I also had a case of kidney stones myself and a resulting weakened immune system, in December 2008. Very painful. You definitely have empathy from me! The best remedies I know of for boosting the immune system include WATER, EXERCISE, stress reduction, meditation, and getting adequate sleep (neither too much nor too little). And there are also some herbs and dietary changes that help. Regular aerobic and weight bearing exercise (but not too much exercise) is vital to keep an immune system healthy and strong! We need about one hour of walking every single day to keep an immune system healthy. Go at whatever pace your energy level allows- if you are in pain and tired from all the recent illness it'll be necessary to walk slowly. In addition to the walking, 30 minutes of weight bearing exercise every 2 to 3 days will strengthen the body and this will also strengthen the immune system. Drink 3 gallons a day of reverse osmosis water. Reverse osmosis is best if at all possible. Filtered tap water from a Brita or Pur filter, etc. *still* contains the dissolved ions that your body has been turning into stones. And most spring water also has dissolved ions in it. Not kidding about the amount. At least 3 gallons of reverse osmosis water per day. 3 gallons seems like an awful lot of water and I know personally that it is difficult to drink this much. Nonetheless it's VERY important to drink this much despite the difficulty. The only way to drink this much each day is to CONSTANTLY drink. If you do something that makes you sweat, drink more after you sweat. Each time you go to the bathroom you lose some water, so drink then too. And anytime you are bored or on a work/study break or stuck in traffic, drink. If you ever *actually* feel thirsty it means you haven't been drinking often enough. No matter where you go, you gotta bring a liter of reverse osmosis water- churches, parks, libraries, school, offices, jobs or interviews, amusement parks, restaurants, movies, sports events, bars (if you go to those), malls, and inside your car. Even to places that try to disallow people bringing in water or 'beverages' so they can sell you their drinks. They will have to be shown a doctors note telling them they HAVE to let you bring in your own water. And if these places still don't let you bring water in, don't go inside. Boycott them and tell others not to do business with them because those places are disrespectful of public health. Go somewhere else instead, your health has to come first. It's a hassle to drink this much AND it is necessary to do so anyway. To boost the body's ability to fight infections and to heal damaged kidney tissue, the body needs LOTS of water. Also water is vital to strengthen the immunity overall, and it also will really help pass the stones faster so you spend less time suffering as they are trying to come out. In my experience, I agree that there really is no herbal remedy that can 'dissolve' kidney stones. I have practiced herbalism for over 20 years as an unpaid volunteer. It goes against my spirituality and culture to accept payment for helping others with my herbalism. There are, however, herbal remedies and dietary modifications that can make it faster and less painful to pass kidney stones by reducing inflammation. Good herbs to reduce pain and inflammation from kidney stones include uva ursi, joe pye weed, sugar free cranberries, polygonum persicaria, and some others. There are also remedies and dietary modifications that can reduce the likelihood of kidney stone formation- especially if the stones are calcium oxalate. Stage_rat Annette has already provided a link to some of that info. :) Unfortunately since your stones were formed during a time when you drank a lot of soda and also drank insufficient water, odds are high that your stones are calcium phosphate which are much harder to treat than the common calcium oxalate kidney stones. IMHO your stones are likely to be calcium phosphate because sodas have a lot of excess phosphates in them (in the form of phosphoric acid). Take a good B-complex vitamin supplement daily, which contains pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). B-6 deficiency produces kidney stones in experimental animals. In high doses, B6 is used medically to treat kidney stones. Remember- B-6 deficiency is very common in humans. Yogurt and other probiotics are a good idea too, and in addition to that I also really recommend Dr. Berger's Immune Power Diet for you.

One new development on the Lyme disease front: The attorney general of Connecticut had announced an "investigation" of the Infectious Diseases Society of America over its guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. The IDSA has been the focus of criticism by some Lyme disease patient advocates for not accepting the existence of "chronic Lyme disease", an unproven entity which results in some people with fatigue and other symptoms being given powerful antibiotics (sometimes intravenously) for years, by the sort of "Lyme literate" doctors sam md talks about. Despite this political pressure, the IDSA has refused to be buffaloed into changes its recommendations. "In rare cases, people who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and properly treated have lingering symptoms, typically generalized pain, joint pain and fatigue. These symptoms have been interpreted by some to suggest the presence of chronic Borrelia burgdorferi infection. However, an extensive review of scientifically rigorous studies and papers available to date, has determined that there is no convincing biologic evidence to support a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease after completion of the recommended treatment. There is no doubt that patients with persistent symptoms are suffering, but many report non-specific symptoms that also are associated with a number of other medical conditions. To be certain they receive the proper medical care, people who continue to have symptoms that persist after appropriate antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease should talk to their physicians about whether the original diagnosis of Lyme disease was accurate or if they may have a different or new illness." People with symptoms ascribed to "chronic Lyme disease" will continue to be vulnerable to certain physicians, alt med practitioners and supplement hucksters seeking to exploit them. The IDSA has a good FAQ page on Lyme disease, its cause (a spirochetal organism, Borrelia burgdorferi) and treatment.

I have CFS/Fibromyalgia.. From my understanding, the candida problems (yeast infections)are also secondary symptoms to the CFS and that the primary cause of CFS was caused by the Epstein Bar Virus (the cause of Mono). I eliminated my repeat yeast infections to start with Acidophylus (sp?) and then completely changed my eating habits (there is info out there on diets just for that). I do still have CFS relapses but never are they as bad as the first bout and there is usually alot of space between. For me it's been a total lifestyle change...taking more time to take care of my self. I don't push it when my body tell me not too ..very hard for me. Somedays are harder than other's as I also have ADHD and stress/anxiety can bring on a CF bout if I don't pit a nub to it..so when school or life gets overwheming I take a break or suffer the consequences .. I'd rather prevent a relapse and be a day behind in school work vs. trudge thru it an be a week behind!! Just my story.... Vera

Thank you all, fellow sufferers, for your well wishes, good advice, and comaraderie. I am better today though I was awakened by stabbing pains in my trapezius muscles. Residue from the headache and associated tension, I'm sure. I still have that haunted, drained post-migraine look about my eyes. Ugh. Yesterday the headache moved on and I was able to think and function better. The previous two days are a blur. I know I had several triggers this time around. I let myself get dehydrated, I'm stressed, I was premenstrual and I'm perimenopausal (as well as the oldest living menstruating woman on the planet). I never had migraines until I was in my 40s and during a particularly awful period in my marriage and work life I suffered from both cluster headaches and migraines, often together or in the same week. Imitrex saved my life back then but since the end of my marriage I have been nearly migraine free. I guess I need to pay more attention to avoiding triggers. I'd rather not have to go back on Imitrex again. As Lpink mentions, it is quite expensive and I do not have prescription coverage. I missed the signs that this was a migraine coming on. I had joint and muscle pain for a couple of days before for reasons that mystify me. Could barely move. (I seem to have some fibromyalgia symptoms from time to time where my shoulders, hips, knees, and elbows hurt.) Then the headache. I rarely get the aural stuff or if I do, it is slight. I do get nauseous and light sensitive. Water, check. I loaded up on fluids as soon as I realized I was getting a headache and was also awfully thirsty. Caffeine, check. I doubled up on my morning brew yesterday. I'm a one cupper so I had two. Massage, check. My son rubbed my shoulders, it was wonderful while he did it! Nap, check. No MSG, I don't recall anything that might have had MSG but I tend to avoid it anyway. It makes me feel strange. No red wine, I'm a white wine drinker as a rule but I'll keep this in mind. Tiger Balm, I'll be visiting the Asian market soon. Hot pack, check. I wrapped my neck in one of those things you heat in the microwave. Heat helps me. It relaxes the tension a bit. I did some self hand massage, which I find helps. Thanks for the links, Lpink. I swear by acupuncture for some other problems I've had, I'll give it try for this. The problem is that when I am in the midst of a migraine, driving to a clinic and sitting in a waiting room is the last thing I want to do. Alexa, tell your DH you needs LOTS of massaging and TLC. Terri, I'm interested in the tea you used. What was it?