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Confusion, derealization, depersonalization, debilitating fear... Anyone else ?

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 9/9/2011 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
I find these are the most debilitating symptoms.. Does or did anyone Else experience this ? I don't know how much more I can take !
Posted 9/9/2011 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shanrock,

These are terrible symptoms, I know. I suffered from them continually for some time. Now they come just occasionally as I am nearing completion of my treatment.

They will go away with treatment, I assure you. You just need to hold on -- I know that that is really hard. You want to run away, but there's no running away from your self.

The best thing to do is to keep on reminding yourself that it is the disease that is making you feel this way -- it is not you. And that this is temporary. There will come a day when you feel totally calm, totally clear and totally whole. Focus on what you are fighting for, what you will do when you are well and try to center on the things that make you happy. Don't put undue pressure on yourself.

And you can take this; you will be stronger for it.

We're here -- keep talking.
Posted 9/9/2011 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
HI Shan,
Achievinggrace is right! This is temporary - I know this because I am at a point where I haven't experienced that in a while - and putting the extra pressure on yourself isn't good for you, the stress just brings out more symptoms.

Something that seemed to help me was anti-anxiety meds., Should you really need something to help, maybe you could talk to your doctor about trying one out?

Are you detoxing yet? Not only will this most likely relieve some of your symptoms, but to relax for a bit in a nice warm bath is always good if you are dealing with added stress!!

And as Achievinggrace also said - Keep talking - not only are we here, but we will listen, and hopefully will have more suggestions for you! smilewinkgrin
Posted 9/10/2011 5:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to the both of you... I will NOT take any anti anxiety meds.. I was addicted to them for years and now I know why LYME.. This is nuts ! I was on benzodiazepines for 16 yrs. It was hell to get off and I am still dealing with it.. Personally I believe that the stress from the withdrawal kicked up dormant Lyme... Do you have any other ideas on what I could try ? I really don't know if I am detoxing right or enough... I have been taking a Epsom salt bath for the last 3 days and do ionic foot baths twice a week.. I also try and do infra red sauna twice a week but all of this is draining my already dry pockets.. I am so confused to what is benzo withdrawal and Lyme ....
Posted 9/10/2011 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shan Rock, I know exactly what it's like to have these feelings. Although I wouldn't quite describe it as derealization for myself, I have spent the last several years with a 24/7 spaced out, foggy or always half drunk type of feeling. Confusion, disorientation and just not totally with it... I have this too. I was once best friends with benzos too, maybe about half the length of time as you but still too long considering they say not to take them beyond 4 weeks. I got on them because I was experiencing some insomnia and it wasn't until I got off them that I fully realized what they did to me. In the last couple of years of being on them I started having daily panic attacks which landed me in the ER on several occasions. I've been off them for a year and a half now and I don't have anymore panic attacks or anxiety but all these other unusual symptoms. Like you, I wonder the the withdrawals brought out LD which was dormant in our bodies.

I haven't read your other posts but can you tell me if you tested positive for Lymes or were clinically diagnosed? How long have you been treating it for?

Did you have these symptoms you just posted about while you were on the benzos? I did, and I expected things to get better when I got off and they have just gotten worse, with the except of no more anxiety/panic.
Posted 9/10/2011 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
I am taking an herbal tincture that actually has worked better than Xanax for me. If someone was inclined to actually go to a herbalist, they could make the tincture for you as well - but I won't put it up here, as I don't want to encourage non-members to use something like this. Feel free to email me if you would like to know more.

I promise I'm not trying to sell anything!! smilewinkgrin
Posted 9/10/2011 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
OK I see now why you are not on benzos. Low dose xanax did the trick for me when I needed it and although I don't socialize much now, I can relax and laugh and smile again. Yes this disease is very hard to deal with but you will feel better. Believe me I went through living h*ll everyday and being a control freak I just wouldn't give in until I had an answer. My poor husband hit rock bottom and luckily I kept telling him to look at me and see how "normal" I am now. LOL. Hang in there. Are you seeing LLMD because you really must!! Please please do that.
Posted 9/11/2011 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Wow sooo Many on benzo forums say no Shan this isnt Lyme it's benzo withdrawal... I am glad I found you all.. So sick or hearing benzo withdrawal.. One of you asked how long I've been treating Lyme n how was I diagnosed. Well I came up positive for babesia neg for Lyme but I still believe I have Lyme also. I took Mepron for 10 days with zithromax and now I have been on doxy for 2 weeks...
Posted 9/11/2011 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
I spent over a year on benzoisland (they closed down now) and as I started experiencing new symptom after new symptom same thing... oh thats very typical of benzo withdrawal. It wasn't until I realized that my anxiety and panic symptoms were all gone that I realized that I had made it through the withdrawals and these other symptoms continued to get worse and new symptoms kept coming on.

I really think that in my case the benzos were kind of covering up my illness, because I spent several years sedated and not really caring to much about anything. Now that I am off those I don't have anything to numb the pain and I don't want anything to cover it up anymore... I want a normal life.

So I can definitely see how these things are dangerous for chronically ill people.
Posted 9/11/2011 3:14 AM (GMT 0)
It's just so tricky benzo w/d and Lyme... My story is strange I had panic n anxiety fog derealization before benzos... And unlike you still have anxiety.. Do you get confusion and. Are you treating. The Lyme. ?
Posted 9/11/2011 11:21 AM (GMT 0)
I had anxiety before starting on benzos as well, I was going through a period of insomnia and felt this spaced out, disoriented feeling then. I figured it was because of lack of sleep, but it never went away and the benzos really just put a band aid on it. I was really hoping that coming off them would make those symptoms go away but I still have them. I guess that's why I spent so much time convincing myself that all my symptoms were just in my head and didn't really exist.

Something LD and benzos share in common is they both can destroy your CNS. With benzo w/d though we should be getting progressively better as time goes on, not worse.

Feel free to email me if you want to discuss more about this.
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