Attempted to go to a dream trip to Disneyland and it was ruined by this sh$&!!!! Five days of panic attacks with no sleep.... let my wife down, my daughter down and I get told to suck it up. Instead of being in my happy place I had to look for a emerg clinic to beg for Valium so I could sleep. Not sure how much more of this crap I can take!!
First, I'm so sorry your family doesn't understand how hard the symptoms of MD are to deal with & especially that you weren't able to enjoy the trip at all. I'm glad you've found people here who can relate to what you're going through, @CanadaJonn. Do you know what keeps you from being able to sleep? Is it tinnitus, vertigo, ear fullness, a combo of all of those? I hope the Valium helped you to get some sleep. Have you tried sleeping w/ your head elevated to see if that helps at all? Are you taking anything to help w/ your symptoms such as Prednisone & a diuretic or any of the other meds that people have mentioned on this forum? My ENT started me on Prednisone & a diuretic when my symptoms started, & the combination really helped for awhile, but the Prednisone did keep me awake at night (I'd get about 3 hrs of sleep/night when taking it) & made me grumpy & hyperactive during the day. I learned to jump on my symptom flare-ups by taking 50-60 mg of Prednisone for 1-2 days along w/ my diuretic, & that would usually knock it down. Occasionally I'd have to take Prednisone for longer then I'd need to wean myself down off of it.
Hi Jonn, I'm also very sorry for you. This part of the journey is the worst, and you will get through, as we all did. It is hard enough to have MD , a family or partner not understanding what you are suffering (from) is even harder. In my rehab a doctor placed one! earplug deeply into a not-so- understanding relative's ear and told them to communicate, walk or try to ride a bicycle. Most of the so treated people went crazy even after five minutes. Then the doctor took the plug out - telling them well, what you experienced is even the easy part for your MD partner. You give in after 5 minutes, s:he can't take a plug out. My sister still rolls her eyes if I don't understand her and is wondering why I don't call her. You have to learn you don't let anyone down. Yes, you need a special treatment, yes, you are vulnerable, yes, you are miserable and yes, you need support That is very important. If anyone gives you that feeling of letting them down - it is not ok. Panic attacks - your wife can help you through. Hope she does. My ex husband was in a pub and with other women while I was going through hell. I knew I had to leave him and if that was the last thing I'll ever do. I managed. I hope very much you get all the support you need. Even if it is very new to you - ask for help. Take care of yourself!!!!!!!! Best wishes Lilja
Hi Lila, Thank you for the response and support, it was much needed. After 23 years of pure bliss health wise I am still in shock this came back. My daughter is turning 16 soon and I won't have many more of these opportunities. I am supposed to be tough but I felt like my wife was guiding a second teen around the park. The trip cost us around 4 grand and I regret not cancelli
Cont: regret not cancelling. My symptoms came back about 3 weeks ago and I should have know better. My wife and daughter were supportive but only to a certain point. With my brain fog I don't even remember most of the trip and that is sad. I am so hear broken there are not enough words in the English language to describe how I feel. Also, thank you for sharing your journey, you are very strong and I value your response
Hi Isaiah, Thanks for the reply. About 3 weeks before my trip I woke up to a balance issue and thought it might be my sleep apnea machine. I had not vertigo attacks but did have tinnitus and brain fog. Before going on my trip I saw a Naturopath and she took my blood pressure and it was 165 over 96. I guess seeing that put me in panic mode and I never recovered. She gave me some Phosphorus for anxiety, Glutathione for an antioxidant and Relax Matrix for my nerves. I suspect something in her regimen suppressed my appetite and put me on a really bad path. Also, my mistake for trying this prior to going on a trip. I have never not wanted to eat, I think I lost 10 pounds and am still struggling with my appetite.The weirdest thing is my A-Fib and a racing heart at bedtime. I tried Melatonin and also a liquid sleep aid and it did nothing. The only thing that helped was Valium. I guess I was in the "fight or flight" mode and I was a mess. I am suspecting I have Labyrinthitis but it will take me a year to see an ENT. Get this, in a 5 day period I probably got 3 hours of sleep. I am calling my family doctor and beg for a antiviral because this steroid spray ain't working. Thanks for your response, it was much needed!!!
I think you're on target re: anxiety ramping up your symptoms after you saw your blood pressure was so high. I'm sorry the naturopath's medication suggestions only made things worse. So frustrating!! I see a functional medicine doctor who had me take a 24 hr saliva test to check my cortisol levels throughout the day & night because I was having a lot of troubles sleeping. My cortisol is high at night & low during the day - the opposite of what it should be. She recommended an OTC cortisol reducer along w/ a liquid melatonin supplement. Taking those two things prior to going to sleep guarantees me a solid 4-6 hours of deep sleep at night. Even though I may sleep less, I feel more rested because I'm sleeping so deeply. Maybe talk to your naturopath about something like that in addition to asking your PCP for an antiviral.