Night Terrors - Waking Terrors??

Thanks every so much Lorraine... my wife suggested it was a panic attack last night, and, even though it was very different to my first Night Terror which I had last week, i dismissed the suggestion. The reason for my dismissal is that.. well, I'm a big tough guy, I always face things full on, no matter how bad they are, I never panic, worry, or anything, and me being susceiptible to a panic attack just seems ridiculous. This is why I am relating it to the Night Terrors, a different version of one, although having been semi-awake when it started is very unnerving.

I have an appointment with my doc next week on Thursday, I'll wait til then and see if these "episodes" either disappear or develop further.

Again, thank you xx

You are more than welcome Richard. Night terrors/panic attacks happen to big tough guys too! Lol. I has never suffered from anything before and then the night terrors started then because I didn't do anything about it, life spiralled out of control from there.

Please let me know how your doc visit goes next week. In the meantime I'm here if you need me xx

I can understand how life can spiral wickedly in the wrong direction. Even after just a couple of episodes I find my whole focus is on this problem, my wife is scared that I may hurt her or the kids during one of these episodes, and I've turned into a complete worrier. I started coughing when i was driving this morning, and because it started last night when I was coughing, I pulled the car to the side of the road until the coughing stopped. Already I'm realising this needs to be dealt with, and very quickly.

I hope you've got your own issues under control now Lorraine.... updates will appear here, either after my visit to the doc, or before if I have any reoccurance of these bloody things. xx

Richard try and get an earlier appointment. A week a way is too long. X

My wife just told me the same thing. Calling the doctor now x

Thanks everygreen, everything you say makes sense, and yes, I am a person who faces up to everything, I don't often show emotion or need, and therefore have a lot unknowingly bottled up (probably).

As a matter of interest, the "proper" night terror i had last week (not described in this thread), was me being trapped in the bedroom, a gray mucous dripping in my eyes, and an indescribable feeling of terror as I sprinted around the bedroom in tiny steps.

I am calling the GP now, will book at asap appt.

Thanks again!

Richard, I agree with everything that's been said here. You need to see a doctor about this asap. Make sure he understands that these attacks have started very suddenly (which seems to be the case from what you've said here).

And please don't allow him to fob you off with just a prescription for tranquillisers or anti-psychotics. Insist on an urgent referral to a neurologist. Even if you live in the "Nanny State" UK, you still have the right to demand referral to a specialist.

I have a small amount of "inside" knowledge, as a former neuro-trained nurse (in the NHS) and someone who suffers from night terrors as well.

What you're describing could be an atypical kind of night terrors but it doesn't quite fit the bill. For one thing, you seem to be saying you fully woke up and went to the bathroom before it started, which would be very unusual. Night terrors arise from non-REM sleep, and the sufferer normally goes seamlessly from deep, dreamless sleep into a state of delusion before waking fully.

You also say elsewhere that you consciously tried to rein it in. That doesn't sound right at all. The essence of night terrors - as some of us know from experience - is that, though conscious during the attack, the sufferer totally believes in the delusional situation they're facing and has no control whatever over their reactions. I once found myself standing on the windowsill, about to jump from an upstairs window because I thought my bedroom was filled with poisonous gas. No question of trying to "rein it in" - as far as I was concerned, it was utterly real. It was only when I came to my senses that I realised what was going on.

The coughing fits also don't fit in at all - they sound more like panic attacks.

This may be nothing serious at all. People who repress their anxieties and soldier on regardless can often experience a sudden - and short-lived - attack of mild psychosis when the genie can't be kept in the bottle any longer. This particularly applies to men, and more particularly, stoic middle-aged men who've always been very good at their job, exemplary providers for their family etc. Sound like you?

But you still need to get checked out by a neurologist before falling back on this hypothesis. Like Lorraine said, let us know how you got on at the doctor's.

Thinking of you!

Lily

Thanks Lily. I've been to the doc just now, I mentioned potential neurological issues, and he dismissed it. And didn't suggest anything else worth mentioning.

The coughing - I've actually got a bad cough right now, but it seemed to trigger the attack.

And yes, it sounds like me

Oh Richard I'm so sorry to hear that. Have you just got the one doctor in your practice? I would not settle for that at all. Your body is letting you know it's not happy and you need a resolution to this. If it was me I woul insist on another appointment and once in the chair i would be very dedetermined to be taken seriously. At the end of the day your now left in the same situation as you was this morning! Gps are paid by our contributions and should not be fobbing you off . Please let me know how you get on tonight.

Blessings always

Lorraine xxx

Thanks Lorraine, I'm not going to settle for this, but.. I just didn't know what to say. I already feel weak for having this kind of problem, and to insist... well, my stupid pride got in the way I guess.

I will hopefully be able to put up with whatever happens between now and next Thursday, when I have another GP appt booked (with a different doctor who I like a lot more) regarding a recurrent abdomincal hernia, and I will just talk to him about this, rather than the hernia. Hopefully he will take it more seriously.

I just can't believe how nervous I am about tonight, I start shaking when I just think about it - did you, and others, experience this kind of trepidation?

Richard, I forgot to say in my over-long private message just now. If the new GP refuses to refer you to a neurologist, ask for referral to a sleep lab. The problem with this one is that nine times out of ten Murphy's Law kicks in and it doesn't happen the one night you spend in the lab - probably because of feeling more secure in that environment.

Hi Richard

glad you are not leaving it and i pray the next appointment is a positive one.

Richard i spent many times dreading going to sleep. I would be swearing and screaming in my sleep trying to will myself to wake up! Then I would believe in my sleep that I had woken up...only to find I hadn't and it all started again! When I finally willed myself awake, my heart would be pounding and I felt totally out of control. Then to make matters worse i would spend the day remembering the horrors of the night before! I do think i was under a lot of stress but didn't recognise it at the time.

Please let me know how your night goes. Try not to think about it too much as worry will then sit in your subconscious.

Relax if you can. ..nice warm soak and a good programme to keep your mind of it.

blessings always

Lorraine x

Hi Richard

how was your night? Hope it was peaceful.

Warmest wishes

Lorraine x

Hi Lorraine,

It was controllable. I awoke twice, jumped out of bed panicking both times, but managed to use the intense anger I've got because of this whole situation to drive the attacks away before they developed.

Shaken both times, but not petrified like before, and thankfully no more blackouts.

From my own very black and white attitude, I feel stronger now, like I can put a stop to this myself if I can continue to snuff it out at inception every time. Maybe I'm being too simplistic, I don't know, like I'm treating it as an aware entity rather than a condition.

Thanks for checking in, fingers crossed for another ok night tonight.

Rich x

Hi Richard

wow! That's what I use to do eg get angry and scream and swear to try and stop it from taking hold. Funnily enough I have never been one for swearing. But the fear can get us saying and doing all sorts of things lol. Like you mentioned I dealt with it like it was an entity because that is very much what it feels like. Worst of all its not something people can relate to unless they have experienced it.

In saying that I predicta wonderful nights sleep for you xx keep me pposted

warmest wishes to you and your wife

god bless xxx

Haha so I'm not on my own! I've often lived by the mantra attack is the best form of defence, and now that I'm semi aware of what to expect, or at least what I'll be feeling, I feel confident. Today had been a breeze, not many negative thoughts or trepidation.

And tonight I fully intend to batter this "thing" into submission if it rears it's ugly head again.

It's strange how I'm thinking though, I'm bizarrely wondering if it will adapt itself to beat me, like a human enemy or maybe like a virus. And therfore will I also need to adapt and change my defense?

But the main thing for me is that I'm no longer scared of it, and it can't win if I have no fear. Yeah, I know it could trip me up and get past my defence, but now I know I CAN beat it, so I hope I'll be more able to dust myself off without the fear, dread, and trepidation I had just a couple of days ago.

I also hope I'm not being over confident.

And by the way, for the time being I'm sleeping on the sofa, until I have a better understanding of what I'm capable of during one of these episodes. I think that's sensible. xx

Aha! Now it's beginning to sound more like a stress-related condition. That doesn't mean you're crazy, just having a few problems coping with life at the moment, as we all do sometimes. It's very unusual indeed to be able to control real night terrors, as opposed to the equally scary sleep disorder that can arise from REM sleep. I suspect that's the one Lorraine might be talking about btw. I actually have the misfortune to suffer from both, and I can usually control the hallucinations of the REM sleep disorder. (Having sleep-related hallucinations doesn't mean you're crazy either, or even suffering from a mental illness.)

However, you really aren't suffering from the other disorder I've described above, as this one always involves waking in a state of paralysis and you're clearly jumping up and running around.

There is just one other possibility. Do you think you might be acting out your dreams? I'd guess not, as you've mentioned getting up to go to the toilet, and then having all this start. But there is a very rare sleep disorder where this can happen, and it can be treated with medication. As I'm sure you know, our brains secrete a hormone that keeps us paralysed when we're in the REM, or dreaming, phase of sleep. The reason for this is precisely to stop us jumping up and acting out our dreams. It's a disorder of that function that causes the sleep paralysis thing, when the brain keeps secreting the hormone for a couple of minutes after we wake up (or occasionally starts secreting it before we've completely fallen asleep). In a few, very rare cases the brain doesn't secrete any hormone at all and the person is able to get up and act out their dreams.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) can be very helpful in sleep disorders, but it sounds to me as if you're doing your own CBT by becoming aware of possible causes and taking charge. I'm sure you won't get too "macho" about this, as it's inevitable that you'll still get a few very bad nights and this won't be a sign of failure.

See how things go between now and the next GP visit. If you think the other GP would be sympathetic, you might still want to discuss it with him.

Aware entity vs. condition? From personal experience, I'd strongly advise the condition route! You don't want to give this thing any more power than it already has. I always think of my twin sleep disorders in terms of being mugged by my own unconscious.

I hope you have another manageable night, but don't despair if you get the occasional bad time. I'm pretty sure from your latest post that you'll eventually get this thing licked.

Lily

Sorry Richard - my system didn't bring up your very latest post even though you made it well before my last one. Just to avoid confusion, I was replying to your post that began "It was controllable".

In response to your latest - yes, "it" might indeed adapt and try to get round your defences. But just remember that "it" - or more precisely, "id" - is still part of you! If you externalise it too much it could get harder to control. (Voice of experience again!)

Hi Lily,

Firstly apologies for not responding to yesterday's private message, today was just very busy trying to catch up from a week where I've got far behind at work.

Your last paragraph above intrigues me, raises lots of questions. I can't view this "thing" as part of me, and because of its nature I can't view as totally separate either, so I guess I'm treating it as an aggressive virus.

I don't know, this is very new to me, and I don't expect it to go away overnight, I guess I'm going to have episodes that I can't control, and worryingly maybe more blackouts as well.

Trial and error I think. Now I'm going to have a snack, a wee whisky, and off to bed.

Night all x