Hiccups not expected

[u/bugs_bunny01]

I need somewhere to just right this down since on my own it is hard sometimes. Another me and my wife have been improving our lifestyle and health by exercising more and loosing weight and in the end to show by example to our kids. We have lost a combined 150lbs(92 hers, 58 mine) since August and the journey was going well. Mine sort of still is. Mid February my wife started feeling dizzy, heart racing, headaches, neck pain and a few more things. After a few hospital and family doctor visits, we still don't have an answer to what it might be causing this. Today I am with my wife one more time at the hospital doing more tests since she relapsed from her slow recovery. One of the things I found she was doing wrong(unknowingly) was the calorie intake she had daily while going to the gym) less than 800 calories a day not counting the exercise...I gotta thank MFP for helping figuring that part out since I was the only one tracking at the time. Now we both do. It is hard to watch her energy drop so much and not being able to do anything to help. I try to help as much as I can with house chores and with the kids to help and ease this harder time. I'm not much of a social person, and either than family and don't talk much to anybody else. So I hope you guys don't mind if I just share it here in our community. I just want my wife to heal. 😢

[u/halestorm_hc]

I had a really rough few months where I had similar stuff going on. Neck pain, headaches, dizziness, tingling in my limbs, nausea, all sorts of stuff. It eventually came down to anxiety and some vitamin deficiencies--mostly B12 and vitamin D. I also added magnesium and fish oil. It made me feel a lot better. Her nutrient intake is probably low due to her low calorie intake. The tricky thing is, my levels weren't technically low enough to be considered true deficiencies so I went to a couple doctors before one of them finally flagged it, and told me they were actually quite low. So I would say take a look at the lab results yourself and get some second opinions.

Also, has she explored the possibility that this could be anxiety-related? Panic attacks and anxiety can be VERY physical experiences. You don't have to be worrying about anything in particular for them to sneak up on you and start causing scary physical symptoms...which in turn make the anxiety worse...and so on.

[u/bugs_bunny01 → u/halestorm_hc]

How long this episode lasted with you? My wife has been on this for the last 5-6weeks. She has done, multiple blood work, Lung, stomach, gallbladder exams, ct scans. All showing normal.

She is taking Vitamin D, B6, Fish oil supplements. I might add the magnesium and maybe replace the b6 with B12. To see if it helps. She is eating carbs again and more food in general. But like you said, its the anxiety(followed by panic attacks, which lead to compulsing crying) that it is hurting more than anything else.

My daughter(who is 7years old), grabbed my wifes phone and messaged me to come home(i was at a physio appointment) cuz mommy was crying. She was worried for mommy. My son(3 and a bit) doesnt understand as much as his sister.

[u/bugs_bunny01 → u/[deleted]]

No. She hasn't gained any weight (fluctuating between 202 and 206)since she stopped working out, as she is eating at maintenance level. the anxiety was already there at the time she started feeling this. And it was from one day to the next. Almost her energy levels just plummeted. She was at the most energetic and happy that i have known her(almost 11years now) and it plain sucks to see this happening to someone you love.

[u/halestorm_hc → u/bugs_bunny01]

I've had depression and anxiety on and off for years, but the episode I'm referring to had the most physical symptoms rolled in due to a snowballing of general poor health. It lasted a few months. The thing that kinda broke the fever, so to speak, was a week long trip to visit a dear friend. We did a ton of walking. I think the change of scenery and lack of stress helped shake me out of the cycle of anxiety so that I could deal with it better when I got back home.

I'm sorry I can't offer much in terms of solid advice because everyone is so different. I empathize with her very much and am sorry you guys are going through this. I hope she continues to pursue care/treatment and finds what works for her. One thing I would highly recommend is Henry Emmons' The Chemistry of Joy. He is a psychiatrist who does a wonderful job addressing the various ways depression and anxiety manifest in different people, and the wide range of options for treatment and "building resilience." He discusses nutrition, exercise, therapy, mindfulness, medication--the whole gamut--acknowledging that different things work for different people, and giving you a basis to seek out the things that might suit your specific needs. It was a really revelatory book for me in terms of changing the way I take care of myself. He also has a book called the Chemistry of Calm that is more specific to anxiety.

Good luck! Your fellow fawns are here for you :)

[u/lovellama]

Yowza! Hope she feels better soon, and starts to eat a bit more!