My Journey of Hell and Healing - Joy

[grandmaD]

Hi GrandmaD,

Thank you for your message. Since yesterday I have been in constant motion bothered by the itching. You are probably right it is w/d...and maybe the sunlight/heat that is triggering it more greatly because of the w/d. I seem to be hypersensitive to everything lately.
I am convinced the itchies are related to nerves... and perhaps tense muscles. I went for a swim for the first time in years and afterwards the nerves on my legs flared up and the itchies on my back. I just think it is related to the stress/exercise on the muscles and nerves. Oh, and heat also makes it worse, for sure.
You found your blood pressure went up with the w/d? You did a slow taper too. Were your chest pains that sent you to the hospital connected to your high blood pressure? Did you go on BP meds to control it? How do you feel now?
They hooked me up at hospital and next day told me they could find no cause for the high blood pressure - that is was not that. They could not explain the chest pains either, telling me my heart was ok. They said I had "anxiety" something I never had in myh life before this!
I suspect that my BP went up while on Effexor (the last pill to taper) ..but may have started going up last Fall following the taper of Serequel. I can't say for sure. It was higher then but went up much more over the winter and is one of the reasons I began to get off of Effexor, hoping it would fix the problem. At the highest my BP went up to 180/110. It remained this way for awhile, and I was getting sick from it. I went on BP pills, however I am not tolerating them very well. So have cut the dosage in half of what the prescription is. I do better on that but it is only coming down very slowly. Now at 145/90. The doctor wants to give me either another med to add to this one or a waterpill. Neither do I want so I am increasing my Omega 3's in hope that it will help prior to my next appointment in a month's time. If I could feel a little better I would try to do some light exercise or walking..as I expect that would help.
What have you found helpful?

My BP went up from 120 to 130 and then to 140 but the doctor I had was not worried about it. He was the same one who said I had to stay on the drug for life. It was when it went to 150 I began to get worried and then 160 perhaps I panicked and brought on the chest pains.
These days it is back in the 130's range over 85.
Sorry, can't tell you if anything helps. I take fish oil, vit. C. and walk for 20-30mins daily when I can. I put ginger in my tea, but have no idea what that is good for. I started doing that when I had ice freezing butt, legs and feet to try and help with circulation and now I hate tea without it!

You BP is still pretty high and yet you are ON BP tablets??? I think the doctor told my girlfriend she had to walk every day to get her BP down. I believe it is the stress that the w/d puts on the body that causes it to go high. Do you do relaxation exeercises? I do them plus breathing exercises and I do think they help. I do them twice a day and when I need to up to 4 or 5 times a day.

[Joy]

Hi Grandma,
Thank you so much for your message. It is interesting the way the blood pressure goes up. I think mine has been high for a very long time...when I think back the doctors have said it is high...then retest and say it is ok...then the next time again. I don't think it was just the w/d casing the BP problems. I think it has been directly linked to the use of antidepressants for me. I have not had chest pain...but have had times where the muscles in my chest feel very tight. This has been when my BP was tested and high. I think this is also contributed to by the muscle rigidity I have had with all the medications...it causes the cogwheel, muscle tremors of Parkinson's syndrome. I still have it but I think it is less..the muscle rigidity was relieved alot by removing the antidepressants. There is still some there..and a light tremor. It is all connected in my mind. Arteries, muscles, nerves...all I believe have been affected. Although withdrawl has been hard, being on the antidepressants was hard too. It wasn't liked they solved any problems...I was more mobile than now...however, the pain, rigidity,BP, and many other symptoms were escalating.
I need to work harder on exercise..sounds like you have a good pattern set for yourself. I will try to be more regular with exercise. No I do not do relaxation exercises...but perhaps a different version of trying to relax myself. I am learning slowly. Thank you for the idea. They are helpful.
The other day I was very itchy/prickly...I finally gave in and took a benadry, an antihistamine, and that did help alot, however for the next 10 hours I functioned like a zombie to tired to sit at the table to eat. But, it seemed to break the worst of the problem for me. I am still sensitive to anything even touching me...everything makes me itchy..but not as bad. Wont use it unless I really need it, but it did help at the time. Perhaps if I used it more frequently I wouldn't become so tired with it.
Hope you have a very good day,
Joy

[Joy]

Hi Grandma,
Thank you so much for your message. It is interesting the way the blood pressure goes up. I think mine has been high for a very long time...when I think back the doctors have said it is high...then retest and say it is ok...then the next time again. I don't think it was just the w/d casing the BP problems. I think it has been directly linked to the use of antidepressants for me. I have not had chest pain...but have had times where the muscles in my chest feel very tight. This has been when my BP was tested and high. I think this is also contributed to by the muscle rigidity I have had with all the medications...it causes the cogwheel, muscle tremors of Parkinson's syndrome. I still have it but I think it is less..the muscle rigidity was relieved alot by removing the antidepressants. There is still some there..and a light tremor. It is all connected in my mind. Arteries, muscles, nerves...all I believe have been affected. Although withdrawl has been hard, being on the antidepressants was hard too. It wasn't liked they solved any problems...I was more mobile than now...however, the pain, rigidity,BP, and many other symptoms were escalating.
I need to work harder on exercise..sounds like you have a good pattern set for yourself. I will try to be more regular with exercise. No I do not do relaxation exercises...but perhaps a different version of trying to relax myself. I am learning slowly. Thank you for the idea. They are helpful.
The other day I was very itchy/prickly...I finally gave in and took a benadry, an antihistamine, and that did help alot, however for the next 10 hours I functioned like a zombie to tired to sit at the table to eat. But, it seemed to break the worst of the problem for me. I am still sensitive to anything even touching me...everything makes me itchy..but not as bad. Wont use it unless I really need it, but it did help at the time. Perhaps if I used it more frequently I wouldn't become so tired with it.
Hope you have a very good day,
Joy

[Sheila]

gD had a great idea about relaxation exercises for you, Joy!

[Joy]

Hi Sheila,

Yes, relaxation exercises sound like they would help..but I feel resistant to trying them for some reason. When I want to relax I read the bible and meditate on spiritual material and I find that calms me. At some point I may try some though.

I am feeling a slightly better. Coping isn't great...I do best when there is nothing expected from me and I can just do what I want. I had a cup of cocoa the other day and within 5 min I felt agitated and worked up. I have been using 1/2 a benadryl and I am finding that helpful. I did stop the multi vit Sheila, and that may have helped..not sure.
Today I went outside with a renewed effort to enjoy the horse. I walked him through fields, put things in his path to walk around and over and he did wonderfully.
It was enjoyable.

[Sheila]

Try not to get dependent on the benadryl. I say that having had to take it myself and having become dependent on it....

Hey, reading the Bible and meditating on spiritual material counts as a relaxation exercise!

Great about Mr. Horse!

[Luc]

Please, be very careful about Benadryl, Joy. You can get hooked on it, too.

[RubyTuesday]

I, formerly a professional public speaker, have been having trouble speaking. Wrong word comes out, I stutter, my
son looks at me like I'm crazy (which I guess I am!) or I just can't think. Or I can think of what I want to say but I am like, in a zone, like I'm just the audience watching the movie, and I can't make myself talk. Very distressing.

[Joy]

Thank you Sheila and Luc. Addicted to that too?? Poop...errr. I have used it 4 times now. Taking only a 1/2 a tablet. It seems to reset things..take the itch away and I am less irritable. Do you know other ways to get rid of that itch? I feel like things are walking on me. It is made worse by the fact that there are ticks everywhere outside...and I literally have been pulling about 20 from each dog, several times a day!! You get them on the inside of your coat..it is awful. Sometimes little bites from who knows what...the outdoors in Ont seem to have only the standard bugs..this is awful..how did any pioneer come to live on the prairies??? Any bite, or thought of one, sets off this feeling. The next question...is the w/d from benadryl worse than the itching???any thought on it please...???

[Joy]

Hi Ruby! Sorry your experiencing this....Yes, it is VERY distressing!! Just tried to read a joke to someone off my email...and couldn't get it out and finally just said no, I can't read it right now. Before I would keep trying...and getting more upset. Speech is slow today for me. I stutter to at times...Babble, how I heard it described. Can't think...it is apparently all very common w/d. Are you taking any medication now?