I last completed a maintenance pulse in November 2009. 

I had my annual visit with the neurologist at the medical school in Houston in January 2010.  EDSSⁱ now "about a 2" versus the "about 2.5" it was in January 2009.  As he considered my progression (or lack thereof), he asked whether I was taking antibioticsⁱ.  I told him none since November 2009 which left him scratching his head since he can't account for my "atypical progression".  (For the record, I previously discussed antibiotics with him and he dismissed it since he is of the belief that M.S. is caused by a virus).

Nausea, stomach pain and vomiting from gastric irritation while taking Doxyⁱ, Clarithromycin or metronidazoleⁱ(Flagyl) is a topic that has come up over and over again here.  

Empty Capsules Triple "000" size V-caps or Gelatin Caps was suggested several years ago for people who had trouble tacking Flagyl.    I picked up a bag at my local natural foods store.  Some people purchase Vit-C in bulk and fill their own capsules, they are used for other herbs as well.

Join with me in singing (to the tune of "Oh, How I Love Jesus"):

Oh, how I hate hydrazine

Oh, how I hate hydrazine

Oh, how I hate hydrazine

Because it upsets my stomach.

First session of intermittent therapy nearly completed.  

My "stash" of antibioticsⁱ is nearly depleted.  I have enough left to do two occasions of intermittent treatment and then that will have to have been sufficient.

I will continue the supplementsⁱ (including NACⁱ).

Those of you who recognize the quote will understand the desperation to find an effective treatment that led me here as well as my fear that I may be stopping just short of the depot with disasterous consequences. I do not in any way seek to connect my present circumstances to the quote's spirit of self-sacrifice.

People

People who need Doctors

Are the sickest people in the world...

Now, I'm not trying to start a controversy here about the fact that there sick people who don't have access to medical care, just trying to come up with a subject line based in popular culture that is at least somewhat obliquely related to the subject of the post and might keep me in contention for the Bulwer-Lytton prize.

Anyway, some time ago I went to one of the Lyme disease sites and downloaded the names of some doctors who are willing to treat patients with antibioticsⁱ. 

I had an MRI in January 2009.  The M.S. specialist ordered it because I have been having mild headaches at the top of my head that precede things "happening". 

• For example, I had a headache that came on before I temporarily lost my ability to write a cursive "D" (and hence lost the ability to sign my name).
• I also had a headache come on and when it had passed, my need to get up at 3:00 a.m. to go to the bathroom had all but vanished. 

The MRI was done:

I recall reading an observation that when people on the CAPⁱ start to feel better, they seem to blog less often.  I guess there must be something to that because I forgot to log on and blog when I completed pulse #19.

The aftermath was not entirely reaction-free as I did have some shortness of breath on the 4th, but more charcoal banished it in short order.  

Completed pulse #18 tonight. 

My wife is listening to a recording of "Jerusalem" on Youtube.  The music makes typing this whole thing sound more auspicious than it is.

I must be drying out from the "intoxication" of the bacterial detritus because I can't come up with a snappy subject line any longer.  I guess this forum may have just lost a promising contender for the Bulwer-Lytton contest. 

Anyway, I just downed the metronidazoleⁱ to mark the completion of pulse #17.

During 2008 I did so many pulses while I was traveling that doing the last one at home seemed to be missing something.

Anyway, pulse #16 completed.

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year.

Ended up at Primacare the other night.  I was lifting my wife's uncle's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC - bet most here don't recall what that was) footlocker when the handle broke and it landed on my left foot.  The bruising and swelling looked a lot like a similar break a few years ago so I hobbled into Primacare; a local "doc in a box" that I knew from past experience had an x-ray machine.  Turns out that I had not broken the foot.

The worst part of it is that I can't blame any of this on the reaction to the last pulse since the aftermath has been completely unremarkable.

Fifteenth pulse completed today. 

Overall, had the same experience as the last few pulses of getting "supercharged" after starting the flagylⁱ.  Also, had very severe shortness of breath a couple of times reminiscent of my experience in Chicago.  If I had not already had the experience of making a trip to the Emergency Room in Chicago last year, I would have probably ended up going to check out what the E.R. looked like a Houston's Memorial Herrman hospital.  I've heard its a good one.  Anyway, the dyspnea passed and I'm now just waiting for the endotoxinsⁱ to hit.

I also have to remember to keep it a secret from my son that flagyl turns the color of urine orange since that's his favorite color.  

A week after pulse #14 completed and I was in Toledo when I started having shortness of breath problems just like those that sent me to the hospital back in September 2007 (see prior blog posts for all the gory details). 

Since I knew that this was probably just a visit from Dame Endotoxinⁱ the Mistress of Misery, I just upped my charcoal intake and made sure I didn't miss any WelChol tablets and it has pretty much cleared up on its own.

Guess this means I'm killing something.  Can't wait for November to start pulse #15.