Body feels like I'm running through water

[kimtg68]

Gosh I think I might need to go back in to doc soon. This is increasingly getting worse. For months I've had occassional issues whether it be with pain in my hip(s), knee(s), ankle(s), back, elbow(s). But it's been getting more frequent and I've had about 5 episodes where when walking my body felt weighted down or have you ever tried to run in deep water and felt like you couldn't make any ground from fighting the weight of the water and the resistant? Yeah.....Like that! Plus for the past week I'm exhausted beyond belief to the point that I actually just put my head down on my desk at work the other day, JUST for a second, but 15 min. later I looked up shocked! I NEVER do that! I'm falling asleep sitting up at home in the evenings.

Has anyone had this? I know in the past I've been tired or even exhausted but this is getting scary. Scary to drive home from work sometimes because my eyes get SO SO heavy!

Any advice? Could this be MC?

[Joefnh]

Kim I would certainly get to the doctors and work on eliminating other causes. Autoimmune diseases can and do make you tired, but you should make sure that some blood work is done to eliminate other more serious causes.

--Joe

[Polly]

Hi Kim,

It could be any number of things. Are you having fever? Headache? Keep in mind Lyme disease, which can cause joint aches and fatigue, and also weird neurologial symptoms, like perhaps that weighted-down feeling you describe. In at least half of the cases there is no history of a tick bite. I'd start with my family doc first to rule out common infectious diseases, etc. It doesn't sound like MC to me, but if it is, it's best to rule out other causes first as Joe indicated above.

Keep us posted.

Love,

Polly

[tex]

Kim,

FWIW, I felt exactly the way that you described, much of the time, when my MC was active. I'm self-employed, (thank goodness), but when I was reacting, I would often do just as you describe - I would rest my head on my arm, and doze for a few minutes, so that I would feel like working for a while, again. I spent a lot of time making deliveries to feed stores, and on some trips, when I was really sick, I would have to pull the truck over on a side road, or a truck stop, or whatever, depending on what was available, and I would either rest my head on the steering wheel, or slouch down in the seat, and take a quick nap, and then I would continue, until I felt the need to pull over again. On some trips, I pulled over 3 or 4 times, but I always made it, eventually.

Scary to drive home from work sometimes because my eyes get SO SO heavy!

I wouldn't divulge this to just anyone, but since we tend to "spill our guts" on this board I'll tell you something that both scared me, and fascinated me, at the same time. This is absolutely true, and I'm not recommending that anyone try it, (because for all I know, I may be the only one in the world able to do this, and I may have simply been the luckiest guy in the world, to survive it, but this happened to me on many occasions, over several years, before I figured out how to control my symptoms. Most people who read this will say that I never should have been driving, (let alone a truck), and that's probably true, but I didn't really have a choice. If I wanted to eat, I had to work, and I was the only one in my organization who could make these deliveries. Anyway, here's the story:

Many, many times, while driving, during those years before I figured out what was wrong with me, I would suddenly become aware that I was driving while "partially asleep", or semi-conscious. This always occurred on familiar country roads, with little traffic, (never on busy highways), and usually on the way back from making deliveries, so that the truck was empty, and therefore much easier to drive. But when it would happen, I wouldn't know where I was, and everything seemed to happen, as if I were on autopilot. I would notice that I would occasionally pass cars, or other trucks, but the details wouldn't fully register, as if in a dream. My eyes would be half open, as if in a trance. Maybe I was fully asleep, but I don't think so, at least not after I noticed what was happening. I don't know how long these individual episodes lasted, but once I became aware of what was happening, (IOW, once I became at least partially conscious), usually after about 5 or 10 more minutes, I would "wake up", IOW, become fully alert. The first few times it happened, it scared the hell out of me, and I would slap my face, and do all sorts of things, to try to stay alert. After a while, though, I realized that I was apparently capable of driving that way, and so I didn't try to fight it. I would "enjoy" the rest, and after a few minutes or so, I would be refreshed, and for the rest of the trip I would usually be fully alert.

I realize that sounds crazy, bizarre, and absolutely unbelievable, but trust me, it happened, and it happened many, many times. FWIW, I'm one of those guys who can usually figure out that I'm dreaming, if a dream takes a weird turn, and even though I might be about to fall off a cliff, I can usually convince myself that it's just a dream, and so I just ignore it, and enjoy it, so that I can continue sleeping, rather than to be jolted awake. I don't know if that has anything to do with the episodes that I described above, though, or not.

All of that "driving while asleep" foolishness happened during the first few years of this century. Once I got my symptoms under control, it never happened again.

Absolutely true, but if that's not the most unbelievable story that most of you have ever heard, I'm a 's uncle.

Anyway, to answer your question, IMO, yes, it could be the MC.

Tex

[kimtg68]

Wow Tex. That's scary. I don't go to those extreme's. However, I do have moments driving or even walking the halls at work when I miss how I got to that place. Like a short gap of time escaped me. I know while driving I see the cars and react to what's around me but when reacting it's like a wake up call because I become alert enough to realize I've just had a gap and didn't realize how far I had driven. Usually about a 10 min. gap AT MOST. Walking sometimes I stop and have to gain my barrings because although I was walking in the right direction I will have a gap of time and then become alert and have to stop and go, "where am I" and then realize I'm on the right track and continue walking. I'm not asleep. It's more like a memory gap where I just haven't been alert. When it first started happening and was on a smaller scale I thought perhaps I was just stressed and had too much on my mind. I've stopped believing that and realize now that it's happening more and now that I have this added exhaustion that there is something else going on.

I thank you for sharing your experience with us. It may just be one of those things that we all explain away as something else but perhaps it could be linked to MC or another autoimmune issue. Either way, it's gotta change for me. This is NOT working for me. It affects me at home and at work and I need my energy and concentration back. Time to go fight the (I'm anticipating) numerous doc's I will have to go through to find a solution. And while I'm doing that I'm going to also see if my insurance will cover the Enterolab to find my food intollerances. I REALLY need to start on that path to try to calm everything else down so I can start feeling better.

Thanks again

[tex]

Kim,

I'm not a doctor, of course, but IMO, those memory gaps, (or periods of suppressed awareness), are neurological symptoms of gluten-sensitivity. I'm not aware of any specialists in this country who are sufficiently qualified to deal with issues of this type. Dr. Hadjivassiliou could certainly be able to shed some light on this, but he is in England. Most GI docs will laugh at the suggestion that gluten could cause neuropathy symptoms, (and most of them deny that diet has anything to do with MC, in the first place), and all of the neurologists that I have had dealings with, (three, so far, at two different hospitals), are unaware that gluten can affect the brain and the central nervous system. I'm afraid that we're on our own, with these issues.

In my case, extra rest helped, but didn't eliminate the problem, of course. When the diet finally brought remission to the GI issues, the neurological symptoms stopped, also.

Tex

[Linda in BC]

Hi Tex:
I beleive that condition is called "highway hypnosis" and is a form of self-hypnosis, not all that uncommon.

http://www.hypno-facts.com/faq/faq-tell ... y-hypnosis

Linda

[tex]

Linda,

Good thinking. On the surface, that appears to be a plausible explanation, but while some of the symptoms certainly match, there are several major problems.

1. Highway hypnosis is supposedly induced by staring at monotonous stretches of highway, (a fairly long, straight road, and traveling at a consistent speed).

2. During the event, the mind is fully focused elsewhere, (at least, that's what the experts claim), IOW, the mind is actively distracted.

3. Highway hypnosis is unrelated to MC, (it can happen to anyone).

In my case, it never happened, (to the best of my memory), while I was driving on long, straight stretches, at a constant speed. It always occurred while I was traveling on winding, scenic roads, with sharp curves that required significant speed changes.

As best I can recall, my mind was pretty much totally blank during the events, because I was resting/sleeping, rather than thinking, or otherwise distracted. Rather than my eyes being wide open, (which I would assume would be the case with true highway hypnosis), I can distinctly remember that they were almost closed - that's the part that concerned me the most. My eyes were just barely open enough to allow me to see through a tiny slit between my eyelids.

Thought I experienced it many times, it only occurred during the period of time when I was having active episodes of reactions. I never experienced it before my symptoms began, and I have never experienced it since I've been in remission, (which will be 6 years, in another 2 months).

To further illustrate my point, since I've been in remission, I have bought heavy duty trucks, on internet auctions, on two separate occasions. Both times, they were a long, long way from home, (700+ miles, and 1000+ miles), and I drove them back, stopping only for fuel, (which included a brief bathroom visit), and in the first case, roadside repairs, which took a few hours of hard work. On both occasions, I worked on the trucks until almost noon, to make sure they were roadworthy before leaving, and then I drove without a rest break, other than the stops noted above. On the first trip, I got home just as the sun was coming up, (the next day), and I was so tired that I parked the truck at my corn processing facility, and I stretched out on the seat, and slept for several hours, before doing anything else. On the second trip, I got home about 3 am the next morning, and I took a bath, and went to bed. To me, the hardest time to stay awake, is between about 2 and 3 am, and I had a tough time keeping my eyes open, on both trips, during that time of the night. However, even though I was incredibly tired and sleepy during those early morning hours, I didn't experience any "highway hypnosis" on either trip. It was pedal to the metal, and I always knew where I was.

I still think my "episodes" were connected with MC.

Tex

[kimtg68]

Polly,

YOU KNOW, I got bit by two separate ticks one week apart from each other and when I pulled them off me I did not get the head on either because the spots turned red and itched for weeks and one of those spots still does from time to time and it's been almost two months now. I better get that taken care of for sure!
BUT, most of my symptoms have been there prior to the tick bites only to have gotten worse lately
Once I go get this tick bite thing taken care of and get a grasp on my food intollerances and give everything time to heal, I will have to revisit this topic and see where I am.

Thanks to all who gave input.

[Linda in BC]

Tex, I see what you mean. While despite what the "experts say", IMHO highway hypnosis doesn't have to be on straight monotonous stretches of road---it can be on any type of highway as long as you are comfortable and relaxed driving it (I have driven many, many miles of curvey, up and down mountainous roads, which I knew well, in that way, ) but I agree, what you are describing is quite different because of the inactive mind and the eyes almost closed conditions.

It is possible that it could be connected to MC, and I am wondering if the connection might be because you were very exhausted and malnourished because of the disease, and your body just took rest where it could (and it could because you have this, what I would hazard to say, is a very rare ability.. to "sleep drive"!!! .

Linda

[kimtg68]

I didn't mean to start such a discussion However, I'm glad that everyone is interested enough for input. My experience, although similiar to Tex's, is not quite the same. My eye's do not shut or partially close. I can even have very alert conversations with people and forget the conversation for the most part. I can pass someone in the hall at work and say hi and get down the hall further and have to stop and regain my awareness. So I don't quite consider it exactly the same as Tex's experience. There may be a link, not for sure. But I know I have to figure this out and correct it best I can. I just got a promotion at work today and was told that another may be forthcoming within a few weeks. If I can't figure this out quickly I may jeopordize my possible new position. So the only thing I can't think of is a rush on my food intollerances and to revisit the doctor. I really was just reaching out to my PP to see if it was something experienced by others and perhaps gain some insight. I'll keep you all posted.

[tex]

Linda,

Most of my driving was/is done on winding roads, so that's pretty likely why that was where it usually happened.

Whatever it was, I would be scared to death if it were to happen now - those days are behind me.


Kim,

Lyme disease is certainly a possibility, especially if you are now having arthritis inflammation in one to a few joints, (but not more than a few), and especially if a knee, (or knees), is an arthritis target. Symptoms vary widely, though. If you have Lymes, and the bite occurred a couple of months ago, you should be producing antibodies by now, so a blood test could be used to detect the disease. (Actually, once you have the disease, the antibody test should be able to detect the disease, even if all the symptoms disappeared, years ago.)

Congratulations on the promotion.

Tex

[Polly]

Kim,

What you describe sounds a lot like the "brain fog" caused by gluten........difficulty concentrating, "out of it", etc. I had it initially and it disappeared within a few weeks/months of going GF. The awful fatigue caused by gluten takes longer to go away - it was probably about 2 years for me although I could feel constant improvement over time. This may very well be causing your symptoms, but I would also recomment that Lyme be ruled out - especially with your history of tick bites.

Congrats on your promotion!

Love,

Polly

[kimtg68]

Perhaps you are right Polly. I've heard everyone talk about brain fog and fatigue on here but didn't completely relate until recently. Earlier on I felt much less motivated to do the things I normally do and would forget simple things from time to time but NOW.....holly cow! I think I really understand if that is what everyone is referring to.

I am planning on going to see my PM next week to take care of the tick bites and then will make another appt. to see GI to try to move forward with the MC.

Thank you for your advice.