Aa
Any ideas? Please help....
I've had this issue going on for well over a year now. I'm a 30 yr old female and haven't had any other major health issues. These "episodes" happen about 1-3 times a month and are always very similar. The most severe was over a year ago and started similar to the most recent. It ended with me being taken into the ER and literally losing about 7 hours of time. I vaguely remember a split second of being carried out of the house , a glimpse of the ER and then the next morning. The rest of the 7 or more hours I was there I have absolutely no memory of though family and friends say I was conscious and attempting to speak and write though it made no sense. i.e. my writing was just scribbles and sentences made no sense like "yellow dog up go." Family doctors and the ER have both been of no help. The most recent episode is as follows.
It started around 4:30 in the morning and lasted until a little past 5 am. I was sitting having my morning coffee like normal ( and had eaten). Out of the blue I had sharp throbbing pain in my stomach that continued to worsen. The pain was constant throughout but would almost come in waves, each time worse than the last. While this was going on I had a tingling feeling heat & then cold sensation that spread out from my stomach throughout my body. This was followed by a dizzy feeling that I would describe as a fullness/ pressure combined with a vibrating/shaking sensation in the top of my head only. This started after the pain and then stayed constant throughout. There is absolutely no relief with any change of position and the pain doubles me over. My vision began to blur (sometimes it starts to go dark) and felt like I was going to pass out. I went to lay down and it continued. I then suddenly felt as though I was going to vomit and lose control of my bowels at the same time. (Neither happened) My husband put cold compresses on my head to try to help but the cold actually felt warm to me and my skin seemed almost hyper sensitive. All of this slowly faded away and I was left with my stomach feeling very sore for awhile after, completely exhausted and physically weak.
I'm desperate to find an answer and get this to stop. There seem to be no warning signs or ways to predict or stop these "episodes". I've had a few test done, like a brain wave scan and scans to rule out a stroke (while in the ER) but no answers have been found. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.
It started around 4:30 in the morning and lasted until a little past 5 am. I was sitting having my morning coffee like normal ( and had eaten). Out of the blue I had sharp throbbing pain in my stomach that continued to worsen. The pain was constant throughout but would almost come in waves, each time worse than the last. While this was going on I had a tingling feeling heat & then cold sensation that spread out from my stomach throughout my body. This was followed by a dizzy feeling that I would describe as a fullness/ pressure combined with a vibrating/shaking sensation in the top of my head only. This started after the pain and then stayed constant throughout. There is absolutely no relief with any change of position and the pain doubles me over. My vision began to blur (sometimes it starts to go dark) and felt like I was going to pass out. I went to lay down and it continued. I then suddenly felt as though I was going to vomit and lose control of my bowels at the same time. (Neither happened) My husband put cold compresses on my head to try to help but the cold actually felt warm to me and my skin seemed almost hyper sensitive. All of this slowly faded away and I was left with my stomach feeling very sore for awhile after, completely exhausted and physically weak.
I'm desperate to find an answer and get this to stop. There seem to be no warning signs or ways to predict or stop these "episodes". I've had a few test done, like a brain wave scan and scans to rule out a stroke (while in the ER) but no answers have been found. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.
OK, I see the key point here as:
"I have not had any of these medications for approximately 2 years now."
You remarked (mostly during your adolescence): "I’ve been prescribed the following over the years; Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Flexeril. ....... The most recent medication I took was the Celexa. "
I've suffered widely varying degrees of both anxiety and (thankfully only for brief periods) depression. To me as a fellow patient it's sounding like this is an untreated mood disorder that's swung out of control to the point of your having episodes of dissociating (losing touch with reality).
It's been my experience that mood disorders (well, especially anxiety with which I'm all too familiar), will lie dormant, and reappear from time to time under a different guise / set of symptoms. This is NOT me suggesting that you return straightaway to being medicated with moods meds again.
You did appear to have managed not so badly for two years off such meds, so, I'm wondering if self-help approaches might work for you at this point. eg. Has anyone introduced you to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy? Have you tried meditation? How about your diet -- do you eat plain, healthy foods or do you notice you've mood swings impacted by your eating choices? Do you make a point of resorting to calming routines whenever you sense your nervous tension is heightening? etc.
"I have not had any of these medications for approximately 2 years now."
You remarked (mostly during your adolescence): "I’ve been prescribed the following over the years; Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Flexeril. ....... The most recent medication I took was the Celexa. "
I've suffered widely varying degrees of both anxiety and (thankfully only for brief periods) depression. To me as a fellow patient it's sounding like this is an untreated mood disorder that's swung out of control to the point of your having episodes of dissociating (losing touch with reality).
It's been my experience that mood disorders (well, especially anxiety with which I'm all too familiar), will lie dormant, and reappear from time to time under a different guise / set of symptoms. This is NOT me suggesting that you return straightaway to being medicated with moods meds again.
You did appear to have managed not so badly for two years off such meds, so, I'm wondering if self-help approaches might work for you at this point. eg. Has anyone introduced you to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy? Have you tried meditation? How about your diet -- do you eat plain, healthy foods or do you notice you've mood swings impacted by your eating choices? Do you make a point of resorting to calming routines whenever you sense your nervous tension is heightening? etc.
Thank you for the responses and taking the time to read my post. I’m being as open as humanly possible in order to find answers. Something that may be relevant that I thought of after putting more thought into this situation is that I have had similar issues from around the age of 8 or 9 (around the time I started to menstruate if that’s relevant). The only difference with those earlier episodes was that the severe pain was not there and it felt as though I was watching everything that was going on around me in classes etc. from an outside point of view and I wasn’t really there.
In answer to the mood disorder medication question over the years I have taken several different ones for both anxiety and depression issues but mainly when I was a teenager. I have not had any of these medications for approximately 2 years now. I’ve been prescribed the following over the years; Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Flexeril and there was one other that I can’t remember the name of when I was a child, but I only took it for approximately one month because it caused me to lactate. The most recent medication I took was the Celexa.
As to the other questions, here it goes…. I have actually never left the country other than when I was 13 just into Canada. I haven’t made any changes to my diet other than the last 4 months or so I’ve just tried to eat a little healthier ( more organic, less processed foods). I have tried changing what and when I eat in the past to see if it helped and saw no difference. As far as pets go, we currently have a cat. When I was a child we had dogs, a rabbit, fish and several birds (parakeets and cockatiels). Exposure to pet birds was approximately 16 years ago so don’t know if that is relevant or not. I haven’t had any brain injuries that I know of. I do know that when I was too young to remember it (around 2 I think is what my mother told me) I had a fall down the basement steps but there was never any mention of being taken to the hospital or any severe injuries. I’ve had no STDs and haven’t made any changes to deodorants or the like other than scents with body wash but that’s nothing new with me. I’ve always often changed that. I’ll definitely be looking further into neuropathy and discuss it with my doctor.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this and for the suggestions and questions.
In answer to the mood disorder medication question over the years I have taken several different ones for both anxiety and depression issues but mainly when I was a teenager. I have not had any of these medications for approximately 2 years now. I’ve been prescribed the following over the years; Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Flexeril and there was one other that I can’t remember the name of when I was a child, but I only took it for approximately one month because it caused me to lactate. The most recent medication I took was the Celexa.
As to the other questions, here it goes…. I have actually never left the country other than when I was 13 just into Canada. I haven’t made any changes to my diet other than the last 4 months or so I’ve just tried to eat a little healthier ( more organic, less processed foods). I have tried changing what and when I eat in the past to see if it helped and saw no difference. As far as pets go, we currently have a cat. When I was a child we had dogs, a rabbit, fish and several birds (parakeets and cockatiels). Exposure to pet birds was approximately 16 years ago so don’t know if that is relevant or not. I haven’t had any brain injuries that I know of. I do know that when I was too young to remember it (around 2 I think is what my mother told me) I had a fall down the basement steps but there was never any mention of being taken to the hospital or any severe injuries. I’ve had no STDs and haven’t made any changes to deodorants or the like other than scents with body wash but that’s nothing new with me. I’ve always often changed that. I’ll definitely be looking further into neuropathy and discuss it with my doctor.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this and for the suggestions and questions.
Thank you for the responses and taking the time to read my post. I’m being as open as humanly possible in order to find answers. Something that may be relevant that I thought of after putting more thought into this situation is that I have had similar issues from around the age of 8 or 9 (around the time I started to menstruate if that’s relevant). The only difference with those earlier episodes was that the severe pain was not there and it felt as though I was watching everything that was going on around me in classes etc. from an outside point of view and I wasn’t really there.
In answer to the mood disorder medication question over the years I have taken several different ones for both anxiety and depression issues but mainly when I was a teenager. I have not had any of these medications for approximately 2 years now. I’ve been prescribed the following over the years; Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor XR, Flexeril and there was one other that I can’t remember the name of when I was a child, but I only took it for approximately one month because it caused me to lactate. The most recent medication I took was the Celexa.
Here is a question for you. Your answers can help better diagnose what is going on. In the past six months have you been out of the country, and if so, where? Have to changed your diet any? Do you have pets? If so, are they birds? Were there any injuries to your brain in the past. Have you ever had an STD, like syphilis (no need to answer on here, tell your doctor) Neuropathy sounds like the most likely candidate for this situation. Did you change your soap powder or deodorant.
Please answer as many of these questions as you can. The more honest you are, the better help we can be.
Sincerely,
Rocky
Please answer as many of these questions as you can. The more honest you are, the better help we can be.
Sincerely,
Rocky
What prescription medications have you taken in the past for mood disorders (such as anxiety, depression, etc.)?
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