IrishMonkey92
17-09-16, 14:18
Prepare for a long a confusing story, but I'd really appreciate thoughts, experiences and perhaps a decision on whether you think I have Anxiety symptoms or symptoms of Lyme Disease.
Background info - Always had a tiny bit of anxiety in that I would be a worrier about situations that most people wouldn't think about. But very subtle. I use to be very shy, socially awkward and could be seen as having social anxiety. Never suffered panic attacks. Ever. Never had issues or worries about my health. I would enjoy a drink once a week, however in my final year of University I decided to refrain in order to be in top mental capacity. I was on Citalopram for 2 years before stopping it in August 2015.
September 2015: Started my final year of University. Was quite stressful, put a lot of pressure on myself, and was abusing energy drinks. However had a very good diet and exercising everyday.
October 2015: Started experiencing shooting/stabbing pains in my head one night while watching TV which were very sharp and abrupt. Scared the hell out of me. Started shaking and thought I was dying. Rang the doctor and was told it sounds like a panic attack. This seemed to be an isolated incident.
November 2015: I started to see a really small, bright dot that would appear in the side of field of vision and then would briskly move and disappear again. It was almost like a fluorescent trail behind it, but its so hard to pinpoint considering its there and gone again with a millisecond. I started getting a few of these along with some of that stabbing pain in my head again, here and there.
I went to the optician as I thought that my retina was detaching or something, but of course they said I was fine.
December 2015 and early January 2016: I was fine, no symptoms. Had lots of nice food and indulged in merry times over Christmas and new year with alcohol.
January 23rd 2015: To celebrate the end of my first semester exams, I went on a night out with my friends and I drank about a half bottle of vodka and some cocktails. I ended up blacking out due to low tolerance from refraining from alcohol for so long, whereas my tolerance would usually be very high. I've blacked out before over the years, so that's no bigger. Black out means I can't remember, not that I collapsed or anything.
January 24th 2016: Woke up still heavily drunk from the night before (no biggie I've experienced this before - just over did the alcohol). I went downstairs, relaxed for a bit, had a bun and a cup of coffee. Then I suddenly developed the urge to go to the bathroom.
I found a lot of blood in the toilet (back passage) and once I saw the degree of blood, I couldn't help myself but it sent me into an uncontrollable panic. My eyes started to flutter, my heart pounded, my breathing was all over the place, I couldn't calm myself, I felt like I was shrinking whilst spiralling down (bit like alice and wonderland). Such a weird sensation. I then thought I must be dying. Rang the ambulance and I was struggling to get my words out with so little breath.
Ambulance arrived and took me to hospital - provided me with gas and air but that made me so much worse (it was such a weird sensation and it made me panic further).
Then contacted my family while waiting to be called for bloods. I felt my bowels rumble and I just felt really, really off and weird. I knew something was wrong - bowel cancer? When I stood up to go to the bathroom again, the corridor started to tilt, I felt woozy, and light. I was swaying like I was on a boat. I told this to the nurses and felt extremely nauseous but they didn't seem concerned.
After an hour of waiting they gave me a white pill for the sickness in my stomach. The doctor examined me and found were the blood was coming from - I had a tear. I said to the doctor, I feel very dizziness - "Dizzy? I don't know why you're dizzy because your blood are perfect. You don't have anaemia or anything to that affect". He had a tone that he wanted me to stop wasting his time basically.
So I went home and the sensations were no longer there. I tried to sleep that night and whilst drifting off to sleep I felt this sensation as if I was falling. That prevented me from sleeping the entire night, it kept happening - this dropping sensation even whilst I was awake. The panic was heightened again.
The next day I felt sick to my stomach. Couldn't eat much. Still felt a bit weird.
I drove by car to my mums. Whilst parking in a carpark at a shop I started to experience this terrible dread as I was feeling the sensation of movement. Very hard to describe, but it felt like I was in motion but wasn't. I thought I was dying, so hopped out of the car and stood in the middle of the car park so I could be in the open incase anything happened. My mum thought I was nuts.
I drove her back home, and then whilst I was standing peeing, I felt like I was being moved up and down and side to side in quick successions (like a buoy out a sea). My balance was then apparently off and I felt so uneasy in my stomach. I'd never experience this before. I wouldn't even call it dizziness. It felt like I was swaying on a boat.
LONG STORY SHORT:
A waited a week before going to the doctor - during this time I started getting those sharp stabbing pains in my head along with these quick dropping sensations (as if the floor just gave way beneath me). Scared the hell out of me. It heightened my worry and panic on what is was. I'd never heard nor even knew the body was capable of these sensations.
I got an emergency appointment, doctor did general physical exam to check in my ears, ears, pressure in my head. He said I had Labyrinthitis - an inner ear condition that would go away within 7 weeks. He prescribed me betahistine. It had no effect on me. The swaying, the shooting pains all over my head, the dropping sensations continued.
Then the tinnitus came. It seemed to correlate around the time they upped my Betahistine dosage when they received feedback that it was doing nothing for me.
Then my thoughts started to wonder. Do I have a bigger issue? Brain tumour? How does an inner ear condition give you stabbing pains in your head. Then the panic attacks started. I was afraid to be alone. Eyes would go blurry, this terrible feeling of impending doom - that I was going to die. With those quick - out of nowhere drops. Terrible.
Lots more symptoms came and went during this time. Palpitations, vibrations in my head, pressure around my face and head/neck. Increased floaters. If I kept my head still and stared at something, my head would nudge or move slightly in sync to my heartbeat. I even had a few weeks of depersonalisation.
They tried to put me back on Citalopram - that made things terribly worse - it made me feel like I was bouncing on trampolines. I was taken into hospital due to the bad reaction and they thought I had serotonin syndrome and was monitored due to my erratic heart rate and temperature. Took me weeks to recover back to the normal swaying. Coffee made me worse (I use to drink a lot of coffee - how am I sensitive to it now?), Alcohol (one drink made me worse). How is this possible to happen over night?
I've been seen by an ear specialist - they said my hearing is perfect and ear pressure is perfect. They've never heard symptoms that aren't vertigo (spinning) related to the inner ear before.
I've had lots of ECG's due to frequent dashes to A&E thinking I was dying. They all came back normal. I had a chest X-ray to look at my heart due to my speedy heart rate. I've had lots of full blood counts, electrolytes, urine samples, motor tests, B12 etc. They even checked for lymphoma and leukaemia. All came back normal.
Doctors don't know what was wrong with me. I started to get worse. I was getting night sweats, my hands shook when I woke up each morning, I lost a stone in 3 weeks. 9 Stone 4lbs. I've always struggled to lose weight. Then again I wasn't eating much in hindsight.
I started to get bad thoughts, freaky thoughts that this was cancer or MS. Then I found out about lyme disease. I ran to my doctor with that.
She tested me, it came back a number of weeks later 'borderline' - 2 reactives and 2 negatives. Notes said to repeat labs.
I had a brain MRI and it came back clear.
During the months I've been afraid of a lot of things - things I use to eat/drink all my life without a problem with the fear it would make me worse or kill me.
June 2016: Symptoms solely remaining are the swaying/feeling spaced out/slightly tipsy or drunk - started to ease and come and go as I started mindfulness meditation around this time.
August 2016: Had 2/3 weeks of no symptoms. I thought I was cured.
Sept 2016: Started applying for a job, got quite stressful and nervous about the assessment process and interview - symptoms came back. Very frustrated as I felt like I'm walking on eggshells to prevent my symptoms of swaying coming back.
Sept 2016: My second Lyme disease test came back. My doctor didn't know how to interpret the two pages of results, so contacted someone from virology (who doesn't deal with bacteria, they deal with viruses). They said he must have Lyme. I've no idea if lyme is diagnosed based on symptoms or results, but I don't have typical lyme symptoms - no fatigue, no arthritis like symptoms, no aching/swollen joints. I just have swaying, and heightened panic/anxiety and feel a bit weird.
I now don't know what to think? Anyone with similar symptoms?
Background info - Always had a tiny bit of anxiety in that I would be a worrier about situations that most people wouldn't think about. But very subtle. I use to be very shy, socially awkward and could be seen as having social anxiety. Never suffered panic attacks. Ever. Never had issues or worries about my health. I would enjoy a drink once a week, however in my final year of University I decided to refrain in order to be in top mental capacity. I was on Citalopram for 2 years before stopping it in August 2015.
September 2015: Started my final year of University. Was quite stressful, put a lot of pressure on myself, and was abusing energy drinks. However had a very good diet and exercising everyday.
October 2015: Started experiencing shooting/stabbing pains in my head one night while watching TV which were very sharp and abrupt. Scared the hell out of me. Started shaking and thought I was dying. Rang the doctor and was told it sounds like a panic attack. This seemed to be an isolated incident.
November 2015: I started to see a really small, bright dot that would appear in the side of field of vision and then would briskly move and disappear again. It was almost like a fluorescent trail behind it, but its so hard to pinpoint considering its there and gone again with a millisecond. I started getting a few of these along with some of that stabbing pain in my head again, here and there.
I went to the optician as I thought that my retina was detaching or something, but of course they said I was fine.
December 2015 and early January 2016: I was fine, no symptoms. Had lots of nice food and indulged in merry times over Christmas and new year with alcohol.
January 23rd 2015: To celebrate the end of my first semester exams, I went on a night out with my friends and I drank about a half bottle of vodka and some cocktails. I ended up blacking out due to low tolerance from refraining from alcohol for so long, whereas my tolerance would usually be very high. I've blacked out before over the years, so that's no bigger. Black out means I can't remember, not that I collapsed or anything.
January 24th 2016: Woke up still heavily drunk from the night before (no biggie I've experienced this before - just over did the alcohol). I went downstairs, relaxed for a bit, had a bun and a cup of coffee. Then I suddenly developed the urge to go to the bathroom.
I found a lot of blood in the toilet (back passage) and once I saw the degree of blood, I couldn't help myself but it sent me into an uncontrollable panic. My eyes started to flutter, my heart pounded, my breathing was all over the place, I couldn't calm myself, I felt like I was shrinking whilst spiralling down (bit like alice and wonderland). Such a weird sensation. I then thought I must be dying. Rang the ambulance and I was struggling to get my words out with so little breath.
Ambulance arrived and took me to hospital - provided me with gas and air but that made me so much worse (it was such a weird sensation and it made me panic further).
Then contacted my family while waiting to be called for bloods. I felt my bowels rumble and I just felt really, really off and weird. I knew something was wrong - bowel cancer? When I stood up to go to the bathroom again, the corridor started to tilt, I felt woozy, and light. I was swaying like I was on a boat. I told this to the nurses and felt extremely nauseous but they didn't seem concerned.
After an hour of waiting they gave me a white pill for the sickness in my stomach. The doctor examined me and found were the blood was coming from - I had a tear. I said to the doctor, I feel very dizziness - "Dizzy? I don't know why you're dizzy because your blood are perfect. You don't have anaemia or anything to that affect". He had a tone that he wanted me to stop wasting his time basically.
So I went home and the sensations were no longer there. I tried to sleep that night and whilst drifting off to sleep I felt this sensation as if I was falling. That prevented me from sleeping the entire night, it kept happening - this dropping sensation even whilst I was awake. The panic was heightened again.
The next day I felt sick to my stomach. Couldn't eat much. Still felt a bit weird.
I drove by car to my mums. Whilst parking in a carpark at a shop I started to experience this terrible dread as I was feeling the sensation of movement. Very hard to describe, but it felt like I was in motion but wasn't. I thought I was dying, so hopped out of the car and stood in the middle of the car park so I could be in the open incase anything happened. My mum thought I was nuts.
I drove her back home, and then whilst I was standing peeing, I felt like I was being moved up and down and side to side in quick successions (like a buoy out a sea). My balance was then apparently off and I felt so uneasy in my stomach. I'd never experience this before. I wouldn't even call it dizziness. It felt like I was swaying on a boat.
LONG STORY SHORT:
A waited a week before going to the doctor - during this time I started getting those sharp stabbing pains in my head along with these quick dropping sensations (as if the floor just gave way beneath me). Scared the hell out of me. It heightened my worry and panic on what is was. I'd never heard nor even knew the body was capable of these sensations.
I got an emergency appointment, doctor did general physical exam to check in my ears, ears, pressure in my head. He said I had Labyrinthitis - an inner ear condition that would go away within 7 weeks. He prescribed me betahistine. It had no effect on me. The swaying, the shooting pains all over my head, the dropping sensations continued.
Then the tinnitus came. It seemed to correlate around the time they upped my Betahistine dosage when they received feedback that it was doing nothing for me.
Then my thoughts started to wonder. Do I have a bigger issue? Brain tumour? How does an inner ear condition give you stabbing pains in your head. Then the panic attacks started. I was afraid to be alone. Eyes would go blurry, this terrible feeling of impending doom - that I was going to die. With those quick - out of nowhere drops. Terrible.
Lots more symptoms came and went during this time. Palpitations, vibrations in my head, pressure around my face and head/neck. Increased floaters. If I kept my head still and stared at something, my head would nudge or move slightly in sync to my heartbeat. I even had a few weeks of depersonalisation.
They tried to put me back on Citalopram - that made things terribly worse - it made me feel like I was bouncing on trampolines. I was taken into hospital due to the bad reaction and they thought I had serotonin syndrome and was monitored due to my erratic heart rate and temperature. Took me weeks to recover back to the normal swaying. Coffee made me worse (I use to drink a lot of coffee - how am I sensitive to it now?), Alcohol (one drink made me worse). How is this possible to happen over night?
I've been seen by an ear specialist - they said my hearing is perfect and ear pressure is perfect. They've never heard symptoms that aren't vertigo (spinning) related to the inner ear before.
I've had lots of ECG's due to frequent dashes to A&E thinking I was dying. They all came back normal. I had a chest X-ray to look at my heart due to my speedy heart rate. I've had lots of full blood counts, electrolytes, urine samples, motor tests, B12 etc. They even checked for lymphoma and leukaemia. All came back normal.
Doctors don't know what was wrong with me. I started to get worse. I was getting night sweats, my hands shook when I woke up each morning, I lost a stone in 3 weeks. 9 Stone 4lbs. I've always struggled to lose weight. Then again I wasn't eating much in hindsight.
I started to get bad thoughts, freaky thoughts that this was cancer or MS. Then I found out about lyme disease. I ran to my doctor with that.
She tested me, it came back a number of weeks later 'borderline' - 2 reactives and 2 negatives. Notes said to repeat labs.
I had a brain MRI and it came back clear.
During the months I've been afraid of a lot of things - things I use to eat/drink all my life without a problem with the fear it would make me worse or kill me.
June 2016: Symptoms solely remaining are the swaying/feeling spaced out/slightly tipsy or drunk - started to ease and come and go as I started mindfulness meditation around this time.
August 2016: Had 2/3 weeks of no symptoms. I thought I was cured.
Sept 2016: Started applying for a job, got quite stressful and nervous about the assessment process and interview - symptoms came back. Very frustrated as I felt like I'm walking on eggshells to prevent my symptoms of swaying coming back.
Sept 2016: My second Lyme disease test came back. My doctor didn't know how to interpret the two pages of results, so contacted someone from virology (who doesn't deal with bacteria, they deal with viruses). They said he must have Lyme. I've no idea if lyme is diagnosed based on symptoms or results, but I don't have typical lyme symptoms - no fatigue, no arthritis like symptoms, no aching/swollen joints. I just have swaying, and heightened panic/anxiety and feel a bit weird.
I now don't know what to think? Anyone with similar symptoms?