Question about neurological lyme

Anxiety can definitely be Lyme related. Bartonella, one of the common co-infections of Lyme, is also a big cause of anxiety. Hopefully, you'll know more tomorrow. Are you getting back tests results? Unfortunately, the test results aren't very accurate, but at least if something comes back positive, you'll know to treat that.

Liz,

I'm wondering this myself. I would think that if you are treated for lyme and bartonella orally and do not experience any relief from the anxiety then it would seem likely that not enough antibiotic is entering the brain. Anxiety is my primary symptom. My LLMD just recently started to treat the bartonella co-infection. Today was the first day in a long time I did not wake up with anxiety. However as the day progressed it came back. I'm really hoping that in a couple of months it will be gone.

Did you experience anxiety/panic attack prior to treatment? Have you been prescribed anything for the anxiety or are you toughing it out?

LizW,

Make sure you are detoxing. That is extremely important when you are on treatment. The die off of toxins can also cause severe anxiety or raise your anxiety levels to the extreme. I had it really bad when I was on treatment. I also agree with the others here that Lyme itself can cause anxiety. So can Bartonella. I have that also.

Thanks everyone! My anxiety and depression came on 7 years ago. I started having panic attacks out of the blue and it started after I had a partial hysterectomy. I contributed it to being hormonal, and even though I had went on biodentical hormones it still didnt go away. As the years went by the symptoms got way worse. I started having hearts palps, sometimes racing, and skipped beats, dizziness, especially if I went into a store. It was bad to the point where I thought I was going to pass out. My vision got blurry and distorted, and I couldn't take the light it hurt my eyes. Noise also bothers me ....I use to love loud music, now I hate it. I cant even watch fireworks as it makes me anxious and nervous. I became agoraphobic, and was afraid to drive and to be home alone. My neck and shoulders are so painful, my head is full of pressure, and i get the worst muscle spasms. I started being treated 5 weeks ago, tested positive for Lyme through igenix. I am from NJ but out here is Arizona for treatment. I get EDTA, zithromax, vitamin C, ozone sauna foot detox, and just had oxy bosh, which gave me some decent energy. I take ativan for the anxiety and sometimes that doesnt work. I hate this, and just want my life back. I am trying to keep my faith and hope that I will get my life back, but sometimes it doesnt feel that way, if it makes sense. It is nice to know I am not alone. :)

LizW,

As for me, in ways I feel like the depression and anxiety are the worst symptoms, in that you are not able to get a grip on things. The disease is bad enough as it is, but when your emotions are all screwed up, because of something PHYSICAL, it is so difficult to try to deal w/ the disease and the issues you face in the workplace and elsewhere.

Again, I have dealt w/ depression before, along w/ abnormal anxiety, which was caused by something in me -- genes, imbalance, my personality, whatever. And I always responded well to antidepressants, which I was able to scale down shortly after starting them. HOwever, since that tick bite, I had to double my antidepressant and quadrupled my anxiety meds (xanax)

I feel that the neurological aspects are the worst, and that includes the above, along w/ wild mood swings, cognitive problems, and possibly about 3 frontal lobe partial seizures.

It feels like you can't get a grip on stuff and can't make the decision to pick yourself up and move forward, positively. For me, these symptoms are now so obviously physically caused and so they feel impossible to battle.

I do also admit that it is entirely possible that my incompetencies (physical + emotional) that have caused depression and anxiety, left me vulnerable to diseases like Lyme, or possibly cancer --- diseases which my body would normally have attacked and resolved if I did not have the personality and other issues that I have.

And so, it is too difficult to know which caused which. Contracting LYme and Babesia are enough to throw a person into a whirlwind of mental and emotional troubles. Yet I also believe that having a predisposition to the vulnerabilities of depression and/or anxiety causes many of us to contract the Lyme without the defenses that many other people have. Does this make sense?

My newest Dr was absolutely emphatic, when I complained of the more than serious mental issues -- disabling depression, and physically painful anxiety, that yes, Lyme can do this, as may the herx experienced while on abx.

I do hope you receive relief soon! And just wanted to let you know that yeah, Lyme can cause what you are feeling

WEll, just in case this helps anyone, I had a whopper of one today. It almost always starts late afternoon, going into very early evening. I tell you it's unbearable. It is like a combination anxiety/depression. I cannot even describe it, but it's a living nightmare!

Today, for the first time, I felt I was losing all control -- I started rocking in my chair and kept rocking and rocking hard. I felt like I wanted to bash my head thru something. I was hyperventilating and felt like I might explode. I cannot even describe it except it is horrifying and unbearable.

At these times, I feel so desperate for help, but then realize it is not possible. There is no one in my family that could handle this. I can't even expect them to, because it would only hurt them and they would have no idea what to do. I can't find any positive reason to reach out to any of them. I have latched onto my daughter before, but can't do that anymore -- it hurts her too bad when I feel suicidal and when she sees me in such desperate shape.

I will often feel so desperate that I want to go to a hospital. However, in reality, I can't. I have 2 dogs and a job that must be done, that simple. It all feels so unfair.

Also, I work VERY closely w/ 3 total *****ES. I know that I am not sane, and also know that ALL of them have their own issues and in 2 of them, insantiy is a part.

This sounds so petty and I know the answer is to ignore them and keep doing my job. The issue is that they have decided that they hate me. Yes, I am SICK and am not constantly totally 'up' and positive, altho I try hard everday, at least until they shut me down. Yet I have never done anything to any of them. They over react on everything, play stupid games, like '3 against 1' ha ha ha.

When I walk into work and tell everyone good morning, they do not even acknowledge me. Often when I ask a work related question, they ignore me, or answer in a very put down, snotty manner. If I approach an area in the office where one of them is doing someting, for example, using the copy machine -- couple of them will throw up their hands, make a horrifying face as if I am a monster coming to eat them up, act totally flustered and then act pissed at me the rest of the day, because I did God Knows What.

Anyhow, this sounds so minor and petty, but it is seriously interfering w/ my desire to go to work, plus, often now the depression and anxiety come on earlier. I do not care about these ladies or whether they like me, but it is very difficult to go to work when your co-workers behave as if you are a monster or total B.

I know how I SHOULD work this and I try anew each day to be positive and helpful at work. I know we are supposed to pray for our enemies and turn the other cheek, but I am too appalled at their audacity to behave like this at work.

Anyway, just to say that at one point in time, I would have been able to put them in their place. But right now, because of my depression, it hurts, and I DO NOT wish to act like any one of them. And I will not. I zip my mouth.

Oh, shoot, enough of all that, sorry.....

Well. I have found out that I dont have any co-infections, praise god! But it baffles me with all this anxiety, before treatment for 7 years and still now with treatment. I thought for sure I had bartonella as I heard that causes anxiety, but what about just Lyme??

+Lyme - I really feel for you about the work situation you're in. I used to work somewhere like that and it was a nightmare. Those women lived to gossip and weren't above fabricating things if there was no factual gossip to be had. During that time I kept myself awake much of the night just so that morning would not come so soon. All weekend I'd dread Monday, and every morning I would dread walking in the door to what felt like my prison. Maybe your coworkers are fearful of illness and this is their way of distancing themselves from it. If so, how sad. I hope you will be able to work something out there; can you transfer somewhere else or to a different department? Those people sound awful.

lylaso - Thanks for your list. Those things sound good to me and I look forward to trying them.

Rose