LymeNet Flash: Relapse brought on by major stress events?

This is topic Relapse brought on by major stress events? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by Luthien (Member # 7132) on :

Hi,

I am new to this board, just wanted to say hi.

Has anyone had a "relapse" or a major (and I mean major) worsening of symptoms that occured with a stressful event(s) such as divorce, etc.?

I believe I've had this for a long time. But although there were bouts where I couldn't function at all, most of the time I was at about 80% capacity and was feeling at least semi-human. I had given up seeking medical treatment because it had all been so much running around in circles with no answers.

A few years ago, I had two major tragedies strike at once, the death of my brother and the only family member I'd been close too which occured at the same time as my partner of seven years leaving me to be with someone else.

Suddenly the whole thing just spun out of control. An astute and intellegent doctor diagnosed me with mycoplasma and treated me extensively with minocycline. This improved and eliminated certain symptoms (Thank God!!!) but did not altogher make me feel "normal". Gradually the remaining symptoms worsened. And worsened. Now I have been stuck in bed for months and have cardio/neuro symptoms. Thankfully I came across accurate Lyme info while websurfing.

Around the time when it started getting worse I had been in a wooded area where everyone kept pulling ticks off themselves. Symptoms also seemed to take another downturn about 2 years ago. Two things happening then- 1) I was staying in a heavily (really heavily) tick infested property and 2) I was in a very stressful relationship.

So I'm wondering about stressful circumstances triggering these things vs. the possiblity that I could have been infected a second or third time. I am aware that that has been known to happen to people. Any ideas?

Posted by hatsnscarfs (Member # 6562) on :

Welcome Luthien,
Stress can definitely trigger Lyme symptoms. Someone will be along soon with lots of info for Newbies. I've read in many places that Lyme can be dormant or asymptomatic and then become full blown during stressful times.

Since I got really sick with Lyme I find my body reacts terribly to stress, my symptoms get worse right away. Now,I try to avoid stressful situations, crises, conflict or anything that makes me feel worse.

I got Lyme after a tickbite last July. My symptoms began to appear the week of a dear friends memorial service. I was grief stricken and mega stressed. I'm sure this contributed to how sick I got in just 3 1/2 weeks

Now that I've been on antibiotics for 9 months and am making a lot of progress, I've found that some symptoms I've had for at least 15 years are going away. Although I'm still sick and having weird Lyme symtoms, in some ways I feel better than I ever have. Things that always hurt me are getting better. I'm starting to think that I've had Lyme for a long time. My LLMD says it is likely and the recent tickbite triggered a full blown active case.

Read up here on Lymenet about finding an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor).

hatsnscarfs

Posted by EZ-E (Member # 6436) on :

Yes! Stress, or anger causes relapses. I got seriously P.O.'d at family in January, & had a serious relapse. I have a bottle of 5mg valium in the cupboard. I won't(hopefully)let it happen again! When I start vibrating on the inside, I know to do something. More water, food, or something.... like a generic valium... I'm new at this, but I have had 5 relapses in the last 1&1/2 years...No more after this!!!!!!!.. Good luck with this stuff!!

Posted by HaplyCarlessdave (Member # 413) on :

I was ..treated'... within weeks after infection.
But I was not given a high enough dose of antibiotics for long enough to eraticate the lyme. In addition, I was not treated for the "co-infections" I had, asside from hoping that the small dose of doxycycline would take care of those, too, which it didn't.
So several months later I had a huge relapse. They gave me another similar round of ...'treatment', and seemed not even to realize, or in any case refused to believe, that it was the lyme, etcetera reocurring.
In order to get proper treatment I had to travel hundreds of miles. As I told (futilely, of course, since the dude's a lame-brain) ...'governor'... (yeah, right) pataki in a letter requesting that he sign the opmc reform legislation, I might as well have been in Bosnia! (I live in upstate NY)
As far as symptoms increasing with stress, that is surly the case, since stress taxes your immune syatem. So that could definitely play a part for you; however, everything you say indicates that you are simply suffering a relapse, similar to what happened to me.
I'm sorry to hear about the stuff your going through-- true to murphy's law, couldn't have happened at a worse time!
When I had my relapse I was painting, so I thought it was some kind of toxic reaction to the paint. Well, that might have made it a little worse, but mainly it was the lyme, etc hitting like a ton of bricks. It's one nasty set of diseases. It took me two and a half years of constant high doses of several antibiotics at once, changing combinations every few months, and other drugs and herbal treatments, too, for me to get to a point of remission.
Make sure you find a real lyme doc who has patients he or she has caused to get better, or at least to the pont of remission.
Usually these docs give extended treatments with various antibiotics, incuding intravenous, if you have insurance or can aford it, and treatment for co-infections; some of these docs are also recommending alternative treatments of various sorts.
I do also recommend trying alternative treatments to the extent that these are affordable, seem logical, and which you have heard good things about from a source you have come to trust.
Good Luck!
DaveS

Posted by GEDEN13 (Member # 4151) on :

i am almost sure,when you have some type of"trauma",be it physical or emotional,seem's to stir up the "keet's"

it happened after i had surgery on my knee two year's ago.

emotional stress,is also a trigger.it is hard to avoid stressful situation's.

but try if you can.i don't mean ,live in a box.just leave an arguement,walk away.

valium might do it.i don't know.someone on this post suggested it.try it.tell your doc what it's for..

good luck,biting the bullit.......gary

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Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :

Stress is what got me into this mess. I moved, got a new job, enrolled in college and got my final divorce decree AND erupted with lyme all in the same month.

Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :

Stress is now my #1 enemy. I used to function at my best under stress. Could handle anything.

Good stress (birth of grandson), bad stress sends me in a tail spin. I do my best to avoid stress, but life happens.

Pam

Posted by shazdancer (Member # 1436) on :

Dear Luthien,

My mother came down with all kinds of weird symptoms after an auto accident. Burning, painful feet and disequilibrium when she'd turn her head, among other problems. Tried many "cures" -- nothing helped.

Several years later, my father passed away, and my mother had hallucinations very similar to those described by Amy Tan in her book "The Opposite of Fate." Yup, both women have Lyme.

I first came down with symptoms when I was taking my ex to court. The CDC would've loved my positive Lyme test. Then I relapsed again 2 years later when it was time to pack up and move out of state. (The morning the movers arrived, I could barely walk, having stayed up late packing the night before.)

I believe stress lowers the immune system, making the body a friendly environment for the spirochetes to come out and wreak havoc.

Regards,
Shaz