Harden1313

Hi everyone. I have a question about some physical symptoms I'm having and I was hoping that anyone that has experience or has knowledge that could help would chime in.

My last drink was July 15th and I'm rounding up on my 3 month chip. I self referred to treatment, got a sponsor early, have been working the steps and have gotten to a meeting everyday. I have a home group, see a therapist weekly (for family of origin issues) and have a good support net with a lot of sober friends from the program. I have has my ups and downs but overall I am doing great. I am not depressed, not stressed and have been tackling life on life's terms like a big boy for the first time in my life. I feel I'm right about where I should be right now and I am on a good path in sobriety. The problem though is that I have felt physically beat for about a month and a half.

I am a stay at home dad, 33 years old, pretty good health, no history of anything major, blood work is all normal, sleeping fairly well, I eat well and i don't suffer from any major mood issues outside of drinking.

I wake up around six and feel pretty good until around 11 or so. I start to get pressure behind my eyes, they get irritated and tired and somewhere between 1-3 I go into full tension headache, sinus pressure, slight nausea, neck tightens up and hurts, get irritable, I find it hard to focus sometimes and it can sometimes escalate where I have tunnel vision, light-headedness, shaky hands and I feel physical weak.

I have gone through a list of things trying to figure this out. I first thought this could be PAWS. I upped my water intake thinking it may be dehydration. I was prescribed trazodone to help me sleep (post symptoms). I have taken decongestant meds thinking it was sinus issues. I have taken allergy meds. Now I'm just miserable. The things left on my list are my smoking and the couple cups of coffee I drink in the morning. My sponsor doesn't have anything for me and other people in the fellowship are equally lost. My family doctor (military doctor) isn't helpful. She wanted to prescribe me Ambien and argued with me when I told her that I didn't want it saying "It's not addictive." She is a dead end, though I may be able to go to a different doctor.

So if any of you has read this and has an opinion I would love to hear it. Thanks!

Pat

silly

It could be smoking. I know when I smoked years ago it always made me tired and gave me a strange feeling in my head. Not realy dizzy or lightheaded, more like I'd just spun around in a circle but in fact I hadn't moved. The shaking hands could be withdrawal if you don't smoke in the late afternoon.
Do you take any daily vitamins?

Sapling

I'd check with another doctor.....It doesn't sound alcohol related....You don't have a vision problem do you?

Harden1313

I've been smoking for 15 years though and have never had that problem. I take some D3 but nothing else. It was low in my blood test a few weeks ago but everything is righted now. My wife is a lab tech and checks my blood for me pretty often.

I'm kind of leaning towards the opinion that this is either something temporary that is related to my body trying to get back on track after years of being pickled or I have a twin living inside my skull who wakes up everyday just before noon. I hope it's not a twin. He would probably be an alcoholic too. Haha!

Harden1313

I do have some vision issues. Some times when the pain and tension comes on I get fuzzy vision, irritated eyes and slight walleye vision. It is kind of like when you stand up too quick but not as acute or severe.

Sapling

I know I drank hard for 35 years and at 90 days I had some fogginess....But nothing like that....That would concern me.

Sapling

That could be your problem....Do you wear glasses...Or do you need to?...It's worth checking out.

Harden1313

I've been wearing glasses/contacts since I was a kid. All up to date with that stuff.

I have been thinking also about hypoglycemia . I have read that it can be an issue with recovering alcoholics because of all the sugar that we put in our bodies through alcohol. Only problem is that my tests come back normal for blood sugar.

Sapling

I don't know....I would get a second opinion...Especially if you feel your doctor is a dead end...Sounds like your recovery is going well...Keep moving forward with that....What step are you working on?....It's not the fourth step is it?

aasharon90

I learned early on from those Ive been
following in recovery that i use my recovery
program to help me stay sober, use my
doctors for medical advice making sure
they are aware right off the bat that I am
in recovery for alcoholism and if anything
is prescribed that it not be habit forming nor
narcotic.

I also have to remember that each of us is
made up differently inside and what works
for one may not work for you or I.

Its ok to ask for help and suggestions from
others to guide us in the right direction but
going to the proper help will be safer and
healthier for us.

Dee74

Hi Pat - welcome

I'm nor a Dr so I really have no idea....
if your family Dr wasn't helpful a second opinion is called for I think

D

Harden1313

I just finished my fourth step. Tomorrow night (tuesday) I will be going over it with my sponsor and then doing my fifth with him.

Sapling

That's a pretty emotional step to go through....I didn't have symptoms like you do....But I was more than ready to unload that in my fifth step....That was where I really started feeling relief....I think after my fifth step.....I felt like I could do this.....Let me know how it goes.....And I think you should find a new doctor....That's not normal. These are the fifth step promises....Came true for me....Enjoy it!

We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

bb pg 75

Harden1313

I did the fifth step. I was honest in my fourth step and really dug in deep to write it all out. Sitting down to go over it, which my sponsor does as a fifth step, just didn't do it for me. I have heard from a lot of people that the fifth step was hard but they felt great after. I just didn't feel much. My sponsor kept interrupting me to interject little stories from his life instead of listening. I really felt like it was more about him than me. I have been thinking about getting a new sponsor for a month now. He has never been married and has no kids so he can't relate to a lot of my life. He has a giant ego to boot and dominates his sponsees rather than listening, empathizing and mentoring. Oh well. I'm on the right track though.

Hollyanne

I would get checked out by a NEW doctor.
I would try to eat small regular meals and look into diabetes.
And by the way, WELL DONE ON THREE MONTHS.



You will have yourself diagnosed as a horse if you go by the internet!
Go to your NEW doctor.

Why so hard on the doctor?
I don't like people who throw pills at addicts and poo-poo their concerns.
I say that with love.

Itchy

Retired Mil here and use Tricare standard so I can see my choice of Docs. I would see a second doc. I have dizziness and tinitus issues and am seeing an ENT again on the 22nd. My Wife has allergies and has a lot of the same issues you describe and can tell me when her Claritin is wearing off. You need a doc, and maybe several. An Opthamologist and ENT come to mind as a start. I am not suggesting any of these as your problem, just to show it can be many things.

If you are Prime then ask for a referral from your Primary.

Harden1313

The more I look at hypoglycemia symptoms the more it seems to fit. I have upped my intake of fresh fruit and it seems to help quite a bit. Natural sugars seem to really right the ship. I'm heading to a meeting in a few and will be toting an apple along. Shouldn't be a huge surprise that my body and brain are all wackadoodle after 20 years of pickling. Just got to follow the simple rules. Eat well, fruits and veggies, plenty of water and lots of sleep. Smoking is the next step and down the road when things start getting better on a more consistent basis I will get mu butt exercising again.

Thanks for the help everyone.

DisplacedGRITS

just wanted to say i'm so glad you refused Ambien. i abused that stuff for over 2 years. i would trip like crazy on it and i've taken as many as 8 in an evening. it's horrible stuff and should never be prescribed to someone who has a history of addiction. i was on trazadone but didn't have any problems in the afternoon. i had to quit it because of the horrible nightmares it gave me. are you taking folic acid? i know alcoholics are often deficient in folic acid though i'm not sure if that would be causing your problems. i agree that getting second opinion would probably be the best route. good luck!

CleanmeupScotty

It sounds like your going through caffeine withdrawal or it can be your sugar levels.You had blood work so that should have showed up.Try a different doctor and cut out caffeine for a whole week to see if your problems subside.Smoking isnt helping I would try to quit those as well.

Sapling

I went through my fifth step with my sponsor...He was great with pointing out my charactor defects and we talked for a couple hours....As the book says...I was delighted when I was done. It concerns me that going into your fifth step you'd been unhappy with your sponsor for a month before....Maybe you should find someone else you trust and talk with them. There are no rules to these steps.....Besides having a complete psychic change....Or spiritual awakening as a result of doing them....That is the goal....That is where you find a new freedom and a new happiness.