Can M.E. symptoms mimic panic attack?!
Posted , 11 users are following.
I suffer from a great deal of symptoms and have done for 4 years. had an array of testing..bloods ecgs echocardiogram ct scan of abdomen and brain, endoscopy and colonoscopy. apart from being diagnosed with endometriosis earlier this year the drs are stumped. an endocrinologist diagnosed me me with m.e.
I do get fatigue but I would say my main symptoms are sudden feelings like my blood pressure or blood sugar have dropped suddenly making me feel faint and panicky. a weird sensation like I can't focus and my legs get like jelly like I'm going to faint. I've never passed out as in lost consciousness but have felt so close to it before.
yes I do have some anxiety but this definitely started after feeling so ill. a symptom rather than cause I suppose . my question is..does this sound like cfs/m.e?! can anyone relate?
0 likes, 17 replies
Beverley_01 EJO3089
Posted
Hi there,
I get this where I feel the life is sucked out of me and it's an awful sensation. I also feel it's most possibly blood sugar drop caused by eating something very sugary and then the body struggling to process. someone told me recently that the adrenal system finds it difficult to deal with. In my past before cfs/me I'd get the odd sugar crash but, now, I feel I am susceptible to this much more.
Christmas has shown me even more that extra sugar as well as doing more, causes this reaction. if I eat something sweet with a meal I don't get the same feeling.
Hope that helps
Beverley
DiannaO EJO3089
Posted
Have they checked you for Orthostatic Intolerance or POTS?
CFS.Sarah EJO3089
Posted
Hi there,
this paragraph sounds so much like me!
"sudden feelings like my blood pressure or blood sugar have dropped suddenly making me feel faint and panicky. a weird sensation like I can't focus and my legs get like jelly like I'm going to faint. I've never passed out as in lost consciousness but have felt so close to it before."
I have had numerous tests done. 7day ECG, echocardiogram, carotid artery checked etc and my heart is apparently fine. Blood tests all clear so Neurologist ruled out any deficiency and diabetes.
It's a mystery and according to my GP all part of the CFS/ME phenotype.
If you discover what causes it do let me know so I can visit my GP .....again 😂.
Sarah
Dono8555 CFS.Sarah
Posted
This will certainly help you and you GP ...
I signed up for a webinar with Dr. Jarred Younger held on Dec. 13 and posted the info for others who might have wanted to participate. The great thing is the host for the webinar, Solve ME/CFS Initiative, reposted the entire webinar on YouTube. I forwarded the link to my Neurologist and his associates to give them a better understanding of the science, current research and symptoms.
I won't post the link, as I know the mods will remove it, however, If you go to YouTube and enter: ME/CFS Involves Brain Inflammation: Results from a Ramsay Pilot Study you will be able to view it. I highly, HIGHLY recommend watching it, and sending it to your Doctors to help them understand more clearly the scope of the disease. This may help your doctors better understand your situation as well.
Guest EJO3089
Posted
POTS?
DiannaO Guest
Posted
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). My understanding of it is that for some people limited exertion or standing too long makes the blood rush down to the lower extremities and leaves you feeling dizzy and weak. A lot of people with CFS/ME also have OI (orthostatic intolerance) or POTS.
soobass537 DiannaO
Posted
This is the thing that every body has different symptoms depending on severity of the condition, in severe cases it can give a lot of pain and inability to stand light and noise. In some cases there are unusual lost of minerals and iron, This complex illness can affect other organs like the kidneys,thyroid,pancreas and the guts,that`s the treatment is complicated . some way we become scientists in search for better treatment. good luck to everybody.
Beverley_01 DiannaO
Posted
Hi Dianna,
It is also in relation to blood flow. On standing, the heart rate increases above what would normally be expected and relief from symptoms arises on sitting/laying back down. I think there are many overlapping symptoms between cfs/me and pots.
Beverley
Dono8555 EJO3089
Posted
I definitely have some of those issues as well, but there are so many other symptoms that can present themselves, it just depends on the patient.
I signed up for a webinar with Dr. Jarred Younger held on Dec. 13 and posted the info for others who might have wanted to participate. The great thing is the host for the webinar, Solve ME/CFS Initiative, reposted the entire webinar on YouTube. I forwarded the link to my Neurologist and his associates to give them a better understanding of the science, current research and symptoms.
I won't post the link, as I know the mods will remove it, however, If you go to YouTube and enter: ME/CFS Involves Brain Inflammation: Results from a Ramsay Pilot Study you will be able to view it. I highly, HIGHLY recommend watching it, and sending it to your Doctors to help them understand more clearly the scope of the disease. This may help your doctors better understand your situation as well.
caroline_74621 EJO3089
Posted
I keep reading some comments about POTS? What is this please?
I suffer from low blood pressure and never the 2 together.
Interesting about the sweet things i'll see if that makes any difference to my symptoms.
I've got 30 days before my first appointment with my specialst, I've waited since October for this so counting down every day!!
Beverley_01 caroline_74621
Posted
Hi Caroline,
You can google POTS symptoms etc to get a better picture of the condition. It is different to the OI you get with cfs/me.
Am glad you have an appointment to see a specialist soon. It's a good idea to make sure you write done things that are important to you and if possible, take someone with you in case you forget anything. That's what I did and was glad I did!
Beverley
caroline_74621 Beverley_01
Posted
thanks i'll take a look.
i've been to my first one where we looked at my symptoms. My mum will probably come with me.
Beverley_01 caroline_74621
Posted
Hi Caroline,
Good that you have someone to go with you. The time to your appointment will pass in no time!
With POTS I thought it was easy for you just to Google and get a picture of it. Hope it helps.
Beverley
KS2017 EJO3089
Posted
Hi EJO and thanks for your post. I have had glandular fever for the past year and a half and while i'm almost recovered, I definitely had/have the same symptom as you, where around 830am it feels like i have a massive sugar crash and I get really shaky and panicky and extremely fatigued, despite having already eaten a lot of breakfast. Recently, I've found just continually snacking during this slump has really helped restore my energy in the morning. It's almost like my body is just unreasonably ravenous throughout the morning, but the feeling is also of just losing all energy and feeling like i'm being dragged down to the ground, like all my energy is just being let out. When this used to happen when I was really sick I just rested in bed for the few hours before it passed around 11am, but now I am finding by just eating things high in protein like boiled eggs, nuts, and also apples etc constantly throughout the morning that my energy tends to return to normal. It's so strange.
not sure if this is useful or relevant, but I wanted to share my experience.
CFS.Sarah KS2017
Posted
Hi KS,
I can totally relate to what you describe.
Have you ever skipped breakfast to see if you get the crash still?
I had an extra long lay in a few weeks back so missed my usual 8am breakfast and expected the usual feelings but they didn't happen. I didn't eat until lunch and crashed about half an hour later. I googled diabetes as although blood tests show I don't have it I'm convinced it's connected.
Sarah
ashley44325 KS2017
Posted
exactly the same as me! a complete crash most days for a short period where i feel like im dying