What do you do to fight paranoia?

ncgirl88

Hi SIA - I remember those days...waiting for test results, knowing something was really wrong, scared that it was something with no prognosis of getting well...thinking maybe I had months...it is not fun. All I can say is that what helped me is knowing I got sick in May the beginning of tick season...I also would go over the symptoms and realize what else could it be since they had checked me for everything else. I still have paranoia at times since there are so many systems in my body not working...I start to go to the "what if lyme and the coinfections are not the only thing going on"...then I stop myself. For me it helped on my good days to try to go somewhere or keep myself occupied. You only have a week and half until your appointment that is great! Just try to give yourself these days off to try to enjoy the holidays. Try to just make it until the 28th and then take it from there. I know - easier said then done...Take care and post whenever you need support.

CFD 333

I've been having problems with paranoia ever since I started getting sick...even before things got really bad several months later. I noticed that I started to become less and less tolerant to stress and also got the occasional panic attack. Little did I know at the time, something was going on in my body and my brain was trying to get me away from stress....as if by saying, "Look, we need all the reserves you have so don't do anything that will overly tax you, or you are gonna pay for it later!" Weird part was, I knew I needed to listen to this inner feeling, yet being the Type A personality that I was, I chose to ignore it. And, because of this, I paid dearly for it. Not more than a couple more months went by before I was in full blown Lyme Disease/Chronic Fatigue. After this occurance, the paranoia set in...started thinking that I had everything from cancer to a complete mental breakdown. What I learned from this, however, was crucial. The paranoia I was experiencing was not irrational, but a defense mechanism! Spreaditaround, you ask the question, "what's the best way to combat this paranoia I now find myself consumed with?" You ask this as if you consider yourself a hypochondriac, when in fact you are anything but! You have a completely legitimate problem that needs all your attention. The question I would ask you is, "Why shouldn't you be consumed with it?" You, as the majority of us, are acutely aware of all the facets of your illness. Your body and mind are screaming out! It's telling you that something is wrong and it needs to be fixed. The feelings you are having are perfectly normal and quite beneficial to you. It took me several doctors and several months of test after test after test to find what was wrong with me. And guess what? It was the paranoia that made me persist and it may have saved my life! So, to finally answer your question...you don't want to get rid of it! In this situation, your "what if" thinking is completely justified and it may just save YOUR life...

ticker

Hi SpreadItAround. It is great you will be seeing the doctor earlier! What a nice Christmas present

I know it is scary to not be sure what is going on. Do your best to focus on the things you can do and not the unknowns. Your symptoms point toward tickbonre illnesses. You are learning about them and will be seeing a specialist soon. These are positive things you are doing to help yourself.

Many doctors who do not understand these diseases make ignorant remarks like the ones you heard. Just like you would not see a podiatrist for a cardiac problem, you should not see just any kind of doctor when tickborne illnesses are a possibility.

You will have some answers very soon! Hang in there okay?