morgellons disease - a MUST read

[Ruthless67]

This is truly scary folks,

I know I’m going to be told to take this discussion to a different board and I will, but I HAD to share this with all of you, you’re like family and this blindsided me this morning.

I first noticed the tiny black specks all over my forehead last fall. I took my best magnifying mirror and tweezers and when trying to pull the black antennae, which I thought were new hairs, they fell apart, they were extremely brittle, not "hairs" at all!! I then took the point of my tweezers and by lightly digging at the black specks I could pick the speck out and it had a short white "root" that came out with it.

I picked off all of the ones I found and just started washing my face more vigorously and sort of forgot about it. But when I read Ann Boroch’s news letter regarding Genetically Modified Foods and morgellons disease this morning I went and looked and I have more on my forehead, not as many as before, but they are there!! I have damage to my left eye left over from a bout of optic neuritis, so I don't see as well as I'd like anymore. But I can see those little buggers when I'm looking for them.

I don’t want to fill this post with links, so just Google search for morgellons disease and you’ll find lots more info on it. Some of it’s symptoms parallel MS. I find this VERY interesting. I’ll be looking further into Morgellons disease as the thought of a parasite in my body multiplying and doing additional damage it just more than I can take.

I am absolutely blown away this morning. By the way, none of the pictures I've seen so far on-line look like what I have. I only have the black specks whick look like tiny black heads and the black antennae that are described in the articles. So maybe I'm in the early stages of infection.


The CDC is studying Morgellons in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research because although the illness is reported in all 50 states, the highest concentration is in California.

morgellons disease

Presents in the form of self-assembling, self-replicating, visible colored fibers, wires-like items, tiny black specks and ‘antennae’.

Morgellons victims may also suffer rapid spikes in body heat levels, severe malaise, and chronic fatigue.

The skin lesions can be painful or itchy and can progress to open wounds that heal poorly. There can be very strange sensations of movement either on or beneath the skin that are variously described as moving, stinging or biting. Systemic symptoms include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, cognitive dysfunction (problems with thinking, memory and attention), and a variety of unusual emotional changes. Other less common symptoms relate to visual, neuralgic, GI, skin and joint problems.

Respectfully,

Lora

[Ruthless67]

Hi Tims,

You all probably think I'm off my rocker, lol, but read this story by an RN.

http://www.morgellonsexposed.com/Person ... nnys_Story

The MRI he ordered in May 2002, was not done until July 2002. It was shockingly positive for a few scattered unidentified lesions in the white matter of all areas of the brain. This was explained as possibly "normal aging process" However; the CT scan from Jan '02 & previous MRI from 1997 were completely normal.

Some of her symptoms:

--April, 2002 --Acutely worsened with development of breathing difficulties, chest - pleuratic pain
-- Vision & neuro changes including decreased sensation with numbness L arm -L leg, slurred speech, severe headaches; urinary incont

-- 10-2002 sudden onset of loss of vision L eye.

Sound familiar to anyone?

Here's a link to an upcoming conference on Morgellons Disease. Any of our more medically background members willing to research a connection to CCSVI or MS here? Sure makes me wonder. The CDC has yet to publish the answers from their 2008-09 study.

http://www.thenmo.org/

Respectfully,
Lora

[Ruthless67]

Here's more interesting reading on this subject.

This is a letter written by a doctor Gregory Smith who has morgellons disease himself and is writing to other doctors to make them aware of this disease.

Tragically, it seems the systemic symptoms are not being considered in these patients. This appears to be a multi-system disorder, as a large proportion of patients report neurological, psychiatric, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Almost all experience significant and disabling fatigue, problems with concentration and short term memory as well as other cognitive difficulties. Many experience periods of what is called “brain fog”. Some have been diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, or other psychiatric diagnoses. A significant number have neurologic impairments, including Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and other neuropathies. Among children with this disease, about half have the diagnosis of ADHD. 10% carry the diagnosis of autism.

The personal medical history of most patients IS bizarre. The symptoms they describe, as well as their observations, seem totally beyond belief. When they occur on one’s own body, it can cause one to question his sanity. I know. I have had this disease since May, 2004. I have seen things happening to my own body which have stretched the limits of belief. I also developed neurologic symptoms early this year which became severe enough I have been unable to work since May, 2005.

I have been shocked at the official position of the CDC---the government agency tasked to protecting this nation from infectious agents. I have thought many times of the scenario concerning AIDS described in the book and TV mini-series titled “And the Band Played On”. Both my father and my wife received blood transfusions in the early 1980’s. At that time the CDC was aware of AIDS and knew the virus was transmitted by blood. My loved ones were lucky and did not receive contaminated blood. Many patients were not so lucky. Their lives were profoundly affected and shortened due to a lack of CDC action. Will you and your family be lucky?

Sincerely and appreciatively,
Gregory V. Smith, MD, FAAP
http://www.thenmo.org/gregs.htm

[mose]

Personally, I really rather this type of posting be done in the general discussion area and not be associated with CCSVI. There is enough controversy with regard to CCSVI and no need to start bringing the Morgellon baggage along with it.

[Ruthless67]

I agree mose and I have posted the identical info in the general section and I'll quit posting add'l info here. So anyone interested in following this at all should go there.

It's just that I am sooooooooo blown away by this, this morning, because I TRULY have these parasites present on my forehead! I'm not delusional.

I've also had my diagnostics done for CCSVI and I have congenitally malformed valves. So I’m definitely a proponent of CCSVI.

Some patients with morgellons disease have been diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, or other psychiatric diagnoses. A significant number have neurologic impairments, including Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and other neuropathies.

It’s just I wanted to make Tims members aware of this. If the moderators would like to delete this thread, I will understand. It probably doesn’t belong in the CCSVI section.

Lora

[Selmahope]

ruthless-I've seen people talk about treating their morgellons on some of lym message boards- lymenet as well as the buhner lyme messageboard. Some are treating both lyme/tick coinections as well as morgellons.

[Ruthless67]

Thanks Selmahope

[Cece]

This is an old post but I wanted to add today's news:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10299034.htm

Laboratory testing confirms infectious process in Morgellons! Spirochetes were found in the skin of people with Morgellons disease, which was previously assumed to be a psychiatric disease.

A different type of spirochetes are responsible for Lyme disease. Lyme spirochetes attack collagen. Jugular valves are made of collagen. If Morgellons spirochetes also attack collagen, it could be that acquired CCSVI due to damage to the valves by the spirochete bacteria is responsible for the brain fog or other neurological symptoms in Morgellons.

[Anonymoose]

Eww. I'm suddenly itchy. I'd rather stick leeches on my face.

[Cece]

Eww. I'm suddenly itchy. I'd rather stick leeches on my face.

on the back of your neck near the skull base would be the best placement...

[Ruthless67]

Hi Cece,

Back in 2010 I shared a “filament” from my forehead with an acquaintance who was a researcher at The Rocky Mountain Lab in Hamilton, Montana. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/organiza ... story.aspx He came back and told me it was definitely VERY interesting and unusual, but he did not know what it was and he is no longer employed there & has moved away.

I then treated my outbreak with colloidal silver and have since been following the supplements & diet that discourage fungal overgrowth. At the moment I am free of any black specks & filaments.

Even so, I still have the itchy skin (Even itchier tonight after re-reading all this “creepy crawly stuff, lol.) and all my other MS like symptoms persist.
Lora

ps: Rocky Mtn Lab just released facinating new research information about the ebola virus.
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsrelea ... odies.aspx

[Jugular]

Despite the lack of evidence that Morgellons is a novel or distinct condition and the absence of any agreed set of diagnostic symptoms,[6][not in citation given] the Morgellons Research Foundation and self-diagnosed Morgellons patients successfully lobbied members of Congress and the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the proposed condition.[2][7] The CDC researchers issued the results of their multi-year study in January 2012, indicating that there were no disease organisms present in Morgellons patients, the fibers found were normal clothing fibers, and suggested that patients' sensations were manifestations of "delusional infestation".[8][9]

[Cece]

The present study, Characterization and evolution of dermal filaments from patients with Morgellons disease (http://www.dovepress.com/characterizati ... ticle-CCID), investigated the immunohistochemical and electron microscopic aspects of MD. An exciting discovery in MD epithelial tissue was the presence of spiral or curved structures consistent in size and shape with spirochetes. Further examination with specific staining techniques is underway to confirm the spirochetal presence. The genetic identification of MD spirochetes remains to be determined.

“This evidence is very provocative and gives direct credibility to an infectious etiology,” said internist/dermatologist Peter J. Mayne of Laurieton, NSW, Australia, who is coauthor of the study.

How does that square with what the CDC found? Did they look at the same thing? These guys looked at epithelial tissue with an electron microscope. It would be nice if they'd already completed the specific staining techniques to confirm spirochetes.

Lora, I was wondering if you would update, that sounds like good news overall. Still itchy though... I bet the Morgellons forums, wherever they are, are excited about this news.