Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[AndreaB]

I get to hear the results of my mineral analysis tomorrow I have a phone consult with my practitioner, I'm excited to hear what the findings are.

That's exciting! I'm so excited about my LLMD appt tomorrow too! It will be an email kinda day.

I meant to say hair analysis, not mineral analysis, but I think it's basically the same thing?

Can't wait to hear from both of you.

I vote pretty much the same thing but it's a mineral analysis of your hair.

[mftnchn]

Lisa, so glad the ecoffee has helped! I am not surprised based on my own experience.

April, so glad the Chinese treatments are helping. I have given up the gua sha for now...can't talk my family members into doing it for me. Oh well, I'll do it when I get back to China again.

I'm doing a bit better...hope to last the weekend as I have family coming.

[aprilh]

Guess what? My daughter is feeling much better today and the leg pain has mysteriously dissappeared, for now.

Too wierd........If it was iron I don't think it would go away so fast.

[Green12]

Lol. I have no idea about that...sounds like a Rachel question.

So true, where is Rachel when we need her!

I vote pretty much the same thing but it's a mineral analysis of your hair.

Thanks Andrea, I figured as much.

I'm doing a bit better...hope to last the weekend as I have family coming.

I was just going to ask how you were feeling Sherry. Glad to hear you are doing a little better

Hope you have a good time with your family.

Guess what? My daughter is feeling much better today and the leg pain has mysteriously dissappeared, for now.

Too wierd........If it was iron I don't think it would go away so fast.

Good news, but I agree weird that it dissapated so quickly.

[CarlaB]

Good news, but I agree weird that it dissapated so quickly.

It doesn't surprise me .... my Lyme has always been stress-related, so has just come and gone like that.

Years ago, I managed 300 apts. At the end of my time there, when I would walk into the office, my temperature would raise to 102 degrees and I'd throw up. I'd leave to go home, and would be completely fine, no symptoms at all ... go back to the office, sick, go home, well.

Obviously, I had to leave that job. I was actually too sick to work for about three or four months after that.

That's why people with Lyme are views as being hypochondriacs or as having Somatization Disorder ... this is all just to strange to be REAL.

[confusedks]

Years ago, I managed 300 apts. At the end of my time there, when I would walk into the office, my temperature would raise to 102 degrees and I'd throw up. I'd leave to go home, and would be completely fine, no symptoms at all ... go back to the office, sick, go home, well.

That's why people with Lyme are views as being hypochondriacs or as having Somatization Disorder ... this is all just to strange to be REAL.

That's funny. I had one night I was going to go to an event and I was getting ready and I randomly decided to take my temperature and it was 101.2 (something like that) so I didn't go. Well, then a few hours later my fever was totally gone! It was very strange.

[confusedks]

I'm back! Everything went very well at the Dr's office. I'll be writing an email soon.

[dlp252]

I'll be writing an email soon.

I'd like one please!

[AndreaB]

Donna,

Love the new pic.

[dlp252]

Donna,

Love the new pic.

Thanks!!! I was tired of all the dark colors, lol!

[Green12]

I'm back! Everything went very well at the Dr's office. I'll be writing an email soon.

Great news, I'm excited to hear about it.

I beat you to it

I don't have everyone's email address, so if you didn't get my email and want an overview of my hair analysis results just pm me your email address.

[CarlaB]

Thanks!!! I was tired of all the dark colors, lol!

Great pic! I was laughing when I saw the white shirt and white background because you had said you were not liking the dark colors.

I actually don't like my picture .... but I took it of myself and had to get it as far away as possible, so I could crop it .... I don't know how to resize the pics on my Mac, so I can't use the ones that I actually like, LOL.

I've been wanting to bring up a topic ..... one of you will know why, LOL, but I thought it would benefit the whole group.

We haven't talked about the emotional aspect of disease in a while. The fact that things that have happened in the past can affect the body.

As for me, I had some emotional issues from childhood (not giving details on the public forum , but if it's relevant for you to know, PM me). While I was dealing with it, I had too much to process and went into "survival mode" by packing away the emotions/feelings rather than dealing with them.

Years later, and this was at the beginning of the time when I was becoming ill, I was finally in a spiritual place where I could deal with it. I didn't realized I had packed away these boxes full of old feelings into the attic of my brain, but I had, and they started coming down.

I was overwhelmed with these feelings and they felt as fresh over 25 years later as they had the day they happened. My spiritual director told me to not box them up this time. I need to realize that a feeling can't be helped, only your actions and possibly thoughts. That when I felt the feeling, I just needed to escort it in and like an unwelcome guest, escort it right back out the back door, but not to box it up. This went against my nature.

My nature was to avoid the feeling and box it up.

You will know when you've processed all the feelings surrounding a trauma .... thinking about or talking about the trauma will no longer bring back all the flood of feelings .... not that you forget the trauma itself or the people involved, but that you can freely talk about it without being flooded with feelings.

I must say, it was a hard year when I dealt with all this.

Dr. K and other docs talk about the connection between emotional trauma and healing ...... it's an important part of the picture. Maybe Rachel can post some scientificness about this ... I know she has before.

[Green12]

Carla, this is so strange I was thinking the other day about posting about this very issue. I'm so glad you brought it up. We must be on the same wave length!!

I completely believe, and agree, there is a huge emotional aspect involved with illness. I think just like toxins, emotions can be stored in the body (emotional trauma, experiences, thoughts, feelings, energy) and they supress the body, and they need to be detoxed as well. If that even makes sense?

I know for me personally, and I also am not going to go into any detail on a public forum, I have had many different emotional traumas and these have all seemed to coincide with the decline in my state of health.

[confusedks]

I'd like one please!

I sent it out. If anyone didn't get it, let me know through PM and I'll send it!

Yea, Donna, I love your new avatar.

[confused]

Carla and julie,

I so agree to what you are saying. Emotional trauma does need to be detoxed in order to get better. I have had a few things happen in my life that have cuased many problems for me, of course im not going to list them here. But only after i started to talk about them can i truely heal. for the most part i have healed from most of them, but there are few that i have not healed from and im not sure if i will ever completely heal from them. I know i will need to confront these problems head on with the source of these problems in order to fully move forward, but im not sure if i can truely handle that right now in my life. I have so much more to say about this but my kids are up and starving lol

paula

[confusedks]

We haven't talked about the emotional aspect of disease in a while. The fact that things that have happened in the past can affect the body.

This is so funny that you brought this up. I was thinking about this the other day. I truly believe that there are lots of people with Lyme and other chronic illnesses that really slow down/stop their healing process because they are unable to deal with their emotions.

That's not to say that there aren't some very sick people, but I really believe part of treatment needs to be emotional stuff because there is a lot of loss, trauma, and other things that come along with disease. Even family members can get really hurt by our disease without us knowing it.

I think that on the road it takes for many to get a Lyme diagnosis, many get very hurt by people surrounding them and Doctors/medical professionals. I know I have.

I have been at times in my life where I went into survival mode and while we need to do that at times, it's just that--survival mode. It's not a great way of living. I know that a HUGE part of my getting better revolves around the emotional aspect of illness/disease. It's just as important for me to spend time detoxing emotions as it is detoxing actual toxins.

For me, dealing with these things as they come up is very crucial, otherwise I stuff them back into my "attic in my brain." There have been lots of changes for me because of all this sickness, but it's so important for me to not lose sight of normalcy because otherwise...why bother treating? Like Rachel says about Big Macs and Pizza, one day I will get a "normal" life back and I will be able to go out without being worried about making it home to take my next round of meds.

[aprilh]

I have read a lot about the emotional aspect being very important part of healing and detoxing.

My acupuncturist the other day asked me if I had been having anxiety (she can sense these things). I had had a terrible week of arguing with my hubby and my child being sick, leg pain and all that.

Good topic!

So the lyme symptoms are strange, huh! That is so wierd about the fever when you would go into work!

My DD did have a fever with the leg pain, but also a cold, and stomach ache. My theory is that if my Little boy gets it (he catches all of our colds) then it was a virus - but that still doesn't explain the leg pain going away so fast. If lyme flares with stress, our house was a big ball of stress last week.

I plan to get her tested for lyme. I HAVE to figure this out. I know something deeper is going on.

My hubby asked me last night why it couldn't just be "growing pains". I think growing pains are just a label for pains the dr. cannot figure out. I might be wrong, but how do we know "growing pains" are not low iron or heavy metals, or whatever in these kids.

[Nyxie63]

Defnitely a timely topic. Pardon my vent.

My depression has hit an all-time low. I haven't been this down in years. Been reading about my friends and their lives and what they're doing. Everyone has something wonderful going on. And then there's me.

So many things that have meant something to me have dropped by the wayside over the past few years. My business is down the hole. I don't socialize anymore. I hate the phone. The only person I talk to or see is hubby and, to be blunt, he's not much help.

I've self-isolated over the past few years. Dropped so many friends. One person recently told me to pull my head out of my microcosm. Yeah, as if it were that simple or easy. Because her life is wonderful and on track right now, she expects me to do the same. And i can't. Its not "won't". Its "can't". The only friend who has shown any interest in how I'm feeling is the one who works for the local health department and I think its mostly a professional interest.

The money issue is pressing down on us already and I'm not even in treatment yet. I cringe every time we get a new bill because its putting strain on an already strained budget. Which puts stress on both of us. If I could work right now, I would. The guilt and the stress of money and not being able to work is really difficult to deal with.

I try to think positive and have hope. That's not the problem. I do stay upbeat. I do have hope. It doesn't seem to help any with the depression or the stress or the guilt. I'm still trying to figure out how I can be perky and depressed at the same time. No answers there.

I have an appt with the holistic MD on the 18th and one with the idiot GI on the 20th. The only reason I'm seeing the holistic MD is to get my stool test results back. Will ask her about detoxing and see if she's ever worked with an LLMD before. Thinking she might be helpful in that aspect. Dunno why I'm going to keep the GI appt, other than maybe giving him a piece of my mind. It'd be worth the co-pay. 3 weeks and counting until I see Dr H.

Mom keeps calling with names of local docs who she thinks might be able to help me. One doesn't treat lyme anymore. The other has a waiting list of a year or more. Considering she's considered me to be a hypochondriac for the past year, its nice that she's finally taking my illness seriously and is trying to help. She's going to go with me to the appt on the 18th and then we're going to bum around together for the rest of the day. I think she'll end up driving.

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me and your support so far. Sorry to subject you to this. You guys are the only ones I have to turn to these days.

[confusedks]

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me and your support so far. Sorry to subject you to this. You guys are the only ones I have to turn to these days.

No problem at all! I used and still use this thread for support because people with Lyme are the only ones who understand what's going on and how hard this all is. I am glad you will see Carla's LLMD soon...I think that will reveal lots of answers for you.

Although I am not paying for any of this stuff, my mom is. And since she is a single mom, it is really difficult, not to mention the fact that our insurance sucks! I get it, we are paying $600 for every bottle of Mepron! It's insane. The reason my mom is willing to do this treatment is that it's TREATMENT...not just masking symptoms! We eventually will get to the bottom of this, so will you!

And, ugh, I totally get it about friends. All of my friends are applying to college, partying on Saturday nights, while I'm in Lyme chats. But, I need this time for me right now, and if they are true friends, they will accept me for whatever is going on in my life.

If you ever just want to vent, you can always PM me! It's helpful to talk to people who get it! Also, you can read the pages and pages of frustration I had with Doctors and my mom and family, etc.

In the meantime, are you taking anything supplemental for the depression? I was reading about it this morning because when I herx depression becomes an issue. I am going to go to Whole Foods today and get some Flax Oil and Calcium/Magnesium because they tend to help with depression. Just a thought.

[Green12]

Glad everyone feels comfortable enough to share, not a lot of people understand living with chronic illness. Who better to turn to than others going through it themselves

Here is something I am reminded of:

Open Original Shared Link

I just wanted to say something about castor oil packs.

Knowing what I know now I don't feel comfortable recommending them to just anybody. They induce a powerful detoxing action and it might be a lot more than the body can handle.

Unless you are under the care of a health care professional that understands the detoxing process and can guide you through them I wouldn't do them.

[dlp252]

Yeah, the emotion side of things... Yep, yep, yep. Big factor for me too.

I actually don't like my picture .... but I took it of myself and had to get it as far away as possible, so I could crop it .... I don't know how to resize the pics on my Mac, so I can't use the ones that I actually like, LOL.

I don't like most of mine...I'm pretty happy with this one...the colors get kind of weird when I resize it down, but it's better than the other ones, lol.

Yea, Donna, I love your new avatar.

Thank you!

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me and your support so far. Sorry to subject you to this. You guys are the only ones I have to turn to these days.

Yeah, I think that's because we've all been there. It's hard for people who aren't sick to understand those of us who are. Especially with Lyme...it's just not possible to "WILL" yourself to do what you can't do.

[CarlaB]

Emotional trauma does need to be detoxed in order to get better. I have had a few things happen in my life that have cuased many problems for me, of course im not going to list them here. But only after i started to talk about them can i truely heal.

This is what I mean. Past emotional trauma .... there are many aspects of disease that are causing current emotional issues that also need to be dealt with, but I was specifically talking about past events that we haven't fully dealt with. I'll see if I can find an article ....

for the most part i have healed from most of them, but there are few that i have not healed from and im not sure if i will ever completely heal from them. I know i will need to confront these problems head on with the source of these problems in order to fully move forward, but im not sure if i can truely handle that right now in my life.

One thing that I had to realize was that reconciliation with some of the people involved is not necessary for emotional healing. In my case, these people haven't changed a bit and the behavior patterns are still there, so being around them would be detrimental to my emotional health.

My healing was within myself. I have forgiven them, but that doesn't mean I go back for more. I've let go of the past, but I avoid the situation in the present. I can talk about the past issues without the feeling that I'm reliving them.

I don't like most of mine...I'm pretty happy with this one...the colors get kind of weird when I resize it down, but it's better than the other ones, lol.

I actually have a couple pictures I like, but I can't figure out how to resize them on my Mac ...... if I knew how to resize, I'd have a different avatar.

[CarlaB]

From a lecture by Dr. K .... Open Original Shared Link

In 1992 the San Francisco Spine Institute published a paper in Spine Magazine(7). 100 adults with MRI proven severe lumbar disc herniations were preoperatively interviewed regarding five possible traumatic situations in their respective childhood:

1.Physical abuse

2.Sexual abuse

3.Emotional neglect/ abandonment

4.Loss of one or both parents (divorce, death etc.)

5.drug abuse at home (alcohol, prescription drugs etc.)

The patients were assigned to 3 different groups:

1.None of these risk factors

2.One or two risk factors

3.Three or more

The long term postoperative success was as follows:

1.95% excellent improvement

2.73% improvement

3.15%improvement

[CarlaB]

another Dr. K article .... Open Original Shared Link

The Unresolved Psycho-Emotional Conflict

For an event to cause an unresolved psycho-emotional conflict, several conditions have to be present:

1. The nervous system is in a vulnerable phase.

2. The person is in a situation where it is not safe to express their feelings. (Example: soldier in combat. He really feels fear but has to act aggressive)

3. An event happens which is perceived as shocking and that interrupts the anticipated normal flow of life (example: the first day of school).

Events That Frequently Leave Behind an Unresolved Psycho-Emotional Conflict

The intra-uterine period:

Emotional problems between parents at the time of conception or later during pregnancy

Thoughts of abortion

Attempted abortion

Feelings of older siblings about the ever-increasing loss of attention by the mother

Physiological problems in the womb (mother's smoking, amalgam fillings, alcohol abuse, illnesses, accidents, medical drugs - especially psychopharmacological medications taken by mother, malnutrition)

Being aware of a twin dying ("vanishing twin"), 6-10% of all pregnancies start as twin-pregnancies, less than 2% of pregnancies end with the birth of twins

Birth and the time before, during, and after (drugs, trauma,)

Post-birth trauma: needle pricks to heel, silver nitrate in the eyes, cutting the umbilical cord, circumcision and other invasive procedures often without proper anesthesia.

The early years:

Birth of younger siblings

Emotional climate with parents and older siblings

Weaning the baby (too early, too late, etc . . .)

Not breastfeeding

Traumatic toilet training

Relationship with babysitter

Early sexual abuse

Drug use by parents

Physical abuse

Emotional abuse or abandonment

Neglect

Childhood diseases

Illnesses/hospital stays of a parent

Relationship to pets, nature, other kids

Kindergarten

The young years:

First day in school

Relationship to teachers and other students

Moving

Changing school

Academic performance

Athletic performance

Dealing/becoming conscious of physical impairment

The locker room

Relationship with kids of the opposite gender

Social roles

Roles in the family

Abusive parents

Puberty Adolescence:

Academic/athletic performance

First romance

Competition

Peer groups/peer pressure

Fights/injuries

Operations: tonsils, appendix

Dental interventions - placement of amalgam fillings (causes shyness, etc . . .)

Parties/dancing

Ritual abuse, cults, black magic

Sports

Accidents

Divorce of parents

Physical/emotional abuse

First sexual experiences

Abortion

Betrayal/broken trust in first deep, often non-sexual relationship

Disappointments

Depression/thoughts of - or attempted suicide

College/separation from family/friends

First drug experience

Academic pressure

The grown-up years:

They never come

Relationship problems

Separation from a loved one

Broken friendships

Academic failure

Divorce

Death of a loved one

Financial disasters

Financial problems

Failure (job, university, relationship, sports)

Legal problems (jail, convictions)

Illnesses (of oneself or loved ones)

Diagnosis of a serious illness

Loss of energy

Loss of sex drive

Signs of aging

All of these events and circumstances may leave an Unresolved Psycho-Emotional conflict behind or the patient can negotiate them successfully (that simply means the person becomes more mature and stronger because of the way the conflict was negotiated and navigated).

[confusedks]

In 1992 the San Francisco Spine Institute published a paper in Spine Magazine(7). 100 adults with MRI proven severe lumbar disc herniations were preoperatively interviewed regarding five possible traumatic situations in their respective childhood:

1.Physical abuse

2.Sexual abuse

3.Emotional neglect/ abandonment

4.Loss of one or both parents (divorce, death etc.)

5.drug abuse at home (alcohol, prescription drugs etc.)

The patients were assigned to 3 different groups:

1.None of these risk factors

2.One or two risk factors

3.Three or more

The long term postoperative success was as follows:

1.95% excellent improvement

2.73% improvement

3.15%improvement

This is VERY interesting. I have 6 disc bulges and can identify with some of these issues (no specifics though, lol). That is so amazing to me! Just goes to show how important it is to work through these things/issues.

One thing that I had to realize was that reconciliation with some of the people involved is not necessary for emotional healing. In my case, these people haven't changed a bit and the behavior patterns are still there, so being around them would be detrimental to my emotional health.

My healing was within myself. I have forgiven them, but that doesn't mean I go back for more. I've let go of the past, but I avoid the situation in the present. I can talk about the past issues without the feeling that I'm reliving them.

Totally get this! I couldn't agree more! There have been some great dynamic shifts in some relationships in my life, but it's not the other person...it's me. I have made my mind up about how these people are, and probably always will be. It's all in the acceptance for me.