Topic: What happens when you live in your depersonalization and ocd thoughts?
lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
Can't focus on anything else even with meds. LLMD helping, stumped her. I do bills in house, cook, pretend like I'm me, but I'm tired of it for so long. How do you make it through? trying everything, going to psych today, but am afraid she can't help either. Scared.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
so sorry I keep asking, but am really grasping btw. docs and people having this. Have lyme and bart.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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sorry you're feeling so poorly. when my anxiety/ocd/ruminating gets bad i load up on transdermal magnesium and STRONG organic chamomile tea (think 2 teabags steeping for 20 mins). this takes the edge off.
have you tried a natural approach to maybe make yourself a little more comfortable while you figure things out with your doc and psych?
usually the transdermal mag (oral doesn't work for me, and it upsets my stomach), chamomile tea, and a substantial meal will help to ground me for a while.
also, i don't know how bad your symptoms are or what kind of shape your joints are in but another thing that helps me is taking a long, brisk walk.
the lyme fried my adrenals and endocrine system and i had to be put on bioidentical progesterone indefinitely which has also helped a lot with these kinds of symptoms. i just posted about my experience with that in jin's "hormonal hell" thread. if you are female you may want to investigate that. correcting my hormonal imbalance has made me a lot more physically and emotionally comfortable.
hope you get some relief soon. i know the repetitive thoughts etc can be very upsetting.
-------------------- Symptoms since age 4 IGM positive Western Blot (Bb) PCR positive Spiro Stat (Anaplasma) Suspect babs and bart Posts: 226 | From Currently in Los Angeles, originally from Malvern, PA. | Registered: Feb 2010
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lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
Thank you so much for your advice.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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when it comes to ruminating/ocd/repetitive thoughts, the consensus seems to be that the best thing you can do is try to just "watch" the thought... as in, don't try to fight it or silence it.
this is a cornerstone of cognitive-behavioral therapy. it really does help if you practice it.
if an upsetting thought enters your mind, try to just observe it and say "oh, isn't that interesting," and go about your business as usual. other possible "replies" include:
- "okay" - "so what?" - "is that all you can come up with?"
over time this can retrain your brain so that the intrusive thoughts, though they may not be gone, will hopefully not inspire as much fear/upset as they used to.
the thoughts won't seem as noisy/overwhelming this way. you may not be able to shut them up, but you can still show them who's boss and choose not to let them send you into a state of extreme anxiety. it's YOUR mind! again it takes practice and may not work at first, but over time this technique can really help ease some of the "thought pressure."
hope you're feeling a little better!
-------------------- Symptoms since age 4 IGM positive Western Blot (Bb) PCR positive Spiro Stat (Anaplasma) Suspect babs and bart Posts: 226 | From Currently in Los Angeles, originally from Malvern, PA. | Registered: Feb 2010
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i understand about the sick feeling. when my anxiety gets bad i get super nauseated. it's a terrible feeling. occasionally it actually gets to the point where i will dry heave. totally miserable. this happens to me a few times a year. most of the time i can just grit my teeth until it passes.
i understand how scary it can be -- it still freaks me out, but not the way it used to. your brain is just doing some weird stuff right now but it can't actually hurt you.
the thoughts cannot hurt you, no matter how persistent they are.
i am 27 and have been dealing with this stuff since i was in the second grade! i believe i have a naturally anxious disposition and that the lyme (undiagnosed for many years) has simply made it much, much worse.
so if it's any consolation... i have had just about every scary thought you can come up with, and i've lived through all of it, and things are continuing to slowly improve.
i know what it's like when you feel stuck in your head. i wouldn't wish it on anyone. but i hope knowing that someone else "gets it" helps you feel a little better. when i was at my worst i always felt comforted hearing from others who had experienced something similar and lived to tell the tale.
-------------------- Symptoms since age 4 IGM positive Western Blot (Bb) PCR positive Spiro Stat (Anaplasma) Suspect babs and bart Posts: 226 | From Currently in Los Angeles, originally from Malvern, PA. | Registered: Feb 2010
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lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
thank you so much for advice. I am on meds to unglue the thoughts but the lyme/co's are stronger at this point. Thanks for the points.
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
I say, thanks for sharing (ie, I guess that's the acknowledgement part), but now I'm going to switch the channel, and I do, whatever that change is that I instigate. Turn on the telly, the radio, leave the room, grab a book I want to read, whatever.
I think you need some more treatment and I hope you can find what will help.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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