How do you trust symptoms are anxiety?

[RisingMoon]

Hi, I've had all kinds of weird symptoms the last few years, which are often put down to anxiety. The worst was night waking and not being able to get to sleep as I felt really tense and restless, and a horrible woozy nauseous feeling (like my balance was off, it felt like travel sickness) with a feeling of pressure or blockedness in my ears. I stopped eating wheat and dairy to see if it helped my asthma and the symptoms went away. After experimenting I have found that wheat causes the sleep problems and dairy causes the ear problems.

So my question is, how am I supposed to trust that my other symptoms are anxiety? It seems to me like if someone is anxious then doctors will dismiss symptoms as anxiety if they can't find an obvious cause. I have fatigue, excessive hunger, racing heart, ectopic beats and various other things and I am supposed to relax and not worry but how can I?! How do I know my aches and pains and puffy fingers and tiredness, headaches, racing heart etc aren't because of medical conditions or other food sensitivities etc? I'd love to be able to let go of researching and experimenting to try to feel better but I don't know how. I've had lots of blood tests for everything under the sun and the doctor says I am in excellent health despite me being seriously overweight due to feeling like I am having blood sugar crashes all day long! But then the doctor told me the sleeping problems were depression and the ear problems were a virus, and would never have recommended me going off wheat and dairy, so i find it hard to trust her.

[nikkipops]

It is hard to trust that the doctors know all about anxiety - mine seems to know very little about certain aspects. However, reading threads in this forums has assurred me that the things I feel when I'm anxious day-to-day and when I'm in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, are normal, and experienced by others too. If you've had all the blood tests I would think your doctor must be right in most instances. I remember when I had blood tests hoping that it was something physical that could be treated easily, that was making me panic, but looking at how all the symptoms seem to fit together and can be put down to things like too much adrenaline, I wouldn't worry too much that there are underlying problems.

Nikki

[RisingMoon]

I've actually found out that my symptoms weren't caused by anxiety. In fact all of them, including the anxiety, were caused by gluten intolerance. I am now gluten free and the symptoms are gone! Okay so I'll never be a laid back person but the adrenaliny, revved up feeling has gone along with everything else.

I know anxiety can cause physical symptoms but I'd urge anyone who has physical symptoms to take care to check out that they aren't caused by something physical. I went 5 yrs thinking my problems were due to anxiety/ stress/ depression, until I found out it was actually down to gluten!

My doctor seemed very quick to say my problems were psychological after only a few basic blood tests (which didn't include celiac disease) and it's only because of a friend suggesting I try going off wheat for my asthma that I am now on the road to health again.