trouble finding the words.

[jcm86]

I am a 21 year old college student in my senior year at a fairly prestigious university.  I am an active competitor in speech and debate and have always been very conscious of my ability to speak well.  Over the past two years, I have been noticing a number of strange phenomenon.  

First, I seem to to be having increasing difficulty finding words when I'm speaking where it takes me literally minutes to find easy words, or sometimes I will say something I wasn't thinking at all.   Things that didn't happen in high school or my first year of college.  
Second, I've been getting more headaches, which my doctor thinks is migraines, but I have still have difficulty with them even after taking medication to prevent and medication when they occur.  i've been getting headaches since high school that used to typically last 2 to 3 weeks, now they are usually just one week.
Third, during the past year and a half I've had four fainting episodes, which had never occurred before, and didn't take place in situations where I was dehydrated or had any clear triggers.
Fourth, I've been getting increasingly large number of brownouts every time I stand up (from sitting or lying down), walk up stairs, it occurs almost every time to varying degrees.
Fifth, and likely unrelated, but I'll mention it anyway, I've had a horrible itch on my legs and sometimes other parts of my body.  I've tried over-the-counter creams but nothing seems to work, my legs are covered in scabs from where i have literally itched the skin away.  This has been going on for about a year and a half.

I've tried to talk to my doctor about some of these symptoms, except the first and third because i feel like he will say the first is just in my head, and the third i didn't really see as an issue until a recent occurrence.

Any thoughts you have would be incredibly helpful, thanks.

[kathryn1112]

A related discussion, can't find my words was started.

[elke481]

Try some fish oil, it is amazing with forgetfulness

[livingwithlupus]

Word find is a real symptom, your doctor needs to know about this. It is also a side effect of various medications, including some that prevent migraines.  Are you taking meds?

[lynnnmar48]

You need to be persistant about getting medical help and a diagnosis for this.  Tell the doctor all the symptoms, not matter how embarassing, and do mention your stay in Ghana.  If you are not a good advocate for yourself and not agressive about getting help, bring someone with you who will be.  You may have one medical problem or several.  When my husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he had fainted, had a overwhelming thirst and frequent urination.  His doctor had never warned him that because one of his parents had had diabetes, he was likely to get it.  He might have restricted his sugary soda consumption, had he known.  So get some info from your parents on their medical problems.   Act now.

[jcm86]

thank you both, this is very helpful.

[mamafessler]

Have you ever been checked for diabetes?  I have type 1 and have similar symptoms when it is not regulated.  here is a web page to check out.
http://diabetes.about.com/od/symptomsdiagnosis/p/Symptoms.htm

hope this helps a little.

[jcm86]

I do constantly feel thirsty and have dry mouth, but i figured that was just something psychological that developed after i spent a few months in Ghana.  I probably drink the equivalent of 6 twenty ounce per day in either water or tea.  I don't drink soda or coffee.  

[mamafessler]

do you have anything else odd....like dry mouth, really thirsty, funny taste in your mouth, frequent urination, unusual irritability?   Just curious....if you have other symptoms i might have an idea.

[raindelay]

I forgot to add, I'm 42 and still alive so these things won't kill you.  I still have headaches (although cutting out sugar has been a huge help there), I still sometimes have difficulty finding words (I call it trying to think through a steel plate.  I've got a stressful job so that's probably why), and I still get brown outs (feels like I have a momentary lapse of reality).  So, these things apparently don't kill you!

Regarding your legs, have you looked at the soap you're using and potentially the detergent your washing your clothes in?  Your itching could also be stress related.  I know my roommate in college used to tear his face apart during exams thinking that he had pimples which he usually didn't.  By the end of exams he looked like he had been mobbed by angry hornets.  It was all stress related.

You can't imagine - and I have only seen this post college - how going to school will make you do all kinds of things you've never experienced.

Think about it.

[raindelay]

Some of your symptoms seem to be stress and/or anxiety related.  Since you're in college you've got stressors on your mind and body that you've never experienced.  Also, since you're in college you may not be getting the balanced diet and rest that your body needs.  

I would imagine that you have healthcare on campus, you could go talk to a doctor about all of the symptoms.  But, you might be better to talk to a doctor off campus who won't brush you aside as just another neurotic and stressed out student.

Just so you know, I had the some of the same issues in school (like difficulty finding words, feeling weak, headaches, etc.).  Many of those things are related to mental and physical stress.  Think about your life right now and consider how much demand you're placing on your system.

Good luck.