This is how you go downhill fast

[darkwater12]

About a month and half ago I started to get dizziness, and at one point I almost fully passed out, I was nearly on the ground but I didn't loose consciousness. Freak me out of course. Went for blood work, came back fine. I was worried that I was developing diabetes or anemia since that runs on my mom's side of the family. At some point when test were coming back normal, I thought, mmm, okay well, I've been stressed out about some things for a while maybe its that. Didn't really think to much of at least not seriously.

Then a couple of weeks after that. I started to get dizzy again but this time I was having severe nausea, then the panic attacks started to come. At that time I didn’t realize I was having panic attacks. I never experience that feeling before so of course this put me in a state of worry on a huge level. I told myself, omg something is wrong, this is not like me, wtf is going on. I wasn’t sleeping well, and my eating habit was terrible. I put up with this for over a week or so, till I had a massive panic attack and threw up. I went to the urgent care, they did the normal stuff, fluid, blood/urine test, did some other things to. Other then my heart rate which was through the roof everything was fine. They got my heart rate down to a normal level after the fluid and anti-nausea kicked in. Sent me home but I was still left feeling like something was seriously wrong.

Went to my doctor, she said I probably came down with a stomach virus and that's why I was feeling sick. Blood test were normal. I accepted that although by this time mentally I was freaking out that something was seriously wrong. I told my doctor that my heart was always going fast, and I feel like my adrenaline is through the roof. I don't have irregular heart beats and I wouldn't say I've had heart palpation either. It just feels like I'm going all the time. So she put me on xanax, that helped calm me down although I don't like the drowsiness it causes so I only took it at night. For awhile this helped since I was only really have the panic attacks at nighttime.

Then about a week- week half ago my panic attacks were coming all the time and hard even after I got up in the morning. I couldn't stop thinking about the pressure in my chest. So I started to take more xanax. My limit is three times a day at 0.5mg so I don't go over that. At one point I started to throw up again, I wasn't sure If I had a bad reaction. Once again, bbaaaccckkk to the doctor. I told her, look I realize I might be causing this mentally, but I also know that other problems can cause anxiety issues and my other symptoms so before we jump the gun that I'm cracking up(and I say that with humor not in an insulting way towards myself or even to other people who are going through the same thing). I told her to check my thyroid, of course that came back normal. There was other stuff she didn't feel like I could have, such as menopause (I'm only 30 but women can start that early).

Now I'm schedule to have an echocardiogram and holter monitor this Friday. I've already spent close to 800 bucks this month going to the doctor, getting medications, and having test done.

I'm having a serious debate. I understand I need to rule everything out especially for my peace of mind but if my chest feels better while on xanax shouldn't that be a sign that its me not my chest? or could the medication just be masking something else?. I've started to have headaches and shoulder soreness now which is worrying me, now I'm always thinking, should I ask for a CT scan to(which is not cheap ) but then I feel silly knowing its probably the stress. If my brain was going to explode it would have by now. :huh: I guess I need to just suck it up and go for the test even though I don't want to spend anymore money.

I can't afford to keep going to the doctor for every little problem, I'm sitting here typing this out and I can't believe I've turned into a hypochondriac. All this in little over a month. My whole life I've always been an anxious person but I have NEVER in my life had this issue physically and mentally. Its been hell. Day and night I feel terrible, I can't shake off that doom feeling.

I am looking into seeing a therapist, I have a pretty resilient mind, I've read self help therapy books in the past and they work, but this time I think its gone way beyond my control. I don’t want to take xanax but right now its the only thing holding me together :weep: I'm not a depressed person but this has prevent me from wanting to do things, mostly because the medication makes you tired and honesty you care less about things on it. I don't feel like my normal self anymore.

Has anyone gone through something like this so fast, not having had problems before? My rant was long so thanks for reading it. :)

[Catalyst]

Hello!:hugs:

My health anxiety started quite suddenly when I was in my late twenties. I think it was triggered by my nan's death, and my husband's grandfather also died a few weeks after. Then, it sounds a little trivial, but my cat was hit by a car and died around the same time! Amid the obvious grief, it felt like reminders of our mortality were all around me at that time. Cue my first panic attack! :scared15:

All my fears manifested themselves as tension in my neck. I convinced myself I could feel a lump there too. I was getting regular headaches and it felt like my head was too heavy for my neck to support it's weight!!! :shrug: I had various tests and paid out for private referrals to specialists. All to discover that there really was nothing wrong with me. Just aches, pains and irrational fears that I had brought upon myself. For a while there, I really thought I would never get back to normal. But I did. Albeit a new type of 'normal' to the person I used to be! I will probably always have health anxiety, on some level. I accept that. BUT I have learnt not to feed it or let it fester. I am far more rational these days. I have had a number of concerns over the years, but nothing has ever been as bad as I would have led myself to believe!

Incidentally, one of my most difficult experiences to cope with was dizziness. It came on suddenly one day and I struggled with it for quite some time and had many tests. Everything came back normal. Eventually I became more aware of my body's sensitivity and over reactions to seemingly mundane things. For example, if I walked down the corridor at work and stepped on a slightly uneven bit of flooring, then the way it affected my normal gait would be amplified and trigger me to feel off balance and my brain would interpret it as dizziness. Same thing happens if I try and walk while carrying something heavy, or if I've been on an escalator or in a lift. If I turn round too suddenly or my leg buckles slightly. All perfectly normal scenarios that shouldn't make any difference, but it's my heightened sensitivity that causes the issue. Once I understood that and could take a step back (figuratively speaking!) I found I could fend off the panic attacks that would otherwise be triggered and perpetuate the problem.

I'm not sure if any of this helps, or if I've even addressed your question! Yes I've had similar experiences, yes it came on suddenly at the start. Yes it was full on and intense when it began. But, you CAN get through it and things will improve over time. All the best.

[Noivous]

Hi - Sorry for what you are going through. I think this will run it's course. Have you recently come out of a stressful situation or gone into one? You have common sense and sound very lucid. Hang in there. You will get through this.

N.

[darkwater12]

Hello!:hugs:
Then, it sounds a little trivial, but my cat was hit by a car and died around the same time!

That doesn't sound trivial I've lost pets its hard. But in your case it makes sense when your dealing with one death after another.


incidentally, one of my most difficult experiences to cope with was dizziness. It came on suddenly one day and I struggled with it for quite some time and had many tests.

That was what happened to me awhile ago before I got really sick. I got up one morning, everything was normal, I wasn't feel sick, I felt normal, then BOOM I got REALLY dizzy and nearly passed out in my kitchen. I was lucky I had the table there to lean on. Scared the crap out of me. The only few other times that happen was years ago and that was because of the weather, I knew what caused that. But to get up out of the blue and almost pass out, not good. :huh:



Have you recently come out of a stressful situation or gone into one?
N.

I have not gone through a specific situation. But I will say the past couple of years I've gone through major ups and downs. I've been stuck at a job for 10 years that I've been miserable at. I did go to college but I hadn't found the right job yet. That has been my biggest battle. I also went through both of my wrist being injured at work so months I was dealing with that and emotionally it was hard but I'm better now after having gone through a lot of physical therapy. On top of all this, I've been feeling just generally lost. I won't say depressed, its not like that, but some days I can't sleep. I think about what I want to do with my life, nothing seems right, basically once I hit 30 I felt like I should have been somewhere by now. When your stuck in a dead end job and your going no where in life, after awhile it can drive you crazy.

I think that's something most people go through. But I never had a panic attack or anything while dealing with this stuff. But in perspective as I sit here thinking, the past few months I've been feeling it a lot more, and I'm starting to wonder if all those dizzy moments I started having was a precursor to all this.

Today I've been feeling better, not perfect, I was having some chest pressure because I didn't take my full amount of Xanax. So of course I started thinking about it and the headaches are there but I've been taking ibuprofen so they haven't been to bad.

Having been on the Xanax for awhile its starting to sink in that if I feel better on the medication and my "condition" isn't getting worst, then it must be me. I'm going to start cutting back on the Xanax and see what happens. If I have another panic attack then I'll know, although I can still feel it deep inside emotionally that its sitting there waiting to come out. I'm still going to go for the heart monitoring because you never know, I've always had high adrenaline problems, despite my thyroid being normal, maybe they can tell me something.

I'm working up the courage I think this time no matter what I should talk to someone. I may only need to see someone for a few sessions but I need to figure this crap out because this past month has been a huge wake up call that obviously I've got issues, maybe not serious ones but clearly I need to work things out. I've been through this emotional up and down before, right now I feel better and think, I'm fine, I can handle this, but I know that probably tomorrow I'll crash. :scared15:

Thanks for the replies. I do believe I'll through this, I have to, I have not lost hope :)

[darkwater12]

So I'm about to go to bed, and this is what I mean when I say my mood can turn on me in a second. I'm reading up on thyroid issues and what doctors can miss.
My doctor only tested for TSH, but she didn't test my T3 or T4 (if you've had your thyroid tested you'll know what that means) Most doctors don't want to test beyond TSH if your range is normal. Mine according to her is. But that doesn't mean anything. My mom's TSH was always normal but her other levels were off.

I'll call tomorrow to see if she can re-test me. But now I'm freaking out again. I just took a Xanax because I won't be able to sleep. THIS is why people with heath worries should not google crap. But what other way can inform myself?

This is actually making me mad. On one hand I could have a legitimate health problem that is causing all my symptoms but on other I could have full blown anxiety. How are you even suppose to tell at this point :wacko:

*rant over*