Been a long while guys...i was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis

[Brotherofiron]

Hey guys...it has been a while since i have been on, i guess thats because i have been sick...yes i have been diagnosed with ehrlichiosis. the disease is similar to lyme disease in the way that it causes severe muscle and joint pain. but this disease is much more serious, and much more rare. it is spread by ticks, but the funny thing is that my doctor, and i have not been able to find a tick nor do i recall a tick biting me, and i have not had a funky ring rash. but anyways, i was basically bed riddin for about two weeks, any little movement would cause a rush of pain to my knees and almost cause me to collapse. at the end of the two weeks i was about 10 pounds lighter...i was suprised to find that it was mostly fat and that i didnt lose too much strength, actually i started goin to the gym this past week and i busted a new deadlift max...425lbs!!
but on the down side, i was given this medication called doxycycline, which supposedly causes a sever rash if i am exposed to sunlight for too long...so for the next two weeks(when the medication runs out) my summer will be slightly limited
but all in all i am quite happy, i dont know if anyone reading this remebers my one of my older threads about my pain peeing...well it turns out that that can be related to my ehrlichiosis, and that even if it is not, the medication will clear up NGU and syphilus and even gonnorhea...so all in all i am O.K. right now, i am just happy to be back in the gym training!

[mercury]

Wow, that really sucks. Glad to see ya back, and lift heavy!

[SW]

Welcome back big guy. Sounds awful but happy to see ya back in action.

[ectx]

Glad to see you're doing better. Did they give you any tetracyclines along with the Doxy? Just curious. Also, the bacteria responsible for ehrlichiosis rarely cause a rash, much less an erythema chronica migrans (bullseye-like rash). This is probably why you didn't see one.

[Brotherofiron]

Glad to see you're doing better. Did they give you any tetracyclines along with the Doxy? Just curious. Also, the bacteria responsible for ehrlichiosis rarely cause a rash, much less an erythema chronica migrans (bullseye-like rash). This is probably why you didn't see one.

no they only gave me doxycycline...why is it bad that i didnt get anything else?

and thanks for the advice, i will tell my parents that...it should clear somethings up as to why i dont seee a rash

ohh and one more thing...i read somewhere online that takina a multi-vitamin while on the doxycycline interferes with its ability to do its job...is there any truth behind this?

and i also just wanna thank you ectx...every time i have asked a question about a health related topic, you have always given me much needed advice/information....THANKS SOOO MUCH MAN!!

[Brotherofiron]

and thanks for all the warm welcomes guys...it really helps...

[ectx]

no they only gave me doxycycline...why is it bad that i didnt get anything else?

No, it's not bad. Some doctors just usually perscribe doxy and another tetracycline in combination. If the doxy worked, then you're fine, plus it's less of a load on your liver. I believe doxy itself is a type of tetracycline.

and thanks for the advice, i will tell my parents that...it should clear somethings up as to why i dont seee a rash

No problem. The species of bacteria that usually cause a rash are Borrelia spp. The rash is almost perfectly circular. In some rare cases it's jagged (when it's Borrelia lonestari) but that's usually only associated with the southern states and the lonestar tick. These bacteria are also usually associated more with lyme disease or relapsing fever.

ohh and one more thing...i read somewhere online that taking a multi-vitamin while on the doxycycline interferes with its ability to do its job...is there any truth behind this?

I haven't heard of this. The only thing I can think of is that because tetracyclines have been shown to depress plasma prothrombin (a clotting factor) and multis have vitamin E which reduces clotting, some folks may be worried that it will prevent you from clotting well. On the other hand, so will aspirin and ibuprofen. LOL. There is no contraindication on the package insert of the medication. Ultimately, the best thing to do is ask your pharmacist. They're a little more up-to-date on pharmokinetics than your average microbiologist. LOL.

and i also just wanna thank you ectx...every time i have asked a question about a health related topic, you have always given me much needed advice/information....THANKS SOOO MUCH MAN!!

Not a problem. That's what this community is here for. We help eachother out in any way and provide encouragment towards our lifting goals.

[Ironminded]

Wow, glad you are ok at least Brother, and hope things are on the up and up all in all. It sucks about the sickness and best wishes for this not ruining your summer.

[TwiloMike]

Doxycyclene is a tetracycline drug and should not be taken within 2 hours of minerals or milk (I was on doxy a while ago for an eye condition and these were the doc's orders).

Doxy is actually a very useful and wide powered drug- kills many different things (it's approved for things like syphillis, anthrax, acne, etc.)

2 weeks of it is no big deal. I had to do a 3 month course of it.

[Unholy]

Good to be back im sure, Thats really cool that you didnt loose alot of muscle while being sick.