A Lesson in Thinking - and Planning - Ahead
Just when I think I've got a pretty good handle on this fibromyalgia thing, something happens that makes me say either, "I should have known better," or "Man, I didn't see that coming!" My latest lesson fits into the latter category.
I recently went to the eye doctor to get new glasses. It never occurred to me that this particular medical visit could cause problems for me. Little did I know....
Things started to go downhill when the assistant blasted my eyes with air - I think it's to check for glaucoma. I felt my nerves go on alert and knew my body was ramping up its "fight or flight" response. I look a lot of deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. I thought I was doing OK.
Then I had to have my eyes dilated. The doctor put the drops in, dimmed the lights, and let me sit there for 15 minutes. So far, so good. Then he came back in and shined an incredibly bright light into my eyes. I swear I could almost hear my nerves scream and dive for cover. It was instant overload, kind of a sped-up version of what 4 year olds go through on Christmas that leads to a complete meltdown.
When it came time to leave, I got in my car and sat there with my head laid back and my eyes closed for about 10 minutes before I could even think of driving. I probably should have waited longer, because the drive home was no picnic. Even with sunglasses on, I had to squint my eyes just to be able to withstand the glare. The rest of the day, I was dizzy, nauseous and on edge.
So here's the lesson I took from this: when going into any medical situation, it's a good idea to think through what might happen. Will the vibrations from getting your teeth cleaned rattle your nerves and send you into a panic? Will the pain of a mammogram trigger other pain around your body? What could happen that might increase symptoms, either at the time or later? While you may not be able to skip the procedure, at least you can plan for a ride home, or make sure it's a day that you don't have to do much else.
Have you had anything like this happen to you? Do you have any tips to share with the rest of us? Leave a comment here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forum.
Comments
Ditto on eye doc appts. Sometimes they can’t even do the air puff test on me and it’s a real struggle to do eye drops!
See, I hold my breath when someone tries to do anything near my eye.
Do you know what the last eye doctor asked me? “Have you ever passed out during an eye exam?” I was trying SO hard to let him put the eye-drops in, but I involuntarily was holding my breath and gripping the chair arms and jerking away. And yes, I very nearly passed out… during both the eye-drops and “puff test.”
I’ve never had injury to my eye. After all this trouble at the eye doctor’s office, he looked at me and said, “You know, you’re not a good candidate for contact lenses.” (No kidding. I can’t even WATCH someone lift their lid to put contact lenses in!)
I’m the same way with my nose and my gag reflex. I freak out when doctors do the test for strep throat, when dentists or orthodontists take impressions…
Try not to anticipate too much, or do relaxation exercises BEFORE a doctor’s appt - or use heat, self-massage, time your medications… but whatever you do, don’t AVOID a doctor just because treatment will make you uncomfortable. Try to schedule appointments with these sorts of things in mind!
I just went through the exams and the glasses fittings. What a mess. It didn’t matter what frame I picked–none felt good. I finally chose a plastic frame that felt somewhat comfortable, but to no surprise–the plastic against my nose starts to burn my skin within a few hours.
My eyes are so dry–even with Restasis and tear duct plugs that depending on my day—all of it influences my vision.
I have found a great eye Dr. and she does all she can to make me comfortable.
Don’t hesitate to ask if the Dr is knowledgeable about FMS
I went through something similar with my dentist. I was doing well until she blasted my mouth with air…talk about nerves screaming! Then there was the tooth that needed pulling. Couldn’t get it out…by the time it did release I felt like I was having a heart attack. It seems that anytime I have a doctors visit I end up frazzled afterwords. Next time i’ll take something for my anxiety before going.
For dry eyes or itchiy eyes, Similisan homeopathic eye drops work great. You can find it at a health food store or some Walmarts. I had an eye exam this week. They didn’t do the air blast, so maybe you can request they skip that next time
They put two different dilation drops in, and from blurred vision, I had to go home and sleep because I became so sleepy. Glad to know I am not the only one who has these type of responses!
Hi folks,
Well, my main diagnosis was ME/CFS with Fibro as less of a problem. I’m lucky to have one of the world’s experts as my doctor - Dr. Charles Lapp. One medication he uses is klonopin which prevents you from having those sensory attacks. That is what you were experiencing - in layman’s terms - a sensory attack.
There’s a great article about Klonopin at the Dallas/Ft. Worth Support Group Website. The former support group leader is a patient of Dr. Cheney. She typed up many of the things she’s learned and the treatment plan she follows. I’ll come back in another comment with the link to that document about klonopin - then the link to all the many articles that could help some of you about Cheney’s work.
Many of you diagnosed with FMS actually have the ME/CFS/FMS combo I’m sorry to say.
Nancy
First; Klonopin. I take it for anxiety, but it does not help for the stress created by dental, optical, or ER visits. Usually, I have to call my psychiatric med nurse and she prescribes some valium to take before any of those type of appointments (except the ER ones, of course, as they are unplanned).
In addition to having fibro (and many other things), I also have a phobic fear of needles. I was in the hospital for about a week (after being admitted from an ER visit for what I thought was an asthma attack and turned out to be pneumonia and congestive heart failure). Anyway, anytime they needed to give me an injection or put in an IV, I would try to relax, do deep breathing exercises, and when I feel or see (I’ve learned to look away) the needle pierce my skin, I start sweating profusely and shaking/teeth chattering, etc. It borders on panic/anxiety attacks.
Also, you may have been experiencing a form of mild anxiety/panic attack rather than a sensory attack, which is quite different.
In addition: contrary to popular belief, most people do NOT have the full combination of ME/CFS/Fibro, although many think this because so many of the symptoms overlap.
I’ve learned (the hard way) that when I have a physically demanding procedure, like a fasting blood test, eye dilation, or mammogram, that is the ONLY “extra” thing I do that day. I was treating these things as just another chore until the time I had a blood test and mammogram in the same day. Yikes, it knocked me out for a week! Another example where pacing makes a hughe difference.
I was just wondering are any of you from the Delaware County, PA area, I am looking for a new doctor and not having much success at on who knows anything about Cfs/FM
Maddie,
Here are some articles that could help:
Find a Doctor.
Also, you might ask for help in the forum here. We’ve got a great group of people who are always happy to help!