Lyme OCD Hypochondria about other illnesses

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to ask about something that has been going on with me since this all began. I have already mentioned having anxiety, but for several months and even now that the LLMD is pretty positive I have Lyme due to the Band 23, low CD 57 and Mycoplama, I tend to have OCD thinking about other diseases. One day my muscles are twitching - I will be certain I have ALS. The next day tremors - I am certain I have Parkinsons, the next day numbness and tingling - I am certain I have MS. On and on and on. All of these symptoms come and go and jump around. Even though I try to tell myself that it is Lyme, I can't get my mind off these other issues. It's like having Lyme isn't bad enough so I create more worst case scenario's. Just curious if anyone else has this problem? I almost think its a residual effect of wondering for so long what was wrong with me that it is hard to break the pattern now that I have a ton of symptoms.

I echo what PTZA wrote. I still get that way when a new pain strikes ( which seems to be a daily occurrence these days), but you have to make a conscious effort to keep reminding yourself it is LYME. Try and distract yourself - if you focus on every little thing all day everyday, you're just going to literally wear yourself out ( too much strain on your heart, adrenals.... to be on worry alert 24/7 ).

QueenFrostine - Yes - I am still like that....I hear or see something...I immediately start googling the symptoms...I don't know why - I was never that concerned about my health before...

I think going undiagnosed for 15 months....along with the debilitating symptoms that match some of the worst diseases makes me this way.

Over time, though, I have eliminated some...lol....I know I don't have ALS now - as my body has gotten stronger with treatment and time.
I know I don't have Parkinson's - the tremors are gone...

This disease messes not only with our body, but with our brain...it's not pretty.

Absolutely a resounding yes!!! Once I had children in my thirties, I became more conscientious of my health...however NOT as you put it OCD. Didn't get to OCD until all of this mess started. Each day my mind starts thinking, hmmm what if isn't this, but it's really that. I have to fight those thoughts day in and day out. I think it's going to be like Girlie said, as you begin to heal and get stronger then you will know that it is this and NOT that. Also remember this has screwed up most of our hormones which we know that when those are out of whack, so goes our logical thinking. As things get better and the physical begins to heal, our thinking, I believe will follow. But I'm really trying to work on the mindset now and have the body follow 😊. Boy is it hard.

I do this too! but it in a different way.Like my grandmother lives in a senior apartment complex and when people talk about all there issues and psych problems i just know that im gonna end up like that or thats what im dealing with or something like that.

Been there since treatment alot better but not perfect. Not nearly as bad

This topic really gets me going. Of course, we panic. The entire medical industry is rejecting the very logic of our situation and people wonder why we feel like it's all going downhill.

So - we're all in good company.

What helped me was learning as much as I could about lyme & co and I have found the studies and statements researchers (like MacDonald) are sharing about associations between the Bb microbe and the very conditions you named - ALS, MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimers, etc...very helpful. I am always able to stay calm by walking myself through the thought process that yes, these symptoms sure seem like x, y, or z disease. But these researchers are discovering that many of these incurable degenerative diseases might very well have a root cause in a bacterial infection, like lyme. And their "incurable" diseases are being "cured" with ANTIBIOTICS!

So, that puts me at ease. Granted, there is much more research to do before anything is definitive but I think this is very likely the outcome. Even MS used to be considered a bacterial infection until "autoimmune" craze. And of course, the impact of that surge has been the development of pharmaceutical drugs for autoimmune disorders. And no doubt MDs aren't prescribing abx anymore for MS... but what would happen if they did? More than a few people would somehow be miraculously cured, I have no doubt.

One thing to remember is that many of those diseases are really a list of comparable symptoms and a few tests that show similar results. They gave it a name: "Parkinsons". But they don't really understand the cause. So, like I say about fibromyalgia - it's just a name given for symptoms... what is causing the symptoms?

So think of it this way - those of us who are actively treating lyme & co could very well be proactively addressing a future "incurable" degenerative disease by preventing it from ever developing. This might be a little too theoretical for some, but sure helps me sleep at night.

And if you haven't seen the "Under our Skin" films, PLEASE DO SO (Part 1 is available on youtube). And do searches on youtube for MacDonald's videos where he talks about his alzheimer's studies. This will help calm nerves.

-p

Post Edited (Pirouette) : 5/24/2016 12:37:26 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks for adding the detail Girlie - I couldn't recall names. Hopefully that will entice people to watch it if they haven't. It's like Lyme 101 for us!

How awful to wait in fear for test results. Horrible. I really really hope more and more people watch that film. I'm going to post a link to some articles that were written back in 2009 when it was released - good stuff:

underourskin.com/sites/default/files/uos-press_kit-Nov2009_0.pdf

-p

Thanks guys. I seem to have days where I can tell myself when I do the loop of worry that it can't possibly be all those things. If I am going to worry about one I need to choose one and stick with it. Then those symptoms will go away and others will pop up shifting my focus. Considering this whole thing started at least 4 and possibly even 10 years ago and all the symptoms come and go, I guess I really need to focus on the Lyme and do the best I can to follow the treatment.