Re: menstruation -suffocating pls help

Posted By Lynn - I forgot on July 02, 1998 at 20:51:20:

In Reply to: menstruation -suffocating pls help posted by Lynn on June 27, 1998 at 19:20:32:






  I'm having a problem that my physicians seem to think
cannot be true and will not listen to me.  
  I awaken several times each month gasping for air, sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by extreme nausea and dizziness as though I will faint and the symptoms go away after a few minutes; however, usually
approx. the time of ovulation and the first day of menstruation, I awaken all night suffocating and when I try to fall back to sleep it is as though I start suffocating immediately and cannot get back to sleep.  I'm so fatigued during these episodes that I cannot stay awake, yet each time I start to doze, the suffocation starts.  I tried to schedule a sleep study during the time of menstruation, but I never know exactly what day my menstruation will come and no sleep clinic wants to accomodate me.  After my last really bad episode I called and the sleep clinic and they had a cancellation, they let me come in, but that night I only stopped breathing approx. 7 times an hour for no more than approx 11 seconds.  I told the physician during my follow-up that if I'd had the study the next night it would have been perfectly normal and the previous night prior to the study it probably would have showed hundreds of episodes.  
  I've also been experiencing terrible pains in my upper back, tightening sensation and shortness of breath upon exertion.  The other night I went to the ER and my EKG was normal at the time.
  Last night was the worst episode ever.  I suffocated all night.  Today I have those terrible tight pains in my upper back.  I have no idea what to do.  The sleep study physician asked me about anxiety.  Prior to this happening last night, I'd just had an incredibly wonderful evening.  I don't think I'm the type to manifest illness through bodily sensations.  Today I could be on my way to Mexico, but I'm so sick I cannot go.  
  I had an EEG which showed "presence of left parietal temporal slowing and epileptiform activity."  I also had another one that was abnormal but a different neurologist gave a different interpretation, something about right temporal lobe,,,yada yada yada...more med jargon. I also had one episode of atrial fibrillation.  The only thing I can think that brings these on is it usually occurs on days when I've been the most active and the first day of menstruation and near ovulation or middle of my cycle. I'm willing to go anywhere to get well.  I'm not going back to the ER because they look at me like I'm nuts, so instead I'll sit in this house and be miserable because I get so short of breath when I try to do anything.  Can someone please help me? My life is incredibly frustrating at the moment.  I'd rather be drinking sangria in Mexico.  
  I forgot to mention my most prominent symptom.  Epigastric pain, squeezing in nature.  I've had a normal upper GI and normal ultrasound.
Last night the squeezing epigastric pain awakened me and I was extremely short of breath.  After going back to sleep I wake up in the morning extremely nauseated, but the nausea wears off when I get up and start
moving around approximately after 15 minutes or so.