I’m a 34-year-old female who’s usually fit and healthy. But for the past month or two, I’ve been feeling fatigued, with on and off nausea and more recently slight light-headedness/dizziness. Given I have bad health anxiety and GAD, I’m worried it’s caused by something serious.
It all started after I sprained my back in June after a night on a bad bed. I haven’t slept very well since, waking up in pain several times a night. I went to the doctor about a month ago, and she said to stop doing yoga as it might aggravate it (I usually do it four times a week for fitness and anxiety), rest and take Panadeine and Ibuprofen for a week. I took her advice but around this time began to worry I had a spinal tumour or something serious and spent hours Googling my symptoms. Then, a couple of days after starting the medication for my back, I started to feel quite nauseous. I didn’t throw up but had to leave work early a few times. I decided it was from the medication, so stopped taking it. My back started to get better after a week anyway, and the nausea seemed to go a few days after stopping the medication.
Then, I went to the physio to get some Pilates exercises to strengthen my back. I did them for the first time and woke up with bad back pain again as the exercises must have aggravated the sprain. So I’ve been sleeping badly again for the past 10 days or so and unable to exercise apart from a couple of walks a week. Then, about five days ago, I started to feel a bit dizzy and lightheaded on and off throughout the day. It hasn’t been bad enough to render me bedridden, but I’ve had to take it easy. And yesterday I started feeling nauseous again.
I know I shouldn’t do this, but I’ve spent hours Googling possible causes and have freaked myself out. My rational brain says it could be from being rundown from the lack of sleep over the past month coupled with anxiety made worse by lack of exercise and constant worry about my symptoms. But my anxious brain is saying it could be something serious like cancer or a heart condition. And I’m too terrified to go to the doctor as I’m about to go on a five-week overseas holiday and don’t want bad news before I go.
Has anyone else experienced these symptoms?
Reply With Quote
