Death by PAWS

Postby Blinkers » Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:36 am

I THINK I have PAWS.
Otherwise Im just dying haha
I just have a few questions as I try to work out if this is PAWs or something more serious.

1 When you stopped. Did you feel really bad for a few days or weeks during the detox. Then suddenly feel GREAT for a day or two. Then slipped into PAWS symptoms which seemed to get stronger and stronger as the months rolled on (Im at month 3 and they arent getting better. Some days are better or worse but overall its more and more of my spiraling into hell)

2 Ear Issues= Loud ringing in the ear.I cant stand up straight without swaying everywhere or walk without clipping walls or people.

3 Nauseated Awakenings=Weird thing. I go to bed. Wake up 2am. Feel ok. Then fall back to sleep from 4-7am and wake up so nauseated and tired which goes away over the course of the day. Anybody wake up 6-7am feeling sick and tired?

4 Low Immunity= on your blood tests? This is what Im worried about. White blood, neutrophils, lymphocytes, natural killer etc All under the range. Not sure if PAWS ever has this symptom or I have a more serious underlying issue.

5 I drink a can of coke or green tea.. I feel ok when I do. II even feel happy. Brain fog seems to clear. But the next day Im in bed like Ive been out drinking. I feel like any time I boost my dopamine. I just come crashing down.

Does any of this sound like PAWS to you? Thanks for any help. I have Lyme disease, exposed to mould, have a genetic disorder where you go blind fast and 3 degrees of vision left which is deteriorating into a blur. So Im desperate for a few good answers. Thanks.

History
Smoked pot/tobacco for 15 years. Every few days for 10 years when I knocked off work.
Started needing more and more smoke each session until it felt like it was nonstop smoking.
Started to feel rough for a day afterwards and far from normal, then as time went on. it took two days, then a week before Id feel normal. Eventually I was literally in bed for 2-3 days every time I smoked and Id need a break for a month or so before Id feel normal again. The breaks took longer and longer to recover. I must have done this 20 or so times.

Then after a few weeks I felt ok. Actually Id feel AMAZING for a few days.... and would then smoke again thinking I was normal. The cycle began. Over and over. Thought I was better(1-4 months) . Smoked, Thought I was better . Smoked. Each time longer and deeper like falling down stairs. But this time...ITS HELL like Ive not felt before.

Was I just playing with PAWs and now its suddenly 10 times worse with symptoms Ive never had before or something new. Currently its a crushing, spinning, numbing, tingling, ringing, nauseated, blurry and a brain made of pure mud condition where any other time I was just tired and unmotivated..

Feel free to answer Y Y N Y N to the 5 questions. Ill work it out. Just looking to reassure myself Im not going mad or Ive got some infection inflaming my brain.
Blinkers
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#1

Postby Exstonerchick » Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:48 pm

All sounds pretty PAWS-like except I'm not sure about the medical testing. I had a full blood work-up done in my early PAWS days (3 months) and the only things amiss were my Vitamin D (indoors for ages during Covid + not eating due to PAWS) and low B12 (vegan). I'm no doc or medical expert, of course, but you might want to check further on those things. Although I CAUTION you to beware the rabbit hole of health anxiety. Otherwise, if you poke around Uncommon you'll find lots of peeps have had all of those symptoms, myself included. I'm almost 11 months quit and against my better judgment I just shared a frozen yogurt with my son -- now feeling super icky and anxious. Best thing to do is avoid sugar and other unhealthy foods at all costs. I'm okay with a few cups of morning coffee, but it took a while to get there. Maybe cut back on the green tea and definitely the full-throttle sugar delivery of soda until you're a little further through this mess. Hang in there and congrats on your quit!
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#2

Postby Blinkers » Sat Oct 02, 2021 11:49 am

I eat extremely healthily so I was ok on all nutritional fronts. Its just an extremely lowered white blood cells etc

I never really get depressed or anxious. I did in the first few weeks but no more.

Its amazing you can feel so bad from one yoghurt! Im guessing you never had that problem before PAWS?

When you said it took a while to take a few cups or morning coffee. What did you mean? Were you suffering a reaction to it before? What happened?

Thanks for your reply :)
Blinkers
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#3

Postby Exstonerchick » Sun Oct 03, 2021 5:45 am

About the coffee, or caffeine, I mean it took me about 4-5 months after I quit to be able to drink it without instigating my anxiety and giving me mad heart palpitations. Now I have about 2 cups over the course of the morning/early afternoon, but I don’t touch it after 1pm. I also drink French press or cold brew, which are pretty strong, so I consider myself lucky it’s no longer a trigger. Maybe the green tea and soda are triggering for you but in a different way, making you feel rough the next day. That’s how I feel when I drink alcohol so I had to give that up, too. Maybe ease up on the caffeine and it will help your symptoms a bit?

It’s amazing how giving up weed reveals all these other glitches in our system. Like I can handle caffeine but not sugar, or you can’t handle caffeine but have no anxiety/depression. PAWS is such a random roller coaster.

Stay strong and good luck with your quit!
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