Guys, I would argue that it's perfectly normal to be afraid of your LTC symptoms because we don't know the exact cause(s). And what we don't know, we tend to be afraid of in general.
That said, I was exactly the same way when I was sick - wondering if I may have 'this' disease or 'that' disease or both.
I know this may not help much, but your brain can and will adapt, and this process can be sped up by way of a lifestyle change.
You will probably have to let go of certain parts of your life (at least temporarily until you recover) which you may have loved, such as raving on MDMA every few weekends.
I highly recommend you take some time to write down in a journal exactly what symptoms are present. Afterwards, you can check off each of them as they disperse.
How do you get your symptoms to go away? Well, you may require the temporary use of medications, or you may not. It depends on your body, as everyone is 'wired' differently.
I wish I could be more specific, but we're talking about an illness which manifests itself into multiple chronic symptoms, and they are not all experienced by everyone, or so I've noticed.
Those of you who are dealing with brain fog - I've gotten word that this is also a very common symptom of concussion syndrome (concussions apparently tend to kill a lot of brain cells).
Anyways, if the brain fog is especially severe and has not let up after some time, then it is likely that you may need to seek the help of a psychiatrist who can Rx you some medication, which - along with a healthy lifestyle - can help you recover completely.
If you were like me, and you ate well over 1,000 pills/capsules over the course of a few years, then again, it may be necessary to seek support from a shrink, but there is no shame in this.
Our society continues to stigmatize mental problems. You should have to deal with this, just like victims of racism shouldn't have to deal with racists. That would be an ideal world, but our world unfortunately is anything but ideal.
Please do not be afraid to seek help from a doctor if you feel you require it.
I truly wish I could give you all a magic pill to instantly help you recover, but I haven't found such a pill yet. You should have to suffer from this - especially not at your age.
I was in my early 20s when I got sick with a LTC. It tore my life apart. I was a complete mess. I contemplated suicide countless times, but this stopped after I recovered. And although I lost nearly 2 years of what should be the best years of my life, the fact that I made it back to "normal" (whatever my "normal" is) more than made up for it.
You can also get back to your "normal" - don't let any intrusive thoughts tell you differently. Take it one day at a time, avoid stress as much as possible, eat a healthy diet, try to get as much aerobic exercise as possible (it stimulates neurogenesis - the creation of new brain cells + floods your opiate receptors with natural painkillers which will make you feel really good), take some time off of work or school if you can, avoid all recreational drugs (including alcohol and tobacco), avoid people and/or places which will tempt you to use drugs, gravitate towards people which will be a good influence on your life and will support you unconditionally and without bias.
Above all, you must be patient with your progress. Just like stroke victims who are undergoing therapy to recover the use of their speech, it will take time for you to make progress.
Ironically, I'm probably one of the most impatient individuals, therefore, it was difficult for me to adjust, but what other options did I have (other than suicide, which I said no way to)?
Hopefully I didn't waste your time by having you read this, hopefully it will give you some renewed hope and optimism that you will eventually be back to your old self, with many years of being a healthy, young adult to spare.
Forgive me for the "rallying cry"-esqe speech, but I felt I had to make it due to the various posts about various concerns.
I hope you all have a wonderful day
P.S. - To those who PM'd me (as well as the friend request), I sincerely apologize as I was away for the weekend, but have now replied.
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Coderbrah - Regarding ebola, what worries me about it is the fact that many people are choosing to go out on Halloween dressed as an ebola healthcare worker. Personally, I think that's inappropriate considering what's been happening lately in Texas. Perhaps I'm overreacting though.
