Lyme Disease Support Group

I've been having what I think are pretty common Lyme-brain symptoms, such as crying all of a sudden, freezing up under stress, getting really angry and not being able to calm down, and generally not having a lot of control over my emotions.

Naturally, this is freaking out my boyfriend. I've been trying to explain that it's a temporary situation due to Lyme disease, and that I'm not really crazy or anything, but here's the catch: I did have extreme emotional reactions even before I got Lyme disease, mainly in the form of suddenly throwing things without really planning to, if my boyfriend said something that really upset me during an argument. So in his mind, it's not Lyme disease that's affecting me, it's just that I've always had a set of "poor coping strategies."

Anytime I tell people that I had out-of-control reactions even before I had Lyme disease, I think they assume that I just don't have enough self-control or have a mental condition.

But from the way I experience things, I think that what I'm experiencing now with Lyme as well as what I experienced before are both largely attributable to physiological situations. I think I had some bad things going on in my body before getting Lyme (such as adrenal fatigue, mercury toxicity, gluten sensitivity, maybe pyroluria) which contributed to both my sudden, unplanned emotional reactions and to my quick succumbing to Lyme disease (I got hit really hard and it won't go away, even though I caught it when it was still in the bulls-eye stage). FYI, I have a pretty good idea of when I got Lyme due to my exposure history, and I'm almost certain I didn't have it before getting it last May.

So ...

1) Can you offer anything to help my boyfriend understand that out-of-control emotions are somewhat normal and TREATABLE for both Lyme disease and maybe even for other conditions (like mercury, pyroluria)? I'm realizing he's scared that these symptoms won't go away, and he doesn't know what to do about it.

2) Any suggestions for me on how to avoid out-of-control emotional reactions? It's getting pretty bad - I've been crying in public, I had a really hard time dealing with frustration on recent airplane flights, and I don't trust myself to drive (good thing I don't have to where I live).

I'm thinking about carrying a small stuffed animal to hug when I start to get upset. It's much easier for me to prevent getting upset/filling up with adrenaline in the first place than to control myself once I'm upset.

As for the rest of it, I like the idea of carrying around a stuffed animal! I collect teddy bears, and hey, who cares if you carry one around, if it helps? Whatever works, ya know? I think that one of the things you're gonna have to do in order to cope is to be sure that you take some "me" time out every single day and do some deep breathing, meditation, whatever it is that you need to do in order to get refreshed and to meet the rest of the day and the next. It doesn't take long, usually just 10-15 minutes is all. If you have to lock yourself in the bathroom or whatever. Whatever it requires, but you need to do it.

There are a number of different things you can do to relieve stress. Something else that I think is kinda important is to do something to exercise your mind. I like to play games of some sort on the computer. It helps me to relax at the end of the day. But whatever it is that you like to do is a big help. Stress isn't good for you, and especially when you have Lyme!

I hope some of this will help, and I'm sure there are others here that will have lots of advice for you!

*hugs*

Jen

I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS, it was GIVEN TO ME, I have no control over what I feel...I'm trying very hard at the moment to get well, and I need your support and understanding, if you can't give that to me, then LEAVE ME ALONE...It pretty much worked.

I also joined a "support Group" in my area in the beginning and that really helped me, I also brought Jim with me (at that time we just got married) he was great....And just talking to others that were sick (all different reasons) helped me releave some of the stress I had...Stress and lyme don't get along well....

I will also (when it was nice outside) go for a walk to the lake, sit down and just think, read, fish...Or I would take a LONG nice lavender bath, I shut the world out for an hour...

I am also big on writting letters when something is bothering me, then I give that letter to the person, sometimes we speak better in a letter...

I hope this will help you.

Julie

God I used to go nuts as a teen. I was severely chemically inbalanced. It was awful. Rage, crying fits, no control over my emotions at all. I eventually became a cutter. Would black out when emotionally distressed and do damage to things around me and myself. And I am prone to blackouts before the lyme - and extreem emotional reactions as well. The rage has really stayed with me - and since I have bartonella too - I can become VERY combative.Doesnt help that the hubby is prone to rage and blackouts too. My dad for that matter too.

Sit him down, and explain, that he doesnt need to understand everything about this disease - no one really does anyway. BUT you need him to believe IN you. Sure, you may have been close to this prior to the Lyme...but the Lyme has made it worse. That is just the way that it is.

Collect info, and even ask for others to share if they are willing their fight with these effects. YOU are not the only one going through this type of thing. When I get this way, my hubby asks what is wrong, and I tell him, "I am aggitated today" and he knows that I cant control what is going on, and he backs the kids off and deals with them for me.

Hang in there

Christine