Hi everyone. New member here who would appreciate some guidance / advice as i'm becoming increasingly worried and feeling helpless by my strange symptoms.
Until December 2013 i was a fit and healthy 29 woman with no health problems whatsoever. I have a busy, stressful job and i know that i am a worrier by nature, but i was happy and nothing out of the ordinary was going on in my life.
So here goes..... I started developing a deep throbbing pain in my groin and inner left thigh as well as feeling very tired and a 'tingling' sensation at the back of my head (left side) that always led to spells of brief lightheadedness but with no headache. I would also get tingling and numb feelings in my eyebrow, cheek, jaw, chin, neck and arm (all left side) The pain in my groin and leg was terrible and i was really concerned about cancer, cysts, you name it. I saw my doctor and was referred for a scan. Scan came back clear and after a few weeks of niggling pain, the throbbing vanished. The doctor thought the tingling / head pain could be migraine and she took me off the combined contraceptive pill, which i've been on for 5 years, and put me on another type of pill.
After feeling much better for most of January, Since the start of February i have had more numerous strange symptoms which i feel are totally taking control of my life...
I started to get the tingling in my head, numbness and severe lightheadedness and dizziness again, but now it is accompanied with a horrible feeling behind my sternum and chest wall (left side). I can only describe the pain as like feeling there is something sitting in my chest - Like there is something 'there'. I doesn't matter what i do - It doesn't ever really go away completely. Then I had a period of two whole weeks where i felt ok other than the tiredness, some fleeting chest pain, pain in my back behind my shoulder blade and a throbbing in my left kidney area. I went back to the doctors a couple of times and they took bloods, blood pressure and did ECG's. They said my heart and lungs are fine and the chest pain is probably muscular or due to anxiety / stress. I would accept this if it wasn't constant and almost always accompanied by the lightheaded and dizzy feelings.
I've felt pretty awful for the past week. I can start out fine in the morning and then i can be at work, or hanging with friends, or walking and the lightheadedness and tingling / numbness in my left side comes on. I quite often have to go to the bathroom at work and sit down for half an hour wishing it away. No pain meds, asprin, ibruprophen, exercise, water drinking etc seems to help. I often go to bed this way and waking up the same.
I saw my doctor last Tuesday who put me on a beta blocker and basically sent me on my way. Today at work for the first time ever i felt on the verge of passsing out (never fainted before in my life) and the numb / out of body feeling was terrible. I couldn't get through to my doctor so i called my mother who said she would take me there directly. She took one look at me and said "we're going to hosptial" when i got in her car. By this point i could barely walk or see straight for the diziness and lightheadedness. My left arm, neck and jaw were numb and tingling and the pain behind my sternum excruciating.
When i got to hospital today they ran another ECG and took my blood pressure along with some neurological tests to rule out stroke. They were happy with me and said that i would have to go to my family doctor (GP) to organise follow up tests with a neurologist. I saw a GP early this afternoon (not my usual doctor), who also thinks i'm having migraine without the classic head pain and that the chest pain is either muscular or stress related. I've been taken off the beta blockers and told to start another migraine medication (Amitriptyline)
I just don't get it... Can all of this be migrane and / or stress / anxiety related as the doctors think?
I feel like there is no one i can really talk to about this as i've never heard of anyone with these symptoms. I don't want to start googling the symptoms as when i tried it once all the results were either 'heart attack' or 'stroke' or ‘panic attack’.
I'm trying to relax and stay positive but feeling like this is awful. I don’t tell my partner, colleagues or friends and family how terrible i feel as it only worries them.
I just want to feel better and for all this to stop. Any advice appreciated.
Anna
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