Lyme disease, Tamiflu and Oregano Oil

I was feeling bad enough to wonder what was going on:  Muscle and joint aches; aching lungs; extreme tiredness; dark diarrhea despite treatment with slippery elm and 200 mg of ibuprofen per hour.  It made me think of Lyme disease, and I wanted a blood test, so I went to Immediate Care.

I was seen by a P.A., presumably standing for Physician’s Assistant, though I didn’t realize it at the time.  The visit wound up costing less than expected by about $60.

He thought it sounded like the flu that was going around, though I had a hard time believing it, since there was lung irritation, but no phlegm or congestion.  But he said that it was more in the body and gut.  He wanted to take a swab for a flu test, because I didn’t have Lyme disease’s normal target-shaped lesion.

The flu test came out negative, but he still wanted me to take Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine; he didn’t really trust the test.  I mentioned that I was thinking about Oregano Oil; I know it is antibiotic and antifungal, and probably antiviral as well, but it has a reputation of being a bit hard on the stomach.  How hard was Tamiflu on the stomach, and how much would it cost?

Not hard on the stomach or expensive, he thought, maybe $40.  I left with a script for Tamiflu, still considering whether I wanted to take it.  I decided against it when I found it to be $192 at Bi-Mart, and headed for my parents’ house to pick some fresh oregano, being out of the oil at the moment.  Mom insisted on the Tamiflu and said to check the price at Service Drug, which turned out to be $116.  She said she’d pay for it if I would take it.  To make her feel better, I bought it and took the first pill of the five-day course right away.

The next day, I was in worse shape.  The diarrhea was worse, still dark, and my urine was taking on a blackish color.  The pain had concentrated in my hands, knees, and feet; my hands, knuckles, and wrists and ankles swelled up, and I noticed an insect bite above the most swollen knuckle, which was a bit black and red inside. 

I called Immediate Care, asking if the flu causes arthritis in the knuckles (Lyme disease does) and mentioning the blackish urine.  The lady on the phone said that they’d be happy to see me again.  I should have gone right back in; I didn’t even realize that they had a 5 day guarantee, and she didn’t mention it.  It was in my paperwork, but my brain was not working well.

I did, however, go pick some oregano and make some oil, taking a dropper every four hours between doses of Tamiflu and ibuprofen.  That’s a lot for oregano, but the new growth is not as strong as when it is mature and blooming. Within 24 hours the dark diarrhea and urine cleared up, as did the lung irritation. 

But the swelling and pain in the knuckles and wrists continued.  I realized that I should check the side effects of Tamiflu right after I took the last pill.  Sure enough, it mentioned swelling in the allergy symptoms, and to go to the doctor if it was in the head or neck or there were breathing problems.  That’s when I realized that I had been having trouble breathing occasionally as well. 

A hard white bump was showing below the knuckle with the bug bite, like an infection was rising to pop through the skin.  I wanted that thing opened up and the test for Lyme disease, and went back in to Immediate Care.

This time, they asked what doctor I wanted to see.  I chose the woman, who might listen better.

But she was still a doctor, and had no respect for the opinions of her patient.  She thought that I was suffering from arthritis, which had never appeared in my hands before, and the white bump was mere knuckle fluid squeezing out, and agreed that it was an allergic reaction; it could take two weeks to clear up. But she agreed to take the blood for a Lyme disease test.

And then they tried to charge me $174 for a new visit, this being a new problem and outside the 5 day free guarantee.  I pointed out that the problem was caused by their P.A.’s prescription—rather noisily; I was upset.  The doctor said to make it free.

A week later, I still have pain and weakness in my wrists and knuckles when I let the ibuprofen wear off, despite daily treatment with cayenne in orange and cranberry juice.  The blood test came out negative, but if I had Lyme disease, the oregano oil killed it before the blood was taken.  After all, the darkness in the urine showed up 24 hours after starting the Tamiflu, and cleared up within 48 hours of starting the oregano.  The bug bite left a small, square scar; the bump below the knuckle left scarring in the skin as well.  I’ve never seen such scarring before.  Lyme disease doesn’t always make a target lesion; in this case, it appeared to have gone into the knuckle instead, which is still dark and a bit swollen.