Nightmares are often a part of late stage Lyme Disease. I have had many nightmares over the years. I can even recall a repeating nightmare in my youth. In my late teens I began to have nightmares. By the time I was in my late twenties, and especially in my thirties and forties, nightmares were a regular part of my life. I often woke in a night sweat trying to scream and flailing around in the bed. My husband often woke me to stop me. He said I was kicking him and making noises like I was trying to talk. The nightmares had a common theme of some disaster happening and my having no control over it. Or I would be watching something horrible. Or something horrible was happening to me. I never will relay the images I saw because thy are so gruesome I don't want anyone else to have these imposed on them. However, I can tell you there was light at the end of this long tunnel.
The treatment I received from the doctor in Boston did not stop the nightmares, but increased them. Nor did he ever ask me if I was having nightmares. When I had my initial meeting with Dr. Jemsek that was one of the questions he asked. I was so symptomatic that I did not think to ask him any questions, never mind why he asked about nightmares. All I could say was yes, I had them. Later in treatment, when I had my senses back again, I did ask. It seems, (now this is layman's terms, only from my experience) that inflammation in the brain stem and in the brain can cause nightmares. My interpretation is that the brain is the hot spot for spirochetes to harbor themselves. They love the nervous system and of course the brain is the motor driving the nervous system. When the brain has inflamed areas, that inflammation, in severe cases, continues down the neck and into the spine. Then can invade joints, etc.. Inflammation from spirochetes, their biofilms, and excreted toxins are again the root of inflammation. Inflammation, in a particular part of the brain, causes nightmares when due to Lyme Disease.When I was treated correctly for my late stage Lyme, my inflammation went down in my brain and, and guess what? NO MORE NIGHTMARES!!! I have not had a nightmare since being treated correctly for Lyme Disease and co-infections. I only have good dreams. I am reminded of this today because last night I had a very funny dream, and I woke up almost in disbelief at the difference in me. I cannot even express the gratitude I have at being treated in such a way that my nightmares have stopped. Not only have nightmares stopped. but joint pain, brain fog, overwhelming fatigue, and all the other symptoms have either disappeared or diminished. I am still in process, and may have to work on this my entire life to maintain where I am, but to me, in comparision to where I was for so many years, it is like death to life.
