Am I suffering from anxiety?

[newby]

Im sorry if this is not the right place to post this but im not sure where to start and have such a bad internet connection for searching through the site just now.

Im so scared I just dont know whats wrong with me and from lookin up on the net I keep ending up with Anxiety, but when what happens happens im chilled out watching tv or brousing the shops so makes the anxiety idea seem a bit unlikley but im hoping someone sufferere might have some ideas for me.

It all started about 6 months ago, I was on holidays and sitting down to dinner and felt a little odd, My vision was funny but not blured maybe shaky ish it graduly got worse and I started to feel odd, I asked my other half to leave and we got up to go into the hotel, I felt as though I was going to loose conciousness and my hands and back of head went tingly and my heart was racing, Now i know they are all panic attack symptoms but im not sure if that was part of what was happening of if it was a reaction to the fright from thinking I was going to loose conciousness, To cut a long story short ( ish) the hotel called the doctor who gave me diazapan and no explanation.

Back home a week later I had the same thing happen but withough the vision part, I was on the sofa watching tv and my head started to feel funny like a wave of woozyness and my heart was racing, I was shivery too and my mouth went dry, I just felt realy funny,

Since then I have had regular instances of various mixes of symptoms including the mentions above fluttering feeling in my chest / stomach paing in my neck , headache, strange thoughts and general feeling that something is not right, I did go to see my GP about the woozyness but he didnt think much of it but did mention I was a bit "shaky"

It is probably worth mentioning I have always been a worrier and a over thinker but not to a point that ever caused any problems, I also lost my father in Feburary and on the holiday when it first happened I got engaged, bit of happy and sad there so not sure if it is any relevance.

Does this sound like anxiety or maybe something medical?

Any ideas would be great as my doctor is not the best and i keep thinking there something serious wrong but then i read that that in its self is a symptom ahhhh i feel like im going mad

[Anxious_gal]

did the diazapan help with the symptoms? if it did work then chances are good you had anxiety.
if you were drinking before , or were too warm or had a long day that could explain the funny vision which triggered off the anxiety.
I get it too, the sitting down, every thing is ok then wosh i feel weird, my head is strange, i don't feel my self anymore, all just anxiety.

the fluttery feeling is heart palpations which is normally caused by your anxiety.

it all sounds like anxiety. every single one of your symptoms say anxiety to me.
have you had any tests at all? if not go get them done even if you need to change your doctor.
get the thyroid test EVERY 6 months, the symptoms mimic anxiety, but it can take years for it to actually show up in a blood test.
full blood test. low levels of vitamin B can mimic anxiety.
have your doc check your blood pressure and listen to your heart.

the next step is therapy, it's best to sort it out early as anxiety has a tendency to worsen over time. CBT therapy seems to be best from my experience.

comon anxxiety symptoms are:
racing mind,
not being able to concentrate,
feeling nervous but not sure why,
being jumpy,
always thinking of the worst that can happen,
worrying over your health, over reaction to symptoms, like your heart feels weird so you think your having a heart attack, fear of getting dizzy, being on your own, waking up feeling scared, racing heart, feeling detached, feeling like things aren't real, sweat, tingling, numbness, feeling weak or shaky, short of breath , feeling warm, feeling like something is not quite right but not being able to pinpoint what is wrong.

[elainey70]

Hi

It does sound like you have anxiety. As the previous post says go back to your GP and get everything ellse ruled out.

Take care x

[Groundhog]

Hmm certainly your symptoms are those of anxiety, it’s a pity your doctor is not more pro-active as I would have thought some simple blood tests to rule out anything going on physically would be a first step.

You say there is nothing particularly to set the anxiety off. That’s what I thought when I first got symptoms but when you sit and analyse, particularly with a therapist, you begin to realise in fact there are things, often small things, that combine or clash with an episode in your life and of you go.

I would suggest going back to your doctor or another doctor because clearly something is not right and whether it’s a simple medical problem (Cant be anything major if you are OK between episodes) or anxiety it addressing. :)

[newby]

Thank you so much for your quick replys, It was very helpfull, I guess horrible as it is id rather have anxiety than cancer/ brain tumour and all the other things i convince my self i have,

Funny enough i have suffered so many of the symptoms you listed and just put it down to tiredness ect, I should have mentioned that the doctor did test for thyroid and it came back clear and a few months prior i was at the doctor for something else and mentioned the woozyness and she done a full blood count ( for that and my other concers) I was scared I had leukemia which my dad had just passed away from but again they all came back normal,

Not too sure if I like the idea of therepy but maybe self help might work for me, are there any alternative treatments? accupuncture or that kind of thing?

[Groundhog]

Hi again.
Therapy works, or it did for me and I’m pretty sceptical. It worked for me because I’m a very private person in real life and I was able to ‘unload’ to a therapist, I told her all sorts and she listened and gave me constructive feedback. I have my last session on Monday and I feel it has been a major step forward.
I also take natural meds to help along with healthy eating, exercise and positive thoughts. Different things work for different people and only you will know what’s best because you know yourself better than anyone. :)

[newby]

If you dont mind me askin and I know its a bid odd but how did you go about starting the therepy, I think I just feel strange making an appointment and goin in and where to start, I have always been a bottler and not one for talking about how i feel, I can kind of see how talking could help but i dont know how to explain but it I wouldnt kow where to start and think I would feel stupid if that makes any sense?

Also thinking about it when i am thinking about certain things Im struggling with they upset me and i just suck it up and try not let my other half notice i almost cried but when that happens none of the symptoms i suffer happen , they only happen wen im not thinking about any of the things that I have going on so maybe the actual problem is not anxiety while i possibly do have stress issues seperatly?

[Groundhog]

There are lots of different types of therapy so it may pay you to have a look around this site or the internet to find one you are comfortable with or post on the therapy section and ask what worked for others.

You can be referred for NHS therapy and which case your doc will refer you so you may not get a choice, I went private so I Goggled therapists in my area and got a list up with explanations as to what they offered, their credentials etc etc. To be honest most of mine was accomplished merely by offloading my pent up feelings and being able to chat with someone neutral as it were – does that make sense. She sort of meshed together what I considered unimportant events and made it all make sense. A lot of therapists can find episodes in your life that start these irrational thoughts.