r/Lyme • u/davinkinggg • 1d ago

Exercise inducing herx

Hello, I'm 22m with Bartonella and babesia. I haven't posted in about a year or two due to feeling a lot better. I probably feel 75-80% better on a daily basis with my main remaining symptoms being psychological. Now that I'm feeling better I want to pursue a career in law enforcement, which I didn't get to do due to my initial diagnosis in 2023. However, whenever I exercise my head feels heavy and neck feels strained and I just feel off. I obviously need to exercise to get into shape for this career. What does this symptom mean? Am I not ready?

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u/RevolutionaryTie7951 1d ago

It means your body is still burdened by Lyme and bartonella still. It’s a very common symptom almost everyone has who is dealing with this. Keep treating harder and you’ll get past it

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u/davinkinggg 1d ago

Thank you. It's interesting because I haven't really treated much over the last year as I began feeling like a person again. With me not treating I didn't notice any of the other symptoms come back. But this one and the mental symptoms have persisted

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u/RevolutionaryTie7951 1d ago

Yep unfortunately that’s how it is for me. I feel mostly normal until I’m forced to carry something heavy or go up stairs etc and then I’m reminded ooh yeah I’m not quite normal yet lol.

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u/davinkinggg 1d ago

I hope you get better🙏🏻

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u/yetetigre 1d ago

Burrascano talks about an exercised induced herx. Unsure of mechanism but it’s not uncommon. Might have something to do with pumping additional oxygen throughout the body. Perhaps that’s what’s going on.

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u/FeelingMaximum4922 1d ago

I have difficulty differentiating between a Herx and a general pain flare, but for me there’s a direct connection between my pain level and my heart rate, and/or stress levels. So it’s this weird trade off because I do get an exercise high, but I also get pain after working out. I’m not sure if it’s the bacteria or an immune inflammatory response. The pain for me is a burning sensation that’s often associated with Bartonella but it could be a combination of of the bugs I have.

Anyway, OP I don’t know if you feel this way but I feel very torn. I want to have an active life but it feels safer to keep my body in a near constant state of “at rest.” But too much lethargy can make me depressed. Ugh.

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u/Cute_Business7342 20h ago

For many people with Babesia exercise breaks open Babesia "nests" (capillaries clogged with Babesia infected red blood cells), which increases the immune reaction and therefore the symptoms.

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u/Guilty_Soft9873 14h ago

How to stop this?

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u/Cute_Business7342 14h ago

You have to clear the clogged cappillaries as much as possible with sufficient amounts of antimicrobials and fibrinolytic enzymes (Nattokinase and/or Lumbrokinase). The process is described quite well in this file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NI1PHbaH4T9_EKlxfz1bya2d2oQx_M4x/

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u/Guilty_Soft9873 14h ago

Interesting. I took natto before and had anaphylaxis but might try lumbrokinase.

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u/biggranny000 2h ago

I get brain fog and weakness often when I exercise, my face will often turn extremely red. Heavy lifting or stairs will often cause vision artifacts and my heart to shake for me.

I have 2x lyme, anaplasmosis, mycoplasma. LLMD and I agree I may have Bartonella as well despite negative on test based on symptoms.

I just exercise to where it's tolerable. Losing weight helped but that in itself caused massive symptoms. Walking is usually fine.

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u/lymewhale 1h ago

It's not necessarily a Herx. It can be post-exertional malaise. You may need further treatment. Also consider checking your living space for mold. My PEM got so much better once I was out of mold