Please read IF you've had a MAJOR Health Crisis in your life, otherwise I doubt this pertains to you, you cannot have this and NOT have major health issues.
OK, I've been a part of this board for years. While this program has certainly helped me and I believe it is worth it, it hasn't cured me. I wondered why. Why have I been so anxious much of the past 12 years?
In two words: LYME DISEASE
I didn't know Lyme could cause panic attacks/anxiety and depression. I did not know!
I want to say that I do not believe everyone on this board has Lyme, but some of you may. If even ONE person can relate to my story and get tested and helped, then I will have done my job to help others.
My anxiety started way back in 1996 just before my senior year in high school. I had lots of friends, was very active, ect. That summer I went on vacation with a friend and her family to South Carolina for 10 days. Had a great time! The day we got back, I had a sore throat, fever, chills, felt like I had the flu, but it was July.
Did I mention my throat was SORE, like extremely sore, I was hoarse for weeks. The doctor told me I must have strep or something. I started noticing muscle weakness some, I just couldn't run as fast in cross country, but I continued running and gymnastics and choir, orchestra, student council, honors' society and anything else I am forgetting.
3 Months after getting that 'flu' I had my first panic attack. We were stretching after CC and gabbing with one another and my heart just took off, I jumped up and my mom who was also a coach raced me to the hospital, only it was over by the time we got there.
Over the next 5 months I turned into the most anxiety ridden, depressed, tired person I had never imagined someone could be. I couldn't think, went from an A student to even getting a D in Physics, I could not comprehend anything.
I went to a lot of doctors, one told me first they thought I had leukemia as my WBC was so elevated, then determined due to the fatigue that I must have mono. But I didn't get better, my depression turned to dark thoughts about death and dying, it was a fearful time, my friends were having fun and I was living a secret hell. I stopped wanting to do anything, was sleeping at least 12-14 hours/day. I felt like I was dying.
I eventually started this extremely strict diet (raw foods) and taking all kinds of supplements/herbs and got well enough to go to college for a year. I was maybe 60% of the person I once was, but the panic had stopped, moderate depression still there.
Over the years, the symptoms have waxed and waned. Oh, difficulty swallowing anyone???
Yup, Lyme Symptoms. I have horrible trouble swallowing sometimes. Muscle twitches, yup, Lyme. Pain in my leg muscles, Lyme again. It is called the 'great imitator' because it mimics so many diseases, MS, ALS, Arthritis, Fibro, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (another thing I was diagnosed with and told I would be like that forever).
If it isn't the Lyme that causes it, it may be a co-infection, called Bartonella.
I only post this so that if you have ever had a health upset like this (and I talked with at least one on this board who has), it may not 'JUST' be anxiety.
I also may have infected my 3 children, 2 have possible symptoms, we are in the process of finding a good pediatric Lyme Literate Medical doctor for them to go to and get tested. It makes me sick. If I had been diagnosed when I had the 'flu' way back in 1996, I would be able to be cured and wouldn't have endured all of this. Chronic Lyme (meaning longer than a year) will not resolve with current medical treatment, you can hope to resolve symptoms but not erradicate the spirochete.
I just found out last week that I was positive. I was glad and sad, I have not started treatment, because I'm so scared of medicines (they prescribe antibiotics).
Also, I did not get ANY arthritis symptoms until this past spring when my knee would swell and hurt, so it was nearly 12 years since I contracted it. I always thought that is what Lyme is. Not Neuro Lyme, it's a nightmare.
If anyone would like to pm me I would be happy to answer questions. Most doctors know nothing about Lyme, so I went to one of the best Lyme Doctors in the country.
If you are unconvinced, please do a search on Lyme and anxiety or Bartonella and anxiety. I couldn't believe how many symptoms I had.
Also air hunger is a symptom of another co-infection called Babesia. Lyme can cause heart issues, two doctors have told me that my heart rate was irregular, this has come about only in the last couple of years.
Please take care and take this post very seriously, it may change your life!!!
Take care,
Ocean
Is your panic just anxiety????? Please Read!!!!
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Guest
A list of Symptoms I found online:
According to Patricia Kane, Ph.D., the following represent the range of Lyme disease symptoms.
Intense fatigue
Diminished or absent reflexes
Brain fog
Insomnia or excessive sleep
Memory loss (short & long term)
Joint pain/swelling/stiffness
Poor coordination/ataxia
Difficulty reading
Slow or slurred speech
Unexplained chills & fevers
Rash
Sudden abrupt mood swings
Continual infections
Poor concentration
Decreased ability to spell correctly
Unusual depression
Tremors
Disorientation
Burning/stabbing pain
Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
GI distress/abdominal pain
Poor word retrieval/Aphasia
Shortness of breath
Anxiety
Loss of temperature control
Heart palpitations/chest pain
Weight changes (loss or gain)
Difficulty swallowing
Sore throat
Swollen glands
Nausea/vomiting
Anorexia
Cough
Vasculitis
Muscle pain or cramps
Loss of muscle tone
Changes in taste or smell
Twitching of muscles (face or other)
Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms
Panic attacks
Changes in cerebral blood flow
Peripheral neuropathy/tingling/numbness
Number reversal
Lightheadedness
Headaches/Migraines
Light Sensitivity
Menstrual irregularities
Change in hearing/buzzing/tinnitus
Trigeminal neuralgia (TMJ)
Unexplained hair loss
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Visual disturbance
According to Patricia Kane, Ph.D., the following represent the range of Lyme disease symptoms.
Intense fatigue
Diminished or absent reflexes
Brain fog
Insomnia or excessive sleep
Memory loss (short & long term)
Joint pain/swelling/stiffness
Poor coordination/ataxia
Difficulty reading
Slow or slurred speech
Unexplained chills & fevers
Rash
Sudden abrupt mood swings
Continual infections
Poor concentration
Decreased ability to spell correctly
Unusual depression
Tremors
Disorientation
Burning/stabbing pain
Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
GI distress/abdominal pain
Poor word retrieval/Aphasia
Shortness of breath
Anxiety
Loss of temperature control
Heart palpitations/chest pain
Weight changes (loss or gain)
Difficulty swallowing
Sore throat
Swollen glands
Nausea/vomiting
Anorexia
Cough
Vasculitis
Muscle pain or cramps
Loss of muscle tone
Changes in taste or smell
Twitching of muscles (face or other)
Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms
Panic attacks
Changes in cerebral blood flow
Peripheral neuropathy/tingling/numbness
Number reversal
Lightheadedness
Headaches/Migraines
Light Sensitivity
Menstrual irregularities
Change in hearing/buzzing/tinnitus
Trigeminal neuralgia (TMJ)
Unexplained hair loss
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Visual disturbance
hi Ocean. Maybe you should stop googling. You will just make your anxiety worse looking up symptoms on the Internet. We all have been there and we only made things worse for ourselves. You have already got to the point where you don't even trust your doctor anymore. You think he doesn't know anything about Lyme disease, which I'm sure he does. Stop torturing yourself. Do the program and make sure you do the relaxation. You are fine. K
Say it to yoursef daily because it's true.
Say it to yoursef daily because it's true.
ATTITUDE -- The mind is like a parachute...it doesn't work unless it's open!!
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Guest
Deedee, I think you misinterpreted. I do trust my doctor. I have Lyme Disease, He took a bunch of tests, something called a Western Blot and it was positive.
I said that many doctors do not know much about Lyme disease. It's important to find one who does.
I am trying to help. I went YEARS thinking I 'JUST' had anxiety. I didn't.
I now know. Like I said I don't think a lot of people have it on here, BUT... If they have had a long health history and docs are writing them off as having anxiety disorder. It may be more.
Ok??
Take care,
Ocean
I said that many doctors do not know much about Lyme disease. It's important to find one who does.
I am trying to help. I went YEARS thinking I 'JUST' had anxiety. I didn't.
I now know. Like I said I don't think a lot of people have it on here, BUT... If they have had a long health history and docs are writing them off as having anxiety disorder. It may be more.
Ok??
Take care,
Ocean
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Guest
Hey no prob. I'll edit it to say it's only likely IF you've had a Major medical issue in your life like I have.
It's just amazing to me how many major Lyme symptoms are also prevalent in anxiety. I went undiagnosed for YEARS because of that. I just don't want any others to have that happen and go without treatment. Maybe my heart wouldn't have these double beats? I don't know.
I know that my anxiety got much better, but my swallowing remained an issue, so obviously it wasn't just anxiety, thought maybe something structural.
Take care and I will edit it, I don't want some people who 'just' have anxiety to think they have it. I don't mean to belittle anxiety in any way, that is why I used the quotes. It's awful, I've been there for years.
Take care
Ocean
It's just amazing to me how many major Lyme symptoms are also prevalent in anxiety. I went undiagnosed for YEARS because of that. I just don't want any others to have that happen and go without treatment. Maybe my heart wouldn't have these double beats? I don't know.
I know that my anxiety got much better, but my swallowing remained an issue, so obviously it wasn't just anxiety, thought maybe something structural.
Take care and I will edit it, I don't want some people who 'just' have anxiety to think they have it. I don't mean to belittle anxiety in any way, that is why I used the quotes. It's awful, I've been there for years.
Take care
Ocean
ANGELS CAN FLY BECAUSE THEY TAKE THEMSELVES LIGHTLY
Ocean,
Thanks for sharing that info. I hope you can get some relief for you and your kids.
You just never know. I had a friend that was super tired and anxious for over a year and found out it was a physical problem as well.
We just need to take good care of ourselves and insist on testing when necessary. Lots of things mask as anxiety, but most times it is "just" anxiety.
I've been wondering lately if mine is hormones. I'm going to have some testing done. I'm not one that runs to the doctor a lot but I just want to know. I have noticed that now even though I feel more relaxed, that I still have the heart palps almost every night. I don't get the racing thoughts any more, so I don't feel it is emotional. In fact, it doesn't even really scare me. . . I just do deep breathing and it eventually slows. But, my mother had the same thing and it eventually got worse so she had to have a minor procedure to regulate her rythm. I'm probably going to get that checked as wel.
Most times for me I know I just need to take better care of myself!
Thanks for sharing that info. I hope you can get some relief for you and your kids.
You just never know. I had a friend that was super tired and anxious for over a year and found out it was a physical problem as well.
We just need to take good care of ourselves and insist on testing when necessary. Lots of things mask as anxiety, but most times it is "just" anxiety.
I've been wondering lately if mine is hormones. I'm going to have some testing done. I'm not one that runs to the doctor a lot but I just want to know. I have noticed that now even though I feel more relaxed, that I still have the heart palps almost every night. I don't get the racing thoughts any more, so I don't feel it is emotional. In fact, it doesn't even really scare me. . . I just do deep breathing and it eventually slows. But, my mother had the same thing and it eventually got worse so she had to have a minor procedure to regulate her rythm. I'm probably going to get that checked as wel.
Most times for me I know I just need to take better care of myself!
ATTITUDE -- The mind is like a parachute...it doesn't work unless it's open!!
Ocean, I am so very very sorry about this diagnosis! I got your PM this afternoon, and although I am still “on vacation” until next week, I had to return to our community and reply. You are correct about Lyme Disease. If it had been caught by the professionals you went to, when you went, they could have treated it with antibiotics and gotten rid of it. Now you have a chronic condition, and you have had about a decade to learn how to live with the results of this condition left untreated. It is EASY to get, and it is HARD to get a proper diagnosis. I wish you were still back in California. I’d send you over to Loma Linda Medical Center. They have specialists there who you could have used ten years ago. This disease can really wreck a person’s health. Don’t give up until you find a facility that can offer you hope. I am so sad about this, and I want you to know I can only offer you good thoughts and best wishes, but I certainly send the most sincere of these to you today. You are in my thoughts. Take care. Be strong. Kind regards, Pecos
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Guest
Hi Faith,
Thanks for your well wishes. I'm certainly not trying to make anyone believe that they have Lyme for sure. I just know that you can really have a physical problem and Lyme is so undiagnosed, and you don't have to see the bulls eye rash, I never saw one. I even had a Lyme test in 1997 (back then, the Elisa test is what they had and it is only 58% accurate!) and I thought my doctor was crazy, I certianly didn't have joint issues. Had NO idea that it can cause neuro issues as well!
I guess I started thinking about it this spring, as I am 29 years old and started getting the swelling and pain in my knee.
You are right in that hormones can definitely come into play with anxiety! I am sure that my hormones are out of whack (as lyme wrecks the endocrine system), I've never been on the pill, but the only time I've had a clear complexion was during each of my 3 pregnancies!
My heart palps seem to increase at night too. You are right in that we all need to get ourselves checked out, I wish that I had been more proactive even 8 years ago before I ever had kids, I wish someone had suggested Lyme as a possible cause for anxiety, I just found that out recently. I'm glad that your mom was OK with her heart issue, even minor issues can be scary because it feels so strange.
I do think this program in invaluable, when I get into a panic, it can sometimes bring me out of it.
Take care!!
Ocean
Thanks for your well wishes. I'm certainly not trying to make anyone believe that they have Lyme for sure. I just know that you can really have a physical problem and Lyme is so undiagnosed, and you don't have to see the bulls eye rash, I never saw one. I even had a Lyme test in 1997 (back then, the Elisa test is what they had and it is only 58% accurate!) and I thought my doctor was crazy, I certianly didn't have joint issues. Had NO idea that it can cause neuro issues as well!
I guess I started thinking about it this spring, as I am 29 years old and started getting the swelling and pain in my knee.
You are right in that hormones can definitely come into play with anxiety! I am sure that my hormones are out of whack (as lyme wrecks the endocrine system), I've never been on the pill, but the only time I've had a clear complexion was during each of my 3 pregnancies!
My heart palps seem to increase at night too. You are right in that we all need to get ourselves checked out, I wish that I had been more proactive even 8 years ago before I ever had kids, I wish someone had suggested Lyme as a possible cause for anxiety, I just found that out recently. I'm glad that your mom was OK with her heart issue, even minor issues can be scary because it feels so strange.
I do think this program in invaluable, when I get into a panic, it can sometimes bring me out of it.
Take care!!
Ocean
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Guest
Pecos,
Awww thanks. You're right, I've learned to live with this pretty well, and besides fatigue, muscle twitching and swallowing issues, most of mine are neuro like brain fog, anxiety, depression, forgetting things.
I have done things in the past to get better though, herbs, vitamins and that darn raw diet. I hate doing the raw diet because I crave SUGAR!!!! BUT, after a week of doing it, I always have much more energy and feel better. Since I am weaning my 2 year old, I am considering trying juice fasting too, many claim it can really help many things.
Now that I know I really have a health problem, it's easier to start. Oh, my Lyme Doc is in CA, he's very good. I didn't know Loma Linda has Lyme docs there, that is exciting!!
There is also an alternative treatment in Germany and some people have claimed to be cured of chronic Lyme. I know someone right now who is over there, who's had it for 25 years and so far, she's doing great! However, I don't know long term (longer than 6 months) if it lasts.
I just pray that my babies don't have it. We suspect the oldest 2 do, our 7 year old is smart, but takes a long time to answer things. Had a little difficulty breathing at birth and just yesterday complained that his feet and legs were sore (happens to me). Last year he started complaining of his heart hurting, the doctor said he was fine. And he has a lot of strange phobias. We are going to talk with his teacher tomorrow to let her know that I was just diagnosed and he may have it too. Last year at school, his teacher told us that he was smart, but slow to listen sometimes, almost like he doesn't hear sometimes.
I believe that God will pull us through, He's taken care of me thus far, maybe He will be able to use us due to this, I don't know.
Thank-you so much and I'll keep you posted on my progress, I think I will definitely improve now that I KNOW what I am up against!!!
Take care,
Ocean
Awww thanks. You're right, I've learned to live with this pretty well, and besides fatigue, muscle twitching and swallowing issues, most of mine are neuro like brain fog, anxiety, depression, forgetting things.
I have done things in the past to get better though, herbs, vitamins and that darn raw diet. I hate doing the raw diet because I crave SUGAR!!!! BUT, after a week of doing it, I always have much more energy and feel better. Since I am weaning my 2 year old, I am considering trying juice fasting too, many claim it can really help many things.
Now that I know I really have a health problem, it's easier to start. Oh, my Lyme Doc is in CA, he's very good. I didn't know Loma Linda has Lyme docs there, that is exciting!!
There is also an alternative treatment in Germany and some people have claimed to be cured of chronic Lyme. I know someone right now who is over there, who's had it for 25 years and so far, she's doing great! However, I don't know long term (longer than 6 months) if it lasts.
I just pray that my babies don't have it. We suspect the oldest 2 do, our 7 year old is smart, but takes a long time to answer things. Had a little difficulty breathing at birth and just yesterday complained that his feet and legs were sore (happens to me). Last year he started complaining of his heart hurting, the doctor said he was fine. And he has a lot of strange phobias. We are going to talk with his teacher tomorrow to let her know that I was just diagnosed and he may have it too. Last year at school, his teacher told us that he was smart, but slow to listen sometimes, almost like he doesn't hear sometimes.
I believe that God will pull us through, He's taken care of me thus far, maybe He will be able to use us due to this, I don't know.
Thank-you so much and I'll keep you posted on my progress, I think I will definitely improve now that I KNOW what I am up against!!!
Take care,
Ocean