DavidB99
17-08-20, 19:05
Hi,
I have been struggling with "health anxiety" for 18 months and in that time I've had 2 neuro apts, an MRI and was diagnosed with health anxiety/stress.
The whole experience was pretty stressful and traumatic and symptoms started around 2 years ago when there was quite a few stressors in my life and my diet and health went off of a cliff.
I've had CBT and I'm on citalopram for anxiety. During the course of CBT it was discovered that I Infact have ADD I scored pretty highly on the test.
All of my health fears have been around slow, incipid mental and neurological decline. So the usual, MS, dementia (I'm 35), primary progressive aphasia etc.
My original symptoms were issues with speech, slurring words, getting jumbled up, not being able to get my thoughts out and reading issues, not being able to read long sentences, replacing words in sentences when reading for different words that normally start with the same letters.
I had a full work up with neuro and MRI was completly clear... Infact he said my brain looked remarkably healthy for a 35 year old due to my history as an athletic individual who used to compete at a national level. But of course I think he was just pulling the other one!
I've had all of the usual symptoms... pins and needles, numbness, blurry vision, off balance etc quite a few have passed as the anxiety subsided but the speech and reading issues have always remained, with some days better than others.
However, all that being said, I currently have all of the following symptoms:
Many typing errors, pressing wrong keys, typing wrong words. An example is I thought "when" but typed "with". It's also bad on my phone I'm always pressing the wrong keys when before all of this I was fine.
Jerking legs and arms when still, bad at night and sometimes in the day
Mild tremor/shaking made worse by caffeine. This is very mild through. After hard exercise it can be pretty bad for around 20 minutes after I've finished.
Cognitive difficulties, mild confusion at points for example, briefly didn't know what shoe went on what foot (5 seconds ish) and some common things seem weird or surprising to me.
Trouble with auditory processing on occasion mishearing words.
Speech issues, no slurring anymore really but I misprounce words, trouble verbalising thoughts, repeat words instantly when they sound wrong in my head, very aware of speaking, all of this is worse when tired.
Feel very tired on waking, hard to wake up.
Trouble reading words, replacing words in sentences with other words when skim reading, words don't seem mixed up or unrecognisable I just don't seem to read the right word. On re-reading words they are fine.
I find it hard to read certain text mediums such a social media where spelling and grammar are imperfect. Trouble processing information. Some common words look strange sometimes and take me a couple of seconds to process.
I dont feel "sharp" things I'd be able to understand previously are now difficult and I'm now worried about reading anything difficult incase I don't understand it. Everything feels mentally taxing.
Lack of spacial awareness, bumping into door frames, hitting objects with hands, general clumsiness, tripping over items a lot (although I have 2 kids so the floor is always a mess)
I guess even though I've been cleared by the Dr I'm wondering how I still have all these issues when I haven't felt anxious for 5ish (minus a couple of blips) months due to the citalopram.
I don't know what to think and it's really hard on the family I have 2 young children and a very fed up wife.
Do I go back to the doctors and drag it on, going through the stress of all the exams and apts 3 months into the future or do I just accept my fate whatever it may be.
It doesn't help that due to my search history Google ranks MS / dementia articles higher when I'm looking at symptoms. I know I shouldn't look at symptoms at all but can't help it sometimes.
Sorry if any of this doesn't make sense it was typed on my phone.
I have been struggling with "health anxiety" for 18 months and in that time I've had 2 neuro apts, an MRI and was diagnosed with health anxiety/stress.
The whole experience was pretty stressful and traumatic and symptoms started around 2 years ago when there was quite a few stressors in my life and my diet and health went off of a cliff.
I've had CBT and I'm on citalopram for anxiety. During the course of CBT it was discovered that I Infact have ADD I scored pretty highly on the test.
All of my health fears have been around slow, incipid mental and neurological decline. So the usual, MS, dementia (I'm 35), primary progressive aphasia etc.
My original symptoms were issues with speech, slurring words, getting jumbled up, not being able to get my thoughts out and reading issues, not being able to read long sentences, replacing words in sentences when reading for different words that normally start with the same letters.
I had a full work up with neuro and MRI was completly clear... Infact he said my brain looked remarkably healthy for a 35 year old due to my history as an athletic individual who used to compete at a national level. But of course I think he was just pulling the other one!
I've had all of the usual symptoms... pins and needles, numbness, blurry vision, off balance etc quite a few have passed as the anxiety subsided but the speech and reading issues have always remained, with some days better than others.
However, all that being said, I currently have all of the following symptoms:
Many typing errors, pressing wrong keys, typing wrong words. An example is I thought "when" but typed "with". It's also bad on my phone I'm always pressing the wrong keys when before all of this I was fine.
Jerking legs and arms when still, bad at night and sometimes in the day
Mild tremor/shaking made worse by caffeine. This is very mild through. After hard exercise it can be pretty bad for around 20 minutes after I've finished.
Cognitive difficulties, mild confusion at points for example, briefly didn't know what shoe went on what foot (5 seconds ish) and some common things seem weird or surprising to me.
Trouble with auditory processing on occasion mishearing words.
Speech issues, no slurring anymore really but I misprounce words, trouble verbalising thoughts, repeat words instantly when they sound wrong in my head, very aware of speaking, all of this is worse when tired.
Feel very tired on waking, hard to wake up.
Trouble reading words, replacing words in sentences with other words when skim reading, words don't seem mixed up or unrecognisable I just don't seem to read the right word. On re-reading words they are fine.
I find it hard to read certain text mediums such a social media where spelling and grammar are imperfect. Trouble processing information. Some common words look strange sometimes and take me a couple of seconds to process.
I dont feel "sharp" things I'd be able to understand previously are now difficult and I'm now worried about reading anything difficult incase I don't understand it. Everything feels mentally taxing.
Lack of spacial awareness, bumping into door frames, hitting objects with hands, general clumsiness, tripping over items a lot (although I have 2 kids so the floor is always a mess)
I guess even though I've been cleared by the Dr I'm wondering how I still have all these issues when I haven't felt anxious for 5ish (minus a couple of blips) months due to the citalopram.
I don't know what to think and it's really hard on the family I have 2 young children and a very fed up wife.
Do I go back to the doctors and drag it on, going through the stress of all the exams and apts 3 months into the future or do I just accept my fate whatever it may be.
It doesn't help that due to my search history Google ranks MS / dementia articles higher when I'm looking at symptoms. I know I shouldn't look at symptoms at all but can't help it sometimes.
Sorry if any of this doesn't make sense it was typed on my phone.