I diagnose a new illness every day!

[Iainymeany]

Hi all. My panic first started about a year ago. I always knew I had a slight irregular heart beat and once I started to get a tightness in my chest for a few days (possibly wind!) I started to think it was something bad. I was at work one day, with this playing on my mind and all of a sudden, I had a dizzy spell, started sweating like mad, had pins and needles all down my arms, pain in my chest etc etc.....I thought I'd met my maker. An ambulance was called due to my 'heart attack' and my ECG came back clear. It was then I first heard the anxiety as being the cause. I wasn't convinced.

On and off for the next few weeks, with me not believing the doctors, I was in and out of casualty due to several uncontrollable 'heart attacks'. I could not accept that these were panic attacks. I was off work for a number of weeks as I was a wreck. Frightened to wake up, frightened to go to sleep. All I could think of was 'when will it happen again?'.

To cut a long story short (you are all familiar with this I'm sure), I saw a CBT nurse, was on Citalopram and did a lot of self help work. I turned a corner I thought.

However, I have now accepted that my heart is fine. And I have inevitably moved onto the 'brain tumour'. I saw a doctor a number of months ago about my worries and they said it was just anxiety. But in the last few weeks, I feel like my symptoms have got worse. To name a few, the below are on and off -

- Headaches
- Stuffy head
- Tinnitus (or constant ringing in my ears)
- Twitching
- Pressure in my head
- Dizziness - particularly when I'm just falling asleep, I get an awful 'falling sensation' and feel the room is spinning
- Feel dizzy/off balance if for example I'm seeing a band and the singer for example hits a high note
- Sharp stabbing head pains

The list goes on and on.......

The two I feel most concerned about at the moment are the tinnitus and the dizziness when hearing loud noises.

I'm really trying hard not to hit rock bottom like I did at the start of the year but it's so hard. Dr Google is not helping either. I don't look for symptoms on Google, I only try to look for reassurance. For example, I look to see who else has had the same symptoms as me and has been told they are fine or that the symptoms are for some trivial illness. I haven't had an MRI. I'm fed up of going to the doctors, but also scared stiff of it!

Can someone please give me some reassurance. It's driving me round the bend!

Thank you all.

[sammi]

All symptoms of anxiety by the sound of it hun. I know what you mean about trying not to hit rock bottem again. My anxiety was really bad last year the same as you in and out of a&e convinced I was having an heart attack. We will get through this again I'm sure. Good luck xx

[baileys]

They are my list of symptoms too, and many more.
I think this is what happens when we are anxious all the time, the muscles in our heads are so tense and cause all these symptoms, i find it impossible to get rid of them, i need a new head:wacko:

[alicegreen]

It all sounds like classic anxiety to me.
Do you do any regular relaxation/meditation?
I have found this really helps me, and I do it daily regardless, even though I have been better anxiety wise for weeks now. It helps to chip away at the daily anxieties and keep the levels manageable.

[Natalie x]

All the symptoms above sound like anxiety although we dont think that they are. It's so easy to get yourself into a tizzy over things. Just stick at your cbt and im sure you will get there. As my therapist said, it wont happen overnight and it's completely normal to have lows. Just try not to beat yourself up about it, as hard as it is x

[paula lynne]

Oh hun its awful isnt it..but I get all the same symptoms as you, and the dizzyness is the worst. Its hard when someone says.."its JUST" anxiety...what do you mean JUST anxiety I say!! Its ruined my life!! I hope you feel better soon, youre not alone xxxxx:hugs:

[sammi]

I couldn't agree more paula lynne :) it so does ruin your life xx

[ewood79]

hey all, my doctor calls it symptom swapping..... Once we get over one, boom there is another one ready to take over our every worry...... Sometimes ones we have had before can come back but its just the anxiety...... This too shall pass!

Good luck

[Eggy]

I know what you mean IAINYMEANY, I have gone through a few different illnesses that i thought i might have, Right now i am totally convinced i have Motor Neurone Disease.

[Iainymeany]

Thank you all for your replies. It sounds horrible but it's comforting to know there are so many others out there that feel like I do.

I was on citalopram which did help but I really do not want to start on them again. I would rather learn to cope with my anxiety than rely on meds. Plus the withdrawal symptoms were worse than the anxiety and I couldn't face that again!

It's amazing what your head can do to you. It's such a complex thing and it is literally doing my head in ha.

If only I could stop the tinnitus and dizziness then I would be so much happier.

I have come to learn that anxiety is also such a misunderstood illness. There is almost a stigma attached to it that it's hard to tell people I suffer from it because I'm sure they would think "oh get over it". It really isn't that simple!

We will all get through this I'm sure.

Keep smiling!

[paula lynne]

Thats a good positive attitude, and will help. Hope the dizzy and tinnitus subsides soon. Ive decided Im ignoring my dizzy today and Im going to paint my kitchen! Have a good day x:D

[duggyfresh]

I've been having all these symptoms plus a few more over the past couple of weeks. By coming on here and going to see the Doctor I'm coming to accept that it's anxiety feeding itself, which is the worst part of it. I find if I ignore them they tend to go away.

[june]

:hugs:over the last 3 years when i read a post like yours i just give this address
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms/
You can usually tick off most of your list in there:hugs:
Best wishes
June
:hugs:
PS. I still panic and suffer from anxiety and I still pop back there for reasurance:yesyes:

[Mandylp1]

OMG i know exactly how you feel, i really do. I felt this way from April to July this year, and was constantly on edge, i suffer with anxiety badly and had all of those symptoms, the tinnitus was my worst thing too, and dizzy, looking back i think it was mostly anxiety, but it happened after i fell and banged my head, the tinnitus used to frustrate me so much, cause it was always there, there was never silence, its amazing how annoying it is. That wierd feeling you decribe with the music and high sound strange feeling, im so glad its not just me. I had floaters in my eyes, headaches, numbness etc.

I went to a&e in july in a panic and fed up of crying every night waiting for something bad to happen. I had a ct scan all was fine, and i did feel better straight away (despite abit of paranoia that he was lying to me :-S ), my tinnitus has now mostly gone, comes and goes if im tired, or its been noisy. I was ok for a few weeks, and i think its rooted itself somewhat as i do suffer from anxiety about all sorts now, which is annoying, as i used to be so rational!

I am starting 3months of CBT in a couple of weeks to try and help me get on with my life, i really hope it helps me.

But anyway, you're not the only one, i couldnt believe anxiety could be responsible for so many feelings, but hormones, and adrenaline have a lot to answer for!!

xx

[AF1]

this anxiety is a nightmare, i thought i had heart problems like you and ended up going to hospital. I then managed to convince myself i had bowel cancer it's like i'm always looking for new symptoms:scared11:

[Dazza]

I TOTALLY sympathise with you...It's as if you've written my experiences with anxiety....

mine all started with ambulance trips to A& E for 'heart attacks' too. Too months of testing etc to calm me down, then it was MS, then it was congestive heart failure, then it was DVT, then it was strokes, then it was brain tumours.

All i can say is that your Drs would have found something if you had something serious. I feel as frustrated as you do..it drives me potty / scared / angry. I was crying on the phone to a friend last night, as i got really anxious, convinvced that symptoms i had were due to congestive heart failure.

just try to relax, do things that take your mind off it, and keep on speaking to people who give you support.

PS. i also got the horrible dizzy feeling just when falling asleep and sometimes get the gasping for air just as falling asleep. horrible feeling.

take care mate. good luck with it all.

[miniholly]

definitley sounds like anxiety pains to me hun :) i get really bad ones too (chest, ribs, head etc) whenever i become stressed and i can understand the diagnoising yourself with a new illness bit too, but it does sound like anxiety to me :) take care of yourself xxx

[Jillian]

i really thought I was the only one.

I got a lame feeling in my arm and a pain in my chest three years ago. My husband rushed me to the emergency room and they did all the tests, which came out fine. Two months later, the same thing happened and the tests were fine again. The same thing has been happening for the past three years.

I then started hearing popping noises in my head and was convinced I had either a brain tumor or I was getting a stroke.

I have now been through DVT, Bells Palsy, Cervical cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, the list goes on and on. I have not tested positive for any of these things - only for a pinched nerve in my neck, which I have been told can cause the arm and chest pain and numbness in my face.

[dodo]

I sympathise with the tinnatus. I have had it for so long. If I distract myself and am busy I don't notice it but when it's quiet or when I'm in bed etc I notice it so badly. Sometimes it feels like my ears are full and my head is blocked up all the time (but without a cold IYKWIM). I am dizzy too at the moment.

I suppose as a pp said, it could all be muscles in the head.

It certainly won't be a tumour though. As pp said it is symptom swapping which is what makes HA such an awful thing to have.

Once you have gotten over your fear a completely new one comes to replace it, or a panic attack changes in some way to make you think, but what if. It's so awful.