Re: keeping stress levels down

[Guest guest]

,

This is really interesting! This summer I had a really hard time of it when my

parents sold the house that I grew up in. They had been there for almost 40

years, and although I have not lived there for 19 years, it REALLY hit me hard.

About the same time, I developed a slight tingling/numbness in first the left

side of my face, and then after a day or so, it moved around on my head. Of

course, I was freaking out, thinking it was a stroke or something equally awful,

but it was not something any doctor could diagnose. The Neurologist that my MD

sent me to did an MRI and said, " well, everything looks normal. I don't know

what that face/head thing is about. " Note that from the beginning, my PT

thought it might be tied up with air conditioning blowing on my head, and also

the extreme emotional stuff I was giong through.

Interestingly, about a day after the face thing started, my left foot also

started having numbness that would come on when I was sitting and go away when I

got up and walked around. It also responded a little to Ibuprofen. The Neuro

didn't test anything for the foot issue because I have CMT and Diabetes and am

very overweight. He told me that the weight was causing my sciatic nerve to be

pinched a bit.

Well, I went down and " said goodbye " to my childhood home and helped my folks

move, and the tingling/numbness in both places subsided. Then, at the beginning

of this month, Dad had a stroke right around the time Mom had to go in to get a

pacemaker implanted. Obviously, this is a difficult time for all my family, and

I have been rather emotional. And guess what? Yep, the tingling has come back,

first to my foot, and now occasionally to my face.

So now I am on a quest to find ways to keep my stress levels down. Is there

anything, short of tranquilizers that anyone can suggest?

[Guest guest]

,

Two things that work exceptionally well for me:

1) regular exercise

2) daily meditation

~ Gretchen

[Guest guest]

Hi

Cognitive therapy is very effective. I was amazed at how well I felt

after just talking about my fears a with a psychiatrist, before any

meds were prescribed! I told him this at our second appointment, and

he assured me that this is quite common. I was getting the

tingling feeling in my scalp, too. In fact, I got almost all of the

common symptoms!!

Helen

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

This is the in the Keys, I assume I'm the you're talking to. If

not, I have the same thing going...lol I write so much I forget who and what I

said sometimes. I've been trying anything and everything to keep cool, calm, and

collective.

I wish Gretchen's water, the FIJI water was cheaper!...It makes me feel great

and I can easily drink 2 six packs in a day if it wasn't 5 bucks a six pack.....

I was taking Xanax but stopped because it makes me feel like poop the next

morning. The sleeping medication I'm on, Restoril is great for me. It makes

you go to sleep fast and when you wake up you feel great. I had lots of trouble

sleeping and now I have no more bags under my eyes and just feel more alive when

I get up. I really think sleep is GOOD now. I always felt guilty if I wanted

to take a nap, so found myself with the TV on at 2,3 4 a.m. and Jeff putting up

with my stupid schedule. He would be the one to finally turn it off when he

knew I was asleep. I would watch Nick at Night so I wouldn't think about CMT

all night long. I don't think I go through an hour during the day without

thinking about it. Sometimes I also think I read too much into it. Information

is good though. I think we know more than many doctors do. I'm going to

ville to my daughter's for Thanksgiving and am nervous about getting out

of my " Safety Zone " which is my house. I only drive about 10 miles a week. Too

the local store, etc.Good on gas, bad on my well being.

I would love to meet someone else with CMT, don't ask me why though. I know

we're all different.

Take care ...

(keys)

[Guest guest]

Hi :

I am the with the son in grad school who talked about his

hands tingling if he is under stress. My son and I neither take

anti-depressants because neither of us suffer from depression at

this time and we both feel that short-term tress can be treated thru

non-pharmaceutical treatments. This doesn't mean that I wouldn't or

haven't taken anti-depressants when needed for other reasons, but

just not for daily living stress.

What we both feel is very important is at least 8 hours of sleep at night along

with rest (a nap) if at all possible during the day. Especially if you are going

thru abnormally high stress times.

We are lucky, I suppose, in that we have each other to talk to - creating our

own brand of cognitive therapy. But, if you don't have anyone you can connect

with on that level, then I would think that type of therapy could be very

beneficial. Or find something that you like to do that is relaxing and gives

your mind a rest.

I also enjoy the hot tub when I am really stressed, and before the hot tub, I

have used long soaks in the tub to rest my body and my mind. My body (and CMT)

responds very well to the water - this is true for pool exercise as well as spa

therapy. My son enjoys the pool as well and has always sought out places to

live where there is a pool he can use. He says swimming laps and then just

floating afterwards does wonders for his stress. Just some ideas for you. Good

luck!

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,

I feel like I am making excuses, but swimming is not for me except

in the summertime. I have asthma and being around chlorine makes me

wheeze. This is a bummer, because I do find swimming or at least

floating to be relaxing. In the summer I can go to my friend's pool

because they use a chemical called Baquacil, so I can breathe.

Unfortunately, public pools tend to crank up the chlorine for

sanitary reasons. I think I may stop by the local community center

anyway and ask if I can just tour the pool room to see if it still

bothers me - it's been a while since I was around it.

As for the therapy, I am already in it, and I stopped taking my

antidepressants last spring because I was going to try a different

one and then decided that maybe I could go without. I was on Zoloft

for years and wanted off of it because it was on the list of drugs

to avoid if you have CMT. I did talk with the doctor and was going

off of it for 5 days, after which I was supposed to start the new

drug. He gave me the ok to not start the new drug, and then I

discovered why they say you need to be weaned off antidepressants.

I felt all jumpy for a while. It was not fun. Anyway, now I

am " clean " and not interested in trying new antidepressants. I am

trying new therapeutic avenues instead.

In hindsight, I think this summer was not the best time to have gone

off the antidepressants, but then you never know what is around the

corner to challenge your emotions... Still, I'd like to make this

tingling silliness stop already!

Thanks for the feedback.

[Guest guest]

Hi in the Keys,

I hear you about the Fiji Water prices. It's a bummer, and the big

box/warehouse stores around here do not carry it, the creeps!

I am glad you found something to help you sleep. I keep saying it

and not following up, but I think I probably ought to go for a sleep

study 'cause I think I may have sleep apnea. Of course, my MD keeps

telling me to just lose weight, but I think it was an issue 10 years

ago when I was lighter. I think he's coming from the idea that many

people who're diagnosed w/apnea get the bipap machine and then wind

up not using it. Anyway, it is one of the things I need to look

into. Of course, going to bed earlier wouldn't hurt me either...I

tend to be a bit of a night owl, even though I have to get up at 6am

to get to work. lol

I understand about anxiety, too. I do not have the particular one

that you're talking about, but I certainly have plenty. It is

interesting to me how much trouble we can get ourselves into just by

thinking too much, and yet our minds are really powerful tools that

can get us into such positive and healthy places, too! Now if only

I can harness mine and turn off the worry switch and turn on the

healthy thinking switch!

>

> Hi ,

>

> This is the in the Keys, I assume I'm the you're

talking to. If not, I have the same thing going...lol I write so

much I forget who and what I said sometimes. I've been trying

anything and everything to keep cool, calm, and collective.

>

> I wish Gretchen's water, the FIJI water was cheaper!...It makes me

feel great and I can easily drink 2 six packs in a day if it wasn't

5 bucks a six pack.....

>

> I was taking Xanax but stopped because it makes me feel like poop

the next morning. The sleeping medication I'm on, Restoril is great

for me. It makes you go to sleep fast and when you wake up you feel

great. I had lots of trouble sleeping and now I have no more bags

under my eyes and just feel more alive when I get up. I really

think sleep is GOOD now. I always felt guilty if I wanted to take a

nap, so found myself with the TV on at 2,3 4 a.m. and Jeff putting

up with my stupid schedule. He would be the one to finally turn it

off when he knew I was asleep. I would watch Nick at Night so I

wouldn't think about CMT all night long. I don't think I go through

an hour during the day without thinking about it. Sometimes I also

think I read too much into it. Information is good though. I think

we know more than many doctors do. I'm going to ville to my

daughter's for Thanksgiving and am nervous about getting out of

my " Safety Zone " which is my house. I only drive about 10 miles a

week. Too the local store, etc.Good on gas, bad on my well being.

> I would love to meet someone else with CMT, don't ask me why

though. I know we're all different.

>

> Take care ...

>

> (keys)

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Gretchen,

Thanks for the reminders! Just the word exercise puts me right back

in that kid place where gym class was excruciating both physically and

emotionally/socially. I have tried to find an exercise that I can do

relatively well and stick with, but the sticking-with-it part has not

yet happened, just like eating right and taking supplements & such.

Basically, taking care of my body beyond the washing and dressing

stage has not been something I have mastered.

I think that somewhere inside, after watching my dad's decline from

CMT and experiencing my own process, I believe that my body is going

to " betray " me, and already has, so why bother taking care of it.

YES, I know that is not a positive or healthy way of thinking about

myself, but it is what I have thought about myself for 40+ years. And

despite progress made in therapy, it is the belief that keeps coming

back to me in the middle of the night and other times when I am

vulnerable.

A question for you about meditation. I have tried meditating on and

off for years. Does it ever get to the point where you feel like

you're actually doing it 'right'? I guess I have a strong critical

mind and it is tough to quiet it down long enough to feel that I have

actually meditated, let alone gotten something out of the practice. I

hope this makes some sort of sense.

Thank you for setting a great example and inspiring me and so many

others!

>

> ,

>

> Two things that work exceptionally well for me:

>

> 1) regular exercise

> 2) daily meditation

>

> ~ Gretchen

>