Weird and scary mixture of symptoms - HA flare up...

[ren_squelch]

I'm posting this in the middle of the night, as I'm struggling a bit with what I think is a health anxiety flare up (I have a GAD diagnosis and intermittent history of HA).
I am a 32 year old male -and have been struggling for just over a month with a variety of vague but nevertheless worrisome symptoms. I have had what I think is called brain fog; basically I'm feeling a strange sensation of not being wholly present; feeling somewhat dizzy and 'spaced out' & diminished short-term memory. Added to this has been a feeling of head pressure or 'heaviness' and occasional bodily jerks / twitches. I'm trying really hard to rationalise this, and put it down to stress / health anxiety, but of course my mind keeps jumping to the worst and I can't shake off the feeling that there could be a more sinister reason for these symptoms. In particular, my default worry is brain tumours. I'm particularly confused by the symptoms as I don't really feel as if I'm going through an anxious period or have anything to worry about - the kind of thing that, in the past, has triggered my anxiety. I feel silly as deep down I know I'm being irrational, but I do go through phases of fear and I find it tricky to sustain reassurance (I chatted to my brother who's a doctor this evening who tried hard to reassure me that everything's fine and this is just anxiety) and I also have a GP appointment booked next week. Anyway, thoughts / feelings about these symptoms and whether anyone else has experienced them etc would be really helpful- as generally feeling a bit crappy at the moment :weep:

[ren_squelch]

Anyone? Mines the only message with no replies 😓 Any thoughts / ideas would be most appreciated x

[nomorepanic]

Trust me it isn't the only post without replies.

Sounds like anxiety to me

[NotDeadYet]

Ren_squelch

Everything you have stated in your post sounds like classic anxiety to me. You stated that you have been diagnosed with GAD and intermittent health anxiety. You don't need to have a stressor in your life to be anxious. Those of us with anxiety will generally have flight or fight responses that are in some level of activation on a regular basis with or without a trigger. However, the very fact that you are thinking that something is wrong with you because of symptoms you are experiencing causes your anxiety to increase which will make the symptoms worse. You are then putting yourself into a cycle of anxiety and symptoms.

I think you should take a deep breath, meditate a little bit, and trust what your your brother who is a medical professional.

Best Wishes

[ren_squelch]

Thanks for your kind responses both- definitely food for thought :)

[Lana]

I have exact same physical feelings when my stress and anxiety are out of control ( I am going through a very hard period in my life, being a sole care giver to very old and very sick mother - horrible). My symptoms became consistent with MS , ALS, and similar things. Except that I knew that you either have MS or ALS or brain tumor, you cannot have all of these. I have seen three neurologists, and now I realize that there is NO symptom my mind cannot create. Also, as previously said, the more you focus and think of the symptoms, the worse and more versatile symptoms become. At some point I felt as if high - it was scary.

BTW - I several times felt here, on the Forum, that nobody cared about my posts, and would not bother to answer. Actually, a part of the feeling was real, but, I moved on. However, I can understand how badly it can affect you when you are person who is sad and anxious, and come here to share thoughts and fears, and nobody replies.

[lofwyr]

You just described the last ten years of my existence. I think you can chalk it up to anxiety pretty safely.

[roseanxiety]

I agree
With all the others . Sure sounds like anxiety.


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[gailveronica]

Ahhhh, my "heavy-headedness!" When I was 16 years old it started, and man oh man, did it drive me bonkers. I was convinced something sinister was wrong -- I've had probably 7 MRIs of my brain in the last 20 years, and nothing ever shows except for a few white matter lesions that are NOT consistent with MS or a brain tumor; rather, migraine syndrome. One doctor things the heavy-headedness is migraine auras... though another is convinced it's anxiety. I get dizzy, weak, shaky, and sweaty when this occurs. It can last for minutes, hours, days, weeks or months. It's really problematic, but I convinced myself at this point it is NOTHING sinister, and to play through it. And I do. I have to. Otherwise I'd be confined to my couch day after day, and I did that earlier this year for another scare, I cannot do that again.

Good luck to you, but know that a fellow sufferer here (both of heavy-headedness and HA) is sympathetic !