PLEASE READ-> There is hope: Treatments and Tips for Living with Morgellons

[ThereIsHope]

I have been dealing with what I believe to be Morgellons disease for the past several months. It has been a nightmare and I have tried a lot of things to get some relief. I am hopeful that I may help someone else out there who is desperate for treatment of a syndrome that is devastating, revolting and cannot be helped by your doctor.

I have gone from having lesions on my scalp, face, arms and legs from ankles to knees to very mild to no symptoms. I was nearly going insane from constant bug activity (biting, crawling, etc.) to being nearly free of these terrible things and able to lead a fairly normal life. I hope that my experience may help others out there.

My symptoms came on quickly. I still do not know how I got this. I went to my doctor for what I thought was headlice or scabies. I was prescribed and used topical 5% permethrin. This provided temporary relief but within days the symptoms got a lot worse and noticed bugs. I looked online and was horrified that my symptoms matched Morgellons.

It felt like there were worms or bugs crawling in my ears, nose, scalp and sinuses, lint or fiber-like bugs that I cannot see that crawl in my hair and body, bedbug or lice-like bugs that bite and leave small acne like bites and larger ones that seem to jump at me and painfully pierce the skin leaving a lesion that does not heal on their own. They definitely communicate somehow with each other. They attack most when they are attacked. There seems to be a cycle of activity over several weeks, sometimes very active when I nearly go nuts, and other periods that are tolerable. I had fatique, insomnia, frustrate easily, mental fog and lack of concentration.

I recommend the following as most significant steps in reducing or eliminating my symptoms, and they are relatively inexpensive:

1) Borax (to wash clothes, surfaces and for bathing) - contains Boric Acid that kills bugs. Recommend for washing clothes, bathing but NEVER INGEST IT. Don't throw out your cotton clothes. You can wash them in borax and save them!! Wash clothes on hot water, twice if really infested, dry on hot for longest possible time (damp clothes breed bugs -- don't leave wet clothes in washer or in laundry area. Use plastic bags to store used clothes prior to washing.

2) Remove sources of bug breeding: cardboard, cheap fiberboard furniture, wool clothing, rubber mats and tires, notebooks, old books, mattresses (buy a vinyl cover for your mattress ($5-$10) to protect it, save it or sleep on temperpedic or air mattress) - YOUR SLEEP AREA IS #1 SOURCE OF INFECTION - Wash bedding frequently in borax only. Replace pillows to avoid face lesions.

3) Don't attack the bugs. If you apply something to attack them topically to given area, remove yourself from the infested areas FIRST. These things seem to know when they are under attack, chemically or physically. And they crawl out of everywhere to attack you. Best defense is no offense.

4) Physically separate yourself from the bug infested areas and contaminated clothing. Go outside. Talk a walk. Leave your infested room. Get away from the bugs. Don't isolate in a room infested with bugs. It is insane and will make you go insane. Sleep at a hotel or get an air mattress and change rooms. Sleep under a plastic sheet.

5) Organic (Bragg's) Apple Cider vinegar - (mix 4 tbsp, 4 tbsp lemon juice, pinch of baking soda to buffer, in water or green tea) and bathing -- Good for applying to skin if you don't mind the smell. Good for cleaning nose and ears. Bugs HATE Apple Cider Vinegar. I've had good results with 4x daily oral (4 tbsp) with a pinch of baking soda (yes it bubbles).

6) Liquid Bandage for lesions (apply to open lesions, helps heal and prevents bugs from reinfecting) -- it costs $5-10 at cvs or walgreens and has helped me heal many of my worst lesions. It stings a bit at first but layer it up and peel off when healed. This is a great product, very effective, very inexpensive.

7) Supplements that help: Green tea (organic, no sugar), Garlic, Lemon juice, cayenne pepper, fish oil, b-vitamins (great for fatigue!) -- I also have had very good results taking liquid 30 PPM Colloidal Silver 4x daily (find at whole foods or GNC) - I am concerned about long term use however.

Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum -- your car, your carpets, everything.. but careful emptying the bags! i have reinfested a room by dropping a full bag -- Swiffers work well on wooden floors and linoleum. Don't overdue it -- best results with frequent light, even daily vaccuuming rather than intense deep rug agitation. Also watch out for thick rugs, you may excite them instead of removing them. Goal is to remove the small ones on the surface, the larvae that come off of you and then jump back to bite you. Vacuum also computers, electronic equipment, laptops and speakers -- electrical equipment attracts bugs. I lost a few laptop keys in the process but hey it was worth it.

9) If your face is affected, try silver chloride first aid gel (walgreens $6-7) or topically applied 30PPM Silver Chloride liquid and CHANGE YOUR PILLOW. I never use a pillow for more than two days. They are $2.50 each at walmart, $4 at target and $6 at Dollar store.

10) One of the best things I've found is a hot bath with a cup or two of Borax, and a cup or two of Apple Cider vinegar. Let yourself air dry. Borax only baths and Baking Soda baths also help. This will remove the bugs from your body. It seems to repel the bugs as well. Don't overdo the vinegar or you will smell funny. Rinse your hair well or you will bleach it.

11) Also use Dr Bronner's Peppermint Soap on face and as replacement for soap during showering.

Things I've tried that made little to no difference, or even made it worse (DON'T USE THESE):

- Fumigators (Raid) - I think I poisoned myself and my car -- the bugs died down a bit but I think I just drove them deeper into my mattress and rugs. No concentration will remove them. Do not use these toxic and poisonous products.
- Permethrin Cream - only accelerated infection process as they sense they are under attack - it is also poisonous. It does provide some relief, but it ultimately did nothing to eliminate them.
- Tea Tree Oil - Irritates the skin, doesn't keep them from biting
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Bleach
- First Aid ointments
- Ethyl Alcohol
- AllStop Products - May work for bed bugs but not morgellons -- They falsely advertise overpriced tea tree oil as a "cure" for morgellons - it was a huge waste of money.
- Bug zapper - sounds like a great idea, zap the bugs with electricity, but i think the only relief I got was placebo effect. It does slightly curtail the biting at night and seems to slightly reduce the symptoms. Not sure though. I think I wasted $100. I'll sell you mine for $50 battery included.

There are a lot of kooks selling snake oil and bizarre treatments. I understand how desperate folks are but this needs to be treated as a battle of attrition on three fronts: your living space, your skin and clothes, and your internal health. Please be patient and understand there is no silver bullet or magic treatment. It is a slow process of eliminating the bugs from you and your environment. I do not endorse any products and have nothing to gain other than potential relief for my fellow sufferers.

I hope you find these suggestions work for you. I also hope to save you time, money and prevent harmful exposure to toxins.

I wish you all the best in regaining your life and health.

[Ghettogirl]

ThereIsHope,
Nice post, thank you for sharing with us. I agree with many things that you said. So glad to hear that you are feeling better and doing so well.

Stay healthy,

Ghettogirl

[Janice]

Thank you for your post! I am going to try the vinegar bath. Janice

[ThereIsHope]

Hello,

In turning on the heat for the cold fall nights (I live in the Northeast US) the forced hot air blew morgs from the basement into every room in my house. It brought on a very bad reinfestation and very bad face, leg and head lesions. It seems these things adapt so what works for one or at one point may stop working.

Here's a few tips for dealing with a revisitation:

1 - Ordinary table salt in a hot bath. This was great. So much relief for less than a dollar!! I know others have recommended this, but for 60 cents at a grocery store, just ordinary table salt without iodine, I reversed the reinvasion using borax to wash clothes. It really gets the bugs off your body in 10-15 minutes. Better than ACV and stopped using ACV in my baths.

2 - Silicone scar treatment pads. $20 at CVS, generic brand. Pricey but they are reusable. The liquid bandage was just too much stinging and the lesions too big. After a week one nearly four inches in length is almost gone. And bugs can't reinfest it.

3 - Baking soda toothpaste. Got morgs in the gums. Awful. This helped get rid of them.

4 - Lemon juice (organic) with ultra strong brewed green tea. Replaced the ACV which I am afraid will eliminate tooth enamel.

5 - Swiffer sheets and packaging tape over vents. It helped to get the heat I need without blasting the bugs all over the room. Need to replace daily but the HVAC system is really a bad thing when it comes to living with M.

Wish you the best.

ThereIsHope