But since having this vestibular crap it seems very strange to me. I can feel feelings of claustrophobia even when outside. Like I am not safe and the sky is suddenly going to turn upside down.
Its like my body is not quite sure of where it is in relation to the rest of space, extreme disorientation… and this brings on anxiety of course.
I have this pretty much all the time although I can deal with it better at certain times than others. The logical part of my brain obviously knows that nothing bad can happen, but its like another part of my brain is constantly contradicting this…
I can only imagine this is because my world hasn’t felt or looked stable in so long that my brain no longer understands why solid flat, stable land is not actually the case.
Its so hard to put into words how I am feeling but hopefully someone can relate haha
I completely understand, this is how I described my symptoms to a friend a few months ago on a particularly bad day, we were sitting in a park and I just burst into tears. It feels like the sky is going to spin you over and there’s no connection (like strings) holding you in the correct place between gravity, the earth’s core and the sky that were in perfect balance before - it’s like some puppeteer was having a drunk day it isn’t quite floaty, it’s worse than that
What you’ve got going on there is derealization, maybe even some Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Both perfectly ‘normal’ (if you know what I mean) for migraine. I get it too. Very uncomfortable.
Derealization (and depersonalization) are also features of Panic Disorder. I think we’re all aware of the role anxiety plays in migraine - it’s kind of a vicious cycle.
I think if you could work on some stress reduction techniques, particularly breathe during acute attacks, that would help. If you were having a particularly nasty episode a small dose of Valium (eg 2.5mg) might work too.
Derealization (and depersonalization) are also features of Panic Disorder. I think we’re all aware of the role anxiety plays in migraine - it’s kind of a vicious cycle.
I think if you could work on some stress reduction techniques, particularly breathe during acute attacks, that would help. If you were having a particularly nasty episode a small dose of Valium (eg 2.5mg) might work too.
— End quote
Hi Victoria,
Thats kind of the problem… its pretty much permanent anxiety. not really episodic
Yes, Victoria, and also a classic symptom of depression. So, it becomes the fairly classic chicken and egg sort of thing.
Andy
— End quote
depression? I thought depression was when you could literally not function anymore? I have had these weird symptoms since the beginning of all this. Theres no way I was in a depression after a couple of days
Richly I strongly agree that this experience is neither caused by depression or anxiety. I got this “derealisation” feeling from the beginning of this illness too, and like you it is constant not episodic. I was not depressed or anxious when I woke up one morning feeling out of my face - so I strongly believe it’s all migraine-baby
I thought depression was when you could literally not function anymore?
— End quote
Depression comes in a lot of flavors and can be anything from the kind of “unable to function” that you refer to all the way to a low level sense of things not being completely right. Having said that, I probably should have referred to anxiety only and not depression in my earlier post. A lot of people have underlying anxiety that does not manifest itself until a particular stress threshhold is hit.
Not saying that is the cause for anyone here. Just saying that there can be a vicious cycle where one feeds on the other.
it isn’t quite floaty, it’s worse than that