Role of psychiatric comorbidity in chronic Lyme disease......

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1241213&blobtype=pdf

First they complain that "we" (those of us that 'think' we have LD, or once had LD but no longer do, etc. etc.) keep tiny little detailed records of our symptoms:

^{These people chronically monitor their symptoms, often documenting changes in detailed diaries that focus on even the most subtle changes in their apparent health status.  In this way the overanxious “worried well” can evolve into patients with MUS conditions, in this example, chronic Lyme disease.}

And then it goes on to say that "we" can't articulate what we are feeling.  I don't know why we can't tell someone what is going on since "we" keep all these tiny little notes about ourselves:

^{_{For our purposes, aporia is a state of confusion, self-doubt, and exhaustion! This manifests in patients as an inability to adequately formulate and articulate their complaints, their fears of unknown threats/disease, and their elusive sense of anguish. They are “stuck” and thoroughly unable to deal effectively with their health care needs. Defensive anger stems from the threat of removing their diagnosis; illness behavior in their experience of chronic Lyme disease has become their only fundamentally acceptable “language” for expression of their distress; to borrow a term from the psychology literature, it is their “ego-syntonic” language.}}

And it ends with a lovely note:

^{_{Any attempt to deny these people their diagnosis or access to their chosen physician or their chosen modes of therapy is met with anger, voluble resentment, and active protest.}}

I'm sick and I want to get well.  I do not keep track of "all my little symptoms". I can articualte how I am feeling.  I can discern what pain is.  And, I don't care what they call it (Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia, CFS, eating cat poop disease, etc.) I just want my life back.

dorit said...
Role of psychiatric comorbidity in chronic Lyme disease (AND ALL ALONG I THOUGHT CHRONIC LD DIDN'T EXIST) .

Two groups of CLD patients (those with post-Lyme disease syndrome and those with medically unexplained symptoms attributed to Lyme disease but without Borrelia burgdorferi infection) were compared with 2 groups of patients without CLD (patients recovered from Lyme disease and those with an identifiable medical condition explaining symptoms attributed to Lyme disease).

RESULTS: psychiatric disorders were more common in CLD patients than in comparison patients, but personality disorders were not. Patients with CLD had higher negative affect, lower positive affect, and a greater tendency to catastrophize pain  (HOW CAN THEY MEASURE ANYONE'S PAIN? - MAYBE THIS DISEASE JUST SENDS US INTO A NEW STRATOSPHERE OF PAIN THAT THEY HAVE NO MEASURING DEVICE FOR?)

CONCLUSION: Psychiatric comorbidity and other psychological factors distinguished CLD patients from other patients commonly seen in Lyme disease referral centers, and were related to poor functional outcomes. MAYBE BECAUSE THERE IS NO ACCURATE TESTING OR TREATMENT - PERHAPS, COULD THIS BE THE REASON?????

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO SETS OF PATIENTS?

1. medically unexplained symptoms attributed to Lyme disease but without Borrelia burgdorferi infection

2. those with an identifiable medical condition explaining symptoms attributed to Lyme disease

PS - I got busted again for my colorful language.        My apologies if I offended anyone.