles (example: every 4 weeks) and have been reported to last from days to weeks.
The good news is that the herxheimer is thought to indicate that the antibiotics are indeed working and that following each worsening may bring about more improvement.

With that being said, ummm yea?!
My muscle aches are so bad today and the shooting pains in my joints are causing so much pain it hars to sit still and it's hard to move.  I think those three days of hot yoga helped to remove the toxins.  If only I could do it every day!

Tally seemed to take the med change well.  She is much happier and even has to take a pill that we put in applesauce.  THis is her first experience with pills and she has done great.

Selena actually got an ear infection last week and she is on meds so it feels like a pharmacy at our house right now.