Nervousness brings on illness

[Chablis]

Hi, I suffer from lupus, mctd, plus numerous other autoimmune conditions and over the years I have begun to realise that adrenaline rushes aggravates my symptoms dramatically, I can almost feel it happening. I ski when I am we'll and if I get nervous, especially I conditions suddenly worsen, I can feel the adrenaline running through my body and can be almost guaranteed that the next day, I will be feeling unwell. Does anyone else feel this or am I dreaming it?

[Purpletop]

I used to love adrenaline, I had a high powered job but very pressurised and still had so much fun before having to stop due to lupus. I now don't even drink coffee so that I don't get too excited - like you, that brings about some symptoms, in my case breathlessness. I stick to herbal tea now, I'm so tame it is depressing!

[Chapter in reply to Purpletop]

Is that what it is? I have had lung tests to make sure they were fine after complaining of breathlessness, but they apparently are good. But, I find if I get excited in a conversation or say more than 5 or 6 sentences in a row, I am out of breath. I find myself, secretly on the inside, trying to stay calm and catch my breath. My chest feels tired and sore afterwards like I have run myself out. That is adrenaline?

[Purpletop in reply to Chapter]

Not always, I can have the breathlessness without the adrenaline too, I used to experience the same as you, to the point that I used to drop calls from my friends and then text them that I can't speak because I'm breathless. But it has improved in the past month or so, I think is the Plaquenil quietly working in the background. I hope so, anyway.

I did ask the lupus specialist what triggers it given that my heart and lung tests are all fine and basically there can be many causes that cannot be detected by the current tests, for example residual inflammation in the chest muscles, or residual pleurisy, or chest muscle spasm, etc.

It isn't pleasant when I have it, which is why I try to note the likely triggers and avoid them, such as coffee. Funily enough, I have noticed that 1 small glass of wine helps improving it - I'm avoiding alcohol nowadays but if the breathlessness gets bad, then I resort to that and to staying still!

[Chablis]

I was just the same....high pressure job that I have now had to give up. Thank you for your reply, I feel a little more confident in my assessment of what makes me ill

Have a stress free Christmas

Me x

[Hidden]

lol purpletop, bet you never described yourself as tame before! I get a weird effect from coffee too. Me,a chain coffee drinker all my life and now on Camamile T, my kids don't believe me.

[Purpletop in reply to Hidden]

I absolutely LOVE coffee, more than wine or sweets or even food, come to think of it. I love its taste, aroma, colour, how it concentrates the mind, how it kicks my body into high gear, everything about it. Incidentally, I rewarded myself with half a mug of coffee this morning after months of not even tasting it (it being close to Xmas etc). I have been like Speedy Gonzales all day after that, sorted out so many things and I'm in such a good mood. I'm now sitting down, before I get the backlash! Herbal tea for the rest of the evening, enough excitement for one day !

[MandieR]

Haha, to all the above. I too begin to suffer physically when i get stressed. When adrenaline is coursing thru my veins and my heart is racing ridiculously fast, I can feel my brain shutting down. Its incredibly overwhelming and quite scary as sometimes i wonder if my brain will come back to full working order. X

[megs_tom]

Hmm odd that you say that as I was thinking the other day when I get anxious and start getting heart palpitations I then feel like a surge through my body which results in pain. I have began to notice this same feeling from energy drinks (which I crave as it gives me a boost) and also what i describe as a buzzy head. This is no a feeling I enjoy and I feel I may have to cut down on the good old lucozade and mountain dew xxx

[Hidden]

Too all the above comments, I have just discovered this site and didn't know if I should use it as I am yet to be fully diagnosed as Lupus but my symptoms are closest to this and I have found it so hard to find any answers/support. Strange that a small thing like coffee, which I love, also had the same negative effects on me, and hearing others saying this has made me feel so much better. All the things I try to use to keep myself stimulated and to keep going such as coffee/wine/certain foods I am now coming to terms with the fact I need to phase them out as they make me worse. It is hard coming to terms with my MCTD and I was a very outgoing person who was always busy (yet ill) and I am having to change so much. Stress is also a definate factor as to when I flare. I just find it hard to consistently stay tame!!!

??x

[Chablis]

Thank you to all of you, everything that you say, I recognise. Just an observation, to those of you who have heart palpitations, I had these for some time, ignored them in fact, but when I eventually decided to mention it to the gp, it turned out that I had a very over active thyroid due to autoimmune conditions so you need to get it checked out!

Me x