My name is Mo, and I'm a Lymenutter.

That's right..

I'm sick, my children are sick..

I am part of a lage group of LymeNUTs. Some new, some old..this group has been recently defamed..causing me to think about who we are..what is it that makes this site so great? A few ideas..but I'm sure there's more.

I come here to look for support..and I find it.

I come here to hash out ideas..to further my treatment, adjunctive and primary..and I find it.

I come here, to express my fears, struggles, doubts and find ways in which to turn..
and I find them.

I come here..with information I can't assimilate or apply, and need imput, experience, shared inquiry..
and I find it.

I come here to find medical research, beyond the text..interpreted and applied by individuals..and I find it.

I come here, to be able to look at complications, to find ideas/thoughts in what we know we do not know..
and I find it.

I come here, to spend time with the "huggy", ill, corageous, intuitive, perceptive, inquisistive, studious, progressive, frustrated, impacted, stallwart, downtrodden, hopeful, successful, understanding TBI sufferes, patients, mothers, fathers..
and I find it.

The answers are not easy, the information can be daunting, the disease is individualized and poorly understood, and the compoments to regaining health are daunting.

We need more than science and hard evidence, we need a spirit and quest for healing that produces individualized answers through the search, a product of the journey, and collaboration. A product of respect and sharing.

That's right, I'm a Lymenutter..
and there's nothing else I'd rather be!

Rock on Lymenet!!

You are saving lives and spirits across the globe.

The spirit, info, love (yes love!!) and learning here is beyond compare, and so very powerful.

If that means we're nuts, I for one wouldn't have it any other way.

Mo

hmmm, gonna go see what's in the fridge....gary

Lately I have been very discouraged with my progress and that of my adult daughter living across the country. Lymenet means that I have a place to go to vent or learn or share my experience or hope and then I can take another step in the right direction.

I am grateful for the people who donate their time and knowlege to others.

thanks for all the nutters.

NuttyBuddy

Heres why we may seem nutty.
I. Cognitive Characteristics of Chronic Lyme Encephalopathy

On the basis of both a formal neuropsychological study of 49 patients (APA 5/96) and on clinical observation and

comprehensive neuropsychological examination of well over 100 patients, a distinct pattern of cognitive impairment occurring chronic Lyme disease can be described.

These patients consistently demonstrate deficits in directed, sustained and divided attention, planning and organization of responses, temporal ordering, verbal fluency, abstract reasoning, speed of processing, and motor programming.

The overall pattern of intellectual impairment is not unlike that seen with diffuse brain injury, and it most often results in some degree of work-related disability.

Although performance is impaired on measures of cognitive functions associated with specific brain regions -- receptive and

expressive language, visuospatial problem solving and memory --

the quality of performance is not suggestive of focal lesions in these areas.

Rather, deficits are secondary to impairment of higher level integrative functions, likely mediated by complex neuronal systems.

Specifically, the receptive language deficit is secondary to impaired auditory tracking and slowing of mental processing.

The expressive language deficit is secondary to impaired word retrieval and response planning,

The visuospatial problem solving deficit is secondary to impairment of mental flexibility, conceptualization and the ability to compare and contrast necessary in decision making.

Finally, deficits on test of memory function are most often secondary to impairment of the encoding or initial processing of information,

which depends on attention, and the retrieval of stored information. The storage of new information, or memory per se, is rarely impaired.

This pattern suggests that cognitive dysfunction in chronic Lyme,

while expressed variably across individual patients, results from a common factor --

the breakdown of diffusely represented processes involving both integration and activation,and impacting primarily on attention and reasoning.

The fluctuation of impairment over short periods of time suggest that a physiologic rather than a structural mechanism is responsible.

At least we have reasons

If someone sounds weird, out of line, or uses the word Lymes, does NOT mean that person is from Camp A.

We should leave our opinions of other people off this forum.

If we're not comfortable with someone, ignore them.

We DO have the right to NOT respond.

But we DO NOT have the right to judge someone else, at least not on LymeNet.

Thanks MO.

Sometimes I feel like a nut,well darn I am a nut!Oh well,helps to get me through this lyme mess.

I don't know where I'd be without all the LYMENUTS here. I talk to people almost everyday who haven't yet found the incredible resources available from this bunch of folks.

It makes me shudder to think of going through this alone, with no input as to how other patients keep going, one step after the other.

As a group, we may be crazier than individually, but we are also stronger, smarter, more curious, more supportive, and more courageous.

I'll take it.

------------------
oops!
Lymetutu

This board is just too wonderful to let other matters interfer with what it HAS and will continue to do in the future ....

educate others, refer them to lyme links for them to read, have them do a search for questions asked over & over, etc.

Treepatrol, big favor fella; would you edit your post and break up those LONG paragraphs. Looks like a lot of useful info there, but my brain fog won't allow me to read & comprehend. Thanks Tree.

Thanks Mo for reminding us all why we are here in the 1st place. Hugs Mo always.

Count me in..my family always told me I was a little nuts : )

and my therapist confirmed it!!

I am finally getting my life back thanks to you bunch of nuts!!!

Cathy

Everyone here is so sick and just needs the support and help..Not sure how anyone can get support elsewhere..

Oh that felt good..

Keep up the good work!

When my m-i-l was sick and eventually passed away, so many people from Lymenet really cared.

We all are trying to be there for Cbb now, during this difficult time in her life.

I think it's rare to have so many caring, selfless people get together like we do at Lymenet. We may not always get along and we may argue - but, in the end, we are ALWAYS there for one another, no matter what. And that is what is so important.

You do not see this at the majority of other boards/forums/sites.

I can say I haven't met a more personable, intelligent, driven and downright cutting edge group of people before.

We conquer as a group while working as individuals with metal and physical deficits others can't even comprehend.

Standing alone we are each as sharp as a knife. But standing together we are more powerful than an atom bomb.

Go LymeNUT-ters.

Trout