Unsteady/off balance feeling.
Posted , 6 users are following.
I am really struggling with my anxiety and agoraphobia at the moment but trying hard to keep up with going out in the hope that exposure to the fear will eventually reduce it again.
Anyway when I am out I frequently feel unsteady on my feet to the point where I have to lean on something or hold onto my husband's arm, usually this tends to happen in the supermarket, my anxiety hates them.
However this morning I had an attack of it that was very sudden and very intense, I had gotten out of the car and was standing on the pavement waiting for my husband to get his wallet.
Suddenly I felt an incredible surge of unsteadiness, I actually screamed out to my husband, I felt as if I was weak all over, going to fall down and had absolutely no balance at all, I couldn't move until my husband was by my side and I could hold onto his arm.
On the way there I had been feeling nervous and had butterflies in my tummy and chest, I knew to expect some symptoms but that was just horrifying and a panic level that was impossible to get a hold on.
I am used to feeling moderately unsteady but not that intense, we went into the supermarket and I felt horrid but managed it then I went to the kiosk to get some ciggarettes and it happened again although this time more briefly because it kicked in just as I was getting my change so I was able to move away and hold hubbys arm until we got back to the car.
Now because I am trying to use CBT techniques that I have been taught along the way I took a break, went for a cold drink then returned to the supermarket, it didn't happen that time, I had slight unsteadiness but nothing like the first time.
My question really is why does anxiety cause such awful and sudden unsteadiness and is there any way to cope with it and reduce it?
I have been seen by a doctor and assured that it's not physical, I know that anyway because last time I went through a very hard time I had unsteadiness but not the sudden, intense panic attack inducing horror that I had this morning, it's bad enough being anxious allof the time but when you can't stand still and have tohang onto your husband's arm for security it makes you feel like a child, I just do not know how to cope with this anymore.
2 likes, 54 replies
pamela2016 BellaLuna
Posted
I was like this a few months back it's was very bad like you I was holding onto everyone to get around and had bad episode in Walmart thought I was gonna die couldn't feel my legs and was weak and very dizzy. It's subsided on its own as being that severe but I'm still struggling with off balance woozy feeling all day everyday.
BellaLuna pamela2016
Posted
I honestly think that you saw some improvement because you kept going with it even though it was so hard, it takes an awful lot of time but accepting symptoms and facing them does work in seeing them reduce, we just have to be very strong but we are strong, we live through these struggles every day and that in itself proves how stong we truly are.
tess33005 BellaLuna
Posted
I am awed by the braveness all of you show while trying your best to cope with this.
I have a little story which may interest you.
I was working as a Community Midwife and received the notes of a newly pregnant woman who had not left her house for about five years.
Our Team discussed this and decided to offer her home visits for her ante-natal care, if she show up for her first appointment at my clinic.
She didn't show up, so I went to her home right after the clinic to see how she was and to introduce myself.
She was very embarrassed and ashamed, but welcomed me in and was happy for me to examine her. She said she'd had such dread because of coming to the clinic visit that she hadn't slept for a week.
She made some tea and started to relax. She told me she was terrified of the birth - not because of the labour, but because she couldn't possibly get to the hospital.
Well, I had next to no experience with agoraphobic people, but I knew I had to try to make it is as easy as possible for her - to let her take charge of her care. So I suggested that I would do all her clinic visits at her home.
She was delighted. So for the next few months, I went at the appropriate times so she didn't have to come to the clinic.
As the birth drew nearer, I asked her what she wanted to do and told her she had my full support, whatever her decision was.
She was scared of having a home birth and scared of going to the hospital.
We agreed that she would page me when she went into labour and I would come to her home, as that was what we did with all our pregnant ladies, anyway. We assessed them at home and stayed with them until they or we figured it was time to go to the hospital.
So one night, just after I went to bed, I got a page from the answering service.
Off I set, wondering what would happen. She was in early labour and I did all the things I always do - the things that all midwives do. By dawn, she was having a hard time of it. I examined her. She was 8cm dilated and the waters hadn't broken.
So I told her that generally at this point, we would be heading for the hospital - what did she want to do?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO was the reply.
Fine, I said, but if the baby is in trouble we'll really have to go in. I gave her some pethidine (demerol) and the gas and air.
An hour later I was all set up for a home birth and sent for another midwife (standard practice - one for mum, one for the baby)
I CAN'T HAVE THE BABY AT HOME I CAN'T DO THIS ANY MORE MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP I'LL DIE I'M GOING TO DIE
We did the breathing exercises together and I massaged her back. She was in transition. The waters broke just as midwife 2 arrived. Nice and clear. Fully dilated.
I'M PUSHING OH MY GOD THE BABY'S COMING HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME
(This is all normal behaviour in labouring women)
Midwife 2 was well-briefed in advance, and sat down quietly in the corner.
The lady was pushing hard now and the baby's head appeared. Just a little. Then a little more. No more screaming, just pushing.
We watched and waited. I listened to the baby's heartbeat - suddenly very low. Midwife 2 and I exchanged glances. I was scrubbed to deliver the baby.
Midwife 2 stepped in and told the woman to push really hard. We were all on our hands and knees. Baby's heartbeat dropped again.
PUSH! WE NEED THIS BABY OUT, OK? IT'S TIME!
(I think we said that together)
The head was born. The cord was round the neck -so what - one in three babies have the cord around the neck - it isn't a big deal, as long as you can slip it over the baby's head.
It was tight. Bugger. Had to cut it before the rest of the baby came out, and we would need that baby out within a minute of me doing it.
PUSH HARD PUSH REALLY HARD COME ON YOU CAN DO IT THAT'S AMAZING WELL DONE ANOTHER PUSH DARLING COIME ON.
The shoulders rotated and with one final push, out came a little girl, screaming her head off. YAY!
Delivered the placenta, cleaned up, wrote up the notes, got the baby nursing.
Then something amazing happened.
I MUST SHOW THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR!
What? What is happening?
She stood up and opened her own door. She looked around for a while, then took a deep breath and walked over to her neighbour's house, to show her the baby and to tell her it had been easy (!) and that she'd delivered at home.
Wow. I followed her. To say the neighbour was surprised is an understatement.
Look, look, look at my baby!
Come in and show me!
So she did.
Now, girls, should I have done anything differently? You have to take into account that we often deliver babies at home here. Should I have made her go to hospital when she was 8cm?
I'd love to know what you think.
helen20833 tess33005
Posted
Marvellous story! Yet again you show your natural flair and intuition for helping others ( as proved by the moving assistance you are giving the poor lady who miscarried, bless you! )
No, I truly don't believe you should have done it any differently
The problem with close friends/family who believe they are helping the agoraphobic is that they usually fall into the following catergories:
The bullying, which consists of a " Pull yourself together " brigade, which just results in the agoraphobic feeling ashamed of their weakness and inability to deal with going out.
The Jolly You Along Cheerfull Brigade, which makes the agoraphobic cringe with embarrassment because how can I not do this in the face of such joviality? I'm a joke to them. A fool. They pity me.The last thing wanted is pity
The Forceful Brigade. Literally demanding you get out there. The fear of failing before this grim determination increases the agoraphobic's anxiety.
You were right in what you did. Force, persuasion, anger, even when offered with the best intentions, are downright cruel. The agoraphobic has to do this in their own time and at their own pace. If they're stressed to hell beforehand they'll never get out of the door.
No agoraphobic expects a non sufferer to understand. Hell, they don't even understand it themselves. There's nothing " out there" to fear. It's ludicrous, it's ridiculous...But, it's there, agoraphobia. It exists. And it's downright awful.
tess33005 helen20833
Posted
I'm so glad you said that, Helen. I was acting on pure intuition, as good midwives do, backed up by many years' experience (I was Deputy Team Leader)
I confess that to start with I hadn't a clue what to do other than offer a home birth.
But I definitely knew that she needed to take charge of her own care, so left all doors open, whilst, as I said, promising her my full support.
I LOVE delivering babies. What a privilege!
helen20833 tess33005
Posted
You gave her the options and left it at that. Believe me, you couldn't have done anything better to help. No fuss, no persuasion, no pressure to choose. Just left her with it.And look what happened
!!!
The results would have been very different without you.
BellaLuna tess33005
Posted
Hi tess, that is a wonderful story and I think you did an amazing job looking after that lady.
If you had tried to force her to go to hospital it would only have added to her distress and by caring for her right there in her own home you allowed her to have control which is something that every agoraphobic needs, feeling out of control only adds to the anxiety.
Giving birth is a huge event to any woman and the birth itself can have a long lasting impact, when I had my youngest it was very fast, I went to hospital which at that point in my life was not a problem but I only just made it there and had it not been for a lady running to fetch help I would have given birth in the car park.
It was very cold, it was dark and I was in so much pain and too terrified to allow my husband to leave my side, we were lucky that the lady was there, being so late the place was virtually empty so off she went and a porter came and hurried me up to delivery, I was screaming my head off and gave birth seconds after arriving.
A lot of people remarked on how lucky I was but I found it to be very traumatic, there had been no time for support from a caring midwife, no time to be made comfortable or soothed through the pain and minutes after the birth a black cloud felt like it was coming over me, that resulted in a year of the worst post natal depression of my life and I firmly believe it was a result of such a rapid delivery.
You gave that lady comfort, control and she delivered her baby in such a way that she was able to forget the pain and remark to her neighbour that it had been easy even though it clearly wasn't but you left her able to feel elated and uplifted from her experience and that is a wonderful thing xx
tess33005 BellaLuna
Posted
What a trip, as they say!
I've delivered babies in car parks ha ha ha but usually second or third babies, not first ones, which usually take ages.
You're right - you were screaming not only with pain, but because you didn't have someone trained in labour with you.
I think the US needs more midwives and women to stand up to your OBs and tell them to get the hell out of the delivery room.
They are NOT in charge of the delivery room in the UK. Until they got this message, they thought they were, the idiots. Yes, we needed them sometimes, but WE decided.
I once wrote on a delivery room door (outside) NO DOCTORS ALLOWED IN HERE UNLESS YOU'VE BROUGHT ME, THE PATIENT AND HER HUSBAND A CUP OF TEA SO GO BACK TO THE ON-CALL ROOM OR WHEREVER YOU HANG OUT WHEN NOT BOTHERING ME
Ha ha ha ha I had a lot of seniority by then so the docs took it on the chin. And the midwives forced a meeting with them. We didn't give them a choice. Oh it was hilarious. Especially when my colleague, Maureen, stood up, and told all the doctors to 'stop admitting women to Ward 1B. We never check on them anyway. We call them 'the rubbish.'
All midwives present roared with laughter and eventually I got up and said, when I could speak again, that we didn't think the women themselves were rubbish, just the reasons why the OB had admitted them. And told them that when we had time, which was rarely, one of us would go and discharge the whole ward ha ha ha, which caused another uproar of laughter.
And finally, Jo, MY midwife when I gave birth, stood up and said, "We don't want ANY patients in 1B, ok? They either need to go to the Labour Ward, the Ante-Natal Ward, or not to be admitted at all. Then she added that 1B was where the MIDWIVES took a nap at night, if they could, and we didn't want to do so when a bunch of women who didn't need to be in hospital were also there ha ha"
So the Professor OB got up and offered to close 1B.
And we said NO NO, Prof! We still need to sleep in!
The docs gave up. We were smart cookies. We called them when they were new and inexperienced, so they could watch us deliver a baby naturally.
Huh. Don't even mention OBs to me.
helen20833 tess33005
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tess33005 helen20833
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helen20833 tess33005
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My memoirs to follow..entitled, THE TALE OF THEÂ ODD WOBBLING WOMAN...
tess33005 helen20833
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You won't make it to the publisher's to discuss it ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
helen20833 tess33005
Posted
lmao! Brilliant! I'm ashamed to say I laughed so much I nearly wet myself! I'm crying here..heehee
Damp at both ends....heehee..Quick someone..help...in dire need of nappies and tissues...heeheee
cia42277 helen20833
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helen20833 cia42277
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cia42277 helen20833
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helen20833 cia42277
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OMG! Now my ribs hurt with laughing!
Can you imagine the 999 call ? " Hello? What is your emergency?"
" Help! Help! Send an ambulance! Hurry! I wet myself...!!!"
cia42277 helen20833
Posted
So when asked what's wrong with the patient on arriving at the ER, Cheech says to Chong, both high as kites, as usual, Hey man, didn't she say she drowned?
helen20833 cia42277
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cia42277 helen20833
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helen20833 cia42277
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They'll lock me up and throw away the key ??
tess33005 cia42277
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Ward 1B is where midwives lurk, drinking tea and eating biscuits and chocolates which grateful patients have left as gifts. The hospital does provide biscuits, but they come under the category of 'boring biscuits' and no midwife worth her salt would eat boring biscuits if she happened to know that the Store Cupboard, of which only the Senior Midwife has the key, contains a large box of assorted mixed chocolate biscuits and a couple of boxes of chox.
Needless to say, the Senior Midwife has no idea that the key to the Controlled Drugs cupboard also fits the key to her Store Cupboard, and the midwives are not about to tell her.
This may, in fact, be why the key to the Controlled Drugs Cupboard refused to lock and we had to keep it shut with sticking plaster, which is of course against the law. When a burglar actually entered the labour ward whilst the midwivesnwere (for once) delivering babies and not drinking tea, there was a good deal of explaining to do when the police came. There was also a good deal of explaining to do to the women who were asking for pethidine (demerol) but midwives are highly inventive and soon secured a further supply by the simple expedient of opening the Anaesthetic Room's CD cupboard and transferring all the drugs to the Labour Ward Drug cupboard, which by then was mended.
Needless to say we then had to do a lot of explaining to do to the anaesthetists..............
cia42277 tess33005
Posted
Classic case of the inmates (midwives) running the assylum....and a good thing, too!!