*This post was written in 2013 with everything recreated from my forum posts, Facebook updates and written notes I had from doctor’s visits.

My First Dose of Medication

I started my new antibiotics the morning after my diagnosis. She prescribed 400mg of Doxycycline per day in two divided doses. That is 2-4 times what a normal dose of Doxy is so I was warned to be prepared for nausea. At the same time I started taking it, I was also told to take a general probiotic as well as saccharomyces boulardii to guard against c. diff, a potentially fatal infection.

The doctor also warned me about having a herxheimer reaction from the medication. Basically, your body can get overloaded from the die-off that occurs as the medication starts to work. This can cause a huge increase in symptoms and can also mimic allergic reactions. I read online that with oral medications, it can take up to four days for it to happen the first time, although some people have a reaction within a few hours of the first dose. So I scheduled off for the next week figuring it would hit about the time the weekend rolled around.

Under Our Skin

After researching all day after getting the phone call and finding a doctor for a second opinion, I continually kept seeing mention of a video called Under Our Skin. You can watch it for free on Hulu here. It is a documentary about multiple people with Lyme disease along with the research behind the disease, the treatments available and, most of all, the controversy that surrounds it.

I laid in bed and watched it on my iPad with tears streaming down my face. It’s a great documentary in the fact that it is filled to the brim with information about the disease and everything people encounter with it. But it’s absolutely terrifying to watch it knowing you have the disease that they’re saying has no proven treatment, no cure and a medical field who largely won’t acknowledge its existence.

My husband looked over at me and asked if I was sure I needed to be watching it when the diagnosis was so fresh. I was determined to make it through the entire video and I did. As I’m writing this, it is actually May of 2013 and I have yet to be able to bring myself to watch it again.

I do believe it is a must see documentary, regardless of whether you have Lyme. If you do have it, just be prepared. People react in different ways. When I shared my reactions in online forums, I received responses that people found it inspirational and an eye opener but not scary. Maybe it was because I watched it the same day I was hit with the news but it was too overwhelming for me.