I'm new to the boards looking for support.Ive hade anxiety sense I was in my teens.I'm 26 135lbs 5'8.Only other health problems is skipped beats(PAC) Holter monitor caught them.Was working in stadium hosted Rodeo's,roping,horse shows,etc (dusty and dirty).Was working in heat doing some carpentry work using woodfinisher(stain),polyurathan.Not shure if there cause of my problems or helped cause.Shortly after thats when my symptoms begin.I felt unsteady at first,woozy,floating feeling.I get the wozzy,floating feeling still every now and then.Lightheaded most days.I get these wozzy waves in my head(dizzy)when i look up and down alot.Nausea comes with them.I get these tingly feeling in my head,shoulders, and arms.Not the same tingly u get when your arms asleep.More of a vibration feeling.All these symptoms subside some while laying down. But some times I feel them while im sleeping and they wake me up.I have been to ER 3 times CT normal accept slightly clogged sinus.Blood work normal,lung heart stethiscope normal,urine normal,ear check normal.Blood pressure is usually normal but at last ER doc says it was marginal.Been to volunteer clinic because I'm poor they are in a long (mounth and a half now)process of getting me a an apointment for nuero in OKC.My anxiety is at an all time high.I have hade my bouts with panic in the past but I have learned to fight it.But these symptoms feel so bad some times I trully fear for my life.My biggest fear.Itry to reassure myself I/m not dying taking this all day by day and maybe I'll feel 90% some day again.Slowly I'm loosing that hope.I'm currently awaiting my first shrink appointment.I believe my mind has reached that point.I hope it helps.I was just wondering if anyone else feels the same and can relate or offer advice help?I also have been dealing with these symptoms for 3 mounths there is no virtigo or pain.

Hi ant, well it does sound like you could have balance problems maybe due to an inner ear problem.

It is totally normal to feel anxious when dealing with scary symptoms. Nearly every person who has an inner-ear/balance condition also has anxiety because of it (due to dealing with such unpleasant symptoms - who wouldn't feel anxious when feeling so horrible?).

It's also normal to feel like you are going to die because you are so anxious (a normal symptom of panic attacks). You can't die of a panic attack though :) So try and remember that when you're panicking. Also try to remember that "this will pass" which is a reassuring thought when you're panicking.

It is possible to learn to control and recover from anxiety. It would probably do to you good to see a counsellor (is that what you meant by seeing a shrink?) many of us on here see one.
It can be so overwhelming when you don't understand why you feel so rough and the anxiety just makes you feel worse! A lot of us have been there!

You can have off-balance and floaty feelings with an inner-ear/balance disorder with no actual spinning vertigo. The looking up and down and having odd sensation sounds very inner-eary.

You mention clogged sinuses.. well that alone can make you feel really rough. Honestly.

By the way the odd tingling sensations might well be to do with anxiety. Anxiety itself can give you a lot of odd-feeling symptoms.

Try to get some chill-time every day to help de-stress yourself. And practice some slow, calm deep breathing, especially when feeling most stressed/anxious. A book called "Your Survival Guide to PAnic Attacks" by Bev Aisbett could help reassure you if you can get hold of it. I have found it very helpful. It's really good.

Please don't be too scared I'm sure you will be feeling 90% (or more!) again one day. It can just be a long process of investigation but you will get better at dealing with stuff along the way. If you can, see a type of Dr called an otoneurologist/neuro-otologist because they are experts in balance. (ENT's don't really know too much about inner-ear and balance problems).

Hope this might help a little bit.
Good luck with your medical examinations/counselling and best wishes :)

K

Your advise has been very helpful katkin.It is indeed a phycologist I'm going to see on December7. I hope he can help me with my anxiety issues. I just wish these weird feelings in my head to go away sometimes like now when I am typing(cause I'm not good at typing on a computer I have to look at what I'm typing) it makes me nauseous or woozy. Other times like when I'm staring at the screen it makes me feel like that. Sometimes I have to set here with my head rested on my hands to feel better while reading or searching. The lightheadedness can be one of the worst symptoms cause I'LL be working or at home STANDING cleaning,etc and my head feels so full like I have a book glued to the top of it or im standing on my head upside down. Never have I hade syncope exept one time when I was drunk and fell asleep and woke back up.I hade to go urinate so I got up out of the chair real fast did my business having a real bad head rush with the alcohol in my body and zipped up.Then BOOM I was in the bathtub face down my bro must have heard me fall cause of the boom to the tub and woke me out of it.I was worried I injured my head but never felt anything after that was mounths before these symptoms arrived though.I stopped drinking cause of that situation.The only time these feelings subside is when I'm showering(hot) and when I'm playing my guitar.I guess the in debth focus in playing the guitar takes my mind off the feelings.My stress relief I guess.

Yes! and the shower probably clears your sinuses!!
That heavy headed feeling and other things you describe sound very like balance problem and sinus problem symptoms. So you can feel a little more relaxed now that you know people know how you feel!
Hope you had that head injury checked out.. may be worth mentioning to the medical people that you see.
Good luck and I'm so glad I helped a bit!
Katkin :)