It was not too long ago that patients who visited their doctor claiming numbness , changing pain and exhaustion and insisted to their doctor that they were suffering from an illness that they had heard about on the media or read in the Reader’s Digest magazine in the doctor’s waiting room – that disease being Lyme Disease spread by insect ticks , were relegated by most medical practitioner’s to the nutcase or malingerer classification in the doctor’s personal notes and records. At the best Lyme Disease patients could get referred to a Psychiatrist for psychiatric assessment. At the worst they and their various neurological symptoms were just plain ignored. Not so today in 2009 /2010. Lyme Disease is a disease well recognized by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and the Mayo Clinic. There are titers ( specific tests) available. On top of that the focus on the treatment of Lyme Disease is early detection and relatively simple pharmacological treatment with simple and standard antibiotics. Enter Morgellons , Morgellons Disease or Morgelons Syndrome our current mystery “Lyme Disease” of 2009 / 2010.
The signs and symptoms of Morgellons Disease and Syndrome are many and varied . Not all people and patients and people who claim to have the disorder seem to suffer in the same way or manner. On top of that add in exhaustion and mental fatigue. On top of that when they tell their medical providers and even families that they feel something always moving around under their skin , that they have even seen insects fly out of rashes on epidermis of their skin along with fibers that seem to grow on a regular and irregular basis from their skin – no one seems to believe them. To many these people are nothing but malingerers out to scam the medical and insurance systems. The problem is basically , that unlike Lyme Disease , Morgellons is not a recognized disease by majority of the medical community and as well , unlike Lyme Disease there is no simple test to diagnose the illness and malady accurately as well as quickly. Many of those who believe that they do have this illness , and it is a real illness , find that after a time , they may give up on the conventional medical community and seek “alternative medicine”.
Morgellons disease can really drive people around the bend. After being told for years that there “is nothing wrong with you” “smarten up ” “get on with your life” “you are schizophrenic and imagining this all”, actual suicide seems a way out for many , if not simply a call for real help and understanding.
Dermatologists themselves are often confused by the appearance of the rash. Most Dermatologists as a whole are up to date on their science. The skin is essentially the largest organ of the body and is actually quite a consistent apparatus. For rashes the basic rule of dermatology and the science of dermatology is if it is wet – dry it , if it is dry – wet or moisten it , and if none of the previous apply – then use a steroid cream ,salve or tablet. Yet the rashes apparent from this disorder seem entirely resistant to all standard medical and pharmacological therapy and therapies.
Treatment varies for Morgellons Disease and Syndrome all essentially varying as to what the medical practitioners involved have read , experienced or employed previously. It can be said best that it all depends in the end what your doctor has read or what types of books he has read or if he was lucky enough for the issue to come up for discussion at a local evening out on the town pharmaceutical company event or a enlightened discussion over coffee at the Doctor’s Lounge at your Health Care Professional’s attendant hospital.
All in all it can be said that to be afflicted or suffer from the terror of Morgellons Disease or Syndrome is no picnic. You are exhausted . You have a painful rash that no one seems able to relieve. Neither your doctor , the medical specialists and even your disability insurance company seem to believe you or your apparent symptoms. Its a tough life.
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