Nervous System Health
Category: Chronic & Autoimmune HealthHealth & disorders involving the body’s automatic nervous system
Non-fearful panic attacks
Just learned that there exists something called non-fearful panic attacks or non-fearful panic disorder. The other day I had symptoms of (1) tight, acute chest pain, (2) numbness in my left arm and left side of my face, and (3) nausea, dizziness, which were on-and-off for a few hours.
Knowing that heart attacks or cardiovascular issues often present different in women than in men, I was cautious that this could be something serious. I went to the ER just in case, but everything came back normal (ECG, vitals, etc).
Because everything came back normal, I was told this might have been a panic attack. However, I didn't have any panic or anxiety symptoms at all! To which I was told that this can happen in a dysregulated autonomic nervous system. Essentially, because of my chronic inflammation / chronic pain with my endo, my body’s stress-response system is more sensitive and prone to “misfiring.”
This is quite worrisome for me because I could now misread an actual heart attack as this non-fearful panic attack. I guess it's always better to be safe than sorry and get checked, even if everything is "fine" but jeesh.
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Sleep aids
I'm not sure if this exactly nervous systems health, but feels tangentially related: Has anyone had any luck with certain sleep aids? I have endo and one of my symptoms is insomnia.
I've been taking some neuromodulators for pain that was helping with sleep too, but the effects are wearing off, and I'm not super interested in increasing my prescription dose,
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Amitriptyline for neuropathic pain
I was prescribed Amitriptyline for neuropathic pain, which has really helped my endometriosis symptoms--I have less cramping, fewer "phantom UTIs," and my leg pain (not sure how it related) went away, too. It also helps me go to sleep, which is great because I was also dealing with a bit of insomnia. HOWEVER, my GYN failed to mention to me that this medicine is traditionally created as an anti-depressant!! I have no problem with that, but I wish that had been clear when prescribed. An FYI for anyone received "pain" meds in the future.
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Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
Has anyone here been correctly diagnosed with POTS? I feel like it’s one of the more difficult conditions to diagnose, given there are so many overlapping symptoms it has with other conditions. In the past when I explained my episodes to a professional, I was told I was just having a panic attack. Now I’m not so sure. It happens to me most often while I’m working out at the gym with heavy weights, or if I stay too long in a hot shower….
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