I cannot go on living in a constant fog...I cannot comprehend my surroundings or articulate my thoughts...nothing makes sense to me anymore.. im also in constant pain.
Please help me...if there is anyone with any info or advice i need it now more than ever.
I believe my feelings can be attributed to a stroke..
Approximately 10 months ago, I awoke with a strange stiffness/tightness sensation in my head. Not at all present the night before, this newly developed pressure enveloped my entire head -- it was most prominent in the forehead, the sides and in the upper neck region. Accompanying the physical sensation was one of mental stupor. I felt vapid -- I could not concentrate, focus or rationalize clearly. At first, I associated the pressure and mental malaise with a common cold -- I felt as if I was comming down with something (my nose was running) and that I would recover quickly -- however the feeling has persisted. I have trouble thinking, speaking, and seeing straight ...I feel as if I am in the twighlight zone since I cannot comprehend my surroundings or interact with people. Anxiety attacks, memory loss, are frequent as is a tingling sensation which shifts from my head to face to my extremities. I was a heavy drug user (ecstasy and cocaine) in the past for approx. 2 years but I do not understand how drugs could provoke this literal overnight change....especially since the transformation did not immediately occur after a binge period (it occurred about a week later). I am at my wits end..I have seen about 10 doctors (allergists, general practitioners, and neurologists)and explained to them my situation. I have had an EEG,a CAT scan, and an MRI. They have found nothing. They continually allude to the idea that my problem is purely psychological and that it was not a stroke. However i beg to differ isnce my symptoms are reminiscent of those accompanying a stroke. I have been prescribed numerous forms of medication. The most recent ones have been Valproic acid, Nortriptyline, and neurontin and I am now on paxil, zyprexa and adderall. These drugs do virtually nothing. Does anyone know what my problem is or have any suggestions for medication??? I cannot go on living like this. I am acutely aware of my inability to function in reality and i cant do anything about it...please help. I have seen a psychiatrist but he has said that it is all due to anxiety and stress...i cant believe this because i love my job and couldn't be happier (save this problem which prevents me from living)
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PS. I am aware that I made a horrendous mistake by doing drugs in the past. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from chastising me..it only worsens the situation. I need some form of hope and guidance

Pio,
I am sorry to hear about your problems. I am becoming increasingly convinced that medical drugs do more harm than help because they interfere with the body's natural healing system. Especially since you were heavily invloved in drugs for 2 years.Personally, I recommend getting off the medical drugs and maybe taking tylenol for the pain. Are you getting enough exercise or do you have some way that you relax?

Medical drugs are so strong that they may be making you become dependent on them.

I am currently reading a book by Andrew Weil called Spontaneous Healing, which is basically about letting the body heal itself. I believe that the Lord designed our bodies to heal themselves, and in most circumstances our body will heal if we take good care of it.

Did the doctors tell you that you had a stroke?


I hope this helps and God bless you,
Jesanina

Hello Pio,

Welcome to the dizzy world. I know what it's like to be in a continual brain fog and how frustrating it can be. One could never tell from your post though, you have a great writting style. Something I started doing, and you may want to consider, is keeping a journal of my conditions. It helps me get some of my frustrations out, keep track of my conditions (which helps when you're trying to describe them to a doctor) and track anything that may cause changes. Without being too redundent, read some of the other posts found here by Kamden, Jamessd, and Pink95Blazer. We all have slightly different conditions but everyone has some form of brain fog, dizziness, forgetfullness, etc. We've also all been told that there's nothing else wrong with you based on the MRI's, CT Scans, ENG's, blood tests, etc. (which is a good thing) so you're either nuts, suffer from anxiety or have some condition like menieres syndrome which can't be corrected. Well let me tell you, 9 times out of 10 they're full of ****. It's much easier for the doctors to put you on some kind of medication that simply blocks the symptoms but does not take care of the problem. This way you go away and the drug company machine keeps rolling ( can you tell I've been soured by the process!). Anyway, there is more and more evidence and understanding about myofascial pain syndrome. In a nutshell, it's a muscular disorder where knots develop in your back and neck causing the nerves to misfire or restricting blood flow to the brain. Depending on the location, it can cause "refered pain" ranging from dizziness, vertigo, brain fog, arm numbness, leg pain, you name it. Causes vary but most people respond well to physical therapy (I've hesitated to post recently since I finally start my physical therapy today and I wanted to wait and see what happens). It ranges from streching, deep tissue message, accupunture, etc. which all sound better than meds. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Also, you sound depressed as hell. Try not to let it get to you. As long as everything else is ruled out (tumors, epilepsy, etc.), request to see a neurologist who is proficient in MPS. They are the only ones who can tell if this may be the cause and can recommend a physical therapist that specializes in trigger point therapy. Keep pushing the system until you get the answers you need and resolve your problem. You are not nuts. There are millions of people with similar symptoms. Keep posting and let everyone know how it's going. Stay active - strech, walk, anything. Get well.

IT ALSO HAS THE SOUND OF FIBROMALGIA. PLEASE RED UP ON THIS AS IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE MANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS. THE CALL THE FOGGY MEMORY....FIBRO FOG.

Fibromalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) are very similar in how they attack the muscular system. Through my research they are generally discussed together and can both be greatly improved with physical therapy. I went to my first stretching session Friday night (for MPS) and feel slightly better after doing the routine every day for the past several days. Facial pain and light-headedness are better but tinnitus, arm numbness and ear fullness are going strong. We just had a major low pressure system move through the northeast, which usually aggravates all my conditions, but it wasn't too bad. I go for the full myotherapy massage tonight and will post how it goes. I'm being told to give it a month of 1x to 2x a week. If little or no progress, they will start needle treatment. I'll get into that if the time comes. Get better!

Pio, I've replied to one of your posts before because EXACTLY the same thing happened to me. About three years ago I woke up one morning and my whole world had shifted. Everything around me felt completely unreal - I couldn't comrehend what anything meant. I thought I was going insane. Over the next few weeks the feelings worsened, and I also became unable to concentrate, felt as though everything was foggy, felt light-headed and experienced a tension and heaviness in my head. It was terrifying. I spent the next two years trying to find out what was wrong with me, and wondering whether I would completely cease to be able to function in the real world.

I have recently made some progress and am starting to feel better. And this is because I have finally accepted that absolutely all of my symptoms are caused by an ANXIETY DISORDER. At first I found it impossible to believe that I was suffering from anxiety, despite what my doctors told me. But by getting on the internet and doing some research, and listening to what everyone has to say on the Stress and Anxiety board here, I finally accepted what was wrong with me. And that act of acceptance was the very first step in my recovery.

Some things that I learnt during my research:
YES, anxiety can appear overnight.
YES, anxiety can be related to previous drug use (I too was a heavy ecstatsy/cocaine/speed user)
YES, anxiety can cause an incredible number of physical, mental and emotional symptoms.
YES, the right medication can help - and it can take a while to find the right one.
YES, there are lots of other things that can help and don't involve taking any medication.

PLEASE do a search on DEPERSONALISATION and DEREALISATION on the Internet - this will help you to understand the feelings of unreality. And PLEASE go to the Stress and Anxiety board to hear from lots of other people who feel like us.

I realise that I hardly know anything about you Pio, but everything you have said reminds me of my own experience and sounds like an absolutely classic case of anxiety. It's incredibly hard to believe, I know - but I really think it's worth you investigating anxiety in a lot more depth.

Please let me know what you think about all this - I hope I'm not being too forceful. It's just that I remember all the fear and misery I went through, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Take care,

Bunty