Please help

[Eggy]

Last night i fainted and i had to be taken to hospital, They weren't very helpful as all they did was have a go at me and they never really done any tests, They only did my blood presssure and pulse and looked in my eyes.

What is a doctor looking for when they look into your eyes? Can they see a lot of things such as tumours etc?

I am still feeling extremely lightheaded and dizzy, my face feels like it's puffed out, I've got numbness/tingling in my left hand, I don't feel with it and i've got problems with my mouth and throat, I've never ever felt so bad in all my life, Recently things seem to be getting really bad.

I'm seeing my GP this afternoon so i hope they examine me thoroughly.

[paula lynne]

Hi Eggy...Im sorry you still feel unwell, and had to go to hospital again. The doctors must have been happy with your tests or they wouldnt have let you go home.
When you have your eyes examined, they check your pupils are equal and reacting to light. Yours must have been fine. Please believe me, I was a neurosurgical nurse.
They also look for trauma, inflammation etc.
Can I ask you something Eggy, and will you please reply?
Do you live alone?
Did you read the info on panic and anxiety as suggested by members and administrators yesterday?

I would really appreciate your response xxx thank you

[MidnightCalm]

My pupils haven't been equal for years :///

[debs71]

Hi Eggy,

When they look in your eyes they are checking you pupillary reflexes - how they react to the light. This indicates if there is an intracranial problem/ pressure that would make your pupils sluggish. If your pupils did not contract or react very well then they would investigate that further for yes, things like a bleed in the head, tumour, etc. They are looking for any physical/ neurological reason why you may have passed out.

It does sound very much to me like a vasovagal attack brought on by possibly your anxiety. Please try not to worry.xxxx

Take Care.

[suzy-sue]

Im sorry you fainted Eggy .You have been very anxious the past couple of days .When you go to the Drs write down all the things that are bothering you ,and tell the Dr to explain all your symptoms so you get peace of mind .Looking into your eyes can also tell if you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol .Also if you have been taking drugs and drinking . iI believe you have recently started Cipralex ? this will make your anxiety worse and can cause some of the symptoms you have .But it will settle after a couple of weeks .Discuss everything with your Dr and dont leave until you feel you have mentioned ALL your concerns .This isnt doing your anxiety any good .T/c Sue

[MidnightCalm]

Is an uneven pupil size bad in somebody whose had it for as long as they can remember? They still react fine.x

[paula lynne]

No its ok, youve had it ages. Its when it happens suddenly. Its a routine check, they would have been looking for it with Eggy. x

[traciec39]

Hi Midnightcalm

Ive had uneven pupils for years too, The doc said its aidies tonic pupil and harmless, more common in women than men.

Please dont worry x

[Nigel]

Hi Eggy,

We’re gonna have to start a whole new forum for all theses threads

But seriously, I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time with this at the moment. I used to worry about health issues too – still do a bit but I try to put it out of my mind. Looking back some of the things seem ridiculous now, but not at the time.

For example, a big worry was having appendicitis, because it was the scariest thing I was aware of at the time and involvied hospitals and operations and eeeek!!!
I was always noticing little pains and twinges in my left side, and the more I thought about them the more I noticed them. Then I heard somewhere that it’s actually on the right side, and over the next few weeks the pains and twinges migrated over to the right. It never occurred to me that real ailments don’t move around the body on cue like that

It progressed to other worries but they all just seemed to fade away when I was faced with a big change at work and had a lot of real things to worry about instead. Luckily there wasn’t the internet back then, and BTW, don’t tell me which side it actually is!!?

You seem to be doubting a lot of what the professionals say because they don’t appear to actually be ‘doing’ very much, but I’m sure they can tell and awful lot by doing a few simple checks and listening to what you describe. I can’t speak for the medical profession so I’ll have to give you an example from what I did.

I used to repair TVs (before plasma and LCD screens) and I must’ve heard a million times; “There’s no picture, I think the tube’s gone!” Well, armed with my professional experience I could virtually guarantee that wasn’t the case before even setting foot inside the door. Firstly it was uncommon for the tube to go – although it’s probably the most serious (ie expensive!) problem, and one that most people have heard of. See, jumping to the worst possible conclusion. And secondly, when a tube does fail it very very rarely does so giving the symptoms they were describing.

Just listening to how they described the fault would allow me to rule in and out certain things. Then switching on an carefully listening and feeling, and even smelling for certain things would often give a good clue, without even taking the back off. So while your doctor might not appear to have actually done very much, I’m sure they’ve done far more than you were aware of.

Have you read any of the info on the left yet? I would start with this page about Health Anxiety, and if you’ve already read it, read it again! It contains so many wise and comforting words. It was written by Meg – you probably don’t know her – but she was one of the most respected members on NMP in the early years. She struggled with anxiety and panic herself – and beat it – which is inspiration in itself. She is also a qualified nurse and therefore understands these problems from both perspectives.

Good luck at the doctors this afternoon. As Suzy-sue said, “dont leave until you feel you have mentioned your ALL your concerns”, and also make it clear that you’re struggling with health anxiety and could do with some extra reassurance above what might be given to other patients.

Then if he/she says all’s well, believe it

Take care,
Nigel

[Hazel B]

Eggy, please read carefully what Nigel has written. I have a similar health worry but manage to stay busy most days and keep it just at bay. Please tell your GP about all your health worries, they really can help.

As Paula Lynne said earlier, do you live alone? I ask this as sometimes another person can reassure you and you can talk to them. It keeps you busy if there's someone there to do things with.

Please read what Nigel has said, they are wise words and may help you. We are not doctors but we know the suffering of anxiety and want to help.