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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
I honestly have felt like I have been coping pretty well mentally considering all the situations in my life.
Life just suddenly smacked me upside the head and got very serious and difficult.
Anyway, I have been really being careful how I eat (sugar and caffeine, etc..), walking again, praying more, etc..
The past few days I'm dealing with anxiety big time and also having those strange feelings of feeling like I'm not real. It's hard to describe but it's a weird floaty feeling (braing fog!), it's not fun. I almost feel like I'm in a tunnel or watching life outside my body.
It's as if reality has slipped away and I have to repeatedly tell myself that I am not going crazy.
I really don't want to even attempt to try medication again- it only made me depressed and feel even worse.
Does anyone know if stress can trigger these feeling of unreality?
Could Lupus affect me mentally? I don't know what to think.. is is just stress, do I have a chemical imbalance, is it lupus?
Honestly, I think just hearing somebody else understands these weird feeling would make me feel better.
Misery loves company. ROFL
Posted by sleepygirl on June 15, 2005, at 0:41:47
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
absolutely, stress can definitely lead to feelings of unreality, it's depersonalization or derealization. I haven't felt it in a while though, not since the meds(sorry you probably didn't want to hear about meds). I don't know about lupus, but I'd bet on the stress AND chemical imbalance. I hope it improves for you. Take good care of yourself, and try to lessen the stress in your life.-:-)
- sleepy
Posted by Maximus on June 15, 2005, at 13:00:00
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
> Could Lupus affect me mentally? I don't know what to think.. is is just stress, do I have a chemical imbalance, is it lupus?
Hi Spriggy,
I don't know the severity and the state of your illness. But yes, sadly, it has been shown and demonstrated by some imminent scientists that lupus attacks the nervous system and ineluctably kills brain cells.
So, is lupus the cause of your "malaise" (feeling unreal)? I could not tell you, indeed. However, i would take as prophylactic form a small dose of one of those neuroprotective agents, like: Lithium, Valproate, etc.
Bye.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on June 15, 2005, at 13:19:44
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
> It's as if reality has slipped away and I have to repeatedly tell myself that I am not going crazy.
At the height of my anxiety, this was a frequent occurence for me, and usually in the middle of the night. It was very scary.
> I really don't want to even attempt to try medication again- it only made me depressed and feel even worse.
It is tough, isn't it? Sometimes finding the right medication can be as uncomfortable as what you're taking it for!
> Does anyone know if stress can trigger these feeling of unreality?
IMO, without - a - doubt!
> Honestly, I think just hearing somebody else understands these weird feeling would make me feel better.
I do.
> Misery loves company. ROFL
And Minnie loves Spriggy.
Posted by anastasia56 on June 15, 2005, at 14:09:27
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
no spriggy, you're not going crazy. If you were you wouldn't know it. You're just under an incredible amount of strain. Soon things will start to fall into place under the 'natural order of things'. Until then, deep breaths and maybe some chocolate? remember they say it's good for you now. big hug for you and sending you peaceful vibes (((spriggy)))
Posted by jen2 on June 15, 2005, at 14:25:08
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
Hi Spriggy,
> The past few days I'm dealing with anxiety big time and also having those strange feelings of feeling like I'm not real. It's hard to describe but it's a weird floaty feeling (braing fog!), it's not fun. I almost feel like I'm in a tunnel or watching life outside my body.
>
> It's as if reality has slipped away and I have to repeatedly tell myself that I am not going crazy.Oh yeah. I can really relate to this. I've got four weeks within which to write my masters' thesis and a bunch of other things going on in my life that are stressful and anxiety-producing. In the past two or three days I've also started to get that unreal feeling again, despite being medicated. It's that feeling like there's a separation between my eyes and my brain, or between my body and my 'self', like there's a slight disjuncture between my self and myself. It's really spooky and bizarre. And at least right now it's only slight - I think the disjuncture increases with the amount of stress.
I just keep telling myself that it's anxiety- and stress-induced and that it will eventually go away. So far that's working. I believe that if I were to dwell on it and worry about it, it would only get worse. So I just keep busy and keep writing, despite the weird brain fog.
> Does anyone know if stress can trigger these feeling of unreality?
Yes, I believe that it's stress that does it, at least in part. I don't know anything about Lupus, but I do know that stress causes this for me.
Jen
Posted by TamaraJ on June 15, 2005, at 15:09:00
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
Hi Spriggy,
Stress and excessive/severe anxiety will definitely do that to person. But, I am just wondering if you have continued to monitor your blood sugar? Sometimes, blood sugar problems happen even when we eat well and avoid eating sugar and chocolate. Also, what ever happened to the nodule in your neck, has your new doctor checked that out? Sorry for the questions, but given what your have been through with not only the extreme fluctuations in your blood sugar, but also that mysterious nodule in your neck, I still worry about physical reasons for your symptoms. That being said, perhaps you should think about braving it and trying one more med to see if you can tolerate at least something that will help you with the anxiety. As anyone who has experienced severe anxiety, on a recurring basis, will tell you, it can take on a life of its own and manifest itself as many physical symptoms.
I hope you start to feel better soon. My thoughts are with you. Take very good care of you.
Tamara
Posted by emme on June 15, 2005, at 16:04:01
In reply to feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 14, 2005, at 23:57:52
> Does anyone know if stress can trigger these feeling of unreality?Definitely.
Also, my pdoc has told me depersonalization/derealization is related to serotonin dysregulation.
If you find a good option for taming the anxiety, I wonder if the unreal feelings would ease up. You said medication has made you depressed, but have you tried a variety of options and classes of drugs?
Posted by Spriggy on June 15, 2005, at 17:35:26
In reply to Re: feeling unreal.... bizarre » Spriggy, posted by emme on June 15, 2005, at 16:04:01
I have tried the following:
Wellbutrin, Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, Depakote, Seroquel, Klonopin, Restoril, Lamictal, Xanex, and Ativan.
ROFL... nothing ever made a real difference other than horrible side effects.
Ativan was probably the only thing that seemed to really help my anxiety the best but I have read so much about how addictive it is that I'm afraid to have it on a regular basis.
Sometimes, when the unreal feelings are out of control, if I drink a LOT of coffee-- I seem to feel more perked up and ALIVE. I am sure it's just massive quantities of caffeine that help but it does relieve the symptoms for a time.
Thankfully, this is not a 24 hour a day feeling, just sporadic and enough to freak me out and annoy me..
Thanks for all the replies!
Posted by Phillipa on June 15, 2005, at 18:07:30
In reply to Re: feeling unreal.... bizarre, posted by Spriggy on June 15, 2005, at 17:35:26
Spriggy, I'm not surprised you're feeling as you do. Your head must be swimming! All the diagnoses, your son, mold, moving, job, they add up. Sometimes it's after the crisis is over that you feel the effects. When they checked me for lupus they also checked me for MS without telling me. All of these can cause mental side effects. And you had said your last tests came back worse. Did they put you on an official lupus med? Have you visited any lupus support boards? Too much has happened to you in too short a time. Love, Your friend, Phillipa
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