Whats happening to me???

[nicolelashay]

Well its happened 3 times this year. I deal with panic attacks and high anxiety. All three times this happened it was in my sleep after a horrible panic attack. It actually happened about 4 times in previous years but we just started keeping track of them this year. ok here goes...

I fall asleep after feeling anxious or having a panic attack. Then I awaken to my family around me, they come to put me on my side and make sure I keep breathing. But they say I moan and holler out. My eyes are rolled back, I have thick saliva pouring out the side of my mouth and/or snoring extremely loud, I'm also looking like I am choking for air. My whole body is straight and tense, when I wake up my tongue is chewed on so hard its swollen and bruised purple on the sides! And the muscles in the back of my calves are so sore its hard to walk. I wake up with no recollection of what happened.

They called the ambulance once and they took me to the hospital. They took blood and looked me over, the Dr said it was due to anxiety. What can this really be?? Someone also said "stress seizures". IDK what to think anymore. All I know is stress and anxiety is part of my life and I've never had a bad reaction to it like this.

 

[N Sperlo]

Hi Nicole,

Heavy stress can trigger a seizure. Have you seen a neurologist?

How about a psychiatrist for any anxiety issues?

Those may be things you want to do right away. We aren't doctors. All we can do is suggest things upon our own experiences. To get your answer, I would suggest you should see a professional.

Good luck'

 

[nicolelashay]

Doing my best without insurance....

 

[qtowngirl]

I fall asleep after feeling anxious or having a panic attack. Then I awaken to my family around me, they come to put me on my side and make sure I keep breathing. But they say I moan and holler out. My eyes are rolled back, I have thick saliva pouring out the side of my mouth and/or snoring extremely loud, I'm also looking like I am choking for air. My whole body is straight and tense, when I wake up my tongue is chewed on so hard its swollen and bruised purple on the sides! And the muscles in the back of my calves are so sore its hard to walk. I wake up with no recollection of what happened.

majority of what you've listed is what happens before/during/after a grand mal (aka tonic clonic) seizure. if this is the case then the 'anxious or having a panic attack' feeling is referred to as a partial (one side of the brain) seizure, which can turn into an entire (all parts of the brain) seizure.
awaken to family, being put on your side, need to keep breathing, moan and holler, eyes rolled back, saliva, snoring (the 'like snoring' sound is actually due to restricted breathing), tense body, bruised, sore muscles, and waking up with no recollection are all true signs, most of them being exclusive to a grand mal.
what does your regular doc say? getting in with a neuro asap is important, but until, there are things you can do to ease the fear... get more sleep, no alcohol or drugs, eat as well as possible, avoid stressful situations, and most of all, keep a diary of your daily routine (this can help a neurologist see your patterns which is part and parcel of checking out your history, sometimes them looking back on activity etc. before seizures happen helps them diagnose on the spot). there are many seizure triggers but avoiding the top three is key... lack of sleep, stress, and alcohol.
BEST OF LUCK and keep us posted, we're here!

 

[N Sperlo]

Doing my best without insurance....

Been there before. I completely understand.

 

[masterjen]

Even your regular doc. should be able to order an EEG. This could very well be normal and you'd be no further ahead (EEGs can even be normal in those with epilepsy), but if it is abnormal it could be a starting point toward getting a quick referral to a neuro. or maybe your reg. doctor even knows a neurologist he can verbally consult (re. EEG interpretation and medication recommendation) at least for now, until you can save for the neuro. consult. I don't know . . . just a thought. What do the rest of you think of this??

 

[qtowngirl]

i guess it all depends where you live. i haven't heard of a regular physician here (i live in BC) referring an eeg; if an issue seems brain-related we go to a neuro first.
may depend too how bad the 'presumed' seizure activity is; if you're seizing alot but can't get into the neuro for six months kind of thing, maybe your doc will push the boundaries of their job, it does happen sometimes. esp. if there's very great risk that needs to be looked at NOW.

 

[nicolelashay]

Well, the dr said that it was just due to stress. I have always dealt with panic attacks and anxiety. I have been on Effexor xr for 15 years. And because of all this I have been having MORE anxiety and panic. I am scared to move, scared to live. I afraid whatever this is will kill me. Can I die from a seizure?

 

[qtowngirl]

if this is just a regular phD request a referral to a neurologist. regular docs are not trained in epilepsy, actually neither is a neurologist (specialist is an epileptologist), however, a neuro knows a hell of a lot more about it than a regular doc, most anyway.

again, all the things you listed above, especially that you have witnesses to the whole thing, are signs of a grand mal seizure. at one time my old neuro said he figured i fainted too, then when i really delved into it he realized it was a partial into a grand mal. giving great detail is key, and if you have witnesses, take them. docs greatly appreciate the info from someone who was there, and it gives great value to what you say happened too. and most importantly, very exclusive to the grand mal, is the howling sound.