Currently the Lyme symptoms are limited to stiffness in my knuckles and finger joints, and to a lesser extent in my feet. The stiffness went away at first when I started taking antibiotics, but in the past few days it is back. The swelling has gone down, leaving the skin in some places looking dry and shrivelly. My rash is fading. One thing that might be interesting: the rash started with my right foot and spread upward, even reaching my face; then it began to fade from the top down. Now it is hardly visible except on my legs. The rash started out looking like tiny bug bites, which eventually spread into irregular shapes that got very large (as big as my palm in some places) and looked like purple bruises with red rings around them; eventually the purple part began to fade, leaving a red ring around a pale center. Now I have been on antibiotics for nearly 2 weeks and the rash just looks like old bruises. What concerns me is that I was coming out of the "rash stage" before I ever started on antibiotics (my rash had started to fade) and some of the things I read say that after that it is difficult to achieve a thorough cure. But then, they're not homeopaths so...

The mental stuff:
Before I got sick I was exhausted from a month or so of working extra hard at home and at the office. I felt very low, sluggish, unable to enjoy anything, suicidal. I think being sick gave me the time I needed to just rest in bed; during that period I had what I would call moments of clarity about things that had gone wrong, what I could do about them, etc. Eventually I got bored with just lying around and became determined to get out and do things and turn my life around. I had a lot of feverish energy and felt cheerful about my illness despite still being unable to eat much, having a badly swollen foot that made it difficult to walk -- very strange for me. I have been able to maintain this energy even though I now feel fine aside from stiff joints. My eating habits have also changed dramatically. Since I was only able to eat tiny amounts while I was sick, I'm now able to eat much less than I did before, and much healthier things. I am no longer a dairy freak (except for eating a little yogurt to maintain my intestinal flora while taking antibiotics) and my hyperacidic stomach problems have mostly vanished, so that I can now eat sour foods that I never could have dealt with before. Some of this can probably be chalked up to my new remedy, since I understand that it is supposed to have an impact on excessive appetite and stomach complaints as well as emotional issues, but I think most of the changes were already underway before I took it.

To be honest I am a little worried about my homeopath's reaction if I tell her that I've taken other remedies. On one hand she seems reluctant to deal with acutes (I can understand that; she doesn't want to be on call 24/7) but on the other hand when I told her I had taken Rhus Tox she seemed irritated. The truth is I don't find it that easy to talk to her. She seems to disapprove a lot. I can appreciate that I'm not perfect, but that's why I'm going to her for help. On the other hand, the remedies she has given me for chronic things have certainly had an impact. Hmmm... what to do, what to do.