Idiopathic Angioadema

This is the New Condition that I was diagnosed with a few Months ago (Nov.).

Idiopathic Angioadema.....

The "Idiopathic" part of it, just means.....THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE OF WHY IT IS HAPPENING TO ME!!!


Now, what DOES happen is this.....basically, while sleeping....my throat closes up and cuts off my airway......!!!!

Can ya believe it.....I know, I couldn't either.....crazy right.

So.....All those yrs. I THOUGHT I was suffering from Anxiety Attacks....they were actually the Idiopathic Angioadema.....for 20 yrs. I had this, and called it something else.

Now mind you...I NEVER went to the doctors about these attacks in the past, so how was I to know what they were.
It wasn't until recently that I had had enough of them, that I needed to know what was wrong with me.

And in 2007, everything changed up with them.....I had on 3 separate occasions (while sleeping), that I woke up and while trying to get my composure of what was happening.....a surge of extreme pain started to form in the nape of my neck....and slowly headed up the back of my head, but with a force that you would not believe.

I thought for sure that I'd had a blood clot.....after the 3rd time of it happening....I went to the doctors, and he sent me to have a MRI done (and open one btw, lol)......the results were.....NOTHING....yup, there were no tumors, bumps, lumps Or anything else.....I was shocked!!!
But what the scan did show was that I had an Empty Cella.....which is common I guess in heavy set people.....and yes, I am on the heavy side...."so, what of it"!!! (tapping fingers on the desk).


So, since nothing was found....my PCP left it be.

Until....the next yr...in the middle of the night, I was awaken by the (what I thought to be)...."Anxiety Attacks".
But this time, I wasn't able to "get myself back under control".....things were taking a turn for the worse.
I started sweating, shaking, heart was pounding, I was real dizzy, I also felt as if I needed to move my bowels (but didn't), I was real nauseous and was dry heaving....and my head was pounding soooooo badly, that I couldn't think straight.

Now normally I would be able to calm myself down whenever I'd have those attacks....but like I said, IT WASN'T WORKING THIS TIME!!!
My husband asked me if I was alright.....and I told him, "I think you need to take me to the hosp.".....because by now, I thought I was having a heart attack.
Again....I WAS REAL SCARED.!!!

Three times I almost passed out (and I NEVER passed out before in my life)....once while sitting on the couch waiting for my husband to come downstairs and start up the car.....then again, in the car on the way to the hosp.....and last, while in Triage.
All I kept thinking was...."am I gonna die, am I gonna die"....I was soo scared.

I had called my oldest son to come and sit with his brother (he is mentally challenged) and he did.
So I was feeling happy about that....just knowing someone was with him (even though he was sleeping)....It made things easy for me to focus on what was happening.

They had me hooked up to sooo many things in the ER (ekg, post op, oxygen...etc.)....and my heart rate was sooo high, the doctor didn't want to send me home....so I was admitted.
And the whole time in the ER and up in my room....my head still hurt, the Morphine they gave me didn't even touch the pain....then I told them that I take Vicodin everyday for my Sarky pain, so they gave me a dose of that.
It worked some....but not fully.

I went in on a Friday night, and came home on Sunday.....and while there, they had me on High Blood Pressure Meds. and Anxiety Meds.
They didn't know what was wrong with me though.

Then on that following Tues., I went to my PCP for a followup....I told him what they THOUGHT was wrong with me and he said....."first, you do not have High Blood Pressure" (he has seen me enough to know that) and he took me off of those meds. (which I was glad, because they gave me headaches).....and he said, "you are not having Anxiety Attacks as well"......so doc, what IS wrong with me.

He told me, from what I conveyed to him....that what I have is the Idiopathic Angioadema.
And he explained to me, exactly what I'd experienced All those yrs.....and mind you, I didn't tell him the basics of what I'd gone through for 20 yrs.....but from what lil bit I did tell him, he figured it out to be that.

He said, while sleeping....you throat closes up on me, causing me to wake up in a Panic (thinking my airway was closing)....when he was telling me this....I was soooooo relieved, because I knew it had to be more then any Anxiety Attacks.

It All made sense Now.......

And because I was waking up in a Panic, My heart rate would skyrocket...thereby causing my blood pressure to rise, and that is where the Pain in my head was coming from.
And the night that I had the really bad attack, because my heart rate was sooooo high....it triggered a host of other things to happen, thereby not allowing me to calm myself down....as I normally would.


My children were more scared than I was.....and my husband, well...he started crying and that made me feel bad (actually, they ALL were crying).....I didn't realize that it had that much of an effect on my family.

I notice that I get them more so, when I have been under a certain amount of stress.....so my family and I, are trying to do everything to keep my stress level as low as possible.....but let me tell ya, THAT IS HARD TO DO!!!!
I have sooooooo many things going on in my life & household right now, couple that with me going through the "change" and the Hormones are going in every which & what way.....that it is almost impossible to NOT have any stress.....but I am trying just the same.

What DOES keep me "focused", are my Grandbabies (Maarsy & Poppy)....they are My Light in these some times Dark Days....and My Faith in GOD & Prayers, without All of those things.....I WOULD BE A BASKET CASE!!!

So I am on these meds., that btw....don't make sense to me that I should be taking them for THAT....but since I've been on them, I've only had about 3 Attacks/Episodes, so it Must be working.....Alhamdulillah.
And I have been under some Major, Major Stress in the past Month Or so....so I'd say, THEY ARE WORKING!!!

When I pulled the name up online....in one part of it, it said that those with an Autoimmune Disease can have this condition......uummm, BINGO!!!.....it has Sarky written All Over It, lolol.

This is what "I" believe......regardless.




Naimah