posted
Hey guys, I was just wonderin: how could I possibly concentrate better for my test on friday... Some days my brain fog is real bad and I can't focus or understand much, especialy when it comes to math. On my better days, I can solve anyhting! I'm prepared for this test and don't want to blow it if i'm having a bad lyme day.. Also , i get real bad anxiety/ panic during examination and it trigers my neuro lyme, I guess I start releasing neuro toxins from my nervous system or somethin cause my vision gets alll blurred.. Can't sleep the nite before an exam! Anyhting out these to help realx me and to increase my concentration span when these neuro toxins affcet it? thanx LYNN LIZ
Posts: 82 | From canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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Hi I know what you mean by being nervous before an exam. Is it a really big test like an SAT or GRE? sometimes they make accomodations for time and time of day you take it if you can show you have a neuro disability w/ note from llmd.
First of all, the sleep issue is most important. Do you use anything for sleep? sometimes a mild benzodiazapine (need a prescription) can help you sleep and take the edge off anxiety without too many side effects the next day.
If you take some Total Calm by Solaray (nutritional supplement found in health food stores and vitamin shoppe) that is a good natural product to calm anxiety without side effects that may help you concentrate better and help you sleep the night before.
If the test is timed, and it involves math, that can be a bad combination for lyme brains. That could be part of the anxiety.
essential oil of peppermint while you study and during the exam will help with recall, confidence, and alertness. really wakes your brain up...(they did studies on this) and it helps in test-taking. but you have to use it when you are relaxed and confident about the material while studying. then, when you go to take the test, put some under you nose so you smell it during the test. the brain pairs the stimulus of the peppermint to a more calm confident time when you were not faced with the test...your brain remembers the smell and sends a message to recall what you have learned and also to calm you down.
That trick helped me through some really tough exams.
If you are really worried about the sleep the night before, you can try ambien (prescription) provided you have 8 hours to sleep. That can help you get to sleep and wake up with less hangover so you can go into the test refreshed.
Is the time of the test (early am, for example) a worry for you? Is the amount of time you will need to take the test a concern? If so, you may be entitled to accomodations for students with disabilities. I am assuming you have been diagnosed with neuro lyme and are getting treatment for it.
good luck on the test....oh, dont forget to breathe...getting oxygen to the brain using deep breaths can help too.
Posts: 446 | From California | Registered: Jul 2004
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liz28
Unregistered
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I agree with the comment about contacting your school's disability office--Lyme patients don't realize how much their intellectual capacity has been reduced until they start to feel better.
But if you have to take the exam, I take flaxseed oil, CoQ10 and phosphatidylcholine (get all the best brands you can), plus L-theanine for anxiety and an anti-inflammatory for overall concentration. Also, sublingual B12 tablets and plenty of vitamins a few hours before the test, and lots of protein.
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Keep your blood sugar constant. If it's a long test, have some food with you to eat in the middle. But stay away from sugar and carbs like white bread, pasta and cereal. They will cause your blood sugar level to change, and that can suddenly make you tired.
Nuts are good, because they are long lasting protein. Also, stay hydrated. Make sure you have water with you.
Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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Some also refer to the suma root as Brazilian ginseng. If you take everything in the above, my last post, you'll grow a second brain to do the work for you... . I'd try only one or two things at a time, but since you don't have much time before friday, go with your gut. Posts: 208 | From Seattle and Los Angeles | Registered: Aug 2003
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hey guys thanx soo much for your advice! I'm a little too spaced out to figure out how to answer to your posts without copying out your whole message. I hope i'm doin it right this time, sorry for annoying you guys in the past, couldn't figure it out...
It's not an SAT cause I'm not ready to go to university next year, i'll worry about that in the next 9 months.. Mow I'm doing a fast track dourse through correspondance . I have a letter that states I have neuro lyme and I'm disabled. My exam's in a month from now, BUT I have a major unit chem test this friday![ time is accomodated for me, but i never know when / what time I'll have an attack!]Also, the lights in the room really bother me , so I'll get them to shut em off. I find that lyme affects my math skills the most. So, far all my answers are 100% good, BUT when I get nervous, I always get a poor / passing mark when i know I knew it and was fully prepared. When I get nervous, I release neuro toxins from my nervous system or somethin and all of a sudden i get dizzy. I have panic attacks next to any kind of math.. I need to suck it up though, cause this is my future and I am talented in this area.. Lyme f*cks everything up! The problem is , i used to think that my brain fog was worst in the mornings. Now ever since I've been on meds, i think the bacteria cycle has been altered and I'm leaning morr towards the mornings. BUT, hey, lyme's unpredicatble, and stress triggers my attacks. In the past, i'd take sleeping pills i thin" sleep ease", and if I had a test the next day, nothing would knock me out. I'd lay there stressed as hell, muscles tense and my barin would be solvin math problems all nite, could not shut it off. Then by morning, I'd feel sick to my stomach!I'm hopin that my anxiety is lessend this year, we'll see. A few years back, some days i'd get a 100% , other days 60%. it would rotate. When my lyme got real chronic and serious, One odd day, 100%, the rest of the year 60%. I hope these meds have done a good job and that my anxiety will be lessened. I will deffinetly keep in mind what you guys recomended ! thank you! Lynn Liz
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. I'd try only one or two things at a time, but since you don't have much time before friday, go with your gut. 
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