dduff

Like so many others here, I am looking for help in determining if what I have been experiencing is anxiety or if it is something else.

It all started in 2006 w/o warning. I had not had any doctors visits, outside of well-visits for a couple of years. Then, I was exercising and experienced an episode of dizziness <WITH> spinning vision, loss of balance. The vertigo subsided after about 5mins and the entire episode mostly resolved after 1/2 hour.

However, the next day and the following months, I was very, very fatigued (12+hrs of sleep a day needed), had severe tightness in my throat (difficulty eating), had nausea, extreme lightheadedness, and occasional vomiting. I also suffered from shortness of breath- it was like I could never get a full breath into my lungs.

After the first couple of weeks, I started getting vague numbness on the left side of my body, particularly the face/head. I also had areas of my body that felt like they had been burned- they were very sensitive to touch. I had hundreds or thousands of minute muscle twitches all over my body, throughout the day. My memory was shot, I once forgot my own address and phone number upon being asked. Moreover, I had changes in my vision such that I had a lot of 'afterimages', like what you see after looking directly at the sun, only I wasn't looking at anything bright. There was also a strange blurred line <BETWEEN> sleeping and daydreaming, it wasn't a clearly delineated as it would normally be. This all continued for several months and was quite debilitating.

A doc then tried to have me take Celexa. That definitely made me anxious and I began vomiting regularly and felt very scared after only a couple of days.

I proceeded to have many, many neurology tests before developing proctitis, despite having none of the common risk factors for the condition. I was also diagnosed with IBD.

Several months thereafter, I started having problems with my hearing in my left ear and developed tinnitus. I also had developed a problem with the frequent urge to urinate, urgently.

This continued for approximately 6 months, while I had numerous other tests. All the while, I was having feelings that I was being overwhelmed by everyday stimuli- like constantly being on the Vegas strip at night with all the lights and sounds.

Then, one doctor ruled out MS as a possibility and thereafter I felt almost normal for about 6 months.

One day out of the blue, standing up, I got dizzy and vision began spinning, just like initial incident. Felt poor again after this incident. Symptoms listed above began coming back <WITHIN> 7-10 days.

My GP still thinks anxiety/depression, even though I have so many physical symptoms and don't have anything like a panic attack. No one that knows me can believe a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. However, I'll admit I am a 'thinker' and always keep a lot going on in my mind, thinking about every possible scenario that could play out, especially the bad ones. The episodes I have, however, don't correspond directly to the stressful times in my life. In fact, I can feel ok and then while doing something like weeding the flowers, I'll get hit with nausea and lightheadedness, followed by irritability. Generally, when I have a very urgent or stressful situation, I get through it just fine-- although days later I may feel significantly worse.

I've also had an alternative doc say adrenal exhaustion, but the meds for that didn't help.

What do you think? Does this sound like anxiety, even though the episodes lasts months at a time?

I appreciate all your thoughts and keep everyone here who suffers with anxiety in my prayers.