I've been moderately flaring or herxing for about 8 days now, and a lot of
body bits were complaining today so a couple hours after I took 50gm
Minocin I decided to do an epsom salt/hydrogen peroxide herxbuster
bath. I soaked in an epsom salt bath for about 15 minutes and then got
out and sprayed myself all over with hydrogen peroxide. Then I sat
around. I've done this a couple times before and it's been pretty
uneventful, although it does seem to give some relief. Anyway, after
about a minute I noticed my body was fizzing, the way hydrogen peroxide
does when you pour it on something infected. So that was interesting.
Then after another minute or two parts of me started stinging, but I noted
only where I have been having problems, my knees, toes and forearm.
Then my right knee started to really really sting and I looked at it and I
guess that spot swole up earlier today and it was stinging like crazy from
having the hydrogen peroxide on it. Then after another minute I rinsed it
off because you're supposed to do hydrogen peroxide baths in small time
increments.
Has anyone else had an experience like this? Or heard of it?
That sure hasn't happened the other times I've done it.
Could it be systmeic yeast causing something like that? Or do I have
infection oozing out of my pores? I checked for open sores or scratches
and I didn't have any (well, a small one on my arm but that bit wasn't
stinging). The whole experience was kind of trippy.
Sorry Gimpy but the whole thing sounds totally barbaric to me! Your description of fizzing made me laugh though (if I could draw cartoons it would make a great picture) Sounds a bit like the bee sting lady...That's okay, wills08. I had the same reaction when I first read of epsom salt/
hydrogen peroxide baths. It does sound sort of out there. But if you are on
AP they really can help! I feel a lot better after mine---my tendonitis is gone
(for now, at least).
Also, I just iced the swollen part on my knee and it went completely down.
I've never seen that before, either.
Curiouser and curiouser.GoGo - my husband looked at me suspiciously when I had him buy four huge bottles of HP at Costco. I haven't gotten up the nerve yet to do this, but after your description above, you are convincing me more and more about the infectious nature of rheumatic/auto-immune disease/disorders. Keep posting, I would love to know how you do the next few days. Great post.
I haven't done them because I haven't had a bath tub clean enough to use. I am not Martha Stewart. :-(
But I've seen a ton of posts on them. Most people report a serious drop in the herx when they use it. This is another thing I think could help people on the traditional meds.
Warning - if starting this you should start slooooowly. I've seen one or two posts where people reported a flare after doing one.
But if you think about it - this makes a ton of sense. You have only a couple of ways microbes can enter your body. Lungs/sinus, gyn/urinary tract, or skin.
And everything has to leave some how.
Hugs,
Pip
Yep, my knee still has absolutely no signs of swelling or any pain this morning. THAT BLOWS MY MIND. I still can't get over what a bizarre experience that was (but good!). I'm going to try it again next week a few hours after minocin and see what happens.Hey Gimpy, all I could think of as I was reading about your bath was:
PLOP, PLOP, FIZZ, FIZZ, - OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS!
Justsaynoemore, that is mystifying. I can say without a doubt I have no idea what was going on there.
I have to repeat, I've done this bath routine a bunch of times and
that's the only time this has happened. I don't think the detox bath
would do much if you're not on AP, because the antibiotics lure the
tricky mycoplasma out of wherever they're hiding (the number one
suspected hiding places are white blood cells and synovium tissue).
Mycoplasma have no cell walls and the ability to change shape. I had
taken my minocin about 2 hours before so I guess it is possible they
were coming out of my skin after the epsom salts opened up the pores,
and the hydrogen peroxide was attacking them. It sure felt stingy on
the hot spots.
Next time i do the bath I'll do it 2 hours after the Minocin, like I did this time, and see what happens.
I have felt quite a bit better since the bath, btw.
Okay, last night I hadn't had any minocin for 2 days and I had a epsom
salt bath and as an experiment sparyed some hydrogen peroxide on the
bad knee and one forearm. I left it for 5 minutes and nothing happened. It just stayed there inert like water.
Later this week I'll try doing it after a minocin dose.
I am regretting not leaving it longer for the fizz episode. Even though
you shouldn't soak in hydrogen peroxide for too long, I had those
buggers cornered for a major massacre. I only hope I can reproduce
those circumstances.
However, since the fizz bath every day when I get up I feel better than the day before. I think the herx or flare is waning.
WTG GoGo (I have been wanting to use that for awhile now :)
I am glad you are doing better, you deserve it.
I just emerged from a half hour hot two cups Epsom Salts, three bottles of HP soak. I don't sweat usually, and it was a warm bath for me as I really cannot take hot baths, but my forehead and neck were dripping sweat - that was curious. Now I just feel like I have dry skin. But I went in with my right hand all swollen, and came out with it back down to normal.
Oh, and I managed yesterday to break my first toe again for the second time in less than a year in the pool playing "ring around the rosie" with the kids. Geez, even playing with four year olds is dangerous to me anymore.
This is same the toe I will have to have surgery on at my election which I broke when I fell down the stairs from being on WAY TOO MANY LEGAL DRUGS last year after my dx. Then I broke two more on the same foot in the dark after hitting a chair leg. Now this - four broken toes on one foot in less than a year. I really must have osteoporosis, because I have been stubbing my toes for 51 years and never broke one, ever.
Big sighs ~~ it's always SOMETHING.
I've haven't tried the detox bath, as my bad knees will no longer allow be to get in and out of the bathtub. Well, I can probably still get IN, but there's no way of getting out without MAJOR assistance. *sigh*
Your fizzle certainly sounds interesting though, so be sure and check back with us after your next 'post minocin' bath!
Glad to hear your herx is waning! JustSayNoeMore, ouch! That sucks about your toes. It's time to consider
some steel toed house slippers.
But everything else sounds pretty good---especially the hand thing.
Thanks GoGo - no ill effects, so I guess you can survive a 30 minute bath of water, Epsom salts and HP.
Guess I am trading a right hand for my left foot toes
Anyway, I just noticed my hand skin looks normal again, first time in years. Our friends last night, our friends at the Labor Day pool party/BBQue, and my psychologist at my Saturday appointment all exclaimed when they saw me that I didn't look sick anymore. My skin color turned from anemia white to close to my normal skin color about a week ago, and its been about 7 years since I last saw my typical color of skin. For years I had been thinking my skin was so white because I was from Alaska, but it was inflammation anemia.
It was all kinda of overwhelming. Something is happening.
JustSayNoeMore, that is SO amazing, and inspiring! It's so hopeful. It'sSo GoGo, I just got out of my second epsom salts/HP bath. When I was shaving my legs, I felt static electricity as I pulled up and down my lower legs. It was wild, and I think it kinda what you were talking about. Very strange.
I am deep into Roadback and mycloplasmas and minocin and fungal fluids. I had scarlet fever as a child, so I am making an appt this week with my primary to get a strep test. Dr. Brown says alot of patients had scarlet fever or strep as kids, and sinusitis as adults. That was one of my two diagnosis for most of my adult life: chronic sinusitis and thyroid. He recommends taking different antibiotics for the strep first and finish killing it off as it hides in your teeth, gums, tonsils, etc. Whenever I got sick as a child, I got white spots on my tonsils - my Mom said it meant it was killing off what was making me ill.
I am shocked at how hard its been to get ahold of the Minocin. My pharmacy hasn't had it both times I had the script filled - said I am the only one asking for it. Amazing. I switched my synthroid and minocin around in the morning on which one I take first, and its going alot better. Its hard to juggle all these scripts around at the same time. A year ago I was on one. As the bath churns ...
...so goes the days of our lives.
JustSay -
Don't be surprised if you test negative for the strep. The standard joke is 'they take a vial of blood and you hope something decided to swim in'. Also, you started Mino and that tends to mess up a lot of the tests.
Seriously doubt if your PCP can do any of the myco tests. They're done at specialized labs. See if your PCP will work with an AP doc - they always know where the labs are that do this stuff. The Great U had no idea what I was talking about for mine and I seriously think they messed up hubbys LADA tests because they sent them to Mayo -> after having it stick around a few days while they talked about it! Sheesh!
But getting the tests could be beneficial - assuming a microbe decides to be sensible and swim into the tube - because if you test positive then insurance will cover IV's later if you decide to go that route.
Pip
Where is the best site for me to research this. I already take a handful of drugs a day and haven't even got a diagnosis for RA yet! I want to see what this is all about.These are the main sites for info on mycoplasma. If you suspect a specific mycoplasma like strep then try some Google searches for mycoplasma and strep (or pneumonia) and you'll hit some interesting studies.
Hope this helps,
Pip