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Troubles Leaving The House


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I try not to leave the house because every time I do I get awful migraines that last the rest of the day. It doesn't matter if I just go down the street and back, instant migraine. At first I thought it was from the sun but I can sit outside without getting one. I also get really tired after I get home, migraine or not. Yesterday we went grocery shopping. The store is 3 blocks away. I started a migraine when we got there. 20 minutes into shopping I was exhausted. It's weird because I can run around the house all day, I get tired but not really exhausted, and be fine but once the car is out of the driveway everything hits. I have brought up the migraines to my neuro and was prescribed meds. She didn't seem too concerned about it. This makes any errands, appts, school functions, kid activities very difficult. At first I thought it was anxiety attacks but I don't think they are. All of my pots symptoms kick in. Anyone with this and what helps?

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I've spoken to a few people who noticed the exact same thing. I also have this, especially at night or like today in bad weather. To be honest it would just be a guess at what is causing it.. Compression socks help a bunch... My guess is that is some kind of venous denervation which triggers catecholamines rise, then I become hypersensitive to outside stimuli and all the stimuli fatigues me, but just a guess...

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I have issues with lighting in the stores. It makes me feel really weird. My husband had to get rid of all the florescent lighting in our house because of it. There is a subtle flicker that most people don't see - but us sensitive potsies see it and it does affect us. Riding in a car nearly always causes me to be motion sick. I think watching things pass by too fast - something to do with the eyes. But, it could just be the over-stimulation that we sense.

Issie

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I have the same issue with fluorescent lighting--especially in large spaces such as Target, grocery stores, etc. Luckily, my office at work has a large picture window on one wall, so I'm able to turn off the overhead and just enjoy the natural lighting. I also have a few lamps for cloudy days--my co-workers joke about me being a vampire, but if that keeps them out of my office, I'm ok with that!

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That makes sense with the lights. I didn't think of that. I get motion sickness too. Maybe that's what causes my migraines? I'm more symptomatic while driving if it's sunny out, the sun flashing between trees is the worst. The only good thing about it is my drs are 2 hours away so I feel awful by the time I get there.

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I think Naomi is onto something. When we're at home we make our environment as comfortable as possible to live in. When we leave the house we have no control over the temperature and barometric pressure. I am sure that is why I sometimes feel worse outside than inside, because my body is supersensitive to barometric, temperature and humidity changes.

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I have to make myself get out sometimes, because I refuse to be home bound, but I completely understand how you feel. I get motion sick, I am light sensitive, and I lack energy, so it is easier to stay at home, but I want to live my life, too, so I balance. On a really bad day, I stay in, certainly, if I can't see (blurry vision), I'm not driving either. Just listen to your body, and do what you can, but don't push yourself to exhaustion! I get sensory overload in crowds, too, so I limit myself when I do go out to about 2 hours.

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I can also relate to this... I always wonder why walking around the grocery store (which is literally a five minute drive from the house) is such a massive effort when I can walk around my own house and garden for the same amount of time?

My (very unofficial) theory is that it has something to do with adrenaline: even if it's not an "anxiety attack", don't even healthy people get a bit "geared up" (for want of a better expression) when they go out in public, even if it's just the most basic human interactions? I've got neurally mediated hypotension, which means that my body responds inappropriately to adrenaline and stimulation. So that very minor form of stimulation: getting out the door, driving, being with other people - is enough to trigger my symptoms.

Again, this is just my own theory, so please take it with a grain of salt!

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I've noticed this too.

I told my doctor a few months ago that its gotten so I can function pretty well around my own house (minus lifting, laundry, vacuuming, etc), but I would like a life beyond those walls. All of your explanations make sense as to why this would happen. I've had a few people say to me "oh yeah, I know someone who has problems going out of their house as well - social anxiety". This is sooo not social anxiety though. I'm actually surprisingly comfortable looking like an idiot in public. :D

I've had very limited outings for the past 7 months - mostly doc appts. So a few weeks ago, my husband and son went into a store to find the patio furniture that we had selected from a sales flyer. I stayed in the car with my gatorade and watched everyone come and go (amazed really as I watched them so effortlessly walk and rush around without any symptoms at all :P ). Anyway, my husband called me to say that he needed me to come in, if I could. So, I felt fine at the time and thought about how much I've been able to move around the house and be on my feet more. So, I went in and within 20 seconds of being in the store I peeked at my hr and it was over 130. I kept in motion and got to the patio furniture where I immediately sat. So, within the next ten minutes I was hit with exhaustion, brain fog, dizziness, headache. At one point my husband and son went to look at something else and there I was on display with the patio furniture. I was practically curled up in a ball with my shoes off/feet up when the sales girl came back from the warehouse where she had been checking on an item for me :D I couldn't even hold my head up while I was talking to her. In retrospect, I probably should have told her that I was having some health issues because she probably thought I had been doing some "self-medicating" of the recreational sort ;) I ended up having to get someone to let me out a side door because I couldn't do the walk out the front.

Targs66 - I definitely think adrenaline played a huge role here - that distance of a walk into the store would certainly not be one that would cause such extreme fatigue in a short period of time.

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It's so good to know it's not just me or all in my head. I will force myself to go somewhere but I feel awful the whole time. Usually as soon as I get out of the car I start feeling better. How do you deal with this when/if you work? My last job was so easy, for a 'normal' person. I was doing data entry for a roofing company. I sat most of the time, barely had work to do but I felt horrible. I would love a more active job but I don't think I could handle it. I don't HAVE to work right now but I'd like to have some kind of income to help out. I don't think I have enough diagnosis for disability.

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