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Rough Day and Looking for Advice

Old 08-17-2017, 05:55 PM
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Rough Day and Looking for Advice

So this morning started normal. I got up, went for a 6 mile run and then to the office. I ran 8 miles yesterday because my gym is moving over the weekend and won't have access.

When I got home my left arm was sore and kinda tingly (fingers too). I made the mistake of googling symptoms. I had a small lunch and tried to chill but I couldn't. My anxiety got the best of me so I went to urgent care. They did some neck x-rays and said I may have a little vertebrae pinching but it could/should go away without treatment.

I felt pretty good about that. My wife and I decided to do takeout from Qdoba. I did a massive burrito. When leaving I thought "I'll do a 6 pack for the football game tonight and then when the gym reopens Monday I'm all in on training and will quit drinking for good." So I bought a mix n' match 6 pack and went home.

I ate my burrito and was digesting watching the game. I got an email saying that I had to be in work early so that saved me from drinking. Then out of nowhere I got super dizzy. This had happened the last time I drank and one other time due to stress.

I've had a stress EKG and heart echo in August so I know it's not my heart. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Today is 43 days sober for me.
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Old 08-17-2017, 06:47 PM
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I suffered from some pretty intense health anxiety, and could literally manufacture/manifest physical symptoms at times when I really obsessed about certain things. Headaches became brain tumors. Forgetting someone's name became Alzheimer's. Dizzy spells became strokes. And Dr. Google helped me all the way along :-)

Obviously having real physical symptoms checked is the right thing to do, bit don't underestimate the power of your own mind. Have you ever spoken to anyone about the possibility of anxiety?
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Old 08-17-2017, 07:00 PM
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I definitely have anxiety and was also diagnosed with OCD. I drank for 5 years bc when I quit smoking cigs/weed my anxiety spiked and I didn't know I had the OCD component and alcohol "helped." Now I'm trying to get this all straightened out. Health anxiety is/was definitely a component.
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Old 08-17-2017, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by iew101 View Post
So I bought a mix n' match 6 pack and went home.

I ate my burrito and was digesting watching the game. I got an email saying that I had to be in work early so that saved me from drinking....Today is 43 days sober for me.
If you want to see 44 days sober, dump the beer.
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Old 08-17-2017, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by doggonecarl View Post
If you want to see 44 days sober, dump the beer.
In the recycling bin and staying there.
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Old 08-17-2017, 07:19 PM
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Glad you binned the beer. Don't let your anxiety get the best of you.
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Old 08-17-2017, 08:17 PM
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Congrats on 43 days sober! To improve your life, and thereby your sobriety, do two things: practice gratitude every day and practice kindness every day.

Those two things turned me around and profoundly changed my attitude and perspective.
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Old 08-17-2017, 09:05 PM
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I suffer from nerve problems a lot.

I have cerebral palsy which means I'm a little twisted up body wise (probably mentally too lol) and the older I get the more I have joints and nerves rubbing on stuff.

I get the tingly almost numb arm feeling too - I got a diagnosis much like yours - no answers for you tho I'm afraid.

Drinking will do nothing for anything and make you worry and obsess more - dump the 6 pack man

D
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Old 08-17-2017, 11:57 PM
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My only experience of tingling is as a precursor to a visual migraine. Starts in the ends of my fingers and works its way up. Then later my vision will go askew, sometimes followed with nausia and dizziness. Migraine relief and sleep are the only things that get rid of those for me. Those bad boys can be triggered by anxiety as well.

Anyway - best bet is to get checked over by the doc again.

Hope you're feeling better now anyway.

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Old 08-18-2017, 09:02 AM
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I called my doctor and he wasn't concerned since I've had a recent physical, blood work and EKG.

I took the pills I was given when I went to to ER a month or so ago with similar symptoms. I can't tell if they work or kick in after the dizzy spell is over.

Wondering if it could still possibly be my body adjusting to no alcohol but in my mind doesn't seem possible at 6 weeks.
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Old 08-18-2017, 02:37 PM
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Originally Posted by iew101 View Post
Wondering if it could still possibly be my body adjusting to no alcohol but in my mind doesn't seem possible at 6 weeks.
As always it's best to check with your doc, but it took months, even years for some things in my life to return to a "normal" level.
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Old 08-18-2017, 10:50 PM
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I was in a s#it load of trouble physically, when I got sober. However, even after all my test results improved and I was on medication to help repair my body, my health related anxiety was total hell at times. I also have anxiety, ptsd, and OCD.

I had anxiety attacks that would mimic heart attacks. I could convince myself in an afternoon I had something else. My anxiety could mimic almost any symptom I got obsessed with. It was awful.

I visited the dr. a lot. I hated it. The people here can tell you I complained about it a lot. I also got therapy. A lot of that too.

Most of my early sobriety was going through the motions of doing the right thing even when my head told me not to. It's really hard to put into words. I didn't trust my judgement anymore because all that ever got me was wasted.

So I just put one foot in front of the other until time took care of a lot of the intensity of the emotions.

It gets a lot easier. The cravings start to go away and your brain won't be going a million miles a minute and you start to get comfortable in your own skin again. It just takes time.
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Old 08-19-2017, 01:33 AM
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Thinking about it one of the things I DID go to the docs for in the first couple of months of being sober (must have been because we moved to a different city at about 3 months) was dizzy spells. I don't suppose I'd have mentioned much about alcohol in the past, although I probably made a point of saying I was NOT drinking nowadays - the BB brand of selective honesty. They told me it sounded like high anxiety and to use breathing exercises to help it pass quicker (in the nose, out of the mouth slowly) - and actually despite me thinking I'd been truly fobbed off, that did make a difference and although dizziness came at times until I started working on my recovery properly, at least it passed quicker and I didn't get myself in a paddy thinking that I was dying (which I did at the start). When people said that alcoholism is three-fold, (physical, mental and spiritual, it took me a LONG time to appreciate the implication of that).

Hope you get to the bottom of the cause of your dizziness. BB
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Old 08-19-2017, 04:48 AM
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An overwhelming compulsion...

Not something I've experienced myself, although I do remember one Saturday morning on an, son I thought, innocent trip to the library being overtaken by an overwhelming compulsion. Way beyond my self will, to drink and immediately went and bought four cans of super strength lager, went home and chug a lugged them straight down..

Which blew the remainder of the day out of the water, leaving my original good intentions in tatters...

There are no room for god intentions in recovery from alcoholism, like there are no half measures, in drinking alcohol 'takes no prisoners' you cannot, from mine and others experience, negotiate and, like learning spirituality, only you can do it No one else can, albeit as on SR, they can share their experience, strength and hope...
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Old 08-19-2017, 07:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Redmayne View Post
Not something I've experienced myself, although I do remember one Saturday morning on an, son I thought, innocent trip to the library being overtaken by an overwhelming compulsion. Way beyond my self will, to drink and immediately went and bought four cans of super strength lager, went home and chug a lugged them straight down..

Which blew the remainder of the day out of the water, leaving my original good intentions in tatters...

There are no room for god intentions in recovery from alcoholism, like there are no half measures, in drinking alcohol 'takes no prisoners' you cannot, from mine and others experience, negotiate and, like learning spirituality, only you can do it No one else can, albeit as on SR, they can share their experience, strength and hope...
This is interesting because in looking back if I hadn't gotten that dizzy spell I'm almost positive I would have drank. Maybe my anxiety increased because I knew I was going against what I wanted and knew I'd regret it.
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Old 08-19-2017, 07:08 AM
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Originally Posted by BullDog777 View Post
I was in a s#it load of trouble physically, when I got sober. However, even after all my test results improved and I was on medication to help repair my body, my health related anxiety was total hell at times. I also have anxiety, ptsd, and OCD.

I had anxiety attacks that would mimic heart attacks. I could convince myself in an afternoon I had something else. My anxiety could mimic almost any symptom I got obsessed with. It was awful.

I visited the dr. a lot. I hated it. The people here can tell you I complained about it a lot. I also got therapy. A lot of that too.

Most of my early sobriety was going through the motions of doing the right thing even when my head told me not to. It's really hard to put into words. I didn't trust my judgement anymore because all that ever got me was wasted.

So I just put one foot in front of the other until time took care of a lot of the intensity of the emotions.

It gets a lot easier. The cravings start to go away and your brain won't be going a million miles a minute and you start to get comfortable in your own skin again. It just takes time.
This sounds a lot like me when I quit cigs and weed 5 years ago. Unfortunately I was not in the know and used beer to substitute. Now 5 years later it's basically Groundhog Day, except after the 5 years of abuse I'm sure my anxiety is much worse. Last summer I made it 71 days and then thought I had it all figured out. The more I read about kindling the more it seems like I was screwing my self over time after time this last year. I ended up seeing my therapist for extra sessions after a handful of regretful weekends.

I also have a 4 month old son now and learning to deal with that stress plus the not drinking plus the OCD and plus adjusting to a new marriage with the baby is overwhelming at times.

I'm contemplating trying Lexapro that I was prescribed but scared of side effects.
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Old 08-19-2017, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by iew101 View Post
I also have a 4 month old son now and learning to deal with that stress plus the not drinking plus the OCD and plus adjusting to a new marriage with the baby is overwhelming at times.

I'm contemplating trying Lexapro that I was prescribed but scared of side effects.
My thinking changed drastically when I became a father. It was "get sober or die trying"

It took a long time before the sobriety thing stuck, but I was always trying.

For me, most of this is for my family. My daughter didn't ask for any of this so it's my responsibility to make sure she's not scarred from it.

I hate to sound cliche' but Oprah once said "When you know better, you do better." So as a father, I have to do whatever it takes. Painful and messy as it is and was, just persevere.

If the Lexipro is too scary, try something else. I was on an anti-anxiety for the first 6 months I was sober. There are sooooo many out there now. Just make sure they don't give you any class benzos. Those are very dangerous for people in recovery.

The OCD stuff was really hard to treat. There isn't any meds that work for it like good ol' fashioned CBT therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapy. When I got into that; when I was in rehab, I made a lot of progress very quickly. A lot of it for me was I didn't understand most of what I was feeling. Getting to talk about it in therapy helped, tons.
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Old 08-19-2017, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by BullDog777 View Post
I hate to sound cliche' but Oprah once said "When you know better, you do better."

If the Lexipro is too scary, try something else. I was on an anti-anxiety for the first 6 months I was sober. There are sooooo many out
The OCD stuff was really hard to treat. There isn't any meds that work for it like good ol' fashioned CBT therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapy. When I got into that; when I was in rehab, I made a lot of progress very quickly. A lot of it for me was I didn't understand most of what I was feeling. Getting to talk about it in therapy helped, tons.
Totally agree. Now that I'm done fooling myself that I can drink responsibly (and consistently responsibly) I think the therapy will help even more. This last 5 month stint really set me back.
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Old 08-20-2017, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by iew101 View Post
So this morning started normal. I got up, went for a 6 mile run and then to the office. I ran 8 miles yesterday because my gym is moving over the weekend and won't have access.

When I got home my left arm was sore and kinda tingly (fingers too). I made the mistake of googling symptoms. I had a small lunch and tried to chill but I couldn't. My anxiety got the best of me so I went to urgent care. They did some neck x-rays and said I may have a little vertebrae pinching but it could/should go away without treatment.

I felt pretty good about that. My wife and I decided to do takeout from Qdoba. I did a massive burrito. When leaving I thought "I'll do a 6 pack for the football game tonight and then when the gym reopens Monday I'm all in on training and will quit drinking for good." So I bought a mix n' match 6 pack and went home.

I ate my burrito and was digesting watching the game. I got an email saying that I had to be in work early so that saved me from drinking. Then out of nowhere I got super dizzy. This had happened the last time I drank and one other time due to stress.

I've had a stress EKG and heart echo in August so I know it's not my heart. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Today is 43 days sober for me.
By all means exercise is good for you. But you're doing some heavy duty running there. Do you think that might be contributing to your health problems?

Getting and staying sober is huge! It has to be the top focus over everything, at least in the beginning. I would moderate the exercise more and put more focus into your recovery at least for the first year of sobriety.
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Old 08-20-2017, 07:00 PM
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I ran 3 marathons last year but my running dipped and my drinking soared March-July 6th. I may have jumped in a little too hard. Going to increase the mileage a little slower going forward. I have a new appreciation of being fit. Can lose it quick but takes awhile to regain.
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