CircusSquirrel

Not to burst your bubble, but even if you do have a disorder of autonomic dysfunction, it is very hard to get a diagnosis, but heck, you probably knew that anyway. You almost always have to go to a research center such as The Cleveland Clinic or Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN (they have a dysautonomia dept.). That's AFTER a local, primary care doc has done lots of tests and decided to refer you there. Those places don't take self-referrals. That said, I understand what you mean. Some panic/anxiety symptoms DO indeed seem to be a form of dysautonomia. One doctor suggested to me that I may have POTS, a form of dysautonomia, because I have a very rapid heartrate upon standing. My cardiologist said nope, I just have a 30 year old heart that is doing what it is supposed to, so I haven't pursued it because there is really only one form of dysautonomia (pure systemic failure, something like that) that will really harm you, and you'd definitely know if you had that because your body just wouldn't work! I do, however, feel that people with a diagnosis of anxiety/panic MAY have something physical going on. Nothing dangerous, but certainly enough to make us uncomfortable. I think as research continues, it will eventually be found that many of us are very sensitive to adrenaline or other chemicals in our bodies and I think we'll be treated with more specific medications and we won't be classified as having a "strictly" psychological disorder. That's just my two cents, REMOVED I've been anxious pretty much all my life. If you do truly think you have a form of dysautonomia I would just mention it to your doc, as tnmom mentioned. Take care.