Is it really anxiety or am i dying!

[monkeybishop123]

Ok i need help, i cant live like this anymore. Ive been to the doctor so many times and he says he's 95% sure its anxiety, but i just CANT stop thinking its something terrible like in my brain or something? Is what im experiencing really anxiety? I just cant believe it. My symptoms are -
Headaches, Pressure on top of my head and behind my eyes, Feeling like im always in a dream, Heart palpitations, heart skipping a beat, chest feels hollow, confusion, fuzzy eyesight, weird rapid eye movements, electric shock feeling in my head, electric feeling in my hands/arms/legs, low pitched buzzing noise in my ears, depersonalization, always tensing parts of my body, neck cracking, sore neck, feeling on edge all the time, feeling as if the floor is moving, feel like i cant take a deep enogh breath, cant concentrate on anything, cant keep still, dizzyness, burning head.......

PLEASE let me know if you think this is anxiety!!! Im so stressed out, i was completely fine 2 months ago, how could this have happened so quick? Ive had a blood test, urin test and heart monitor which seamed to be fine. My blood pressure is normal too. I take 80mg beta blockers everyday, they slow my heart but thats all.

Does anyone know how to help me, it would be grate to just be able to sit still.
Thanks.

[Anxietysuckss]

Yes I believe it is anxiety it's shocking what it can do to you. I suffer with all the symptoms you describe and more. It is hell to live like that. I suggest you take a  . 25 Xanax  a very low dose . I was scared to take Xanax but my sister gave me one and with in 30 mins I felt human I couldn't believe it . I could not believe all the symptoms and feeling like I'm dieing for so long disappeared . I now take only as needed but since I know it's anxiety I try to talk myself out of it even though the symptoms still come I know I'm not dieing or going insane. If I have any new syptoms I will take a Xanax and if they disappear It's anxiety . If Xanax don't help I will go into e.r. Xanax has saved me from myself.

[Paxiled]

I'm glad Xanax has helped you, but this is an old post and recommending specific drugs to people isn't really helpful.  People respond very differently to them, have very different levels of anxiety, and benzos are difficult drugs to take safely and quit safely.  Better to give general insights of your own experience than to tell someone, hey, take this drug, it'll work.  No way to know that and you really don't want to cause someone who shouldn't be taking it to do so.  

[miraclewalking]

what are you going to ? Anxiety is real. It may not be rational, ... but to you, its as real as real could be. Try anti-anxiety/antdepression med.some times, modern science is needed by our brains. no shame, your pain is real.

[gd444]

Hi, I to have mental confusion heart, chest pains, hollow, and always dizzy and fatigue. I sleep through out the day. I feel like its not anxiety but it might be. Just stay calm.

[nursegirl6572]

Your reply was very helpful, but I just wanted to point out that this thread is very old, and most (if not all) of the participants of this thread aren't active on the site anymore.

Try browsing the main page of the anxiety community using this link, so you can help people who are currently looking for input and support:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/71?camp=msc

Thanks!

[markymark86]

Hey. Stay strong, better times will come.
Initially you really do need to put your mind at ease by geting yourself checked out by your doctor. Ignore your parents if you have to, its just something you have to do. If everything comes back clear, you can then be certain that it is anxiety that you are dealing with.

Even though you may not have the support of your family, there is plenty of support out there for you. Support from people that have been through it and actually understand what you are going through and will help you to get through it. Google is your friend. Try CBT in your local area.

I can recommend that you read "at last a life" from: http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk - I am in no way associated with this website but I found it very useful during my own recovery. Acceptance is the main focus of your recovery. Meditation will also give your mind and body a well deserved break. Over a few days you will be surprised at the outcome.

I must add that it is not all plain sailing but you can do it, you just have to believe it with everything that you are. Try to stay positive.

[codman7765]

okay here are my symptoms i have blurry vision feel like im not really here all the time i have pressure on the top of my head im dizzy when i stand up i can barley get any sleep i dont know what to do i feel like killing myself but i know that isnt the right answer please help me through this it would mean a lot if someone helped me throuhg it i have told my parents and they said its nothing but i know its something i want to see medical attention but they wont let me how do i get through this on my own i really dont think i can get through it its really hard for me it just keeps getting worse and worse please help me figure this out

[Stevenjewell]

I know this is from 2008 but I want to comment I go through the same thing can't remember anything feel like I'm not even in the real world I try to relax but I'm tense so I twitch all the time feels like I'm breathing in a balloon my ears pop like water dripping in a faucet dizzy my eye sight is going away tons of pressure behind my eyes pulsing all the time feel my heart beat in my ears and head shakey sore all over sometimes my arms and stuff jump on their own I can't hold my head still it's non stop just so many things I mostly always think it's my brain one time I thought I had a stroke I didn't feel right weak walking leaned backward I dunno it's just always something I hope you've found help I still go through this and my doctors won't help me I'm 28 and I feel like I'm dying everyday

[Nic7777]

It is so reassuring to read all of these comments. I have been struggling with all these physical symptoms and have had every test done in the book. Everything is normal. But the symptoms are so strong and I can't seem to overcome them. I feel lost and its stressing me out more because I feel like there's something the doctors aren't finding. Thanks for listening.

[zackrentko]

its just such a scary thing to live with

[zackrentko]

ok, so everthing u just said that was wrong with you is whats wrong with me except i havent went to the doc. the in dream like state is killing me an i almost got in a car accident because of it. im taking anxiety meds my mom gave me but thats it. just cant believe everything u said ur dealing with ive been dealing with for 2 years :(

[daazzaa491]

The symptoms you describe are IDENTICAL to the ones I have lived with for neon 3 years and I'm only 16. I also get restless legs and arms at night and throughout the day. I also fear I am dying every day and yet death never seems to come. Logically I know I'm not dying but then I get a feeling, and the thought creeps back! After reading the comment from MrGreen and hearing your symptoms, I am MUCH more reassured that this is simply anxiety and NOTHING else. Thanks for showing me that there ARE other people out there monkeybishop. And hey, if it helps get yourself a hobby! This is mine: www.youtube.com/user/daazzaa491

[daazzaa491]

The symptoms you describe are IDENTICAL to the ones I have lived with for neon 3 years. I also get restless legs and arms at night and throughout the day. I also fear I am dying every day and yet death never seems to come. Logically I know I'm not dying but then I get a feeling, and the thought creeps back! After reading the comment from MrGreen and hearing your symptoms, I am MUCH more reassured that this is simply anxiety and NOTHING else. Thanks for showing me that there ARE other people out there monkeybishop. And hey, if it helps get yourself a hobby! This is mine: www.youtube.com/user/daazzaa491

[nene38]

Have had anxiety disorder all my life and I'm now 37yrs old. Didn't get help untill I was 18. Have been on Zoloft since 18. Had therapy to learn self talk. Struggles everyday but I do it with Gods help. And I'm a mother of two

[nene38]

Have had anxiety disorder all my life and I'm now 37yrs old. Didn't get help untill I was 18. Have been on Zoloft since 18. Had therapy to learn self talk. Struggles everyday but I do it with Gods help. And I'm a mother of two

[liz820]

Did you get your ADRENALS tested...you didn't mention that one and it causes symptoms similar to anxiety

[liz820]

sounds like you have adrenal failure or low Vitamin D...please get those 2 checked out before you believe the old Anxiety Depression is doing it excuse the doctors give to everyone.

[liz820]

Sorry you were misdiagnosed...you have Adrenal Fatigue or Insufficiancy...you can look that up and see you have all of the symptoms of it......also for panic attacks or anxious feelings you have a GABA deficiency..so I would get your Adrenal Glands tested at an endrocrinologists and also your thyroid tested...and if those are normal completely normal then I would try the GABA .....it helps you sleep too.....good luck and I hope you take my advice

[liz820]

I hope you still read this...because I know what is wrong with you...it sounds like you have Chiari malformation of the Brain......seriously....I hope someone helps you...because with surgery you can be normal again...Hope you read this...blessings

[fausto1979]

hi i know u posted this years ago and i hope u are much better. i just thought i would post this anyway in case anyone else who needs help is reading this.

ill start my story... since ive been a child ive suffered to some degree with OCB. most children get over this but mine sorta stayed on. baiscall ill always have some issue which controls my life and it seems the only way i can get rid of it is by adopting another one. take a few years back, for example, i was convinced i had bad body odour. i believed it so much that i would get anxious around public places or work that i would start to nervously sweat. this actually caused me to have BO. basically this controlled my life and i was so desperate.

fast forward now to nov 2010. one of the new issues i developed was a feeling of light headedness almost like i was fainting almost a year before. this was at first on rare occasions. usually in public. it got more frequent and by the above date it was almost everyday. at work i would often look up what it could be until one day i read that it could be MS. this freaked me out big time. i started shaking. i read the symptoms and they seemed exactly like what i had. although there were many more i didnt have.

it seemed almost right away i was feeling the other symptoms too. like shock feelings in my fingers, weird visual disturbances like bright little flashes out the corners of my eyes. basically i woke up one night screaming and feeling this absolute despair and surrealism. my heart was on hyperspeed i was sweating, i was convinced i was dying. this was my first panic attack. the next few days i was a nervous wreck.

it got slightly better until again about 2 weeks later i had a panic attack at work. this time i was convinced i had a brain tumour and i was in the last few minutes of my life. i was in the toilet on the floor hugging myself crying. panick attack number two. this was way worse than the other. lasted bout 5 mins but then got a colleague to drive me home and i was super high strung for 2 days at least.

i went to see my dr and upon initial check up he said i had nothing to worry about. he gave me a referral to a neurologist and said i should go see her just to rest my mind that i didnt have MS or tumours. took me 3 months to get to see her. they were quite tense times, although i had no more serious panick attacks i still had the visual glitches and shot nerves.

when i got to see the specialist almost right away i felt comfort by her knowledge and  professionalism. basically she did a few tests on me and asked me a lot of questions and along along she was smiling saying "trust me, you dont have MS or a tumor" she told me my symptoms were only minimal and if i had ms i would know about it. she basically told me it was anxiety and i should see a psychiatrist. she said the internet is great for finding out about a disease once you have it but its not very accurate for diagnosis as things like MS have pretty much every symptom possible. basically she told me to stop looking up diseases on the net.

another good thing she did also was explain to me how when you believe in your mind something. you start to feel it physically. basically your body always has little twitches and jolts but ur brain is good at blocking this stuff out as it is useless info which takes away resources from more important processes. when you are conscious of these though, every little feeling is magnified by ur brain making it seems 100 times worse.

finally the final thing she did for me, to help the healing process is to book me in for an EEG test and an MRI just to prove to me there was nothing physically wrong. both were free. the eeg was to rule out epilepsy as she said there was a slight outside chance that the faint feeling could be some form of it. the mri was to prove i didnt have tumours or ms. results came back and wrote me and my gp a diagnosis letter, basically saying it was more than likely down to anxiety and i was completely physically healthy, neurologically. she was right. this was a huge relief for me.

she advised me to see a shrink which i didnt do because i felt so much better already. i tried to source what the anxiety could be from. i remembered that not long before all this happened i was looking at getting help with my lethargy and the main reason for this i thought was lack of sleep or improper sleep. i was going to book into a sleep clinic to see if i had sleep apnea. but once i flipped out i forgot about this.

it made sense to me. lack of sleep is a very serious problem. apart from heart diseases and immune deficiencies... it can cause havoc on ur nervous system and mind. basically i tried to rest every opportunity and although my sleep still wasnt very good i had a lot of r n r time and noticed a huge difference. when i have poor or lack of sleep i find my symptoms are a lot worse and i am slightly on edge. when i have good sleep im am much more stable.

i am booked into a sleep clinic now to see if i can improve even more. but i am convinced this is the main cause of my issues. years of bad sleep caught up to me. i also made sure my diet was good and i had plenty of vitamin b intake. exercise. very important.

i hope this has helped, even one person. im sorry it is so long but i felt i had to make all those points in case there is even one similarity with another person which might help them.

basically the moral to my story is this. the main cause to my anxiety was lack of sleep in my opinion. this doesnt mean its everyones' cause. but if you look hard enough you will find the source of the impending doom feeling which comes down at you like a lead weight. and although you may feel like its all over, remember anxiety can make the most remarkable sensations feel like they are 100% real. your mind is extremely powerful.

my advice is see a dr. if you feel its something serious get a referral to a specialist. once they tell you your crazy :) you actually feel so much better. when you rule out any physical problems (which is hopefully the case) it will be your first big step to recovery. then you can focus on what you think the cause of the anxiety might be and hone in on it.

good luck. i hope i helped someone out there. even if its just one person.  

[nursing830]

I have recently been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, I never thought of myself as a depressed person but i have had alot of childhood traumas and grew uop too fast. I guess i was too busy to ever notice?? anyway i also had the bloodwork etc. i see a therapist and psychiatrist because i thought i was going CRAZY, but in fact anxiety is just irrational. We get to a point in our life where we run out of coping skills, so yes it can happen to anyone. Anyway please make sure you find and search for a therapist you are comfortable with and a psych dr. because they are the people who specialize in these medications and cognitive thinking. It takes time but you need to be "open minded" is key! Good luck to all of you. there is hope I have been fighting this for 2 months and go to school through all of this with being a mom and wife. so there is hope just stay positive!

[bumpybumps2010]

hi there first of all, and you sound just like me im always saying im ill my friends call me hypocondriacte howeva u spell it ha... it is not nice what your feeling and i know exactly how you feel,your mind racing of all time and sometimes you feel your loosing it,because your body is anxious all the time we constantly feel stressed, i was on beta blockers for 4 years ! and i came of them yes they did help,but i wanted to be free of medication and felt useless being on them..
i have recently started councilling and it seems ok but i only been few times i just hope it works...as its afectin my whole life ..probly like it is with you, dont rush onto tablets try therapy first.. i mean we all know what to do to get better and thats to get out there fight our fears and have will power..... but its hard to do :0)

[o6ashley]

It sounds to me like anxiety.I never would have thought I'd develope anxiety. I was very outgoing. great job. great friends... I was always healthy as can be until one day i got suddenlly dizzy and everything went downhill. over 3 months time i had bloodwork, ultrasounds, mri, thyoird tests, ekg, chest xray. Everything comes back just fine. Medication is starting to help me somewhat.

[anxious642]

Me too! I've been to the doctor about once every 3months or so,lots of bloodwork,visit to the ER.They did a EKG(fine) but no MRI.I have daily anxiety have had panic attacks.Had about every anxiety symptom plus add a few.They always say its ANXIETY! I just have a hard time beleiving this is all just anxiety.I'm so tired of feeling this way,tired of meds that don't work or just space you out,and tired of trying to find the major illness that i think is causing my symtoms.So many of the anxiety symtoms are so similar to major illness,why do they just label it without checking it out! It so hard to deal with this too when you have family members tell you that everybody gets nervous so get over it.Trust me I would like them to go through what I've been through,then we see who's just nervous.

[lgb123]

I have been suffering for 17 years. I have terrible panic and it's all about me dying. I always feel that I am just about to have a heart attack, any small pain or feeling of dicomfort sends my mind into a panic. I assume it is a sign of doom. I am 48 years old, I remember the first one just like it was yesterday, Dec 24, 1992. I have never been the same. I can't seem to take anti-depressants, they just don't agree with my chemistry. So I am stuck taking a Xanax and closing my eyes and waiting for it to pass. I sometimes call a family memeber or friend to talk me through it. I am miserable, and don't know what to do either. It is a terrible feeling and it's not right. I have done some research and found that some think it is heritiary. After talking to my aunt, it seems my grandmother, and her son, my dad had them also. Always feeling they were about to die.
I don't have the answers....I wish I did, I really don't want to live like this. It's embarrassing, My doctor is great, he knows that I come to see him for any little thing, and he is very paitent with me. But I want it to be over....