I have a family member that is needing a strain to help with the effects of Lymes.

I currenty supply him with a pretty broad range of stuff but nothing has fit yet for him.

Any suggestions?

Texas Kid



I've got another with Hep.C but I already see a thread for it

[DrJay2001]

Lyme disease is really a pain in the butt. The disease is notoriously hard to knock out with antibiotics although I believe some good treatments are available. It's also a hard disease to diagnose without an expert lab.

For awhile Lyme Disease was like the disease of the month. One of the reasons for that is that the symptoms of Lyme including body aches, lethargy, depression, etc. can be produced by a number of other disorders.

I'd go with a Sativa dominant cross that has a strong Indica in it. Like a 60/40 or so. White Widow and Train Wreck would both be good. Or you might want to consider a mild to moderate Sativa for daytime (Apollo) and a heavier Indica for night time (like Black Domina).

Lyme disease can generate some nasty autoimmune like reactions that can cause joint pain and inflammation. The reason I'd keep some Indica in the treatment is to help with those.

Yours,
Dr. Jay

Thanks Doc.

All the symtoms you describe are exactly what he is going through. It's not all the time some good days some bad.

Joint pain, lethargy, and depression are the big ones right now. He is actually giving himself weekly injections along with a heavy regiment of medications. I just can't imagine. My heart really goes out to him.

Thanks for you help

Texas Kid

[DrJay2001]

The way you describe his primary symptoms I'd shine on the Indicas and go for a great hybrid like SAGE or Train Wreck. Another possibility is Rezdogs Diesel. All have potent Sativa's mixed with Afghani. Gosh, I think I'll smoke one myself :-)

Best of luck to your friend. Patients with Lyme are often characterized as being hypochondriacal or disturbed by practioners unfamiliar with the disease. Watch those darn deer ticks!

Yours,
Dr. Jay

[King Kong]

I had a bout with this several years back. Came back from vacation in Tenn. and felt like crap. Finally went to the doctor and he found the characteristic "Bullseye" rash under my arm. Cases are rare here so he had everyone in the office come over to see and even took pictures. After the test came back I had to take some godawfull antibiotics. I had to avoid sunlight for a month!!! Basically feels like super mono with aches and depression.

As a report, several years later and supposedly cured, still feel some lingering effects, mostly early onset arthritis type pain/swelling. Also my doctor provided almost no info on the disease beyond a pamphlet. I wish I had known about MJ then.

Doc, I certainly wish you were my Doctor then. Most GP's seem to lack a sense of compassion.


K.K.

[DrJay2001]

Thank KK. That's a really nice compliment. The thing is that they wouldn't allow me in medical school because of my self reported drug use as a teenager. So, I got my MS, and PhD and taught in medicine without being a practitioner. At the time my heart was really broken but now I'm grateful.

GP's have a very tough job and are under the gun from insurance, regulations, etc. They rarely have the time to be very thourough or compassionate. I think the average time with patient is maybe 5 minutes. That's crazy.

So, I ran drug and mental health clinics for a long time and got criticized there for being too compassionate. I was the classic "enabler" to those Nazi rehab people who weren't at all interested in what individuals go through. To them we're all the same all the time. That's crazy too.

The poor GP's now have patients coming in after seeing all the drug ads on TV and asking for this miracle or that. I feel for those docs who know if they send the patient out without the latest wonder drug they may be unhappy.

For Lyme the antibiotic regime is long and tough. You bet, no sun for months or photosensitivity can make you look weird as hell. You were lucky to have the rash. Many patients come in after the rash has already gone so the docs think the patients either faking, wrong, or a hypochondriac.

Good luck all.

Yours,
Dr. Jay

[cooked cook]

Hey Doc, on a related note a couple of years ago, one of my old bosses said he was getting the Lyme Disease vaccine, which had just become available. Apparently he had to go for 3 injections over the course of a few months. He hunts a lot, and was a high risk for Lyme disease as far as his medical provider was concerned. Now, I'm planning on spending a lot of time hiking in the woods this year *cough* planting*cough*
In your experience is the vaccine effective, or is it still pretty much in the experimental phase? Do you feel it's worth looking into for an outdoor "adventurer".
In the mean time, every time I go in the woods, it's pants tucked into tall boots, long sleeves, etc. And every time I come out of the woods, I IMMEDIATELY do a full head to toe tick check. Even with all this, I still picked up one tick(fortunately one of the bigger non deer tick types.) My buddy that was with me wasn't as fortunate or prepared and ended up picking 13 off himself(yuk)
cook

[DrJay2001]

A three dose (plus annual boosters) vaccine for Lyme's Disease was developed in 1998. It protects better than 95% of those innoculated. The vaccine is safe but expensive and is only recommended for people who live in Lyme tick infested areas.

If I lived in the Northeast and hung out in the woods I would have the vaccine.

Yours,
Dr. jay

[zeppelindood]

My run with Lyme has included 2 bulleye rashs, non stop flu like body pain from head to toe, migranes, exhaustion, loss of balance, bad depression, weight loss, doctors, doctors and more doctors, a pic line in my arm for the wonderful antibiotics at home that made me toss every time, fybromyalgia, pain killers that make me sick to my tummy, lyme bacteria build up on my aeortic valve that caused severe regergatation and swelling of my heart, heart beat problems and ultimately open heart surgery for a new aeortic valve in December. My body still hurts a lot however I'm not as tired.... little more energy with my "new" pig valve. The Lyme is gone, at least for now, as it could reappear out of nowhere. I find the worse days are the ones with changing weather conditions. Doctor says it has left me with fybromyalgia now.... and all at 32 years old. Oh yeah, the costs have been tough too. So much for a retirement. Relief comes in the form of herb and my vaporizor and it's so sad that the "powers that be" do everything they can to keep the God sent green from me. I keep on keepin' though.

[The_Tick]

I recieved the user name of The_Tick because I have been suffering from Rickettsia Conorii (Mediterranean Spotted Fever) for the past two years. I highly recommend AK-47 to help out with the sleepless nights, the joint/muscle pains, the loss of appetite, migranes and the over-all stress of being ill with tick-borne diseases.