posted
i know it sounds crazy, well, hello, at this point nothing sounds crazy with lyme does it?
but i'm beginning to see like, uh, black shapes or shadows periodically moving on things, like lights, maybe when i turn my head some times.
i just get this shadow type image like someone or something is there but i know it's nothing.
i'm back on ceftin after being off for a couple of days. i have been on it for months and months......
maybe a herx or something do ya think????
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Beverly
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 1271
posted
Hi geniveve,
Yes, I had this symptom and it made me feel crazy too. I saw shadow people or sometimes black shadows and shapes. It really was scary. I had it when I was herxing from Mino, so for me I think it was herxing.
Please check with your LLMD and I hope this symptom goes away for you soon.
Posts: 6638 | From Michigan | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
This sounds like a herx I have heard of and essentially what is happening is a sort of hallucination. You are not CRAZY but it feels
like it. The hallucinations will go away with the herx. Some ABX cause this more often than others. You can talk to your LLMD about it but don't
be too alarmed. It's important to know that nothing is wrong with your eyes and you are NOT losing your mind! Now, if you start seeing little
green-eyed monsters.........just kidding.
Hope this helps, Janet
-------------------- DISCLAIMER: No information presented above should be considered medical advice or take the place of advice given by a medical professional. Links to other sites are provided merely for ease of research. Posts: 287 | From Tennessee | Registered: Sep 2006
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I first had this symptom more than 20 years pre-Lyme diagnosis, so for me it wasn't a herx or abx. (I was diagnosed and started treatment in 2004).
I just had this again tonight after not having had it for quite a while. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a black shape going into the other room. I thought my husband had come upstairs but he was still downstairs.
Just wanted you to know that you're not alone in this and hopefully (for all of us) it will go away with treatment.
Posts: 105 | From CA | Registered: Apr 2005
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LisaS
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10581
posted
Hi Gen, I see this too. I think Ive even posted on this subject before because it scared me so bad.
And I was afraid to tell anyone else other than someone else with Lyme.
I have to sleep with the lights on in my room because it seems to lessen it. One night I was laying there with my eyes closed.
And when I opened them I saw this black ball shhot up from my face to the ceiling!
Then the next night I saw lots of black shadowy shapes on the walls and ceiling.
I dont dare tell anyone else, theyd think I was nuts. This started when I was on homeopathic supplements but now that Im on Abx,
it seems to have lessened a little. Sometimes out of the corner of my eye I still see shadows though.
luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Like Squeegee, this was one of my symptoms I was having just before diagnosis so couldn't have been a herx.
For me, it was like someone was approaching from my side and I could see their shadow in my peripheral vision. Of course, when I would look up, they were not there. I didn't tell anyone about it because at the same time I was experiencing mental confusion. I had a hard time processing anything you said to me. I thought I was slipping into madness and I was very scared.
The joint pains had not yet begun and they are what sent me to the doctor. The shadows and the mental confusion were among my first symptoms to clear up and they have never come back. My doctor had me on homeopathics at that time.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
I had this also prior to treatment. Its like a shadow, spider like or person like in my peripheral vision. I havent had it for a long time now since beginning treatment. It was a symptom I had and not herx related for me. It does make you feel crazy but my LLMD totally understood and said many people have it.
Posts: 21 | From Ireland | Registered: Oct 2006
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beachcomber
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5320
posted
You aren't crazy. Well, maybe you are, I don't really know you.
Yeah, I swear I saw things in my peripheral vision for a while. I would turn my head and it was gone. I think I was on Ceftin at the time. My family thought I was paranoid. I wasn't, just not sure why I thought I saw something move.
Anyway, it subsided as I lowered my med dose. I see the ghosts only occassionally now. They are friendly. Posts: 1452 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I had this too before I was diagnosed and started treament. It was creepy and like everyone else I thought I was losing my mind.
It went along with the other neuro stuff that was starting at the time, eye twitching, shooting pain in my head, stiff neck etc...
It will go away with treatment as the meds clear your brain of Lyme.
One other weird thing I had along this line when I had a big flair up last year was thinking I was hearing someone calling my name but no one was there. It went away with more meds but was creepy too.
Hang in there it will pass.
Patrick
Posts: 142 | From Florida | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
You probably have been given the correct explanation for the problem. However, it is not a bad thing to have a specialist look at a worrisome symptom. Sometimes a shadow over someone's vision means a retina problem, which might need fixing, beyond lyme meds. Not saying this is your situation, but if it worries you or doesn't seem to fit the lyme pattern, maybe go see an opthamologist. Lyme does sometimes damage eyesight in various ways. Yours may be transient, so don't worry too much, unless you are already too worried.....then see opthamologist. He/she will probably know nothing about lyme but can tell you if any damage is apparent.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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geniveve
Unregistered
posted
i know you will understand this, what with the lyme mortality and all.
but one night i was laying in bed, mike was at work on the night shift and i looked toward the hallway. the outdoor light was on so there was some light.
i saw that death figure with the scythe. you know the one with the hood, dressed in all black of course.
i thought i was going to die and got so scared, i almost vomited. i was literally shaking.
i mean shadows are one thing but to think you're seeing that death like plague figure, you know the one, scared the living hell out of me......
why in the world can't i see pink elephants, gerard butler, chocolate bars, or something, anything but that..........
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posted
Like Patrick, I also would hear my name being called or the doorbell ring. This was almost always during sleep and it never really turned out to be the doorbell or someone calling my name.
Don't mean to change the subject here but just to point out that Lyme can cause many strange symptoms.
However, as Lou said, doesn't hurt to get things checked out, especially when it comes to your vision.
Posts: 105 | From CA | Registered: Apr 2005
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
I'm glad this has come up. I've never had this until the past few weeks when I finally got up to the full dose of doxy. I was on a full dose of mino and never had the symptom. Very wierd. Doesn't bother me everyday but I've noticed it a lot on a few days.
quote: Like Patrick, I also would hear my name being called or the doorbell ring. This was almost always during sleep and it never really turned out to be the doorbell or someone calling my name.
Maybe you are waking up during a dream? That has happened to me because my sleep stages are all messed up. There is also something called lucid dreaming but it sounds more like you are waking up while still dreaming. Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Unfortunatly when I was seeing or would think I was seeing a shadow or thought someone was behind me I was not asleep.
I was cutting the lawn one day and turned just a little and had that feeling or thought I saw some one. It made me jump as if being startled. I sure hoped at the time no had been watching me or they'd have thought I was nuts.
I think everyone has had this happen on occasion especilly when we're deep in thought. But this happened several times over a few weeks. It also coincided with anxiety attacks I was having at that time. These anxiety attacks usually happened about 5 am and would wake me up with my heart pounding and a terrible feeling of fear and dread. They were the worst and I was glad both things went away quickly after starting abxs.
When I relapsed the following year it was hearing my name called but no shadows this time. That time I had what I called the jitters. Kind of like anxiety but milder just a feeling of being nervous all the time and during the day not at night.
This always happened while I was wide awake. These symptoms thankfully went away after going back on abx and Tindamax.
I still feel it was the Lyme getting into my nervous system. But Lou has a good point about getting your eyes checked. Good luck.
Patrick
Posts: 142 | From Florida | Registered: Oct 2005
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shazdancer
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1436
posted
Read the last chapter of Amy Tan's book, "The Opposite of Fate." She describes her Lyme-induced hallucinations.
Posts: 1558 | From the Berkshires | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Gosh yes, I still get hallucinations - driving, in the house, music, shadows, weird things. Chalk it up to Lyme and just roll with it! love dharma
Posts: 731 | From NH | Registered: Jan 2002
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
Musical Hallucinations In Patients With Lyme Disease
Abstract and Introduction Abstract Musical hallucinations are poorly understood auditory hallucinations that occur in patients with otologic or neurologic diseases. We report the first cases of musical hallucinations in two patients with neurologic Lyme disease. Both subjects were women with clinical and laboratory evidence of chronic Lyme disease, progressive neurologic dysfunction, and abnormal magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. There was no evidence of hearing loss in either case. Musical hallucinations had a sudden onset and took the form of patriotic or operatic music. The auditory hallucinations disappeared with intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy in both patients, but the hallucinations recurred when IV antibiotic therapy was discontinued in one case. Response to therapy was accompanied by an increase in the CD57 lymphocyte subset in one patient, whereas recurrent hallucinations were associated with persistently low CD57 levels in the other case. We conclude that musical hallucinations may be associated with neurologic Lyme disease. These auditory hallucinations appear to respond to IV antibiotic therapy. Patients with musical hallucinations of unknown cause should be tested for infection with the Lyme disease spirochete.
Introduction Musical hallucinations are a rare form of complex auditory hallucinations characterized by repetitive and usually uncontrollable musical patterns that are unrelated to external stimuli.[1, 2] Musical hallucinations have been associated with infectious agents, neurologic disease, psychiatric illness, and various medications.[1-8] Although visual and vocal hallucinations have been reported in patients with Lyme disease,[9, 10] musical hallucinations have not previously been described as a neurologic complication of this disorder. We report the first cases of musical hallucinations in patients with neurologic Lyme disease.
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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bpeck
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3235
posted
You need to see an Opthamologist and request a slit test.
I had this same symptom- it was not a herx- it's the intrusion of cells into the vitreous humor - and they are a marker for inflammation.
I had Posterior Uveitis and Optic Neuritis with Lyme (ocular) and a few other bizarre symptoms.
Nothing to fool around with or ignore- as accumulating cells can block the angle of the eye and cause glaucoma (high pressure within the eye) and eventually may cause blindness.
posted
I've experienced seeing moving shadows, always in my peripheral vision.
Some auditory hallucinations too- usually the sound of typing for me. Which is odd when I'm driving...
Tends to be worst when I'm overtired or herxing. Could be many different causes, if very severe could be a sign of the brain going into a dreamlike state while tha body is still awake.
Darned if I can remember the term for that.
But Provigil helps mine.
-------------------- My living with lyme blog: http://maypanic.tripod.com/blog/ Posts: 91 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: Jan 2005
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lymeHerx001
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Member # 6215
posted
They are called floaters.Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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TerryK
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Member # 8552
posted
quote: They are called floaters.
I have tons of floaters too but this is not floaters.
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
the moving shadows are called floaters? and if floaters, eyes should be checked? Is that accurate?
yes, I've seen those moving black shadows out of the corner of my eye on and off for the past 4 years, but never knew they had anything to do with Lyme.
hmm.
dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
I agree with TerryK mine were not floaters either. They were just a very brief image and always in my peripheral vision. Just enough to startle me. They went completely away and have not returned since my first course of IV Rocephin. I'm convienced it had to be due to the Lyme getting into my central nervous system/brain.
Patrick
[ 08. January 2007, 10:01 PM: Message edited by: Patrick ]
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