No Imagination
21-01-09, 23:37
Hi,
Missed this forum when posting my first message so thought I'd post my own proper hello here. My story seems fairly similar to many really. Up until about 5 years ago I was a healthy active guy in his mid 20's. I played a lot of sport and had never had any real health issues. Then one day in late 2003 I suddenly started being unwell. At the time my GP thought I had a virus but after weeks of being unwell and losing weight I was referred to a specialist to take things further. Nothing specific was found and gradually I'd began to feel better anyway so that I thought was that. For a few weeks in early 2004 I was dizzy basically for want of a better description. My GP said it was an ear infection and after a few weeks it was fine and so was I. A year later the same thing happened again with the dizzy spell of a few weeks and again I was told it was an ear infection and just put up with it until it went away. About 5 months later it happened for a 3rd time and this time my GP felt something else was to blame and referred me to another specialist. Not long after I had something odd going on with my heart - strange beats and going to fast etc.
Anyway fast-forward to the present day and my 'dizzy spell' has now been permanently with me for the last couple of years and is apparently anxiety related in it's origin although now its triggered by visual stimulus, movement or anxiety. It's a vestibular problem which is a posh way of saying something wrong with my balance senses I think! Alongside that I also now have extrasystoles and it probably goes without saying anxiety and occasional panic attacks.
After chatting with my heart specialist last summer I feel as though I've got a much better handle on the heart issues or at least the extrasystoles although for the last few months I've been having spasms rather than just the pause and thud. These spasms have me concerned a bit as much because I don't want to go backwards after making progress rather than simply being worried about what they actually are themselves. The anxiety issues are a different matter partly because of my balance problems as it's always with me and the more I do the worse it gets - going shopping for example means using your eyes more and movement so my problem gets worse - I know it will happen now which makes me less flustered by it but queueing is an issue for me oddly and most of my panic attacks have happened when queueing or waiting for something.
I've seen a CBT but its not for me. At the end of the day the only person that can sort me out is myself and I know I'm making progress but every time I get the palps, or my balance problem gets really bad or I get anxious etc I slip backwards just a little bit. I guess that's why I'm here really to chat to and read about people going through the same things. My family are amazing and friends are great but they don't fully understand and to be honest I'm the type of person that would probably find it easier to talk to strangers than loved ones.
Phew well that's about it I think. First time I've ever wrote it all down like that. Hope that's not too long-winded!
N.I.
Missed this forum when posting my first message so thought I'd post my own proper hello here. My story seems fairly similar to many really. Up until about 5 years ago I was a healthy active guy in his mid 20's. I played a lot of sport and had never had any real health issues. Then one day in late 2003 I suddenly started being unwell. At the time my GP thought I had a virus but after weeks of being unwell and losing weight I was referred to a specialist to take things further. Nothing specific was found and gradually I'd began to feel better anyway so that I thought was that. For a few weeks in early 2004 I was dizzy basically for want of a better description. My GP said it was an ear infection and after a few weeks it was fine and so was I. A year later the same thing happened again with the dizzy spell of a few weeks and again I was told it was an ear infection and just put up with it until it went away. About 5 months later it happened for a 3rd time and this time my GP felt something else was to blame and referred me to another specialist. Not long after I had something odd going on with my heart - strange beats and going to fast etc.
Anyway fast-forward to the present day and my 'dizzy spell' has now been permanently with me for the last couple of years and is apparently anxiety related in it's origin although now its triggered by visual stimulus, movement or anxiety. It's a vestibular problem which is a posh way of saying something wrong with my balance senses I think! Alongside that I also now have extrasystoles and it probably goes without saying anxiety and occasional panic attacks.
After chatting with my heart specialist last summer I feel as though I've got a much better handle on the heart issues or at least the extrasystoles although for the last few months I've been having spasms rather than just the pause and thud. These spasms have me concerned a bit as much because I don't want to go backwards after making progress rather than simply being worried about what they actually are themselves. The anxiety issues are a different matter partly because of my balance problems as it's always with me and the more I do the worse it gets - going shopping for example means using your eyes more and movement so my problem gets worse - I know it will happen now which makes me less flustered by it but queueing is an issue for me oddly and most of my panic attacks have happened when queueing or waiting for something.
I've seen a CBT but its not for me. At the end of the day the only person that can sort me out is myself and I know I'm making progress but every time I get the palps, or my balance problem gets really bad or I get anxious etc I slip backwards just a little bit. I guess that's why I'm here really to chat to and read about people going through the same things. My family are amazing and friends are great but they don't fully understand and to be honest I'm the type of person that would probably find it easier to talk to strangers than loved ones.
Phew well that's about it I think. First time I've ever wrote it all down like that. Hope that's not too long-winded!
N.I.