Konked Out: Me AND Mr. Goofy!

Here's Asher caught sleeping in one of his favorite positions. What a goof. He makes us laugh every time he does this. Last night I caught him sleeping like this in my bedroom (I had never seen him sleep this way in there before) and he didn't move when I got out the camera. I did not take a picture of me konked out because it is not a pretty site this week!

I have been pretty konked out this week.

All of my testing and appointments went well on Monday. I have a lot of decisions to make and am still awaiting test results. Hopefully I'll blog on all of that soon.

In the meantime I'm just checking in because I haven't been able to blog at all this week. I decided while on a break from the Lyme meds to try increasing my Celexa (anti-depressant) bit by bit.

I wanted to increase my Celexa for two reasons:

1. I tend to need a bit of anxiety control and something to help with circular thinking. Also, when I'm on the Lyme meds, I get really down from feeling so crappy all of the time.

2. Anti-depressants are one of the first line treatments for ANS disorders (see below for a more detailed explanation of WHY they help, as I've been asked many times) and can really be a big help in symptom management. It's just trying to find the right one and the right dose!

I had hoped a higher dose would help with both of these things, but it appears my ANS symptoms are worse on the higher dose and better on the lower dose.

Now seemed like a good time to work with the Celexa dosing because I wouldn't have other variables on the plate at the same time.

Please note that I'm using a little teeny syringe to increase by 2.5 mg intervals (1.25 ml) at a time. This is a ridiculously teeny tiny amount!

The first increase in early July went fine.

The second increase. Well, not so hot.

I felt increasingly weak, fatigued and dizzy as the week progressed. Wednesday I noticed I had more and more trouble sitting up, trouble concentrating, and other classic ANS symptoms.

On Thursday morning I woke up to pee and just made it back to bed before fainting. It's the closest I've come to fainting (without some major crisis like the GI episodes) in a very, very long time. I felt like I was back on the tilt table.

So, I knew something was off, but I just wasn't sure what.

Today I woke up still feeling really exhausted and slept most of the day. I have been awake very little, am very pale, and very weak.

I emailed my doctors and I'm going to go back to the dose I was on before Monday.

The whole thing made me into a bit of a crankypants this week because I had really hoped to have some good days, a visit with a friend today, and get some medical stuff done. I am frustrated to have lost a week off of my Lyme meds to another med change that messed me up!

Hopefully this weekend things will settle down and my body will get back to feeling like it was on the lower dose.

Until then, Mr. Goof is keeping me good company.

Blessings,

Emily

Note about why anti-depressants work for Autonomic dysfunction from the DINET website: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) are sometimes used to treat those with autonomic disorders. SSRI's are used because serotonin is the principal neurotransmitter that the brain uses to govern autonomic control, in particular to govern blood pressure (Haran, 2004). Studies have shown that some patients with autonomic disorders may have disturbances in central serotonin production and regulation (Grubb & Karas, 1998). SSRI treatment can suppress the sympathetic nervous system (Shores, Pascualy, Lewis, Flatness & Veith, 2001). Venlafaxine is particularly effective, possibly due to its actions on norepinephrine as well as serotonin. It has been reported that SSRI's may be effective in treating the chest pain that is associated with dysautonomia (Low, 2000). However, the FDA has issued a public health advisory regarding antidepressants, and they should be used with caution.

Photos: Asher sleeping in one of his favorite positions. He sleeps like this under the kitchen counter ALL of the time, especially if we are there at the stools eating or talking.