My experience with Conversion Disorder

In January 2010 one night i started shaking all over. It would not stop. We went to the ER and they were busy so i continued to shake for hours. They finally gave me 1 mg of ativan,that did not work, they eventually gave me a total of 4 mg of ativan. I was able to stop shaking but was really groggy and could not remember very much. The next day I was at my chiro to get x-rays of my neck because i had fallen about 3 weeks earlier and thought maybe i was shaking becase i hurt my neck. While the chiro dr. was going over the x-ray with me i was so out of it and passed out. They called the ambulance and i ended up at the hospital. Day after day i would have shaking spells. It was so tiring! They did EEG's, Cat Scans, etc.... all normal. One day i could not walk properly. I needed a walker to assist me. The day of my discharge they mentioned in a casual sentence had i heard of Conversion Disorder. My husband was not present and i was ativan'd out of my mind. When my hubby came to pick me up he ask what the doctor had said. I really didn't remember to much of what the doctor said and luckily they let my hubby look at the doctor's notes or i would of went home thinking they didn't have a diganosis. A couple of days later my walking returned, but then my voice was very spastic. This got better in a couple of days. I continued to have several shaking spells a day. And sometimes when i would be standing up i would feel lightheaded and fall over. Then main medicine i was on was Ativan which helped my shaking. I was already on Zoloft for aniexty and depression. I talked to my main doctor and she was trying to tell me Conversion Disorder can happen when you don't deal with emotional things thru your life and then finally your body deals with it in physical ways. I still do not think 100% that is the only thing wrong. But once they give you every test in the book, they have to tell you something. Currently, I am in counseling, which is helping me to deal with my emotions. I have muscle pain every day and sometimes i had waves of electricity go through my body and i fell super weird. Some times i am not sad but i am overcome with emotion and starting crying hysterically. I am just taking it a day at a time. Glad there is a group that i can talk to about it.

Hi, skymystic! Welcome to the forum, you can talk here! How are you doing now? Is the counselor a therapist who can help you figure out if there is any emotionally traumatic stuff that you haven't dealt with?

I have weeks were i feel really good. and then for example this week i'm in pain every day and it's hard to sleep. My counselor is a therapist who is helping me deal with emotions/incidents i have just stuffed down for most of my life. It's been over a year and i love my counselor-she has made a huge difference in my life. Thanks for asking

Oh, I'm sorry you're in pain. Does anything help with it? It's great that your therapist helps you with this, it sounds like you've made progress to me (I'm not a therapist hehe).

Well hello! I don't normally come on this site often, so im sorry if it takes me a while to get back to your rreply.
I suffered from conversion disorder, and well actually still do every now and then when i don't take proper care of myself.
this disorder tends is hell, but let me to you when you're well you're stronger than ever, you'll see life differently, and you'll be able to handle basically anything thrown at you.
I see conversion disorders underlying cause is not dealing with unresolved problems. Because that is what makes the anxiety and stress manifest its into psychological problems. I beliebe with this disorer there will have to be therapy, you'll have to talk, cry, get fed up with your therapist, and basically feel everything and anything because your taking a slow walk down the scary pathway that you were avoiding, and until your done that's when you'll get better. Its not going to be easy, it will be incredibly difficult, there will be setbacks of course, but that's part of starting to be able to walk,speak,eat,write, again.

As for hospitals, they didn't nothing for me.. doctors didn't have the time to figure out our complex disorder since its so rare. Hell i don't blame them looking back. As smart as some doctors are they cannot even understand cd, so they will just mis diagnosis.

What i found to be very helpful is to research, to be well aware of cd, so you will become comfortable in your own skin. Tyr not to beat yourself up as hard as that might be.

Best of luck. Ill check back in a few days tosee if you replied.

Gabriella

I suffer/suffered from CD and it's awful Luckily, I would only have symptoms when I was *severely* stressed. But it got so bad once that I was completely paralyzed from the neck down for over 24 hours. I was put into the hospital where I was the freak of nature and every doctor there wanted to look at and poke the "mysterious paralyzed girl". *eyeroll*

But after therapy, I've gotten much better. The worst symptom I've had lately is my left arm falling asleep, and that I can deal with. My brain is so weird....