posted
Part of that sounds like derealization. I have the blurry/static eyes and have off balance symptoms with a buzzing sensation at times, but the derealization hits me at times, like Im not me or of this world, right before I have a panic attack but not always.
Posts: 83 | From NC | Registered: Jun 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have this symtpom too,it's called derealization.
Posts: 158 | From pittsburgh | Registered: Aug 2009
| IP: Logged |
2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
I think my daughter suffers from this.
I didn't really understand until I applied what you are all saying, to her.
She can hear the saddest thing about something regarding someone, and it doesn't really seem to matter all that much, esp'y if it's me. "I'm sorry" is all I get.
Is that a product of a bad relationship Hopefully not) or does this sound like derealization?
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Be very, very careful with using the term "derealization" - the wrong doctors will forever label with a psychiatric disorder. Once that term is in your medical file, it is a big red flag.
And while such symptoms are common to lyme, it's not the whole picture by any means and a diagnosis of "derealization" is a very serious matter.
Other than one's LLMD, I strongly caution against even whispering that term with any doctor who is not completely lyme literate - and "literate" in all the tick-borne and stealth infections as well as in vestibular matters and what happens with a toxic liver.
The vestibular system often takes a huge hit from lyme/TBD/meds and the effects can cause most of the same symptoms as described by depersonalization, actually. And what are not direct effects can be caused by having to deal with vestibular dysfunction and such devastating infections.
The entire endocrine system is also just devastated by lyme. THAT can cause sharp mood shifts by adrenal exhaustion, etc..
Sleep is disorganized by the toxicity of infection, too. That can cause lots of problems with vision and perception.
Topic: NATURAL SLEEP - Links to articles & supplements
=============================
Also consider HEAVY METALS. Many who have lyme also have elevated mercury, etc. THAT causes all kinds of neurological problems, all kinds. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
It's nice to see what it's like on You Tube and then purchase for your daily use with your DVD player. You Tube denies him of his rightful due for all his research and work.
The DVD is very affordable - about the cost of one supplement - it's just about $20. and you get a book with it, too. The DVD is also much easier on your eyes - from your TV at a distance. The computer screen is much harder on eyes.
This 1 hour and 15 minute DVD plus 65 page illustrated study guide and eye chart was the surprise hit at the recent New York Yoga Expo and evidently with good reason.
Meir Schneider, PhD, LMT is well known for his pioneering work with self healing in general eyesight improvement in particular. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
Yup. Been there, done that. This was one of my most problematic symptoms.
I felt like someone was in my head driving me and - was just a passenger.
So glad it is gone now!
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- You know, when someone has the flu, they feel out of it. Lyme is no different. We don't question feeling so out of sorts with the flu but, with lyme, it seems we are always second-guessing.
Any infection will make anyone feel out of sorts in lots of ways. Even - or, sometimes, especially - during treatment. It's just part of the deal.
Now, there are many things (such as supportive supplements and good self-care) that can help but nothing is a magic wand. Having compassion for ourselves can help us ride out the rough waves. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Derealization and depersonalization is a classic bartonella symptom. It usually hits me when the disease has been untreated for a while (has progressed), or when I'm herxing.
Have you ever had bartonella, Keebler? I'm not sure that usual "sick and out of it" feeling is what she's talking about at this particular moment.
little olive
Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Derealization and depersonalization...kinda explains this feeling. That was one of the strangest symptoms I had. I didn't have any word(s)to adequately explain it.
I was standing in my garage and talking to my friend and knew what he was saying but, I wasn't there...in my mind.
Little Olive you're right, If you haven't suffered this you have no way to relate to it. It's not 'sick and out of it' at all.
I knew not to tell a doctor about this because they can't relate to it and they would write 'mental'. Keebler's right on this one.
-------------------- SEREN WEED Posts: 116 | From LOS ANGELES | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Does it kinda feel like you are on the outside looking in?? It is SO hard to explain to people but it feels so weird and its my most bothersome symptom mentally.
Posts: 574 | From Out there somewhere | Registered: Jul 2010
| IP: Logged |
bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
Yes..that is what I felt like. I felt like I was sitting in my brain, looking out through my eyes like they were a windshield. Everything was "removed" and I seemed detached.
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
| IP: Logged |
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
"The world just looks blurry/fuzzy and my head is dizzy."
My blurred/fuzzy vision comes and goes and seems to be related to die off. Feeling dizzy is also a part of this for me.
I can't speak for others but mine gets much better with binders for biotoxins. My LLMD started me off on cholestyramine before I even started abx.
Some people have more problems getting rid of the debri from die off than others. Depends on your genetics.
In a pinch you can throw some vegetables in a blender with a 1/2 lemon and lime. START WITH 8 oz of green tea (cold tastes best). Grind them up whole (except kemon and lime rind) and drink.
The ground vegetables with lemon and lime will often help a lot after a few days. including take away a buzzing or high pitched sound I sometimes get with toxicity. Don' start out with more than a few ounces as you may have a cleansing reaction initially. Use carrots. celery, spinach. apple, 1/4 avacado etc.. Stay away from cabbage. kale or anything with a lot of sulfur until you know if sulfur is a problem for you. Try to use organic so tht you aren't adding to your toxic load.
Consider adding a heavy metal binder as well since killing borrelia will release heavy metals. Some people (again depends on genetics) may have trouble getting rid of heavy metals. Search the archives for mire info on heavy metals and biotoxins.
Here is an article in the pulication "Public Health Alert" that you may find helpful. Biotoxin Pathway Holds Key Pieces of Puzzle in Solving Chronic Illness http://tinyurl.com/m5qdqv
I've had the visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) test to see if I have biotoxins that are causing problems. You can find more information about it here http://www.biotoxin.info/test_instructions
Before I started treatment for lyme I tested negative. After a few years of treatment, I tested positive. This would indicate that I was accumulating more toxins than my body could get rid of.
There are over the counter binders that may work but I don't believe there are any studies available their effectiveness.
These are the ones that I know about. Beta-sitosterol Butyrate Charcoal (may bind biotoxins) Chlorophyll NanoTek Chitosan modified citrus pectin Sarsparilla Cholestepure by Pure Encapsulations
posted
I have been able to get rid of my Lyme eye symptoms by drinking mangosteen juice, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant juice.
There are lots of brands - I drink the Ultra one from Trace Minerals with 70 minerals added. If you try the juice, go slowly, as it can be powerful.
We're all different when it comes to our responses to treatments. I noticed results right away.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- As mentioned by TerryK and Robin -- Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory support, binders . . . attending to liver / kidney support and addressing the matter of toxins, heavy metals, environments . . . diet . . . all these things really do help during this bumpy ride. Nothing is a magic carpet ride, but without this, that ride will crash more often.
I forgot to mention how much a Gluten-Free, and Diary-Free diet helps me. I also have to steer clear of corn and many others also have to avoid soy. This is to lessen inflammation all over the body, including the brain, ears, & eyes.
Going organic can help to make a difference, too. The important of antioxidants to vision is discussed here:
Vision: Natural Ways to Maintain Eye Health - By Jim English
Excerpt:
. . . A number of nutrients have been extensively studied for their ability to treat a wide variety of vision-related conditions by preventing the damage caused by free radical activity and by enhancing the delivery of blood and oxygen to the retina to help repair tissues. . . . -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Just a few links about why gluten can cause so much trouble: --------------------------
Hidden Sources Of Gluten -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Dairy can cause lots of phlegm and mucus, creating a sense of looking though a mist.
Phlegm and mucus provide a sticky, soft and warm encouragement for germs and that causes more inflammation and stagnancy.
This author equates dairy to glue that gums up the immune system.
You can read customer reviews at Amazon but you'd have to obtain it elsewhere. Your local bookstore may have it or order it for you - and it should be in the library system.
DON'T DRINK YOUR MILK!: New Frightening Medical Facts about the World's Most Overrated Nutrient
-by Frank Oski, M.D. (1992)
The author . . . the former physician-in-chief of John Hopkins Children's Center and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at John Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Excerpts from one review:
. . . Among physicians, so much concern has been voiced about the potential hazards of cow milk that the Committee on Nutrition of the prestigious American Academy of Pediatrics, the institutional voice of practicing pediatricians, released a report entitled, "Should Milk Drinking by Children Be Discouraged?"
Although the Academy's answer to this question has (as of this writing) been a qualified "maybe," the fact that the question was raised at all is testimony to the growing concern about this product, which for so long was viewed as sacred as the proverbial goodness of mother and apple pie.
Does drinking milk help prevent osteoporosis because of the calcium it contains? Chapter 6 deals with that topic.
Strange as it may sound, both Africans and African-Americans consume less calcium and milk, and yet have greater bone density and less osteoporosis than Caucasians in America. While Americans get 807 mg. of calcium each day from drinking milk, the average citizen of Ghana gets but 8 mg.
As Dr. Oski points out, this low amount has made them "neither toothless nor lying about immobilized because of repeated bone fractures" (p. 50). . . . -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Now, all the support in the world cannot take the place of assertively treating the infection(s). Infections must be addressed as the body is nourished and supported to reduce the toxicity - poisons - from infection.
A LL therapist can be helpful to address psychological issues.
Far beyond just how to suspect lyme, the first article below could also be used as sort of "owner's manual" - a "A Glimpse at the Land of Lyme" - at least in explaining a lot of what happens to a lyme patient. We're not in Kansas anymore. Lyme changes everything.
And Lyme is not just Lyme - it usually includes other TBD (tick-borne disease) &/or other chronic stealth infections. The liver is always affected and stressed to the max. Adrenals, too. Nerve fibers are inflamed.
It is like we have a whole different body at times and it's not likely to change anytime soon so learning how to work WITH that is of upmost importance.
But, it can get better with treatment and good support measures. It can always get better. So, when you read this, go for the "ah-ha's" to solve the new puzzles your body faces. If fear sneaks up on you - know that it can get better. It just doesn't happen overnight. ------------
Deliberations of a psychiatrist who evaluates and possibly diagnoses Lyme and other tick-borne diseases of the mind, sharing case histories . . . . -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Robin123: I have been able to get rid of my Lyme eye symptoms by drinking mangosteen juice, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant juice.
There are lots of brands - I drink the Ultra one from Trace Minerals with 70 minerals added. If you try the juice, go slowly, as it can be powerful.
We're all different when it comes to our responses to treatments. I noticed results right away.
Where can you buy this juice? and about how much does it cost?
Posts: 574 | From Out there somewhere | Registered: Jul 2010
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- This looks good but I would look for one that comes in a dark glass bottle, rather than plastic (it looks like plastic in the photo).
You might contact the company and ask about the bottle and, if plastic, if it is "BPA-free" --
Trace Minerals Research Ultra Mangosteen -- 32 fl oz - $17.
-- It's made with "whole, organic mangosteen" (but it has excellent antioxidant fruits, too, and they are not identified as being organic). -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
Keebler, When I purchased the Ultra Mangosteen a couple years ago, the bottle was glass.
I didn't notice many results...just that I felt a little better. Robin had good results right away.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
I wouldn't bother with Mangosteen juice for THIS particular problem, because based on what you have told us, the problem is not in your "eyes," per se. The problem is in your brain or somewhere else, and it's affecting what you "see."
I think you probably know that it's not your actual eyes, right? I am pretty sure what you are describing is derealization or depersonalization. As Keebler alluded to, though....I wouldn't use the word "derealization" or "depersonalization" with a doctor, because in my opinion, they will probably think you have been reading on the internet too much, diagnosing yourself and being dramatic (which you aren't, but why give them a reason to think that?). I would just describe it like you are.
What I get sometimes too, is just that I am so drowsy that my eyes don't focus well. I would always think my eyes were crossed, because based on what I was "seeing," things looked like I was crossing my eyes. I would try to look people in the eyes when they talked to me, but it felt like I couldn't even focus on their face.
Sometimes I would even ask my friends, "does it look like my eyes are crossed right now?"
But it was really just that I was so tired that my eyes couldn't focus. I think my brain was trying to fall asleep or something. So "sleepiness" is a better word for what I was having. Though I'm still not ruling out "brain blanking out," though not really from being sleepy. It is hard to know.
I also thought it was my eyes...but deep down I knew it was connected to my brain, which "sleepiness" is.
I know I have Lyme/co's, but I am looking into and treating possible sleep disorders as the cause for my drowsy thing. Seeing a sleep specialist (MD) is what you'd do for that.
However, I believe derealization is more likely due to bartonella or a "bartonella like organism/BLO." So you would want to try drugs like 1) Rifampin with Zithromax (or Doxy or Mino), 2) Levaquin, 3) or Bactrim DS with something such as Zithromax, Doxycycline, or Minocycline. Those are the combos that normally help people with Bart. Tests are not always accurate for Bart.
Drugs like Doxy, Mino, and Zith are not really known as being great for the symptoms of Bartontella....they are just there to "help" the Rifampin, the Levaquin, or the Bactrim DS, which are the main drugs for Bart. Factive is another option that could replace Levaquin.
I am not a doctor!!!!! This is just my opinion after being on this forum, seeing over 3 Lyme docs, etc.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i've always described it as like i was watching a play and i was sitting there looking at everyone. almost like watching tv...
no emotion, nothing, just watching the world go by and i'm not in on it....
been there...still there sometimes.
i often feel just numb...
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
| IP: Logged |
Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
Randi,
Based on how you describe what you are feeling, and if I am understanding you correctly, that can also be a symptom of depression. And I'm not saying that because I believe you posted about psych drugs recently....(I think?), I would say that to anyone who posted what you just posted.
Feeling numb and feeling like you aren't part of things, feeling blank... CAN be depression.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- The encephalomyelitis and encephalopathy that becomes chronic with lyme explains a lot of this. The Bleidweiss article speaks to this.
Simplified: brain swelling, inflammation.
===========================
As for not using imprecise diagnostic terms that are usually reserved for psychiatric diseases, this is why
I was labeled by a rheumatologist as Bi-Polar because I completed too much of a questionnaire and had far too many symptoms. Too much energy, he said to have completed the form unless manic. He failed to note that I had the form mailed to me weeks earlier and had completed it over time.
And then I was crying in his office because I was feeling so exhausted. He decided that was the depression part of bipolar.
When I became insistent that something was wrong, beyond fibromyalgia, he said I was manic and should settle down. Doctors don't do well with an insistent patient. Labels make them go away.
Because hospital and load-dock noises kept me awake all night during a sleep study, the sleep lab technician wrote that I must be schizophrenic. The sleep doctor agreed. Based just on that.
Even with vestibular tests showing a severe sensory dysfunction, that was turned around because it was the worst result that doctor had ever seen and it just could not be possible, according to him. I had to have somehow affected the computer outcome of that test. They just did not know how but that was the final verdict from that specialist.
Repeated tests with others would confirm the original tests and there was no way I could have affected the outcome. But the additional verification did not erase the other doctor's claim of faking it.
Because a another doctor had never seen sound-triggered seizures triggered because of inner ear dysfunction, they were called "pseudo" seizures, a psychiatric disorder.
I did experience severe mood swings and was suicidal at times years ago - mostly due to some very toxic antidepressants being pushed on me and ignoring several tick-borne infections.
Later, (by a very smart liver doctor) I was diagnosed with porphyria and that explained the severe adverse reactions to the psychiatric drugs - but that was never corrected in my file to show that the previous diagnoses were wrong.
After being diagnosed with 3 tick-borne infections, none of these were officially added to my file as lyme is rather "illegal" in my state and the out of state doctors' records were not well regarded by local doctors.
All these (and more errors) are right at the front of my file and have resulted in my being kicked out of two different E.R.s for seizures that they said were fake, according to my medical records they accessed by computer.
I am telling you that while lyme produces profound symptoms that do involve emotions. Yes, that is true.
Depression is very real and it usually comes along with lyme. But, for many regular doctors, "depression" is not the correct term and they will put it down as "JUST" depression.
All this is best kept between you and your LLMD. No other doctors should have access to this as they don't know how to categorize it and it winds up with us in a straight jacket.
With regular doctors, using terms that are not strictly about the infection can hurt your chances to EVER be taken seriously for ANYTHING, ANY WHERE, at ANY TIME in the future - for the rest of your life - if you volunteer a mental health diagnosis as the name or reason for what ails you.
Infection causes symptoms. Those symptoms are not the end-all, be-all diagnosis and to use symptom terms as the diagnosis will impair the quality of care from here on out.
Functional corrections cannot be made to a medical file. You can file for a correction and a page can be added - inside your chart but nothing can ever be erased. Ever. And it's always the idiot doctors' words over ours.
According to them, I'm still bipolar, schizophrenic and faking seizures. Far from the truth. But it remains in my medical file and there is nothing I can do about that. I tried. And the louder I protest, the more pathetic it would make me look. Once dignity is lost in a doctor's eyes, there is no way to regain that.
So, I just don't go to idiot doctors anymore and I would rather die than ever set foot in an ER again - for good reason. Therefore, I have educated myself and been able to offset emergencies several times.
Your medical file can save - or cost you - your life. Keep it as simple and precise as possible. Remember, anywhere you go, your file is accessible by computer at any medical system. The red flags come first and will color all experiences from there.
I recall, early on when I was so, so sick but doctors could find nothing. I probably asked one or two seemingly kind doctors if I was just "crazy" - even those notes were written in huge letters in my file:
"patient questions her sanity" It was noted that the doctor agreed (though that was written in smaller scale).
Be safe with the usage of terms. Always.
It is rare that you can start fresh with a doctor who will disregard opinions of those who have gone before him. I was fortunate to find a good basic PCP who affords respect and understands the basic complications of my case (even if not really LL). But, in an emergency and if he's out of town, my old file could still torpedo my care. -
[ 10-01-2010, 07:36 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Carol,
Thanks for the note:
when you "purchased the Ultra Mangosteen a couple years ago, the bottle was glass"
It was hard tell by the photo, so that's good detail. A call to the manufacturer is always a good idea to be sure. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Do you also feel that your face look not familiar in front of mirror?
and can't feel the sence of time...etc
Posts: 158 | From pittsburgh | Registered: Aug 2009
| IP: Logged |
Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
I'm not sure exactly what Keebler means by her posts, but I disagree with her words, as I am perceiving them, at least.
I think that if you are depressed, you should be able to say, "I am feeling depressed," to your doctor. You shouldn't have to be careful of what you say, for fear of being labelled with psych disorders.
At first, I was taught by my parents to fear and avoid the labels, and that got me no where. Since those days, I have been diagnosed with many psych issues, and I am glad I was able to speak openly about things with the doctors that it applied to (it's not like I tell EVERY doctor my psych past, because it is usually not relevant).
Having a diagnosis of depression or bipolar spectrum has not hurt me at all. If you are really experiencing any of this, the last thing you need is to be worried about labels.
So many people nowadays have gone through depression, that it is not something you need to be afraid of having in your records.
All of this is based on my personal experience, so it's not like I'm saying it would never hurt you......but just saying it never hurt me, and I don't think anyone should let something like that hold them back from proper care.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Regarding "constant weird vision" from post one -
If the inner ear - or a toxic infection - is causing perception to be off, it's not correct to assume it's "depersonalization" as the medical diagnosis.
I'm just saying that it's best not to jump onto terms that may not be exact.
It's also good to understand the various processes that CAUSE the symptoms. Symptoms do not equal diagnosis.
"Depersonalization" is much more that fuzzy vision or feeling out of sorts - it is not a term you'd ever want to have misinterpreted. It does not take into account the varied physical causes at the root of such perceptional changes that occur with lyme/TBD/vestibular conditions.
Yes, there are many psychiatric symptoms that can accompany lyme or any toxic infection. However, for regular doctors, the symptom of depression (or anxiety or any other term that is also used as a psychiatric dx) - as part of a larger illness - is overlooked and then it becomes "just" depression (etc.) and they stop there, landing in a field of assumptions. And that is to the patient's detriment.
The harsh reality is that what doctor's slap inside the cover to our medical file remains with us and we don't have time or opportunity to explain details. When labels are wrong, our life is at risk.
LLMDs have a much broader scope of understanding and, yes, of course, be honest with them about all symptoms. THAT file is not part of your regular medical file, unless you authorize it to be shared.
Same with files for counselor/therapists. That can be kept private so that only those who understand context will see it.
But, when in the "regular" world of medicine - for your FILE - be very precise and clear -- and try to avoid doctors who would love to run with JUST a psychiatric diagnosis instead of coming to terms with the the underlying infection(s) and all that lyme/TBD can cause.
Think of how reporters looking for tight sound bytes and how often the get it so very wrong.
Most doctors are no different, either in their lack of really wanting to know the full story or in how they want to find a box to put you in, to wrap up a dx and couple it with a Rx. They don't "do" complicated. They have neither the capacity nor the training.
Even being insistent will get the label of "difficult" patient and it's all over from there. There are better ways to work WITH the system so that one's medical care is not put in jeopardy for all time to come.
As patients, we are called upon to understand complexity to the max. I used to want answers for every symptom (thinking they were all separate diagnoses) . . . but . . . the answer always came around to: it just goes with the territory. Sure, it's nice to understand the processes involved and what supportive measures will help but, still,
. . . so much just goes with the territory. It's just part of the deal.
This article describes so much about what a lyme patient goes through most days - it helps shine a light better than any article I've come across:
When to Suspect Lyme - by John D. Bleiweiss, M.D. -
[ 10-03-2010, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- When a lyme patient gets honest - or insistent - with a regular doctor, this is what usually happens. It's best to avoid getting the label of "difficult" patient. That is usually then written in large red letters inside the front cover of a patient's file.
You can look inside the book and see over (177 customer reviews) at link above.
======================
Still, understanding that we face a long and rough road, it's just better to put behind us our anger and get on with business . . . leaving behind doctors that are not a good fit - for whatever reason (some are good people, just not the right doctors for us)-
- and move on to more positive encounters with knowledgeable doctors so that our best efforts at talking care of ourselves has the best chance possible.
-=========================
Seinfeld had an episode where Elaine was a ``Difficult Patient'' - how they portrayed the effect of that in one's chart was no joke, though it seemed like one on the show. It was, actually, a fairly accurate portrayal.
Season 8 of "Seinfeld":
5) "The Package" episode
- . . . Elaine finds out that every doctor labels her as a difficult patient, some even before they meet.
Once in the file, always in the file.
==================================
So, while I'm all for standing up to truth, it's best to share that truth - ask questions and explore the territory - with LLMDs or LL counselors and LL therapists who understand the language and complexities. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/