Before a possible diagnosis of SJS I always attributed this to my handling stress poorly but now I'm beginning to wonder if anyone else has noticed this.
This seems to be fairly consistent for me these days. Could be anything from an unusually hectic day at work where my attention is divided all over the place, to the dog getting loose and running down the road in traffic
( that's a bad one) to yesterday witnessing my husband having a heated conversation with our very unpleasant, mean spirited neighbor.
Within 30 minutes I am completely drained, arms and legs weak, could barely stay awake through dinner, even my speech was sloppy.
Today I'm feeling off- could this be stress making symptoms worse ?
Connie
YES!!! Stress definitely makes my symptoms worse. Stress and anxiety are huge contributing factors! I have all the same symptoms you described, right down to the sloppy talking. I get easily confused too. That is very embarrassing. Especially when it happens around non-family members or at work.
I'm like that too...it's weird, in a couple times of extreme stress, I was almost narcoleptic...you'd think NOBODY would be able to sleep with the stress I had, but all I could DO was sleep. It absolutely felt like my body and brain just SHUT...DOWN...
With somewhat more "normal" stresses - like the stuff you are describing - I react like you say - a rush of energy in the situation, and then afterward I kinda collapse - more than a "normal" person would. Not so much emotionally, but physically.
I had to be on high-dose prednisone for about 6 weeks a while back, which knocks out your adrenal glands for up to a year, so now I (literally) don't get the adrenaline - just the stress and then the collapse. :-p
Yes! The adrenaline rush then fatigue scenario fits me exactly!
Sometimes, the response of exhaustion, muscle weakness, feeling kind of near tears (I am lucky to have them) comes right after the adrenaline rush.
More often, it hits the next day. Keeps me down a few days to a week.
Thank you so much for your responses. Sorry to hear that others experience the crash after an energy surge , but I'm happy that you understand what I am talking about :)
Since kind of figuring out that stress is making my symptoms worse I subconsciously have been staying away
from situations that take extra energy. Not a good thing when you have a business to run and my husband has commented lately that I don't seem to be putting out effort any longer on things that I never thought twice about. I think I've swung too far in one direction and need to find the middle ground.
Have a great weekend.
Connie50
Take the time you need in figuring all of this out and to learn how your body will react to different stresses in life. You will find a middle ground that works for you....be patient with yourself...its a whole learning process. :)
Yup...stress will do it.
There are whole weeks when life is enough and I will not even watch the news.
"What? Don't you want to know what is going on?" I open my eyes in the morning ... the world is there. I read the World news... pick and choose and try for 90% normalcy. I avoid media dysfunction and drama.
" the dog getting loose and running down the road in traffic( that's a bad one) to yesterday witnessing my husband having a heated conversation with our very unpleasant, mean spirited neighbor."
UGG ... you husband chose who to tango with... the dog would have done me in.
Today I put drops in my eyes got in the car. My blurry eyes...should have waited, but it was not as bad as the ping-pong brain; saw flashing lights just ahead with a motorcycle officer detouring traffic...took a slow left....too wide ...glad he didn't see me driving on the shoulder instead of the road. Felt like Lurch in the Adams Family. Thought ... wow .... bit too stressed to drive....Whaaaa.
"Within 30 minutes I am completely drained, arms and legs weak, could barely stay awake through dinner, even my speech was sloppy.
Today I'm feeling off- could this be stress making symptoms worse ?"
YES...But here is the GOOD news ... you posted on a Friday. AND a long weekend....Hugs to you.
Learn your stressors, your physical and mental cues...find what works and set limits for yourself. Learn to say "NO". No, is not a 4 letter word and helps others as well as ourselves.
Thanks Lynnmarie. I am learning so much from all your experiences and agree 100% thats is a learning process. I'm so used to being a go,go,go girl and am having to get used to not being Super woman anymore, well at least not like I used to be.
Quietdyanamics- you're hilarious. Just this morning I was driving down the road wondering why I was getting funny looks from oncoming cars. Hello! This road doesn't have a turn lane, I just made one up. Sometimes I wonder about myself. 1 + 1 = ? No clue ...
Just to add: I went to a further course to learn about the effects of stress n the immune system last weekend. Interestingly, our immune cells have receptors on them for adrenaline and cortisol, which means that when our stress levels rise, they respond accordingly. The guy explained it like this: if our stres levels rise because we are about to fight off a bear, the immune system better be ready to fight off any germs that enter from cuts or bruises we sustain.
So we can imagine if our stress levels rise in response to emotional threat too (we know that they do) then the immune system will be on red alert - and perhaps the same immune process which causes the disease becomes more active, making us feel more ill?
Just a thought.
Leah :-)