Post by clarissajo on Dec 6, 2010 1:40:50 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
Greetings....I'm new to this site, AND new to Morgellons.
In actual fact, I don't know if I have Morgellons or not.
I itch, off and on, pretty much all over. Can't see any particular reason for it. From time to time it feels like bugs crawling on me, usually on my legs but sometimes elsewhere. When I look there's nothing there.
The soles of my feet hurt! They burn! Sometimes I can hardly walk due to the burning pain on the bottoms of my feet. This morning I ever so gently bumped my toe against the corner of my clothes hamper and was in excruciating agony for at least 5 minutes. The pain seemed like it just wouldn't stop!
Also, for some reason I have calluses growing at an unheard-of-rate on the bottoms of my feet....they seem to be contributing to the pain as well.
When I woke up this morning three of my toes were swollen like little balloons. My feet are red....no, really more purple than red. One toe has something on it that looks sort of like a bug bite, but it's purple and itchy both top and bottom.
My lower legs look purple-ish too...resembling lots of varicose veins, but not. OK, it doesn't make sense to me either. There are squiggly purplish lines on my lower legs that look sort of like varicose veins/broken spider veins. Maybe that's all they are....
I asked my rheumy about the "bugs crawling", he said it was diabetic neuropathy. The only problem with that theory is that I don't actually have diabetes. My last A1C was 6.1, but that's more pre-diabetic AFAIK. My endocrinologist says I'm not diabetic.
I do have a small skin lesion on my face that is not healing, but I haven't pulled any fibers out of it yet.
In fact, I haven't seen any fibers, any flecks, or any fuzzies coming from my skin. My eyesight is pretty bad at times, though.
But I do have the following symptoms from the official list of symptoms here on this site:
Head
* Headaches
Brain and Personality
* Memory loss (short term, recent memory - "What was I saying?
Where did I put my coffee mug? What did I do yesterday?")
* Brain fog - groggy, unclear thinking
* Thought processing becomes very taxing, difficult
* Unable to think of specific words when communicating
* Writing, and especially spelling, becomes difficult
* Inability to focus or concentrate - ADD/ADHD symptoms
* Mood disorders and mood swings, including loss of temper
* Libido - lack of
* Loss of interest in things that normally interest you
* Depression and/or confusion or disorientation
* Personality changes, like loss of creativity or loss of existing skills
* Neurological problems - clumsiness, stumbling while walking, impeded speech
Hair
* Hair appearance - stiff, brittle and dry
* Wiry, uncontrollable hairs replace normal hair
* Hair texture and color may change as more "wiry" ones grow in
Eyes
* Loss of visual acuity
* Increase in discharge, often stringy
* Sandy or gritty feeling in eyes
* Eyes are extra-sensitive to light
* Eyesight is generally weakened
Ears
* Ears ring or beep (but ears are clean)
Nose
* Allergies or sinus problems - excessive congestion, mucus production
* Scents are not perceived correctly, may fluctuate from keen sensing ability
to no ability to perceive any scent at all
* Nostrils develop very sore pimples
Mouth & Throat
* Teeth become sensitive, crack, chip
* Teeth become loose and/or fall out
* Constant sinus drainage
* Glob of congestion always hanging at back of throat
Skin
* Crawling feeling on the skin, like invisible bugs
* Pinching, biting, stinging or prickling on the skin
* Lesions - itchy, sore or painful, very slow-healing with little or no infection
* Crusts/scabs/callus-like formations on lesions
* Pimples - sore, long-lasting, can't squeeze out - contents are removed in same fashion as a splinter and are moist but cohesive
* Rashes - unusual, appear/disappear rapidly for no apparent reason, also appear where adhesive portion of Band-Aid is applied
Body
* Weight gain
* Food cravings or total lack of interest in food
* Gastrointestinal problems
* Swelling or edema, including breast edema, feet especially known for swelling
* Back ache - lower back
* Back pain - neck and shoulder pain
* Chronic fatigue - total exhaustion, physical depletion
* Insomnia during nighttime, or sleep abnormally long amounts (day and night)
* Weakness - strength diminishes
* Bloating
* Joint pain
* Muscle twitching or cramping
* Dizziness, disorientation, vertigo
* Blood pressure problems (high or low)
* Heart races or beats irregularly for no apparent reason
* Liver problems
* Abnormal overheating as well as temperature loss problems
* Excessive sweating
* Cannot stay in sun for prolonged periods without becoming ill
* Drastic body temp fluctuations
* New, normal temp runs lower or higher than your previous "normal"
* Bowel habits change, loss of muscle control
* Incontinence
* Fingernails change shape and/or texture
Of course, I have Lyme disease, plus Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis (HME), and Bartonella. I know that some in the Lyme community regards Morgellons as another Lyme coinfection. I don't know. But I need to know if I belong here or not.
I've had Lyme for at least 5 or 6 years. I was dx a year ago, and have been under treatment since last January with TONS of abx, homeopathics and botanicals. Since 2008, I've been dx with lupus, RA, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune hepatitis, adrenal insufficiency and celiac disease.
Does the fact I don't see fibers mean that I don't have to worry about Morgellons?
If you think I *might* have Morgellons, why would I show signs NOW, after a year of treatment for Lyme? I thought that many Morgellons patients improved after their Lyme co-infection was treated....?
Well, if any of you can help me figure this out, I would appreciate it!!! I know you're not doctors and cannot diagnose me, but just some informed opinions would be helpful.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Greetings....I'm new to this site, AND new to Morgellons.
In actual fact, I don't know if I have Morgellons or not.
I itch, off and on, pretty much all over. Can't see any particular reason for it. From time to time it feels like bugs crawling on me, usually on my legs but sometimes elsewhere. When I look there's nothing there.
The soles of my feet hurt! They burn! Sometimes I can hardly walk due to the burning pain on the bottoms of my feet. This morning I ever so gently bumped my toe against the corner of my clothes hamper and was in excruciating agony for at least 5 minutes. The pain seemed like it just wouldn't stop!
Also, for some reason I have calluses growing at an unheard-of-rate on the bottoms of my feet....they seem to be contributing to the pain as well.
When I woke up this morning three of my toes were swollen like little balloons. My feet are red....no, really more purple than red. One toe has something on it that looks sort of like a bug bite, but it's purple and itchy both top and bottom.
My lower legs look purple-ish too...resembling lots of varicose veins, but not. OK, it doesn't make sense to me either. There are squiggly purplish lines on my lower legs that look sort of like varicose veins/broken spider veins. Maybe that's all they are....
I asked my rheumy about the "bugs crawling", he said it was diabetic neuropathy. The only problem with that theory is that I don't actually have diabetes. My last A1C was 6.1, but that's more pre-diabetic AFAIK. My endocrinologist says I'm not diabetic.
I do have a small skin lesion on my face that is not healing, but I haven't pulled any fibers out of it yet.
In fact, I haven't seen any fibers, any flecks, or any fuzzies coming from my skin. My eyesight is pretty bad at times, though.
But I do have the following symptoms from the official list of symptoms here on this site:
Head
* Headaches
Brain and Personality
* Memory loss (short term, recent memory - "What was I saying?
Where did I put my coffee mug? What did I do yesterday?")
* Brain fog - groggy, unclear thinking
* Thought processing becomes very taxing, difficult
* Unable to think of specific words when communicating
* Writing, and especially spelling, becomes difficult
* Inability to focus or concentrate - ADD/ADHD symptoms
* Mood disorders and mood swings, including loss of temper
* Libido - lack of
* Loss of interest in things that normally interest you
* Depression and/or confusion or disorientation
* Personality changes, like loss of creativity or loss of existing skills
* Neurological problems - clumsiness, stumbling while walking, impeded speech
Hair
* Hair appearance - stiff, brittle and dry
* Wiry, uncontrollable hairs replace normal hair
* Hair texture and color may change as more "wiry" ones grow in
Eyes
* Loss of visual acuity
* Increase in discharge, often stringy
* Sandy or gritty feeling in eyes
* Eyes are extra-sensitive to light
* Eyesight is generally weakened
Ears
* Ears ring or beep (but ears are clean)
Nose
* Allergies or sinus problems - excessive congestion, mucus production
* Scents are not perceived correctly, may fluctuate from keen sensing ability
to no ability to perceive any scent at all
* Nostrils develop very sore pimples
Mouth & Throat
* Teeth become sensitive, crack, chip
* Teeth become loose and/or fall out
* Constant sinus drainage
* Glob of congestion always hanging at back of throat
Skin
* Crawling feeling on the skin, like invisible bugs
* Pinching, biting, stinging or prickling on the skin
* Lesions - itchy, sore or painful, very slow-healing with little or no infection
* Crusts/scabs/callus-like formations on lesions
* Pimples - sore, long-lasting, can't squeeze out - contents are removed in same fashion as a splinter and are moist but cohesive
* Rashes - unusual, appear/disappear rapidly for no apparent reason, also appear where adhesive portion of Band-Aid is applied
Body
* Weight gain
* Food cravings or total lack of interest in food
* Gastrointestinal problems
* Swelling or edema, including breast edema, feet especially known for swelling
* Back ache - lower back
* Back pain - neck and shoulder pain
* Chronic fatigue - total exhaustion, physical depletion
* Insomnia during nighttime, or sleep abnormally long amounts (day and night)
* Weakness - strength diminishes
* Bloating
* Joint pain
* Muscle twitching or cramping
* Dizziness, disorientation, vertigo
* Blood pressure problems (high or low)
* Heart races or beats irregularly for no apparent reason
* Liver problems
* Abnormal overheating as well as temperature loss problems
* Excessive sweating
* Cannot stay in sun for prolonged periods without becoming ill
* Drastic body temp fluctuations
* New, normal temp runs lower or higher than your previous "normal"
* Bowel habits change, loss of muscle control
* Incontinence
* Fingernails change shape and/or texture
Of course, I have Lyme disease, plus Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis (HME), and Bartonella. I know that some in the Lyme community regards Morgellons as another Lyme coinfection. I don't know. But I need to know if I belong here or not.
I've had Lyme for at least 5 or 6 years. I was dx a year ago, and have been under treatment since last January with TONS of abx, homeopathics and botanicals. Since 2008, I've been dx with lupus, RA, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune hepatitis, adrenal insufficiency and celiac disease.
Does the fact I don't see fibers mean that I don't have to worry about Morgellons?
If you think I *might* have Morgellons, why would I show signs NOW, after a year of treatment for Lyme? I thought that many Morgellons patients improved after their Lyme co-infection was treated....?
Well, if any of you can help me figure this out, I would appreciate it!!! I know you're not doctors and cannot diagnose me, but just some informed opinions would be helpful.
Thanks in advance for your help!