Eating In Your Sleep?!

It's embarrassing to admit but I can only explain this bizarre behavior as a side-effect of my newest medication.  As I've reported, now many times, I seem to have found a medication combination that finally has freed me, if only temporarily, from the grasp of this unknown illness.  I'm still feeling better, three and a half months after starting amitriptyline.  I'm also taking lorazepam for sleep because, while the amitriptyline takes away many of my symptoms including fatigue and pain, it doesn't seem to help my sleep problems much.

I've had some very unusual side effects from this medication, the strangest of which involves an insatiable urge to eat in the middle of the night.  It seems to have gotten a little better as my body adapts but at first I didn't know what was going on.  I'd wake up in the morning with a half a peanut butter sandwich stuck to my arm, tortilla chips or Goldfish cracker crumbs everywhere in my bed and only a very vague recollection of having gotten up in the middle of the night and it was happening every single night.  I finally got smart and started leaving myself something simple and healthy to eat, like a banana, where I could easily grab it.  Then I'd wake up and find the banana on my night stand or IN my bed with only one bite taken from it. 

I could go on and on relating entertaining anecdotes of my "sleep eating" but the fact is, this reaction is rather disturbing.  As a child and young adult I talked and walked in my sleep from time to time but eating in my sleep?  No way!  I only have a very vague memory of these actions and sometimes, none at all.  I also fear the very real possibility that I'll choke on something I'm eating if I lay down with the food still in my mouth.

I've known people personally who took prescription sleep medications and did all sorts of crazy things in their sleep but I'm curious to know whether anyone else has had this happen while taking amitriptyline.  Although this baffling behavior is disturbing, I'd gladly endure it every night rather than be as sick as I was such a short time ago.

Vegan Diet for ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia - UPDATE

So, I've been on a strictly vegan diet for a couple weeks now.  I still don't have any definitive answers regarding the effectiveness of this diet on my condition but I do think I generally have more energy, as I wrote in my last post.

The only negative thing about this diet I have discovered so far, are the...well...digestive issues.  Without going into much disgusting detail, I'll just say that the dramatic increase of fiber in my diet had some pretty gross side effects.  I went online to see if others were having the same problem and they most certainly were.  Apparently this is a common issue for many people during the first couple weeks on an exclusively plant based diet.  I made a few adjustments, such as, reducing my daily intake of legumes and fruit and it seemed to eliminate the "problems" almost immediately.  In fact, the very first day I adjusted my diet, I experienced almost no stomach discomfort.

So, if you're struggling with some of the same issues, hang in there.  Just try adjusting things a little at a time and I'm sure you too will find a balance that makes your digestive system happy.

To follow up on an earlier post (Being a Mom With ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia), my time has officially run out with regards to the St. Patrick's Day fundraiser at my daughter's pre-school.  In last months newsletter, the teachers had asked if parents would plan to help with the corn-beef and cabbage dinner (talk about digestive issues) they were having to raise money for the school.  When I attended a parents meeting, the director brought this subject up and I sunk down in my chair, hoping no one would notice that I hadn't volunteered for anything.  Since then, I've been wondering what I would say when someone finally asked me point-blank if they could count on me.  Fortunately, the request came in the form of an email which didn't put me on the spot as much as I had imagined.  I explained that while I would be happy to bake cookies or cupcakes for the event, I wouldn't be able to work at the dinner due to my "Fibromyalgia (among other things)".  I continued by writing that I had many physical limitations and that I had been forced to quit my job as a result.

I don't know what the director's reaction will be when she reads the email tomorrow morning, but I'll find out when I drop my daughter off.  I will also have to admit that neither my husband or I were able to sell even one of the eight tickets to the event each parent had been given.

I know, intellectually, it's not my fault that I won't be participating in the St. Patrick's Day dinner, but emotionally, the whole situation just makes me feel like a terrible mother and I fear that's how others will view me.

Stroller Ban at an Aquarium??!!

http://www.mom365.com/Preschool/Posts/2012/Feb/Will-Stroller-Bans-Hurt-Aquarium-Business.aspx

Yesterday I read the above post on the Our365 website about the Cleveland Aquarium banning strollers in their facility.  This struck me as pretty outrageous considering aquariums are such a popular place to take small children.  I would never be able to take my daughter anywhere without her stroller, especially a place that would require so much walking and standing like an aquarium.  After reading the post, I looked down at the comments and the first one I read (Teresa) really got my blood boiling. I just had to put my two cents in and I did (that's me - Kristy).

I don't mean to come down on Teresa, after all, there was probably a time in my life that I would have made a similarly insensitive remark without even knowing I had.  I realize it's very hard to appreciate your health until you don't have it anymore.  I used to hike to the top of one of my favorite trails here on Catalina and admire the beautiful view and fresh air at 1500' but I never thought to feel thankful for being able to get there.  I took for granted that I could walk or hike almost anywhere I wanted.  (here's the comment and mine if you didn't read the original post)

Teresa February 18, 2012
We have a membership to our local aquarium and they have a similar policy during peak hrs. I think it makes sense, stollers are ***bersome and some ppl use then like battering rams in busy places! Those "umbrella" stollers are one thing, but to parade your SUV of a stoller through busy places is just inconsiderate. Though I am bias, devote fans of slinging our child. It works well for us!

 Kristy February 19, 2012
This is terrible! We recently took our daughter to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA where they DO NOT have a stroller ban. Great aquarium btw. Sure strollers can get in the way but so do kids not in strollers, people in wheelchairs, elderly or disabled people who move slowly, etc. This is clearly discrimination! And to the first commentor who wrote that people are inconsiderate who bring "SUV strollers" and carries her baby in a sling, I just hope you realize how lucky you are that you are well enough to carry your child. I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue and can barely lift my two year old, never mind carry her. My trip to the aquarium was exhausting and very painful but as a chronically ill person these are sacrifices I always have to make. I would never have been able to bring my daughter to the aquarium without my "SUV stroller" (which doubles as a walker for me to lean on since I don't walk very well).

Here's the link to the Cleveland Aquarium contact page if anyone feels like voicing their mind.  I know I will.
http://greaterclevelandaquarium.com/plan-your-visit/contact/