Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

[cjyhc4]

I did a search of the forums for anyone who has tried Whole30 as a way to bounce back from RMSF, and I came up empty. I then did a search for Lyme disease and came up with a few threads, but not very many. 

I contracted RMSF back in June 2018. I had a case of what seemed like the flu for a couple weeks, but sorta recovered by the 4th of July. I was diagnosed in early September, just after Labor Day, suffering through the first round of antibiotics. By early December, I still hadn't regained my strength, and a long, hard job had me run down.

I opted for a second round of antibiotics through the holiday season. Just before the round ended, I began looking for ways to "recover from antibiotics", and I started drinking kombucha and taking probiotics.  I also swapped ibuprofen for turmeric. It helped, more importantly, it completely replaced my soda habit, but I was still stuck on the couch for a full week before I could even function again. I never did bounce back, and the bad days have greatly outnumbered the good days.

Three weeks ago, after a month of pushing the probiotics, I gave up alcohol. I was disappointed to let go of my evening beer or glass of wine, but I knew I needed to make an additional change if I was ever going to feel human again. After just a few days without alcohol, I could tell a significant improvement in my energy levels, emotional stability, etc. It opened the door for me to look into other anti-inflammatory diet options. After hearing my dad's girlfriend sing the praises of the Whole30, I landed here. I ordered the book, and starting preparing and planning.

I'm now on Day 5, and it has been absolutely horrible. I've felt like I am completely losing my mind. I'm dropping everything. I have the shakes. I have absolutely no strength or energy. I literally dropped an entire gallon of freshly brewed water kefir all over the kitchen counter and floor last night while trying to bottle it.

The way I see it. My immune system has been in overdrive for the last 8 months, and now, changing everything, has basically collapsed it entirely. It was used to running on the sugars and grains that I had been feeding it for so many years. I realize that the foods I'm feeding it now will ultimately give me the strength to recover, but the transition is going to be painful considering the weakened place I'm starting from.

I've also been looking into naturopathic remedies and other dietary protocols, in the event that Whole30 is not the answer I'm looking for. 

If anyone has any experience with RMSF, Lyme or other inflammatory chronic diseases, I would love to hear about your experiences (or second-hand stories, even).

I'm off to drag myself to the kitchen to try to not cut myself while chopping up a bunch of veggies for the evening's meal.

[ShannonM816]

I can't speak to the RMSF or how that might be affecting your whole30 experience, or how whole30 may impact your recovery from it.

What i can tell you are some things that can cause issues like you're describing for people, so you can double check that you're not making some of the most common mistakes we see.

First, be sure you salt your food. Especially if you ate a fair amount of prepared foods before, going to whole30 can cut the amount of salt you're getting, and that can lead to weakness and dizziness.

Be sure you're drinking plenty of water.

Follow the meal template for every meal. Lots of vegetables, a serving or two of fat from those listed in additionto oil you cook in, and protein. (Download the template here:  https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/.) It is not unusual for people to undereat, especially if they come from a low-fat=healthy mindset.

Have at least one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable each day. These include root vegetables like potato, sweet potato, carrots, beets, turnips, or parsnips, winter squashes like butternut, acorn, or kabocha squash, or plantains.

I don't know how much these things could help you, but I hope you find something that does.