Anyone else panic when hungry and/or tired?

[Kadinga]

Not to get carried away, I'm quite sure that I didn't have a "panic attack" as such. There was no racing heart beat or sudden sweating.

What happened yesterday (Christmas) was that I got up in the morning to share in the present openning with DH and DD, then couldn't get to sleep afterward so missed my morning snooze that I've figured out I really need. Also, I probably didn't snack enough through the afternoon.

In the late afternoon/evening we went to a family thing. It was the last ever Christmas gathering at DH's maternal family farm, which his Uncle has sold, so lots of nostalgic significance. We arrived at about 4:30. At about 5 I started avoiding people. At 6 I told DH I was getting hungry and needed to eat a meal really soon (there was no sign of a general meal happening at that stage). He called his Aunt into the kitchen with us, and she was really lovely, but they kept asking me what I wanted to eat. The choosing was beyond me and I couldn't answer them, so I cried instead. I felt so anxious, pathetic and such a burden. DH said I looked really really stressed out. I must have, because he and his Aunt then had a conversation about how I clearly needed to go home and whether or not it was reasonable to expect me to take DD and deal with her, which they concluded it wasn't. Thank goodness, because I was going to cry again at the thought of it. They also concluded that I couldn't be expected to drive myself, so DH drove us, put both DD and I to bed and then went back again, staying til nearly midnight.

Now I'm kind of wondering if a part of last week's desperation wasn't also this over-tired, over-hungry panic thing?? Has anyone else had this?

Amanda

[nomore]

Amanda-

When I was around the same time frame you are this pregnancy, I would get stressed, so I packed snacks if we went out. They had to be MY food.. one of the things I could tolerate. Being forced to choose something was too "stressful". Having a choice I knew would be OK with my stomach was neccesary, so I would feel panicy.

Even now, I still have days where if I know we are going somewhere (like a family dinner), I bring my own food to eat. Sure, my family thinks Im a bit nuts, but knows that it will go away once the baby is here.

Id rather get strange looks for brining my own food and be happy then totally stressed about food and start to panic.

And, being tired will only aggrevate ANYTHING. You will feel WAY worse and be way more emotional, etc.

You arent crazy Amanda Just going through HG. A holiday celebration is still tough for me at almost 35 weeks! Its tiring, stressful, etc.

Yesterday I got up, vomited and prayed I could pull myself together quickly before Madison got too impatient she that she wanted to see what Santa brought (good thing the Xmas tree was in the family room, on a different level of the house, or I would of never been able to see her reactions.).

Then, my ILs had BLINKING lights on their stupid XMAS tree. Now, thats when I had MY panic attack. They make me SO nausated. And, when I asked if we could make them not blinking (which the light set has a setting to do), SIL was like , "oh, but I LIKE THEM!". So, I lost out again, and they found me a chair that was not facing the tree.... but everyone kept bumping into it, thus making me nauseated with the movement..... GRRRRRRRRRRRR

Of course, this is the SIL who is also prego and just "WONDERFUL".

Ok.. I will stop venting now, but Im sure you get the idea Anything out of our little HG safe environment can cause stress... anxiety and panic.

(((((((((((AMANDA))))))))))))))))

Robin

[Natalie]

Amanda,

I agree with Robin; you're not crazy. You're suffereing from HG.

I could never deal choices either, I just needed someone to make decisions for me e.g. 'here, try this' and if my gut reaction was 'no' then next 'here, try this instead' literally like a conveyor belt until I got to something I thought I could take. I was too busy trying not to be sick / cope with nausea and more latterly remaining 'well' to even begin to think about the choices and their implications e.g. what is available? does it need to be cooked or cold? who is going to do that? how much time do I have before I barf? should I barf first or eat and see what happens? What would it be like if it came back up and the numerous other things that go through an HGer's head right before she eats. It's not simple at all being given choices.

On top of that, I would often meltdown if there was nothing I 'fancied' just because I knew what would be coming my way. It's enough to send anyone into a spiral of anxiety and despair.

(((hugs))) Amanda. You will get through this.

Love Natalie, x

[BrandiJK]

First off, Kudos for even attempting a big family gathering, and secondly, kudos to Dh and aunty for sending you home!

I get this, still to this day though not as bad. I have to stick to my schedule, period. I have to sleep when I normally sleep and eat when I normally eat, or I am in for it. In fact, we arranged our xmas gathering so that I would be arriving AFTER my normal lunch time, and before we left I ate on of my 'staples'. I think the whole purpose of 'staple food' is to make it so those choices are not present.

I panic when I can not eat or sleep on time, what I want or feel like I can, or when there are too many choices. Esp. if it's food I used to love but can no longer tolerate, it's too hard and too confusing. I just want someone to know and to take care of me.
I did not sleep at all on xmas night. First Sage was sick, then I was. I got in 1 1/2 hours in the morning before gift time, and by lunch I had gone into total freak out and HAD to take a nap. I barely made it through dinner, and almost cried through it as nothing was being served that I could tolerate and we were not at home. I just had to breathe through it, and then get home asap to my own space to get confortable again.

I am sorry you are going through this. So happy it was ok for you to get home and rest!!! Now you know, stick to schedule.

[carla]

Me me me me me me!!!!!

I am the same way. I panic if there is no food ready to be eaten at any time, and tiredness has taken over, i can't sleep due to restless legs and arms!!!!! I had a relapse last night and the vomitting took over again! Today I am feeling a bit better, but so tired! ANYONE, HELP, I need to sleep!

[Kadinga]

Thankyou ladies. Once again it is very comforting to know that there is an alternative universe where I am "normal".

I think I'm really at the stage Natalie described as focussed on trying to "stay well", in that I know that if I stray off my narrow little daily path I'm going to pay for it. The problem is that there are so many things trying to push me off the path. DD has decided she doesn't need an afternoon sleep every day anymore. People are obviously getting tired of looking after her in the mornings for me as there's suddenly a lot more excuses from those who expected this to go away faster than it has. The weather is finally really good for the last part of harvest, so DH is a lot less reliable in terms of when he's going to be at home.

Oh, and I realised last night that the stupid chemist only gave me 25 maxolon tablets on a non-repeat prescription that was for 100. I had a big cry over that.

Ah well, the things we'll put ourselves through for a baby....

take care everyone

Amanda

[BrandiJK]

I don't know about everything else dear, but I can share with the naps. Brigit decided during this pg she does not always require an afternoon nap. (And I'll just add, she's a super crank with out one) but our nap time is limited as we have to be at the school to pick up Sage at a certain time. And, like you, I REALLY needed that break time. So...the rule became "you go down for a nap, and sleep or not, your in your room for a minimum of an hour."
She used to cry the whole hour, sometimes exhausting herself to sleep. Most times now she just plays in there quietly, often even in her bed.
Sleep is not always an option this way, but at least rest is. And she is less cranky having had some down type time.
The first few 'setting the rule days' are hard, but it eased up and I have no idea how I would have kept going with out it!

[Kadinga]

Thanks Brandi, I've made a discovery about the nap problem, but your tips will come in handy next time we face this.

It's summer here now. Really, really, really summer, and DD's room is without an a/c vent, so it was too hot! She saw an old DVD of herself peering out of a travel cot at my borther's and declared that she would have her nap in the cot, so I put it in our room under the a/c, and she slept quite happily. The last two days have been 46oC here (I don't know what that is in farenheidt, but it's a full 10oC over my natural body temp) and so she hasn't slept much. Even at night she has been unable to sleep until 10pm, and then up at 6:30 because it's getting hot again already. It started raining just before her nap time today, and that brought a cool breeze with it. She was asleep before I'd finished her story, and that NEVER happens!

I've really struggled with the heat, but after a good sleep this morning I am feeling much better now. I couldn't force food in, and was struggling to get enough liquid in, but I've now had my normal dietary start to the day, and I feel quite good.

Now, to get through the two hottest months of the year that started today.

Amanda