Well hello, I haven't posted here before and will go along and introduce myself properly in a little while.
Well where do I start with my story? Settle down, make yourself comfortable and get yourself a brew everyone, it could be a long thread because I do tend to go around the houses, as you'll all soon find out....
I've had a few panic attacks here and there in the past, done all the reading up about them and seen the doctor, and I think that because I'd had them for so long that I sort of thought if they were going to kill me surely they'd have done it by now (I've had them 31 years in total) my attacks consisted of a sudden burst of fear, needed to get out/away from where I was, clammy hands, felt as though I wasn't there at the time and would also have a head rush, that although was quick and only lasted probably about 10 secs was the most scary of all the panic attack feelings.
So, up to last year I think I coped pretty well with the odd panic attack, until last October....... Suddenly out of the blue I started with a dull headachy feeling and when walking would feel as though I was walking to the left all of the time, I felt spaced out and 'not here' as though I would faint and fall over at any moment, I had a really bad worrying week over all these symptoms and eventually went to the walk in centre, as soon as I told them my symptoms they said 'it's a virus, it's going round', hmm I thought am I being fobbed off?
The feelings didn't go away so I went to the docs, actually I went to the walk in centre twice and my doctors twice, saw different doctors each time and almost before I had finished telling them all my symptoms they told me 'virus, it's going around don't worry'. I had this virus for 3 months and then after the 3 months for a couple of weeks I felt great, on top of the world, the 'virus' had gone, hurray. BUT THEN In Jan of this year I had a 'funny do' while out shopping and the 'virus' came back with a vengeance, but, this time (and up until 4 days ago) my mind ran wild with health fears like I'd never felt before . For some reason I put the sensible viral diagnosis last year to the back of my mind and went head first into a spiral of 'what if's', Brain Tumour, MS, Motor Neurone and a host of other illnesses came to be more believable to me than panic attacks/virus's/anxiety/stress etc.
Anyway I read all about viruses possible causes and cures, lurked on here every week and got comfort seeing others with similar symptoms, reading about other peoples worries kept me sane really, sorry everyone . Fast forward to 4 days ago now, I woke up and as soon as I got out of bed thought, I feel a bit better today, the same the next morning and the next.... I made myself think what could have been the problem with me, how did I feel better?
So cutting a long story short (yeah right) I'd read somewhere that viruses usually enter through your nose and live there quite happily because they can duplicate themselves by grabbing onto a 'host'...read up about it when you've time it does make sense. Well, as I was thinking about me and my mystery illness I realised that at my most 'dizzy, being not all there times' of life I always felt a bit bunged up in my nose and my ears felt cloggy...Medical terms they are, 'bunged up and cloggy' Could this be relative? Perhaps my sinuses had been clogged up, the mucus may have been pressing on my inner ear maybe causing the imbalance...and most of all maybe, just maybe the my doctor and the hospital staff where right with it being 'just a virus' but my mind chose to over ride that diagnosis, run away with me and eventually cause anxiety, stress, more panic attacks....and would more like me to believe it was much more likely be MS, tumour etc.

My symptoms where:

Walking off balance
Feeling of not being there
Palpitations
Checking my pulse continually (wrist behind knees and feet pulse!)
Slight muzzy head
Tiredness (I'm sure that was caused by the stress)
Fear of fainting, falling down in public that led to a fear of going out.
Reading on the internet all about my symptoms !
Doing all of the balance tests that specialists apparantly put you through, I did these constantly, checking and double checking that my balance was sort of okay. I found them online can't remember how though, but sometimes just by passing a set 'test' can put your mind at rest.

Anyway to sum up, if you have the balance issue, and haven't already been checked out, and feel clogged up across your forehead, ears etc. try to unblock the tubes.....inhaling menthol crystals, vicks inhalers, sinutabs (although I haven't used these). I think you can do a nasal rinse, I haven't tried that either.

You do realise that I could have saved my time and yours by just saying
'Feel dizzy? Unbung your nose!'
but hey never mind, it's passed a few minutes for me typing this lot and you having to read it.

Keep well everyone and stay strong
XXXX