Feeling Faint

[Henry1234]

Hi

I just wondered if anyone else here has to live with the daily battle of feeling faint and like you are about to pass out?

It seems worse when move around - it isent vertigo and there is no spinning sensation - thankfully - sometimes vision is affected - things seem nearer or further away than they should - I bet that sounds completly mad but it does happen

It is ruining my life as I am constantly thinking 'this is it' etc etc and try not to go out as being in a shop etc seems to heighten it

It also makes me feel as if I am walking towards one side etc

Have had lots of tests etc and all negative

I do suffer from sinus inflamation and also have ear problems ie constant popping and ringing in them - could this be linked

I feel almost about to faint - but dont!! - also feel unreal as if reality has stopped and I am an outsider looking in

Find it all very scary and cant believe it is a normal anxiety thing - especially when I get it when I am not anxious

Thanks

Mark

[gtrgrl3369]

Hi there. I have been where you are at and sometimes still get this feeling. It is the worst one I have had and did some research and they say this is the longest symptom to go away because people fear fainting. I read a book where it is called giddiness. Where the legs go where they want and you feel like you are going to fall over or faint. I have almost beat this because I learned not to fear it. When it comes on, I still go do what I need to becuase if I give into it it usually gets worse. I also felt like I was always walking to the left. Maybe because I am left handed. Who knows. Anyway the point to all this is I know how you feel and it is a scary feeling, but one you can beat. P>S> having plugged ears doesnt help alot either. Take care and write me if I can help in any way.

[Nechtan]

Hi Mark,

That is a complete list of how all my anxiety started. Only I didn't know it was anxiety and thought I had a bad virus I could not shake. The dizziness, the unreality, visual problems and the being pulled to the side were all something I was plagued with and blood tests showed no problems whatsoever.

Like yourself I have sinus problems and an ear problem too. In fact before all this if I got the flu I tended to have balance problems because of the problem with my right ear.

But I believe firmly now that all these symptoms are anxiety related. The other thing I noticed at the time was that I was always tired and when I used to walk about I tended to yawn alot- more like gulping for air. It is very scary when you don't know what is wrong and tests show nothing either. But when you know it is anxiety you know that is the reason why. If only we didn't have to rely on self diagnosis.

It is scary and it is difficult to accept that it is anxiety but I believe it is. We are not the the only ones to have experienced these symptoms as I have talked to others too and it is most likely anxiety.

All the best

Nechtan

[Henry1234]

Thnaks for your replies

It really helps to know other people experience these things and awful feelings

Mark

[Nechtan]

Thnaks for your replies

It really helps to know other people experience these things and awful feelings

Mark

It certainly does. When you experience something scary like this you think the worse and when you get no answers from the doctor your mind can really start to get confused. You know you are not right but you wonder what it is and whether people are taking you seriously.

I actually wrote about this episode a few weeks ago on my blog. If you would like to read it to see if you can relate to it you can find it here:

http://foreveranxious.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-story-part-v.html

All the best

Nechtan

[Henry1234]

Thnaks Nechtan - have read it and it sounds like me!!! thanks again I found it very interesting and useful

Mark

[Harrison]

What you describe is exactly what i am going through at the moment - well for the last few months - the dizziness, particularly the ear trouble - constantly popping, ringing and feeling muffled, as if someone has put a cotton bud in my ear and the feeling that nothing is real - almost blurry when you think back to what the day has held - like you say "an outsider looking in".

Out of all the anxiety symptoms i have suffered i never thought this was one of them - i even cut out the caffeine as i thought i was drinking too much coffee - my doctor told me it is anxiety.

You are not alone!!
Take care Sally:)

[tayside lassie]

Hi

I just wondered if anyone else here has to live with the daily battle of feeling faint and like you are about to pass out?

It seems worse when move around - it is vertigo and there is no spinning sensation - thankfully - sometimes vision is affected - things seem nearer or further away than they should - I bet that sounds completely mad but it does happen

It is ruining my life as I am constantly thinking 'this is it' etc etc and try not to go out as being in a shop etc seems to heighten it

It also makes me feel as if I am walking towards one side etc

Have had lots of tests etc and all negative

I do suffer from sinus inflammation and also have ear problems ie constant popping and ringing in them - could this be linked

I feel almost about to faint - but don't!! - also feel unreal as if reality has stopped and I am an outsider looking in

Find it all very scary and cant believe it is a normal anxiety thing - especially when I get it when I am not anxious

Thanks

Mark


hiya ..i feel the way you do ...i also suffer with sinus/ear problems have done for a number of years i believe it was the dizziness /fainty feeling that started off my anxiety/panic ..this time of the year does not help with all the colds and flu bugs that are around ..once the cold or flu bug goes it takes months for my dizziness to settle down ..

i cant offer any advice but just to let you know you re not alone .

sally..

[Nechtan]

This thread just goes to show how common the problem is and we are all anxiety sufferers so therein lies the link. The thing is though that when we first get these symptoms we have no idea what they are and visits to the GP are of no use whatsoever so are left bewildered. I wish I knew then that this was down to anxiety because I spent more than a year worried that I had a serious illness and the doctors were not taking me seriously and that worry only made these symptoms worse.

All the best

Nechtan

[Henry1234]

Very true Nechtan

I dont want to say I am happy - if you know what I mean - but feel better that other people have the same
It started my HA as well and can cope with most of the symptoms but this one continues to wear me down
thanks

Mark

[swajj]

I started having anxiety attacks 7 years ago. I remember that my first "symptom" was a problem with my vision. I was convinced that I was going blind. Reassurances from my doctor and optometrist did nothing to stem my fears and I ended up at the eye specialist. It was only after being examined by the eye specialist that I accepted that there was nothing wrong with my vision. Of course that was only the beginning and I ended up the same way most HA sufferers seem to end up - a new illness and set of symptoms to replace the old one. It was also at this time that I started experiencing the dizziness and the feelings of being off balance.

I'm new here and since arriving I've started to see that HA sufferers suffer many identical symptoms. I find it reassuring to say the least.

You problem certainly sounds like anxiety. I hope that it makes you feel better to know that your symptoms are shared by many of us here.

[tayside lassie]

hiya... i hate when i get that symptom "the vision problems " .... that would set me off into panic ....

i see your new here so a big welcome ..

[Henry1234]

Thanks - yes it is a reassurance to read others experiences etc

[june]

What you feel:
You feel suddenly light-headed, woozy or dizzy. This is sometimes accompanied by a feeling that you might faint or pass out. It also may feel as though you are walking on a boat, or that the floor seems to move up and down and it's hard to balance. You may also have difficulty placing your feet because your perception of the ground or floor may be wrong. In some cases it may seem that even though you are standing on a firm floor, the floor may be vibrating or moving.

This is a very common feeling that most sufferers get. It’s usually as a result of hyperventilation but also of intense fear and the adrenalin hit.
Hi, I have pasted this in from "symptoms" on the left of screen - Main Menu.
The underlined passage is one of my worst symptoms - it makes me feel sick and that makes me panic.
June

[swajj]

Thanks for the welcome.

I think I've probably always had a fear of going blind (for no logical reason at all) and so that was just the first symptom to arise from my anxiety. A few months after I first visited the eye specialist I went back because I had floaters. Luckily he was aware of my anxiety problems and assured me that floaters were not unusual and that he had them in one eye as well.

Of course once my vision problems were solved I managed to come up with something else. I started doing the rounds of specialists according to whatever illness I had convinced myself I had. Lung specialist, bone specialist etc etc. I finally ended up at the psychiatrist and with his help I managed to overcome my anxiety problems for 6 years. That is until last September when the vision problems returned and I did the doctor/optometrist/eye specialist thing again.

I'm here now because for the last couple of weeks I have had stomach problems (of course stomach cancer in my mind). My doctor diagnosed acid reflux but I was less than confident in that diagnosis. At some point I recognised that I might be going through another bout of anxiety and so I looked up anxiety and stomach problems on Google and some how found my way here. I think it's probably the best thing that I ever did.

[june]

:hugs: That is the problem we all have such vivid imaginations:blush:
we terrify our selves and then wonder why we panic.
I know all that but i can not stop the fears going the rounds time and time again.:weep:
Hope you feel better soon:yesyes:
June