Psych issues anyone??

[Ephedra]

What coinfection causes the greatest degree of psychological issues??

Anyone else paranoid?  I have paranoia to the point that it prevents me from getting help for it.  Always worried about saying the wrong thing or wording something wrong and getting thrown into an inpatient unit somewhere, if not worse.  I don't typically go into detail about my psychological issues, but I was just trying to link this to some TBI.  Probably the main reason I keep my distance from people and therefore doctors.  Feel like I am being set up or something.  It seems like everytime I have been to a therapist in the past, the first question they ask is, "have you ever thought about hurting yourself".  I don't even have a chance to get acquainted with this person, and they ask me questions like that.  It is running my life at this point!  I am afraid of getting too close to someone for the simple fact that I may say something that I probably shouldn't.  I wish it would just go away, but I know it's not going to go away on it's own.  But at the same time, I don't want to be sedated to get some relief.  I am tired enough!  I also hate to be stuck on a medication for life due to the withdraws.  

Any comments, suggestions, or advice??  

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey Ephedra.

As much as you hope to get relief from beta-blockers for hbp & heart arrhythmia for your stress, it is a bad payoff to my opinion!
It is contra-indicated for people who have partially blocked arteries (many middle age people and older in our society have , whether diagnosed or not!),does not support the use of BBs for hbp as a front line treatment
( Leone AM; American Journal of Cardiology 105 May 2010),
higher incidence of cataracts-specifically nuclear cataracts-
ref.: Blue Mountains Eye Study, British Journal of Ophthamology 2009
plus numerus side effects.
Daily consumption of raw celery should help with hbp (it contains phthalide  which relaxes the muscles and arteries that regulate blood pressure and also reduces the amount of "stress hormones," called catecholamines, in the blood.) I have never taken meds for hbp in my life, but that's just me.
  Daily meditation would be of great help too. If one cannot get into meditation, meditation CDs with binaural sounds will do it.

Magnesium deficiency (tissue levels NOT serum!) is very common with irregular heart beats and may be a contributing factor to stress, anxiety etc.
Underlying pathogenic  mycoplasma infections are often the culprit of heart arrhythmias. The T waves on the ECG from a 24-48 hour holter ECG  test, instead of peaks go flat or into an inversion.
Very common with mycoplasma infections is also low blood volume, where a 15%-20% drop from normal,I think normal being 25-30ml of red blood cells per kilogram of body weight (I'm going by memory on this), would constitute a medical emergency in case of trauma and with many possible consequences. I hate to think what such a condition would do to anyone's body on a prolonged basis.
The issue is, how do you get  tested for all this?

I did not intend to overwhelm you with information overload,
so that's all for now.

Let me know where you live and I'll check through my list to see if there are any Certified Hypnotherapists in your area.

Listen Ephedra, I think I know what it is like for you, as I have been in a similar situation -not Lymes, I actually never got a DX- many years ago- with all the symptoms, the anxiety , the panic attacks, the palpitations, the stress, the hbp, the excruciating pains, the insomnia...
I made it a DO or DIE situation, immersed myself TOTALLY into health & wellness, took matters into my own hands and I never looked back.
It's all well behind me now. But again this is MY story.

Best wishes.
Niko

[Ephedra]

Thank you both!

Hypnotherapy sounds like fun.  But I have absolutely no idea where to have that done!

Thanks so much Jackie!  The thing is, that therapists always ask me that question before they even get a chance to know me.  Like maybe it's standard procedure or something.  I walked in the office for the first time and I didn't even get a chance to say much of anything and they ask me that.

And the problem with the doctor treating me for Lyme, is the appointment schedule.  I am on for one hour every three months.  Not enough time to discuss much of anything but how I am responding to treatment.  And not really enough time for me to get enough trust built up in the doctor either.  But somehow, doc has already picked up on a lack of trust.  And I feel bad about that, because the trust was slowly beginning to build.  Now I sort of feel like doc is backing down, in a way (if that makes sense).  Like I wouldn't be surprised if I was told to ge seek treatment elsewhere.  Doctors have so many other patients, that I don't expect them to have the time to listen and help anyhow.    

I am trying to get on a beta blocker for my blood pressure and heart rate.  I have heard those can help with anxiety.  Problem being that my blood pressure runs high when sitting and it drops to low-normal when I stand.  Do you have any issues with the beta blocker causing a blood pressure drops?

I may have to look into 5-HTP.  But my case is quite severe.  I am not sure if much of anything would help.

Thanks for your support!  I hope that it is a symptom and it will fade with treatment.  

[Ricobord]

I can't offer much except to encourage you to try your best to think of your paranoia as a symptom, not a character flaw.  I encourage you to seek help for it.  Find a medical professional you can trust.  If some have asked you questions about wanting to hurt yourself, then those individuals have already picked up on signs of your distress. It is responsible for them to ask that question, not a sign of their suspicion of you.

I encourage you to start with the doctor treating you for Lyme. There are good homeopathic remedies as well as pharmaceuticals that can help ease the neuropsychiatric effects of Lyme and/or Bartonella and/or Babesia.  

I found that I had some level of obsessive behaviors and irritability with Lyme. Babesia made me really depressed for a time.  Bartonella triggered anxiety.  A beta blocker and some Nortriptyline helped me for a long time. Now, I'm on 5-HTP as a mild mood stabilizer, and still on a low dose of the beta blocker.  It should get better with the antibiotics, too, but symptom relief is part of the treatment plan. Your doctor can only help with this is you can take a step of faith and start talking about it.  Even just saying that you're terrified of being labeled as a psych case is a great start.  A Lyme doc will totally understand this, as so many Lyme patients have the same feelings and fear.

You're not the only one!

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi Ephedra.

Hard to tell which co-infection produces the greatest degree of psycho-mental issues, but b.c of my background in therapy, I would tend to say, the sufferer's personal constitution, the level of support from friends and family, the relationship with the treating doctor (hopefully a good LLMD), neurotransmitter status, previous traumatic events/blocked emotional energy (even if not remembered or considered as  as such), certain nutritional deficiencies, genetic predisposition, etc.

Meditation, Hypnotherapy, Energy Psychotherapy, Deep Breathing Techniques like  Nadi Shodhan Pranayama.
Excellent breathing technique to calm and center the mind. Our mind has a tendency to keep regretting or glorifying the past and getting anxious about the future. Nadi Shodhan Pranayama helps to bring the mind back to the present moment.
I just posted at the Stress Community how to do it, if you're interested.

Hypnotherapy is great should you be able to hook up with a good Therapist, but you must book a bundle of sessions of at least 6 within a couple months and a booster session every 3-6 months thereafter.

I'm putting my final touches on my Hypno-Fibro Wellness Program and the initial results are impressive.
It incorporates hypnosis, EFT (advanced), Reiki, Energy Psychotherapy
and some other things over the course of a few months.
Emotional, mental and physical issues are all addressed, as they are inter-related.
If you have any questions, let me know.

Blessings.
Niko