posted
Has anyone had the feeling of a wooden block replacing their frontal lobe? Reading is rather difficult as i can't seem to store anything to my working memory (very short term memory for computation and reading). I would like to attend some classes (premed) in the fall. Some questions, should i persue IV antibiotics to address this problem quicker? Can babesia be causing these cognitive issues? Has anyone had this issue and seen it resolve? (perhaps my most frustrating symptom).
-------------------- Bit in March 2005. Posts: 58 | From Jersey | Registered: May 2008
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by PinchMe:
Has anyone had the feeling of a wooden block replacing their frontal lobe?
Reading is rather difficult as i can't seem to store anything to my working memory (very short term memory for computation and reading).
I would like to attend some classes (premed) in the fall.
Some questions, should i persue IV antibiotics to address this problem quicker?
Can babesia be causing these cognitive issues?
Has anyone had this issue and seen it resolve? (perhaps my most frustrating symptom).
pinch me, i do NOT recommend signing up for classes while being treated! you can read other college students stories on here; located mainly in SUPPORT..
you don't want to waste the $$ for them and NOT be able to make enough classes or DROP OUT.
i have no experience on other questions, so leaving them for those who HAVE gone thru them! best wishes!!
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posted
totally agree with school! I tried to go before DX and let me tell you, I did terrible! One semester and it was over. I thought it was ME - STRESS LOAD, TOO OLD etc etc etc
It is the most frustrating thing to waste that kind of time and money and come out feeling even worse about yourself becuase you just cant comprehend and hold it long enough to test and pass
Gotta go with bettyg on this one....think twice!!!
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
yes i have had the feeling of a wooden block replacing my frontal lobe. it had been one of my worst sypmtoms. it has been occasionally.my brain was like frozen .it has been two years ago. i think it was related the neurolyme and brain toxin accumulation. i had used for it xanax 0.5 mg . beside i had used for it valproic acid(depachine chrono 1500 mg/day) probably valproic acid may be protect brain from excessive toxin efefct i hope it will improve with your therapy become effective ahmet
Posts: 23 | From turkey | Registered: Dec 2004
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Cass A
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11134
posted
Dear Pinch Me,
In my experience, Babesia can definitely cause much of the "brain dead" situation. I've been treating it for some time now, and it is improving.
don't know if IV treatment would "speed things up." With these infections, speeding things up can be really bad for YOU!!! The best is to treat so that the die-off gives symptoms you can live with. Especially with Babesia, according to my LLMD, the mental and emotional reactions can get very grim.
As for classes, well, I'd go lightly and carry a big dictionary (using it OFTEN!!).
I don't think psychotropic meds are very useful for Lyme, as they mask the symptoms and do nothing to handle the actual infection.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Cass A
Posts: 1245 | From Thousand Oaks, CA | Registered: Feb 2007
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I had really severe neuro-problems at one point (my memory was so bad that when I talked I had forgotten deciding to speak, so my voice surprised me!).
Wierdly, I found that if I read out loud then more of the information would go in (though it didn't ever stay for long ).
I think it was Bartonella that did it on top of the Lyme, (I test neg for Babs), so what helped me might not help you. I used the classic support stuff reccomended by Burrascano, and I found L-Acetyl Carnitine was especially effective.
Also, I was taking Minocycline at the time, and although it's rough stuff, it is supposed to help with neuro-symptoms because of the high BBB penetration.
The point is I can think straight again, and I'm sure you will get over it too, when you find something that works for you.
-------------------- Love is like a pineapple, sweet and indefinable Posts: 7 | From Japan | Registered: Jul 2007
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cottonbrain
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13769
posted
yes, the cognitive problems suck. i totally hear you. I was in grad school when i became ill...i had to drop out for several years, and by the time i finished, it took me ten years!
the ONLY reason i was able to finish was because i was 99 percent finished before i fell ill.
Do yourself a favor and try to rest rather than study stuff that you will just forget ten minutes later -- speaking from experience only.
When you feel well enough to matriculate, do take advantage of programs designed to help students with disabilities.
Possibly you can get close parking, you can get someone to take notes for you, you can get longer periods to sit for exams, and even quiet rooms to take exams in, in some cases.
Posts: 1173 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
thanks for the replies. yeah i have babesia for sure. i wake up in the morning after a full does of zith, art, mino and sometimes mepron and by the time i'm commuting to work i'm trying not to strangle everyone in sight myself included. it passes thank goodness. the herxes for babs are outrageous. glad to hear that the cognition returns, i'm already noticing some improvement. i've been quite tempted to give the Marshall Protocol a shot. i know this board gives it bad reviews but i do notice sunshine impacting symptoms for the better/worse.
-------------------- Bit in March 2005. Posts: 58 | From Jersey | Registered: May 2008
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posted
thanks for the replies. yeah i have babesia for sure. i wake up in the morning after a full does of zith, art, mino and sometimes mepron and by the time i'm commuting to work i'm trying not to strangle everyone in sight myself included. it passes thank goodness. the herxes for babs are outrageous. glad to hear that the cognition returns, i'm already noticing some improvement. i've been quite tempted to give the Marshall Protocol a shot. i know this board gives it bad reviews but i do notice sunshine impacting symptoms for the better/worse.
-------------------- Bit in March 2005. Posts: 58 | From Jersey | Registered: May 2008
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posted
PinchMe, that is exactly my symptom. Another patient of my LLMD called it "thinking around a brick." I totally agree.
I commend you for wanting to start school. Listen, I earned my master's degree all the while fighting Lyme (though I did not know I had it at the time).
The best piece of advice I can give is to take classes that allow you as much time as necessary to digest the information. There were days when I could not even study, for nothing would get through to me, so I would have to try again on a "good day." I think I may have put in about 3x the study time of the average student, just to "get it," but I did.
Anything is possible, just make the necessary allowances for your condition.
Good luck!
Posts: 636 | From Saratoga County, NY | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
You might want to check out the textbooks for the classes you are considering and see if they make any sense to you.
I can't read anything more complicated than a newspaper (USA Today, not Wall Street Journal), or cheap fiction.
Non-fiction makes me crazy. And I was a 3.8 student, pre-med originally. No way can I look at clinical studies and actually understand what they are saying right now, even though I used to be able to.
But, one day, my IQ will be returned to me, and I'll be smarter than Bush again. Posts: 168 | From Delaware | Registered: Aug 2005
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Yes, you certainly should pursue treatment! It may take longer than you would want, but I can attest that you can get the memory function back.
Before starting treatment, I would forget what I was saying and where I was headed mid-sentence...! But I'm better after over one year of antibiotics.
By all means take a class or two; but if you have strong neurological symptoms before starting treatment, personally, I could not recommend taking a full load of courses. Maybe take one or two and see how they go for you while in treatment.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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