LACEYA1961
30-11-08, 18:54
Hi, everyone...my name is Lacey and I'm so glad to have found this forum! Reading the stories has helped me so much in realizing I'm not the only one going through panic/anxiety attacks among other things.
I'm a 47 year old woman that recently got married and we live in Kentucky, USA.
I'm not sure where to begin regarding my problems. I guess I'll have to start back in the early 1980's when I first started getting dizzy spells. Back then I was just coming out of my "partying" stage of drinking and drugs. At first the dizzy spells were only once in awhile (when I say dizzy I mean things are moving or tilting on me). I was still able to function regarding work and such and then one day when I was walking through the mall I noticed I was listing to the right. That's when imbalance (when I say imbalance I mean it's me moving and not my surroundings) hit me and I've been like this ever since. I'm always leaning to the right. I can't stand up straight for the most part anymore. Doing dishes and basic housecleaning takes such effort and energy for me. Ever since then I have a very difficult time in open spaces. Over the years it has gotten so much worse for me but I was still able to function okay. At one point I did go in for an MRI and testing and nothing could be found. I was told it was probably Meniere's disease and I was prescribed Antivert. That stuff makes me so sleepy and seems to make the imbalance worse for me because of the sleepiness. So I stopped taking it. Then I got to where I can't stand up straight in a dark room. I was still functioning okay with work and such until I moved to Kentucky in the latter part of 2005. That's when things started getting very bad for me and this is where the panic/anxiety attacks started happening. I woke up one morning in May of 2006 and was dizzy (dizzy like the room was tilting on me)...we had stuff to do that day and when I was riding in the car vertigo hit me and threw me into a major panic attack. I honestly thought I was dying. I told my then fiance to pull over and I had my eyes shut tight until the vertigo passed. I thought the car was still moving but it wasn't. So, that passed and we continued on with our day. It was difficult for me because when I would put my head down or even look down I would start getting dizzy again. Since then everytime I get in the car (actually it's a truck) I have a panic attack. I am practically housebound now. Just the thought of having to go to a dr's appointment makes me nervous at the thought of being in a moving vehicle. What makes it worse is it's very hilly and curvy where we live. Now the panic attacks are hitting me at home...especially at night when I lie down to go to sleep. My head starts "crawling" then I get that "droppy" feeling in my stomach and it goes from my chest to my groin area and I can't breathe. My arms feel like they don't want to function and I have a difficult time talking because I feel like my tongue isn't functioning either. I feel very disconnected to my surroundings. I recognize what is happening to me so I sit up until it passes. Lately I haven't been getting enough sleep of course because I'll end up sitting up all night. So I'm so tired and the next day I feel things are worse and I'm very off balance. In the past three years I've been put on high blood pressure medication which seems to have helped at first with the anxiety but not anymore. My bp is under control until I go into an attack. I was told that I'm pre-menopausal which I'm sure has something to do with the panic attacks. All that hormonal crap that's going on in my body isn't helping. I am unable to work of course...just the thought of having to drive to work everyday makes me want to panic. I can't even drive anymore anyway. I wouldn't be able to hold down a job. I did have another MRI done a year or so ago when I went to the ER in an ambulance and also a catscan. Things were normal. I was given a shot of valium which helped so much then sent home. I've been trying wellness oils which seem to help somewhat but not enough for me. I'm tired of not being or feeling "normal". I think I have an inner ear problem which has led to the panic attacks which has been worsened by hormones out of balance due to pre-menopause. I need to figure out how to deal with these attacks so I can focus on getting the imbalance better. I don't get dizzy spells too often anymore...it's all about me being off balance. Especially in open spaces and dark rooms. Thank God I have an understanding husband and support from my two grown sons. It feels good to have people care about me and it helps. I just don't understand why the panic attacks are hitting me at night when I lie down to go to sleep???? It's driving me nuts. Anyway I'm sorry this is so long. I can't wait to read responses and suggestions.
I'm a 47 year old woman that recently got married and we live in Kentucky, USA.
I'm not sure where to begin regarding my problems. I guess I'll have to start back in the early 1980's when I first started getting dizzy spells. Back then I was just coming out of my "partying" stage of drinking and drugs. At first the dizzy spells were only once in awhile (when I say dizzy I mean things are moving or tilting on me). I was still able to function regarding work and such and then one day when I was walking through the mall I noticed I was listing to the right. That's when imbalance (when I say imbalance I mean it's me moving and not my surroundings) hit me and I've been like this ever since. I'm always leaning to the right. I can't stand up straight for the most part anymore. Doing dishes and basic housecleaning takes such effort and energy for me. Ever since then I have a very difficult time in open spaces. Over the years it has gotten so much worse for me but I was still able to function okay. At one point I did go in for an MRI and testing and nothing could be found. I was told it was probably Meniere's disease and I was prescribed Antivert. That stuff makes me so sleepy and seems to make the imbalance worse for me because of the sleepiness. So I stopped taking it. Then I got to where I can't stand up straight in a dark room. I was still functioning okay with work and such until I moved to Kentucky in the latter part of 2005. That's when things started getting very bad for me and this is where the panic/anxiety attacks started happening. I woke up one morning in May of 2006 and was dizzy (dizzy like the room was tilting on me)...we had stuff to do that day and when I was riding in the car vertigo hit me and threw me into a major panic attack. I honestly thought I was dying. I told my then fiance to pull over and I had my eyes shut tight until the vertigo passed. I thought the car was still moving but it wasn't. So, that passed and we continued on with our day. It was difficult for me because when I would put my head down or even look down I would start getting dizzy again. Since then everytime I get in the car (actually it's a truck) I have a panic attack. I am practically housebound now. Just the thought of having to go to a dr's appointment makes me nervous at the thought of being in a moving vehicle. What makes it worse is it's very hilly and curvy where we live. Now the panic attacks are hitting me at home...especially at night when I lie down to go to sleep. My head starts "crawling" then I get that "droppy" feeling in my stomach and it goes from my chest to my groin area and I can't breathe. My arms feel like they don't want to function and I have a difficult time talking because I feel like my tongue isn't functioning either. I feel very disconnected to my surroundings. I recognize what is happening to me so I sit up until it passes. Lately I haven't been getting enough sleep of course because I'll end up sitting up all night. So I'm so tired and the next day I feel things are worse and I'm very off balance. In the past three years I've been put on high blood pressure medication which seems to have helped at first with the anxiety but not anymore. My bp is under control until I go into an attack. I was told that I'm pre-menopausal which I'm sure has something to do with the panic attacks. All that hormonal crap that's going on in my body isn't helping. I am unable to work of course...just the thought of having to drive to work everyday makes me want to panic. I can't even drive anymore anyway. I wouldn't be able to hold down a job. I did have another MRI done a year or so ago when I went to the ER in an ambulance and also a catscan. Things were normal. I was given a shot of valium which helped so much then sent home. I've been trying wellness oils which seem to help somewhat but not enough for me. I'm tired of not being or feeling "normal". I think I have an inner ear problem which has led to the panic attacks which has been worsened by hormones out of balance due to pre-menopause. I need to figure out how to deal with these attacks so I can focus on getting the imbalance better. I don't get dizzy spells too often anymore...it's all about me being off balance. Especially in open spaces and dark rooms. Thank God I have an understanding husband and support from my two grown sons. It feels good to have people care about me and it helps. I just don't understand why the panic attacks are hitting me at night when I lie down to go to sleep???? It's driving me nuts. Anyway I'm sorry this is so long. I can't wait to read responses and suggestions.