Please I'm So Scared I have vCJD (Yes Mad Cow :/)

[neptune296]

Hi I'm new here and I've been going through a lot this past two weeks. It all started when I woke up in the middle of the night disoriented and feeling like nothing was real. It was terrifying. That feeling went away in about an hour and I fell back to sleep.

Ever since then everything has seemed different somehow. I've read online about vCJD and started to worry constantly about it. I'm so scared my feelings of derealization or depersonalization are from that.

The only symptoms I have are anxiety (about all this), a feeling of unreality, and some feelings like my memory is bad. But I'm so scared all the time that its from this disease. Its made me a wreck and I know how unlikely it is given I'm only 20 and live in the US but I can't stop thinking about it.

Has anyone else worried about this or ever gone through this. I just need some comfort :(

Thank you for reading all this!

[benjamin222]

I know there's only so much a post on here can do to help, but I'm just telling you now you DON'T have mad cow disease. I could tell you things like, "blah blah blah, go check with your doctor, blah blah blah", but honestly the mad cow disease just isn't going to be there.

Depersonalization and Derealization are easily the 2 most difficult symptoms I've been trying to overcome for a while now. Whats worst is that I get them even during times I don't think I feel anxious. But it's always there. Memory is difficult along with it. I know for a fact though, that the day you and I truly beat this anxiety will also be the day when these symptoms cease to exist.

You don't have vCJD. You will beat this, and we're here for you!
Benjamin

[Jules147]

vCJD is incredibly rare. Derealisation/depersonalisation, brain freeze and memory/concentration issues are typical fight or flight responses in response to a perceived threat. In your case the perceived threat is your body's response to threat. Now you need to break this vicious cycle. You can begin by accepting that there is no sinister underlying cause for what is happening to you.

[Jamesk]

Not that it helps, but I spend a lot of time convinced I have vCJD, dizziness, feeling out of it, memory and concentration issues etc etc.

It won't help you but the chances of two of us posting in the same thread are inconceivably small. :wacko:

[hanshan]

Hi Neptune,

Anxiety affects about one in ten people, and mad cow disease - I don't know, but maybe one in a million. This means you are around one hundred thousand times more likely to be suffering from anxiety than mad cow disease.

This doesn't mean that the symptoms aren't real - they are.

Discuss with your doctor, if you haven't already done so.

[fozzy is crying]

Hi I'm new here and I've been going through a lot this past two weeks. It all started when I woke up in the middle of the night disoriented and feeling like nothing was real. It was terrifying. That feeling went away in about an hour and I fell back to sleep.

Ever since then everything has seemed different somehow. I've read online about vCJD and started to worry constantly about it. I'm so scared my feelings of derealization or depersonalization are from that.

The only symptoms I have are anxiety (about all this), a feeling of unreality, and some feelings like my memory is bad. But I'm so scared all the time that its from this disease. Its made me a wreck and I know how unlikely it is given I'm only 20 and live in the US but I can't stop thinking about it.

Has anyone else worried about this or ever gone through this. I just need some comfort :(

Thank you for reading all this!

As others are saying this is so very rare. Of all the so called deaths from it NOT one has been 100% proved to be the cause. I have a interest in this because of differing blood donor rules and blood uses in EU countries with a ban on UK donations being used outside the UK not one in the EU but most of the World and keep an eye on any news etc. There is no test that can be done for it at the moment or should I say not a test you can get. Trials of a blood test that has shown detection is possible have been ongoing and for the last couple of years with reasonable results.

Even if you had it and you have more chance at winning the lottery without buying a ticket than having it or dying from it. It lays dormant in most cases for many years , even decades. This is one reason of very many why as a cause of death not one case has been 100% proved.

Finally self diagnosis via Google is not a good thing. You should always seek professional medical opinion.

[JoannaS]

I thought I had it before and I'm a veggie!! I'd had one burger when I was about 15 and thought I'd contracted it from that. Feel a bit silly now!

[Sparkle1984]

When the big BSE/CJD scare happened in 1996 I was really scared and I stopped eating beef for a while (I was only 12 back then). Then I read some news articles saying that it's a disease with a long incubation period, and that the people who suffer with it probably caught it from infected beef in the 1980s. The articles said that eventually thousands or even millions of people could end up with the disease once the full effects are known. That actually scared me more, as in the 80s I was only a toddler and had no choice in what food I was given - I just ate whatever meals I was given by my parents. I then started thinking "what if I ate infected meat in the 80s and I contract the disease 20 years later?"

I haven't read any articles about CJD for several years now, and it seems the number of sufferers has tailed off sharply, so I don't worry about it so much any more. If you're only 20 then it's likely you were born too late for it to have an effect on you, as animal welfare standards have improved since the 80s. :)

[tracieann]

you poor soul i bet youve been so scared i worked in a haematology unit for a long time and its very very rare indeed and i mean rare you are at a very slight risk if you had a blood trans within a certain time period but even at that still so so very rare honestly i never came across it working there 9 years God bless

[neptune296]

I know there's only so much a post on here can do to help, but I'm just telling you now you DON'T have mad cow disease. I could tell you things like, "blah blah blah, go check with your doctor, blah blah blah", but honestly the mad cow disease just isn't going to be there.

Depersonalization and Derealization are easily the 2 most difficult symptoms I've been trying to overcome for a while now. Whats worst is that I get them even during times I don't think I feel anxious. But it's always there. Memory is difficult along with it. I know for a fact though, that the day you and I truly beat this anxiety will also be the day when these symptoms cease to exist.

You don't have vCJD. You will beat this, and we're here for you!
Benjamin

Thank You that really helped! This is really a great forum I'm glad I found it. I'm surprised I didn't join one earlier considering I've been suffering with generalized anxiety disorder all my life :/. That's exactly how the Derealization / Depersonalization comes on for me. I feel it at times when I'm not even nervous and then it makes me nervous but considering I've been nervous almost constantly I've felt those strange feelings almost constantly too :/. Just feels like things aren't real and everything's strange. Its really disturbing.

It also doesn't help that I've come down with a bad cold this week. Figures xD. Guess that seasons rolling around the corner.

Anyway thank you for your help and thank you for your reassurance! I hope you feel better soon!

---------- Post added at 20:00 ---------- Previous post was at 19:59 ----------


When the big BSE/CJD scare happened in 1996 I was really scared and I stopped eating beef for a while (I was only 12 back then). Then I read some news articles saying that it's a disease with a long incubation period, and that the people who suffer with it probably caught it from infected beef in the 1980s. The articles said that eventually thousands or even millions of people could end up with the disease once the full effects are known. That actually scared me more, as in the 80s I was only a toddler and had no choice in what food I was given - I just ate whatever meals I was given by my parents. I then started thinking "what if I ate infected meat in the 80s and I contract the disease 20 years later?"

I haven't read any articles about CJD for several years now, and it seems the number of sufferers has tailed off sharply, so I don't worry about it so much any more. If you're only 20 then it's likely you were born too late for it to have an effect on you, as animal welfare standards have improved since the 80s. :)


Thank you for putting it into perspective for me! I didn't know that about the timing that helps a lot! Of course being me I'll probably still think about it like a dog with a bone. But just not as much ;) Thanks!

[GreekGirl]

I just want to correct a poster on here about a blood test for vCJD, yes there is a blood test available on the NHS, it is through the prion clinic in London, it was developed by Sir John Collinge and all UK neurologists are aware of this test. If you look at the UCL prion clinic website site you will be able to read more information about this test.

[k1982]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would post anyway!

It has been good to read this, and helpful to me! I'm currently struggling really badly with derealization/dissocation/anxiety. It all started about 3 weeks ago, when I had a few days of bad headaches.

I'm a doctor, and as such my mind jumps to all kind of weird and terrible diseases. I started to get anxious and worried about the headaches, to the point where I had a bad panic attack and then developed derealization for a few days. I was slowly getting better, but did not feel completely back to normal, then 4 nights ago I started googling things whilst studying - for example CJD (mad cow disease). I had a full blown panic attack, as I read that derealization/anxiety can be a symptom of CJD. I know it is not logical, and I live in Australia, so the risk is so small. I am having a very difficult time not panicking most of the day, I feel like I am dying, and I feel like I am losing my mind to the point where I spend all day asking my husband to quiz me so I can test my memory (which objectively is fine).

I've previously had derealization/dissocation about 15 years ago (i'm 30 now), after panicking about brain tumors. It lasted for about a year, but I was able to live with it.
I'm having a hard time controlling my anxiety, because whenever I convince myself that this is all because of my anxiety over my headaches, I then start thinking that CJD can cause anxiety and I panic again. I still have mild headaches, and feel like I have pins and needles in my throat and on my tongue. I feel like I am clumsy and my eye sight is going, but when I test these things by balancing, etc, they are fine.

I've just started back on citalopram 3 days ago, and I am seeing a psychologist on Wednesday. It's just really hard to keep going at the moment - I am terrified that tomorrow I will wake up worse, and every day I am slowly slipping away. I'm most terrifed that these feelings of anxiety/derealization are symptoms of CJD and I don't want to die or lose my mind.

[LauraJF]

I experience derealization too. It helps to remember that it's our bodies way of coping with stress and not in the least bit dangerous. Remember to take deep breaths and this feeling will eventually pass.

I also have had a fear of mad cow disease. It sounds like such a terrible thing to experience that I gave up cow meat for years. I started feeling terrible this year with derealization and fatigue and figured I probably need more protein in my diet so I ate some meat and I'm fine. I'm sure you will be too. The chances of developing mad cow disease are extremely small.

Try not to worry about tomorrow. You've already experienced the worst that anxiety can do which is just to make you feel uncomfortable and full of fear.



I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would post anyway!

It has been good to read this, and helpful to me! I'm currently struggling really badly with derealization/dissocation/anxiety. It all started about 3 weeks ago, when I had a few days of bad headaches.

I'm a doctor, and as such my mind jumps to all kind of weird and terrible diseases. I started to get anxious and worried about the headaches, to the point where I had a bad panic attack and then developed derealization for a few days. I was slowly getting better, but did not feel completely back to normal, then 4 nights ago I started googling things whilst studying - for example CJD (mad cow disease). I had a full blown panic attack, as I read that derealization/anxiety can be a symptom of CJD. I know it is not logical, and I live in Australia, so the risk is so small. I am having a very difficult time not panicking most of the day, I feel like I am dying, and I feel like I am losing my mind to the point where I spend all day asking my husband to quiz me so I can test my memory (which objectively is fine).

I've previously had derealization/dissocation about 15 years ago (i'm 30 now), after panicking about brain tumors. It lasted for about a year, but I was able to live with it.
I'm having a hard time controlling my anxiety, because whenever I convince myself that this is all because of my anxiety over my headaches, I then start thinking that CJD can cause anxiety and I panic again. I still have mild headaches, and feel like I have pins and needles in my throat and on my tongue. I feel like I am clumsy and my eye sight is going, but when I test these things by balancing, etc, they are fine.

I've just started back on citalopram 3 days ago, and I am seeing a psychologist on Wednesday. It's just really hard to keep going at the moment - I am terrified that tomorrow I will wake up worse, and every day I am slowly slipping away. I'm most terrifed that these feelings of anxiety/derealization are symptoms of CJD and I don't want to die or lose my mind.

[GreekGirl]

reply to K1982,
Here in the UK millions of us were exposed to rogue bse infectious prions for many years experts estimate at least 10 years, I have read that BSE was still in our herds as recently as 2012. I have also read that people with mad cow disease have been mis-diagnosed by experts who have said they have Alzheimer's disease when in fact they had vCJD. Recently my sister visited the dentist and on the form she had to fill in it asked if any family member had vCJD past or present, Why?, also I have read that nurses ask this question before operations Why?, apparently there is a vCJD disclaimer on blood bags to. I have also read that 4000 haemophilliacs here in the UK have been exposed to vCJD via blood transfusion.
Today 'Mad Cow Disease (vCJD) is known as Prion Disease, no idea why they changed the name, perhaps to confuse us. There is a blood test available at the National Prion Clinic in London run by Prof.John Collinge, the test which as I understand is only available if a doctor or neurologist requests one for you, but you can always give the clinic a ring and ask questions for peace of mind.
Unfortunately, we do not know the actual numbers of people dying from vCJD in the UK this is because there is no routine auptosy to look for this disease, so for example if you are told you have dementia or Alzhiemer's disease you will not be automatically given a vCJD blood test nor will you automatically be given an autposy to look for vCJD.
vCJD affects people of all ages, I have read that the youngest victim was just 14 years of age and I have read of people aged 72 with this, apparently it can incubate for upto 50 years. I have read about a young man from London who was just 21 who died from vCJD in 2011. Much information is on Youtube, and if you live in the US google Colm Kelleher - Brain Trust very interesting video on YouTube.