View Full Version : scared of this feeling in my head
For the past month of more I've had this horrible feeling of pressure in my head, headaches and dizziness.
I went to the doctor who diagnosed a sinus infection and prescribed anti-biotics. They upset my stomach so badly that on day three I stopped taking them. I felt relieved that I'd been diagnosed with something 'normal' and although I stopped taking the medication I just assumed I'd get better. I didn't and the anxiety has returned big-time.
Now I dont know what's happening. Is the anxiety causing this or am I ill? Or is it both? I'm now so anxious I can't eat and am feeling desperate.
My husband is so annoyed because he says we've been through this so many times, where I think I'm ill and meantime it's just the anxiety causing the symptoms. He thinks it's a waste of money to go and get tests done but that's the only way I can get relief - with reassurance that there's nothing medically wrong with me.
He's right that this happens often, I agree. But I don't want to be like this, I just can't seem to control it.
He feels I should put these silly thoughts out of my head and get on with my life. I WISH I could!
Would anxiety be doing this to me:
Dizziness, pressure inside my head, headaches mostly from the neck up the back of my head. Pain around my eyes and nose.
Can anyone please advise me, I'm really so scared and desperate.
Thanks very much
Becky
My anxiety has caused a whole host of symptoms and all of those you describe.
I have also been round in those circles of I feel something is definitely wrong - have a test to "prove" it's anxiety and find I have a different symptom and so forth.
It is difficult to accept that anxiety can cause so many physical symptoms but if you are so anxious you cannot eat then please see your doctor again - I am sure they would be more than happy to offer reassurance about the cause of your symptoms.
Thanks so much for replying. I've read some of your posts and can see that you have lots of experience with this disorder.
I feel so embarrassed that I can't be a 'normal' wife to my husband - tat I always appear to have something wrong with me and 9 times out of 10 it turns out to be nothing. I almost wish some times that it IS something just so I can say "see, I told you so"!!!
It's difficult going to the doctor just for peace of mind since it's so expensive in this country. Having tests done costs alot too and I just can't afford it especially if it's anxiety and I don't actually need any treatment.
I would love to get some counselling but that's also very expensive.
I'm just so grateful that I could go on this site and get help from people who experience similar symptoms to mine.
You're right, it's difficult to accept that anxiety can cause all these symptoms - I can accept butterflies in my tummy and a headache, some shaking or breathing problems but this constant head-ache, neck-ache, bloated feeling in my head - it just downright scares me!
Thanks anyway for your help.
There must surely be a way to overcome this problem. Do people live their whole lives like this or do we get t grow out of it eventually?
I suppose that's up to us....
Thanks
Becky
looking4answers
01-10-10, 06:43
Sounds like sinus to me.Best thing to do .Try to find out how to take the antibiotics without it upsetting your stomach. I assure you the symptoms you are presenting are classic sinus probs..But I do understand the issue with the meds..No one knows better than me about that problem,but then I always stop taking them too just about the time
it would be getting better. Good luck and hope you feel better.
I agree it sounds as though your sinuses are the problem, as I suffer with them quite a lot myself.
Thinking about your original post though; you say that you end up having tests to "prove" that you haven't got a problem, which is what has happened to a lot of us here. What we all have to accept though, is that the anxiety is the problem. It's as real as the physical symptoms we are suffering, but until we accept them as anxiety we have no hope of getting better.
Hi Becky
Iv just had a sinus infection and have had all of those symptoms.
Iv just finished the antibiotics and the symptoms have nearly gone.
My anxiety is quite bad at the moment so i am getting the headaches and light headed feelings which is my anxiety.
love mandie x
Thankyou. I wonder if there's any chance of this sinus infection just clearing up by itself? It's been like this for over a month which is why I'm worrying - does a sinus infection last so long? I suppose I'll have to go and get some more anti-biotics. I would so love for it to clear up. At the moment I don't know what to blame on anxiety and what to blame on the sinus infection. I feel such a mess!
Thanks for all the replies and help xx
I've had very similar symptoms to you that has been going on for about 6months now it started when i was pregnant and has carried on since although it is a bit better now,i have been to several drs who all said it was muscle tension in my neck/shoulder causing the headaches.
After a few months of this pain i was not convinced it was just muscle tension got myself into major anxieties over this as i was postive it was a brain tumor,so my dr sent me for a mri which came back normal.
Since the mri it got much better intill i started stressing about other health issues.
So maybe yours is caused by tension too,just a idea.
Thank you so much - always reassuring to hear that someone has similar symptoms. I must admit that alot of my pain is in my neck going up the back of my head which I know is tension but the rest of it - the dizziness and pressure inside my head - hmmm that's really causing me alot of worries. I've noticed though that when I'm calm it seems to almost disappear and when I stress then it's really bad so I suppose it must be caused by anxiety. I just find it so hard to believe that anxiety can make me feel this ill. I wish someone could explain why it's happening and what exactly is causing it. Did your doctor explain at all to you?
No not really but from what i can gather when the muscles in the back of your head become tense/strained etc it can cause tension type headaches that refer pain all over your head behind eyes etc i also got really bad dizziness which was made worse by the anxiety.
I read a thread on here saying that there is a particular muscle in your neck that when tensed can cause dizziness.
Sinus problems can go on for a long time, on and off, if not treated. I would be inclined to ask for some different antibiotics from the doc, and see if you can last the whole course.
Thankyou. I'm now quite sure it's my sinuses and am on some homeopathic treatment. Now that I know what's wrong and the anxiety has calmed down I don't feel half as bad. I suspect that a large part of my symptoms were due to the anxiety although the sinusitis isn't nice either. It's always so difficult not being able to recognise what symptoms are due to anxiety and what are due to an illness. I feel unable to judge these feelings anymore. how silly that I can't tell anymore whether I'm truly ill or not...
have had the same feelings,the worst was last year Oct.-Dec. I thought I was dying. When i went to the emergency room they said anxiety.My symptoms were horrible head pressure like somebody pressing down on my head,dizziness off balance,contracting scalp or spasms,crying scared everyday.Took xanax symptoms got a little better over the year,my life was sort of normal again.Now i am feeling same way again,I am sure if i was really sick it would have gotten worse,and this time of year ,my sinuses are blocked,I think it is a combination of sinus and anxiety.I sleep good every night,when i wake up my anxiety gets worse and I don't leave the house much.Anyway just wanted to let you know you are not alone & it is very hard to get over this yourself,you should talk to a doctor to help you with your anxiety.
You are not alone I'm having the same problem as u it started 2 months ago with being lightheaded and sinus pressure and funny feeling s in head and having a motion feeling when still went to dr was sinus infection same as u and anxiety both.my dr is also my therapist she sent me for test and blood work all good.but it hard for me to except sinus and anxiety is causing the problem. I'm really scared to just hang in there it will get better.
Sinus problems always seem to be the trigger with my anxiety !.. It first started 10 years ago but as my blood tests were so good the GP said sinus infection will likely clear by itself, and it did.. Have had them recurring though over the years.. About 8 months ago it started up again but had dizziness and bad neck and shoulder tension with it.
The GP explained about muscles running up neck to small bones in ear and causing dizziness when very tense and also that sinus issues can cause dizziness.
I was diagnosed with Perennial Allergic rhinitis.. There are a few triggers for my sinus problems.. perfumes, chemical smells, aerosols, and some foods as well and also pollens.
I get what you have described, like pressure in my head & it makes you feel dizzy sometimes. It does worry me (used to have health anxiety) but I really don't think it is anything serious, it's suprising how many symptoms come from anxiety! I have realised I am always tense in my face & head due to always feeling on edge/anxious, I think that's why my head always feels this way, because I'm always tense my head feels like theres lots of pressure, then when you relax, it releases the pressure which then causes you to feel abit dizzy - hard to explain, but I really wouldn't worry (I know it's easier said than done though!)
-J
have had the same feelings,the worst was last year Oct.-Dec. I thought I was dying. When i went to the emergency room they said anxiety.My symptoms were horrible head pressure like somebody pressing down on my head,dizziness off balance,contracting scalp or spasms,crying scared everyday.Took xanax symptoms got a little better over the year,my life was sort of normal again.Now i am feeling same way again,I am sure if i was really sick it would have gotten worse,and this time of year ,my sinuses are blocked,I think it is a combination of sinus and anxiety.I sleep good every night,when i wake up my anxiety gets worse and I don't leave the house much.Anyway just wanted to let you know you are not alone & it is very hard to get over this yourself,you should talk to a doctor to help you with your anxiety.
Thankyou.
I've found a wonderful doctor who understands exactly what's happening. He explained in detail and it has brought me alot of relief.
He explained that the adrenaline that's released into our bodies at times of stress is then (if not needed) neutralised by something called cortisol. Over a long period of time (for me it's 18 years) the body stops producing this cortisol - I think because of over-use.
So now that there's nothing to neutralise the adrenaline it causes problems in your body such as inflammation - can be sinusitis - and weakens your immune system. This explains why we often feel ill but we're not sure what's actually wrong and we blame it on anxiety but don't know why.
What he's doing is using accupuncture to try and get my body to produce cortisol again and he's also prescribed alot of supplements (and no drugs) to try and sort out the damage done by all the anxiety.
I feel relieved but, physically I don't feel any better and in fact today I'm even more dizzy. I wonder if it's because at the beginning of my accupuncture session (I was scared!) I had a small panic attack and maybe this dizziness is a result of more adrenaline flooding my body.
I have discovered though, that if I get myself busy or involved chatting with someone (not about my problems!) that I seem to forget how I'm feeling, which tells me that the symptoms can't be that bad.
And as you mentioned and I agree, if I am so ill surely now, after seven weeks, I would be much worse.
I hope this helps you and I'm sorry that you're not feeling good yourself at the moment. Oh yes, the symptoms are a mixture of sinus and anxiety - funny that we both have the same thing. I hope you get better soon.
xx
Sinus problems always seem to be the trigger with my anxiety !.. It first started 10 years ago but as my blood tests were so good the GP said sinus infection will likely clear by itself, and it did.. Have had them recurring though over the years.. About 8 months ago it started up again but had dizziness and bad neck and shoulder tension with it.
The GP explained about muscles running up neck to small bones in ear and causing dizziness when very tense and also that sinus issues can cause dizziness.
I was diagnosed with Perennial Allergic rhinitis.. There are a few triggers for my sinus problems.. perfumes, chemical smells, aerosols, and some foods as well and also pollens.
Thanks. How long does a sinus attack usually last? And what sort of foods trigger it or what foods should you avoid when you have sinusitis?
I also have neck pain which goes up the back of my head but I've been told this is due to tension and anxiety and not the sinus which is usually the front part of the head.
I get what you have described, like pressure in my head & it makes you feel dizzy sometimes. It does worry me (used to have health anxiety) but I really don't think it is anything serious, it's suprising how many symptoms come from anxiety! I have realised I am always tense in my face & head due to always feeling on edge/anxious, I think that's why my head always feels this way, because I'm always tense my head feels like theres lots of pressure, then when you relax, it releases the pressure which then causes you to feel abit dizzy - hard to explain, but I really wouldn't worry (I know it's easier said than done though!)
-J
Thanks. I've also noticed that when I keep myself busy or get involved in chatting with someone, the symptoms almost disappear which then tells me that they can't be quite as sever as they seem to be when I'm alone and concentrating 100% on them.
You are not alone I'm having the same problem as u it started 2 months ago with being lightheaded and sinus pressure and funny feeling s in head and having a motion feeling when still went to dr was sinus infection same as u and anxiety both.my dr is also my therapist she sent me for test and blood work all good.but it hard for me to except sinus and anxiety is causing the problem. I'm really scared to just hang in there it will get better.
Hi Linda. It's great to know I'm not alone and I hope we can all help each other. Have a look at my reply about the doctor I went to yesterday for accupuncture. I'm SO hoping that this is going to solve my problems (18 years of anxiety is alot to put my poor body through!)
Take care and hope you feel better soon
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