Hypochondriasis, Panic attacks, or actually sick?

[Hypochondriax]

Hi guys, I am a 24 years old male and it's been a couple of years since I've had an attack. I was from a private art institute studying 3D design so everything was hectic, stressful and a part from that I had financial issues. One day I decided to drink a monster energy drink, considering I have not gone back home or slept for the last 2 days I already felt quite disgusting and in need of something to boost me, or so I thought.

When the morning came I went to class I started to feel strange, I couldn't grab hold of if! It was as if my spirit just came out of my body and I'm just floating and cold sweating, hot and literally, bothered. I took the initiative and asked my professor that I be excused so I went home, got to bed and hoped that I would be okay for my evening class.

During my evening class, I was feeling fine, I felt energized and nothing was bothering me, I didn't notice anything strange with my body in particular. As soon as class ended, I hopped in the train and went for a little shut eye, and shortly after I began to smell something like burnt toast (just to note, I lack drinking water, no sleep and no food in my system) and then my head was in so much pain I couldn't even describe it which put me in a panic mode. Luckily I didn't faint but it really gave me a bad neck problem for days. Since that time I've been getting these symptoms :

1. Depression

2. Numbness in my hands

3. Psychological dread

4. Hot & cold flashes

5. Nausea

6. Depersonalization

7. Strange thoughts after watching a horror movie

8. weird sense of depression when drinking beer (Sometimes)

9. Feeling lethargic

10. Breathing on manual & difficulty breathing when walking, sleeping, or just watching.

11. Imagining diseases in my body externally and internally.

12. Extreme worry about every symptom I'm having.

13. Weakness & sleepiness when exercising or doing a short physical activity (currently my biggest problem).

14. Pain in my jaw & my face.

15. Neck always tight, especially when wearing a hat.

16. Tingling in areas of my body.

17. Identifying myself as a sickly person when looking in a mirror.

18. Stomach & pelvic pain.

19. Feeling feverish eventhough my temperature & everything is normal.

20. Difficulty sleeping without concentrating on the insides of my body or my heart.

21. Waking up the same feeling as if I had never slept and was awake the whole time.

22. Panicking when concentrating on the environment such as the lights.

23. Existential crisis.

24. Worry of Aids, ALS, tumors, & other diseases.

& many more.

I have gone to the doctor to check for hypertension, thyroid and have gone through 4 vials of blood test, Urinalysis, Cardio testing, and everything was fine but a slightly elevated Liver( I was drinking beer 2 days before which is probably why it's elevated). I am not taking any medications for the last 3-4 years and battling it through pure will alone and support from my friends. However, I feel as if I need more to really get me back on track. Any suggestions & advice you can give me? For a little extra information, I was hospitalized when I was 16 for tuberculosis.

[Agora1]

Hi Hypochondiax, (I hate even calling you that, because you are not) You have just concocted the recipe for a full blown panic attack which is now leaving you with floating anxiety. You kind of stretched your body to the limit between the stress of Art School and Finances. The topper was when you went without sleep or food and thought you could fool your body with an Energy Drink. That just zapped the energy out of you by making you more dehydrated then you already were from not eating or drinking water.

Even though it had been 2 years since you had your last attack, this incident left you shaken as well as brought back memories of 2 years ago. Having had a panic attack recently just opened up the wound again. The more you fear it, the more it grows in your mind until you are left with a list of symptoms longer than your arm.

I'm glad you did see a doctor and everything seems okay. Liver enzymes do go up and down with drinking. Not taking medications is not always a badge of honor. Although you do have support from your friends, it wouldn't hurt to look into something that may help you to relax your mind and body. Whether it be exercise, therapy, meditation and deep breathing etc, you need to tone down the stress in order to rid yourself of the symptoms.

Having been hospitalized at 16 may have left you with a Health anxiety that you never fully got over. In that case some therapy may help you address that fear of all the Catastrophic diseases. I hope you sincerely get some help to get you over this bump in the road to your success. Don't let it stop you but you will have to re-learn taking care of yourself again. My best to you....

[Hypochondriax in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for responding to my post! I am still surprised till this day how much it can really affect me. My face is in constant pain like someone is squeezing my head, my neck so tight, my head constantly feels like there's no blood. I'm just so sensitive to things I've never noticed before.

I used to smoke marijuana, and now it gives me paranoia.

pop and coffee gives some crazy head pressure which puts me in paranoia also.

As a dancer it also sucks that I also get these same pressure when I practice or train on my spare time. It's so hard to relax and I feel as if I'm getting worse. So many times I'm doubting that it's all psychosomatic and that it's the real thing.

I'm trying to work around therapy and trying to find a way to get into CBT. My parents are having a hard time understanding my condition and always tell me they don't see the need for me to look for some help, which makes me more stressed.

[Agora1 in reply to Hypochondriax]

Hypochondriax, You know what you are feeling. The symptoms are very real, the only difference is that it is not caused by a physical ailment but by our brain. It's hard for anyone to really understand anxiety unless they have felt it themselves. So I understand when others say we don't need help in how that feels. So totally disrespected to our feelings.

My god, I don't smoke or drink coffee or caffeinated pop and yet I feel the same symptoms that you do. My head feels full, pressure, cloudy and my neck, well it is where I hold all my stress. So what I'm saying is that, it just proves it's not a health issue. Our chemistry is off in our brain just as a Diabetic needs insulin, we need the chemicals adjusted in our brain. Sometimes a medication for a short time plus therapy or CBT can help.

Relaxing is difficult if we try it when we are overly stressed or are having symptoms. Meditation/Deep Breathing have to become our way of life. It takes practice, daily practice so that when we do need that crutch, it will readily be available to us from habit.

I hope as you get deeper in therapy and start CBT, you will learn different ways to deal with anxiety. One of them is not fighting it and the other is accepting it.

I wish you well..

[Hidden]

Hi, you have been through it havent you? Please stay off energy drinks. Probably the worst thing for you if u hv anxiety. The thing is that it builds up without you noticing and then u get the explosion. You hv to try an learn when its starting to creep up on u and then try and head it off. It can make you think you hv all kinds of things wrong with you, but just try and keep yr thoughts abt that low level. Its anxiety and its a spiteful thing. If you can learn all you can abt dealing with it now, then it will be be a big help for you in the future. We are all there with you. Im really unwell too with some of yr symptoms, so we all know on here where yr coming from. X