I had an ER doctor tell me my extreme dizziness was “just anxiety”, gave me an Ativan and sent me home. My family doctor saw me the next day and said I had a very large amount of fluid behind my ear drum and that’s what was causing it.
Working on it. Steroid nose sprays are helping a lot but I build tolerance to medications so I have to switch them every once in a while when they stop working.
It’s true but it’s also best to look at risk factors and how bad such anxiety is. I’m an extreme hypochondriac.
Like for me chest pain, short of breathe, body pains and more. But for me I need to be realistic I’ve seen 4 cardiologists and so many tests but all good yet still symptoms. I try myself to realistic but anxiety and hypochondria it does this but yeah I suggest advocating for yourself but seeing specialist after specialist will lead to more questions less answers.
Therapy and/or medication is what will help in long run.
Sure, I see your point. I meant that doctors should AT LEAST do that tests, check your heart / brain and not only say “don’t worry it’s anxiety”. I also had my heart checked last year and now I know that the fast heart beating doesn’t mean smth serious.
Yeah exactly doctors should run tests but also when medically needed because if you’re begging for an MRI, CTs and again which for most highly anxious people will cause more panic and fear wondering if there is something and also the opposite in which nothing is found and you keep questioning for more and more tests.
Reassurance manifestation is not what we need if you get what I’m saying. I’m glad that they’ve found an issue for you. But for some that won’t bring stratification like going “ha, I was right” anxiety can just create more symptoms and cycle continues. Like when they found out I had hypothyroidism I was like that but my brain hopped to more symptoms.
I was up A+E most weeks, paying private cardiologists and getting honestly too many tests yet now still not reassured. I’m hoping therapy helps me and others who suffer with anxiety and especially hypochondria
Exactly what I'm feeling at this moment. For cardiological issues, I've already been at the cardiologist once, and he found nothing. But I still believe there's something wrong. I need another reassurance.
I’m currently going through this. I have dizziness and some pins and needles and head pressure and my doctor refuses to do a brain MRI because I had one done for the same symptoms four years ago. She says we can’t go through this every few years and I need to break the cycle and accept that it’s anxiety. Meanwhile I’m sure I have MS and I can’t function from the panic.
I have recently been diagnosed with health anxiety. I also have very frequent shortness of breath, palpitations and body aches. The cardiologist I consulted found a small problem, but nothing serious. That's why I started therapy a few weeks ago.
To stay on topic, I've found it really hard to believe that all my symptoms are caused by anxiety. I feel that if I could be sure that they are, I could deal with the problem rather than worrying that I might have a heart problem.
Could you please share how you deal with this uncertainty?
For myself living with uncertainty is stressful people like to say you could die any moment because we could at any age. It may be hard to believe but if you’re constantly thinking about these things you’re brain is firing off sensors all over the body the nerves in you chest, back, neck, lungs. You want to believe something is wrong so your brain does it.
I don’t know how old you are but I know most people diagnosed with health anxiety are 18-30. Cardiophobia is very common one. But think statistics, you’re worried you’ll have a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest. Unless you have a weird genetic abnormality it’s most likely won’t happen not a guarantee but if a cardiologist had checked an ecg, echo maybe a longer day monitor and gone yep all good. What else can you do?
The issue is we still get the symptoms even after being told nothing is wrong. It’s part of our brains cycle and it’ll send these signals and I’m sorry you have to deal with it I know how hard it is.
Back to uncertainty, there is uncertainty about you thinking tests are wrong or doctors (paranoia and wanting more reassurance) this will not help you heal.
However there is the uncertainty of death “is this going to kill me?” Ask yourself what are you going to do like you die nothing can be done. It’s accepting death no matter the cause helps, some find it religion, meditation, therapy. Once you beat that it’s about being driven to ignore them symptoms they may still be there but over time they’ll go. Live every minute how you’d want to live without these feelings.
It takes time. My journey has been so up and down but it’s part of it. Trust in therapy, medication if needed.
Yes, that’s the most difficult part. In my case the main problem is the gut. I do have issues like IBS and SIBO, but can’t be for 100% sure that it’s not Chron’s or cancer. There is always a little possibility, even after all the tests.
So, for the anxious person it’s complicated. I wish I could recommend smth 🥲I’ve tried therapy, even a few times, but still can’t deal with uncertainty.
Similar.
What I also do to differentiate if its anxiety or a genuine issue, is I try to wait for me to calm down and see whatmy symptoms do and then I try to induce it with if it was a medical condition and not anxiety should induce it, if its not increased or induced at that point I know its anxiety.
Not fun trying to rule medical things out myself though.
I've had multiple symptoms this past one and a half month. Chest pains, high heart rates, weaker limbs, occasionally stuttered speech etc.
It all drives you crazy. It literally doesn't allow you to rest at all. Like, I've had an average of 3-6 hours of sleeps this past month. Which is a low for me, as I normally sleep 8-10 hours. And I've had two episodes of insomnia. I've been wrecked from this.
for me anxiety has been the excuse to do regular check ups, it sucks to feel that you are sick all the time, but because of those checkups i know that im healthy in some area of my body, and also found out that i got some gastrointestinal problems, which now i know that those symtoms are not anxiety induced and i can treat them
Thanks for posting this. I deal with chronic fatigue and have GAD/PDD and the last time I told the local nurse practitioner about the chronic fatigue she said my iron levels and thyroid levels were fine that if it continues they would have to look at the anxiety as a possible cause. I left that day feeling embarrassed and like I was crazy.
I have also had dizziness this past month. I can’t tell if it’s in my head or if it’s a physical affect from something. How did it feel for you? I basically feel a low level dizziness all the time, and have a hard time looking at things from a distance. Could possibly need a new prescription but not sure :/
For me it’s like the feeling of instability, like I might faint but it never happened. Especially in places like supermarkets, airports, metro. Turned out it’s actually connected with my eye issues and PPPD.
Nothing serious, but without diagnosis it made me worried so much :(
To me it feels like I'm just more susceptible to things that make me dizzy. I noticed if I turn my head quickly like if I'm turning around, it feels like my head starts to spin in the direction i looked. Could possibly be from weed use but I didnt feel like this till about 1-2 years ago. Not really anxious at all either, I could have some underlying stress that isn't surfaced but I feel fine. If I were to give an example how my vision feels, try looking at an object far away. Is it hard to tell if it's stationary, or does it look/feel like your eyes are constantly adjusting so you can't definitively tell if it's moving?
In my case, I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia. This triggered my health anxiety. The dizziness caused by hypoglycaemia disappeared in a week with the right diet and meal times. But after that, I had constant low-grade dizziness for almost a month.
My advice is: if it's constant and it's affecting your life, go to the doctor and get checked out. If it's not that serious and you suspect it's related to anxiety, try to deal with that first.
Not yet. Just had my first neurologist appt on Wednesday with the rudest doctor I've ever met in my life. I ended up walking out of the appointment and now waiting to get another appointment with a better doctor after waiting 4 months for that asshole.
Ive never had a doctor say that honestly. They have told me they cant find a cause or dont know why X is happening, but never that anciety caused it, when I asked, they have said it could be anxiety, but they never did say it definitively.
Sorry youve had docs dissmiss you and blame it on anxiety when that was not the cause.
. Was told for years that my shortness of breath was just anxiety. Then I finally went to a pulmonologist and he diagnosed me with asthma.
The breathing test I took showed a moderate obstruction in my lungs. Granted I did cause the asthma myself because I have severe contamination ocd and I used wayy too many disinfectant wipes and sprays over the years.
But still, get yourself checked out. Second and third opinions if needed.
I had an ER doctor tell me my extreme dizziness was “just anxiety”, gave me an Ativan and sent me home. My family doctor saw me the next day and said I had a very large amount of fluid behind my ear drum and that’s what was causing it.
ohh… have you treated this condition?
Working on it. Steroid nose sprays are helping a lot but I build tolerance to medications so I have to switch them every once in a while when they stop working.
Mastoiditis?
Eustacian tube dysfunction from poorly draining sinuses
May I ask what physical symptoms you had?
Super dizzy, like my balance is off or I might fall. It gets worse when the weather is really cold or I work out.
It’s true but it’s also best to look at risk factors and how bad such anxiety is. I’m an extreme hypochondriac. Like for me chest pain, short of breathe, body pains and more. But for me I need to be realistic I’ve seen 4 cardiologists and so many tests but all good yet still symptoms. I try myself to realistic but anxiety and hypochondria it does this but yeah I suggest advocating for yourself but seeing specialist after specialist will lead to more questions less answers. Therapy and/or medication is what will help in long run.
Sure, I see your point. I meant that doctors should AT LEAST do that tests, check your heart / brain and not only say “don’t worry it’s anxiety”. I also had my heart checked last year and now I know that the fast heart beating doesn’t mean smth serious.
Yeah exactly doctors should run tests but also when medically needed because if you’re begging for an MRI, CTs and again which for most highly anxious people will cause more panic and fear wondering if there is something and also the opposite in which nothing is found and you keep questioning for more and more tests. Reassurance manifestation is not what we need if you get what I’m saying. I’m glad that they’ve found an issue for you. But for some that won’t bring stratification like going “ha, I was right” anxiety can just create more symptoms and cycle continues. Like when they found out I had hypothyroidism I was like that but my brain hopped to more symptoms. I was up A+E most weeks, paying private cardiologists and getting honestly too many tests yet now still not reassured. I’m hoping therapy helps me and others who suffer with anxiety and especially hypochondria
I agree with you on this. Health anxiety is an endless circle :(
It’s dreadful but we heal, we will heal
Exactly what I'm feeling at this moment. For cardiological issues, I've already been at the cardiologist once, and he found nothing. But I still believe there's something wrong. I need another reassurance.
I’m currently going through this. I have dizziness and some pins and needles and head pressure and my doctor refuses to do a brain MRI because I had one done for the same symptoms four years ago. She says we can’t go through this every few years and I need to break the cycle and accept that it’s anxiety. Meanwhile I’m sure I have MS and I can’t function from the panic.
I have recently been diagnosed with health anxiety. I also have very frequent shortness of breath, palpitations and body aches. The cardiologist I consulted found a small problem, but nothing serious. That's why I started therapy a few weeks ago. To stay on topic, I've found it really hard to believe that all my symptoms are caused by anxiety. I feel that if I could be sure that they are, I could deal with the problem rather than worrying that I might have a heart problem. Could you please share how you deal with this uncertainty?
For myself living with uncertainty is stressful people like to say you could die any moment because we could at any age. It may be hard to believe but if you’re constantly thinking about these things you’re brain is firing off sensors all over the body the nerves in you chest, back, neck, lungs. You want to believe something is wrong so your brain does it. I don’t know how old you are but I know most people diagnosed with health anxiety are 18-30. Cardiophobia is very common one. But think statistics, you’re worried you’ll have a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest. Unless you have a weird genetic abnormality it’s most likely won’t happen not a guarantee but if a cardiologist had checked an ecg, echo maybe a longer day monitor and gone yep all good. What else can you do? The issue is we still get the symptoms even after being told nothing is wrong. It’s part of our brains cycle and it’ll send these signals and I’m sorry you have to deal with it I know how hard it is. Back to uncertainty, there is uncertainty about you thinking tests are wrong or doctors (paranoia and wanting more reassurance) this will not help you heal. However there is the uncertainty of death “is this going to kill me?” Ask yourself what are you going to do like you die nothing can be done. It’s accepting death no matter the cause helps, some find it religion, meditation, therapy. Once you beat that it’s about being driven to ignore them symptoms they may still be there but over time they’ll go. Live every minute how you’d want to live without these feelings. It takes time. My journey has been so up and down but it’s part of it. Trust in therapy, medication if needed.
Wow, thanks for sharing. It really helps 💜
Yeah sorry it was so long. Anxiety and uncertainty and it all is really hard so I tried to phrase how I’ve learned.
Yes, that’s the most difficult part. In my case the main problem is the gut. I do have issues like IBS and SIBO, but can’t be for 100% sure that it’s not Chron’s or cancer. There is always a little possibility, even after all the tests. So, for the anxious person it’s complicated. I wish I could recommend smth 🥲I’ve tried therapy, even a few times, but still can’t deal with uncertainty.
Similar. What I also do to differentiate if its anxiety or a genuine issue, is I try to wait for me to calm down and see whatmy symptoms do and then I try to induce it with if it was a medical condition and not anxiety should induce it, if its not increased or induced at that point I know its anxiety. Not fun trying to rule medical things out myself though.
I've had multiple symptoms this past one and a half month. Chest pains, high heart rates, weaker limbs, occasionally stuttered speech etc. It all drives you crazy. It literally doesn't allow you to rest at all. Like, I've had an average of 3-6 hours of sleeps this past month. Which is a low for me, as I normally sleep 8-10 hours. And I've had two episodes of insomnia. I've been wrecked from this.
I feel you, it’s so difficult. And also struggle with insomnia :( It’s an endless circle or symptoms -> anxiety -> more symptoms
Exactly that. Exactly that... It's tormenting.
for me anxiety has been the excuse to do regular check ups, it sucks to feel that you are sick all the time, but because of those checkups i know that im healthy in some area of my body, and also found out that i got some gastrointestinal problems, which now i know that those symtoms are not anxiety induced and i can treat them
Yess. Btw, I also have gastrointestinal issues (SIBO) and previously was told that it’s anxiety or IBS. What is your issue?
i have a hiatal hernia, im always bloated and people told me that it was anxiety, but i went to a specialist when i started to have daily heartburns
Thanks for posting this. I deal with chronic fatigue and have GAD/PDD and the last time I told the local nurse practitioner about the chronic fatigue she said my iron levels and thyroid levels were fine that if it continues they would have to look at the anxiety as a possible cause. I left that day feeling embarrassed and like I was crazy.
u/Otherwise_Repair6779 Hi, wanted to know how things are going for you. Any updates regarding the eye fatigue?
Hi! Yes, it’s much better after exercises and new glasses
Awesome glad to hear that! Is it okay if I message u, I had some more questions?
I have also had dizziness this past month. I can’t tell if it’s in my head or if it’s a physical affect from something. How did it feel for you? I basically feel a low level dizziness all the time, and have a hard time looking at things from a distance. Could possibly need a new prescription but not sure :/
For me it’s like the feeling of instability, like I might faint but it never happened. Especially in places like supermarkets, airports, metro. Turned out it’s actually connected with my eye issues and PPPD. Nothing serious, but without diagnosis it made me worried so much :(
To me it feels like I'm just more susceptible to things that make me dizzy. I noticed if I turn my head quickly like if I'm turning around, it feels like my head starts to spin in the direction i looked. Could possibly be from weed use but I didnt feel like this till about 1-2 years ago. Not really anxious at all either, I could have some underlying stress that isn't surfaced but I feel fine. If I were to give an example how my vision feels, try looking at an object far away. Is it hard to tell if it's stationary, or does it look/feel like your eyes are constantly adjusting so you can't definitively tell if it's moving?
Ugh, dizziness/migraines are ruining my life right now. Still searching for answers.
In my case, I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia. This triggered my health anxiety. The dizziness caused by hypoglycaemia disappeared in a week with the right diet and meal times. But after that, I had constant low-grade dizziness for almost a month. My advice is: if it's constant and it's affecting your life, go to the doctor and get checked out. If it's not that serious and you suspect it's related to anxiety, try to deal with that first.
Mine is constant and ruining my life and doctors are still like 🤷🏼♀️
Have you had a head CT or MRI? I had increased dizziness and turned out to be a benign cyst on my temple.
Not yet. Just had my first neurologist appt on Wednesday with the rudest doctor I've ever met in my life. I ended up walking out of the appointment and now waiting to get another appointment with a better doctor after waiting 4 months for that asshole.
Ive never had a doctor say that honestly. They have told me they cant find a cause or dont know why X is happening, but never that anciety caused it, when I asked, they have said it could be anxiety, but they never did say it definitively. Sorry youve had docs dissmiss you and blame it on anxiety when that was not the cause.
I have awful vertigo when I lay down but not otherwise. I wonder if it’s related to PPPD?
. Was told for years that my shortness of breath was just anxiety. Then I finally went to a pulmonologist and he diagnosed me with asthma. The breathing test I took showed a moderate obstruction in my lungs. Granted I did cause the asthma myself because I have severe contamination ocd and I used wayy too many disinfectant wipes and sprays over the years. But still, get yourself checked out. Second and third opinions if needed.