Anyone else have overstimulation trouble?

[GingerSnaps614]

I was up until almost 7 o'clock this morning.... Admittedly, I was up into the wee hours poking around online and I had coffee yesterday (but I always have coffee, and it never does this to me). But I was lying in bed for hours and could not stop my mind from racing. It was like I could feel and hear EVERYTHING. I felt everything touching my skin - myself, the blankets, the pillow. I felt the various pain and stiffness everywhere at once. I felt my heart beating. I heard the birds and the ceiling fan and the cars going by outside and it was all SO LOUD. Everything was loud! Things looked strange. Like the white background of this page looked like a bunch of tiny different colored dots. It was hard to focus, a little bit visually, and a lot of bit mentally. I was twitching a little bit.

My brain wouldn't turn off.... sort of racing thoughts. I just wanted to sleep! All of the sudden I started to panic; I got scared that when my family is over later for Memorial Day, I will blackout when my 1 and a half year old niece is next to me and I will fall on her and kill her. I was so freaked out.

I finally got some sleep, but I woke up and my heart is still beating fast and hard and I just feel really anxious on top of the pain :/

Does anyone else have this happen? How do you deal?

 

[TinaL]

I know exactly what you are describing. Fibro is new to me but that is one symptom I have is over sensitivity to everything. Coffee usually does not affect me but find on some days it really hypes me up same as having a glass of wine with dinner will sometimes be like I drank a whole bottle. On those days I cut back/cut out the caffeine and wine and try meditation to help relax. I tell my self over and over "It's just the fibro you are not going to die, it will pass" Hopefully you will find some relief and feel better.

 

[GingerSnaps614]

Same about the alcohol! I am by no means a lightweight.... if I'm out with friends partying, I can have around 6 beers and a few shots. I'm drunk at that point, but not sick or falling over or blacking out or anything bad like that. One night last week, I had three very light hard apple ciders and was beyond drunk! It was weird. Luckily I didn't panic or anything.... just so strange.

I noticed that sometimes I have digestive issues; my body isn't digesting food. After a spinal tap, I did not recover properly on my own - excruciating head pain, spine pain, and vomiting a lot. I would throw up anywhere between 2 and 8 hours after I would eat, and even 8 hours later, it would look EXACTLY as if I just swallowed it. Maybe TMI, but sometimes things look oddly recognizable from the other end, too :/. I'm going to my primary care doc on Wednesday about it.

Yeah, I knew I wasn't dying, but it was so scary.... sigh -_-. I hope this recent bout of anxiety/panicking doesn't become a habit again. I've had my GAD under control, mostly, for a while. I get anxious more often than most, but before Friday night I hadn't had a panic attack in probably half a year. Oy vey...

 

[Little Bev]

For me, I find that noises irritate me so bad, like when my husband eats potato chips. Also, when my dog makes certain noises like licking his lips drives me insane. Sometimes I question my own sanity.

 

[TinaL]

Little Bev I know exactly what you mean about the dog. Mine will be laying beside me and start chewing/licking his legs and I feel like screaming it is such an annoying sound. That and the volume of the tv are my main two annoyances.

 

[TurtleRunnerNC]

Sounds drive me nuts. Everything is always too loud. It's like I can feel the sound. My husband eating - I can hear everything and it makes me want to scream. The dog licking. All of it. Makes my whole body feel like a shook up bottle of soda! !'

 

[cinderr]

Oh you poor girl, what a long and miserable night. I haven't had those in a long time but my cousin sleeps about eight hours every three days! Get some melatonin and get some rest. You will have hallucinations from lack of sleep---to me, it's large spiders. Your imagination will get away from you because you are so tired and obviously a worrier. I don't know how to shut it down but haven't had to since my dr. put me on a drug, actually for nighttime itchies. Shall I look up the name?

 

[cinderr]

Oh gosh, never heard of that. My husband snores like a freight train. I would be in trouble if I had what you have. It sounds miserable.

 

[cinderr]

No, don't question your sanity! I see things. I don't actually see a cat, I call him my phantom cat, but I see movement that I know is him. Is that because I would like the companionship of a cat? I doubt it because I am very jumpy and see bugs every where---I'm not a drinker I used to have a husband that scared me all the time, I think that's why I am so jumpy. To him it was funny. To me, it was not.
The bugs creep me out, any kind. I lived in Hawaii where due to the climate, they are always around. I see this movement, no actual bugs, at least fifty times a day. Is it my meds, my ex husband freaked me out? I wish I knew because it is annoying as hell! Maybe i should be doubting my sanity?

 

[kmpisces]

Oh yes, you could have been describing me. I get like this a a lot. First it seems like I cannot get my brain to rest. Then, I start to notice everything going on around even in the dark of night. I hear every sound in the house and outside. I notice lights outside. I just am distracted by everything and unable to sleep.

 

[twiztc]

hey ginger- i have night like that often. and sometimes even when i do go to sleep i awake an hour later in a state of panic and cant figure out why. I then go into the living room for a smoke and a cuppa and put the tv or a film on till i drop off on the sofa.

as for sounds! the only thing i dont mind when in the mood is my mp3 player on my headphones..i think its to block out all the other sounds i find annoying. my hubby is loud when eating ice cream out of a bowl...its like he's clanging a gong! he has the tv way too loud and snores l;ike a buzz saw, needless to say we cant sleep in the same room partly for that reason.

 

[malloryrose]

Hi GingerSnaps,

I'm so sorry for the trouble that you have been going through I realize that this post is a little older, but wanted to weigh-in. If you have found relief in the past few months, then maybe someone else would find this info beneficial!

Have you ever heard of a Sensory Processing Disorder? It's not really diagnosable, but I encountered it when I worked with children (and then realized that I, too, struggle with it!)

"Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a condition in which a person has difficulty processing and acting upon the information they receive through their senses. This creates difficulty with many everyday tasks. Symptoms may include:
•Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep and wandering the house at night
•Throwing tantrums or zoning out in noisy public places
•Have trouble sitting still, focusing, or transitioning from one task to another
•Exhibiting fearful or aggressive behaviors in certain situations
•Craves tight hugs, banging into things, having people sit on him or pile things on top of him
•Covering their ears or being bothered by sounds that don’t bother others
•Constantly putting objects in the mouth past the toddler years
•May lick, taste, or chew on inedible objects
•Avoids certain textures, may hate wearing clothes"
[Excerpt from http://www.sensacalm.com/sensory-processing-disorder/]

These symptoms relate primarily to children, but many adults may also experience these things. (I can check off at least 6 of these, myself). It makes sense that a person who has fibromyalgia (which is most likely an over-sensitivity of the nervous system) may also experience SPD.

As Cindeer said, I strongly recommend taking some melatonin (about 1.5- 3 mgs) to help you sleep.

If you don't want to spend the money, maybe consider piling multiple heavy blankets on top of you to get the same effect.

I hope this helps someone! (And keep in mind for friends/ kids who might have a sensory processing disorder!)

 

[malloryrose]

^ It looks like my post was revised/ edited. I'm not selling anything! Haha I'll say it this way: there are multiple products that are made for people with SPD, and one of my favorites is a weighted blanket. These blankets give the user a feeling of comfort. I know that it may seem counter-intuitive to place a heavy object on top of yourself when you're in pain, but I recommend giving it a try! You might be surprised at the relief and calm that it brings you, especially related to the sensory processing.

 

[Trellum]

I've been suffering from this for a while (6 months or so), I've the same racing thoughts problem almost every night. I thought this was linked to my anxiety, but things had never been this bad Sometimes it feels like I've a TV turned on inside my head, the thoughts won't stop! It feels like I'm talking to myself, but I'm not! Which is really odd! Because I can hear everything so clearly and loudly! It's like my mind is having a monologue, I want it to shut up, but it won't... I always end up spending hours lying on the bed listening to all that chatter!

 

[MamaToBoys]

Trellum -

I kind of got PTSD after 911. Really awful dreams - even worse after my first son was born. I found that Chamomile tea with honey would help relax me and for really bad nights - I'd take Valerian root.

However, if melatonin would work that would be better. I consider Valerian root to be stronger.