Head discomfort is it actually anxiety?

[cactar]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading post on this site for a while and a lot of people seem to be struggling with the same issues I am, but its been a long journey from a year ago until now and things seemed to be getting worse so bare with me and I'm going to try and keep this short, (also I'm 22 and male and used to be athletic)

A year ago i used to work out all the time and one while working out I had a popping sensation in my head immediately followed by headache that left me curled up on the ground, after going to the hospital the only thing that happened was an ultra sound on my eyes to see if my optic nerve's were swelling. over the next months i began to suffer from extreme vertigo, dizziness, headaches, and just out of body and mind sensations, and over six months the vertigo and dizziness mostly went away but the general light head feeling stayed. Now i cant really remember how i felt over the summer leading up until august and September, but i know that i started struggling with forgetting words or struggling to find the right words during conversations and i started experiencing more confusion and seemingly short term memory issues over time. Then a month ago I had my real first panic attack and I've had plenty since, and my doctor has been going through meds trying to figure out what works. but over this whole course of time my head has just not felt right be it pressure or headaches 1 of those 2 have always been there. ( the best way I can describe how i feel is if you have ever smoked pot before and you get that lightheaded pressure its felt like that for a year. ) I've never had a CT or MRI scan, I've been trying for year now but now my doctor seems pretty convinced that the lightheaded and headaches are all anxiety related but truthfully I'm not convinced "mainly because its been going on for about year before my attacks" and i worry it about which i know doesnt help the anxiety. but the thing that has me positing today is because I've started having pain in the back of neck almost where the neck meets the head and when i wake up I've never felt groggy before and now i wake up completely disoriented, dizzy, and sometimes rapid heart beat though not normally, and laying down is causing head pressure and headaches. there's been more symptoms and issues but they all seem pretty anxiety related where as these seem constantly present no matter what.

Thank you in know this was rather long but i don't really know what to think anymore.

[antianxiety]

Hey well its a long description but believe me when I say we all have plenty to say when it comes to our

ssymptoms and if we could explain more on how we felt nobody else would get a chance to share lol so don't worry about sharing too much because sharing

Helps alot. Firstly I would ask the doctor to do all test necessary for me to be able to come to terms with his diagnosis of anxiety...its your right as a patient to know everything about your health. After I was diagnosed with general anxiety I told my doctor that I don't believe it's that I thought no way something is very wrong with me and he just can't find it. My doctor did every test possible so I could be convinced and everything came up as negative. Generally I am as healthy as an ox. Let me tell you something not even after that I believed that it was only anxiety because how can anxiety cause physical pain in my body. How can anxiety cause my head to feel fuzzy. Why does my heart sometimes feel like it burns or stapping pains. ..jusr not possible right? Well I started making peace well rather accept the fact that anxiety has become apart of me. Not easy to admit and accept and to this day I still sometimes think maybe its a unknown desease I have as my mind keeps telling me. After almost 5 years of living with this I can tell you I have learned to live with anxiety and control myself when panix arises. First step acceptance not easy but lije I said its a journey you need to take and trust me with the right support group and knowledge anxiety will not be your master

[cactar in reply to antianxiety]

Thank you for the response, and for the advice i will take it with me the next time i see my doctor.

[riodemikiankai]

I get this along side lots of other symptoms. Its draining some days but today i just got on with it and i forgot about it. The more i worry about it the more its there. Ive had every bloody symptom of anxiety well im 70 per cent sure its anxiety docs are 100 per cent sure. Im on no meds but i really need to be because everday functioning is sometimes ok and sometimes bad. I see it like this ive got 4 kids to look after i need to keep going for there sakes.

[Random-Username]

Hi Cactar, this might not be attributed to anxiety, there could be a lot more to it. In 2009 I was the unfortunate victim of a hit and run motorist whilst riding a cycling time trial on a dual carriageway. I had multiple injuries as you might have guessed, including a head injury, thankfully I was wearing a helmet which saved my life. I suffered immediate concussion and thankfully have no recollection of the impact/accident itself. On arrival at A&E I was given CT brain scans every few hours, these showed an area where bleeding to the brain had occurred.

I won't detail my other injuries, just focus on those relevant to your own issues. Immediately on release from hospital after 4 days, almost without fail, every time I looked up, or bent down (not that I could stand for long anyhow due to having a cast on a leg) I became dizzy. I also had word loss, and concetration problems. The consultant advised this was consistent with what he'd expect from the precise location of the brain injury. It was close to 3 months before I could walk again with any meaningful confidence, however I would regularly slightly veer to one side unexpectedly. I could no longer carry out the work I had been pre-accident, as it mostly involved working off ladders on property maintenance.

Then one afternoon just under a year after the accident, I was walking in the High Street and suddenly veered to the left unexpectedly almost into the road and oncoming traffic. Several people rushed to me so it was clearly obvious this was as serious as I had thought myself. I immediately went to my GP's surgery and asked for the next available blood test, he insisted it be done the following morning.

Results came through, under active thyroid. I maintain that having no previous signs of such issues pre-accident, that trauma during the impact either to the thyroid or the pituitary gland caused such. I have, or have had, all of the symptoms you mentioned, especially mood swings, which prior to the diagnosis had resulted in me smashing things up in fits of rage on several occasions.

So my first question to you is, prior to the incident you had, had you hit your head at all in the weeks or months leading up to it? Secondly, I urge you to go to your GP and get a blood test for the thyroid, and at the same time request a CT brain scan. I would also ask you to consider this, my best friends sister has been in an induced coma for almost two months now at the time of typing this. She was out one evening with friends and suddenly collapsed from a brain hemorrhage, it's been linked back to a head injury she sustained a few years earlier as I understand it.

You should not underestimate the seriousness of your issues, I speak from considerable personal experience. Make an appointment asap. Keep us updated please.

[cactar in reply to Random-Username]

Thank you for the response I don't remember if I did to be honest I will schedule an appointment asap however the last time I tried to request an CT scan she said that my symptoms didnt justity it, but I will request a throid test and CT scan and to be honest I probably won't leave until I'm given the consent

[Random-Username]

Hi, it doesn't totally surprise me CT request was refused as I had same response when asked for a check up recently, although I'd only based my request following the incident that happened to my friends sister, I hadn't had any follow up problems of note, I trust my doctor fully though, he's always been very understanding with me.

The difference with your case is that you don't know whether there is any existing problem already, and based on what you've said I insist it be done. If the doctor refuses verbally again, put it in writing to her the following day with all the symptoms listed asking for a response within 7 days with the full details as to why she will not refer you. Perhaps you could use a copy of your original posting here, the fact you've had to come on to the net for help because she refused it would look highly embarrassing for any doctor. Get a signed for receipt for your letter when you hand it in at the surgery or photograph it's delivery, or both. You could ask her straight out if she's refusing to refer based on cost grounds, she may be.

One alternative, although it might mean sitting around a while, would be to turn up at A&E stating that your doctor has refused your request yet you have had problems that day. I doubt they would turn you away. At the same time file a complaint at the hospital concerning what you perceive to be her unacceptable conduct. All of this sounds rather aggressive reading through it again, it's not intended to be, you have to be firm.

All the best.