Was it ever a time when it wasn't just anxiety?

[IloveGod]

I would like to know if there was ever a time when doctors kept passing you off as having anxiety but it really ended up being an illness or disorder? I have constant symptoms, practically all the anxiety symptoms at once and they don't always lessen up.

[anxiousmess]

nope. it has always been anxiety for me too.
i rang for an ambulance once. thinking i was dying. i couldn't breathe, i was hyperventilating. my tongue was going numb with pins and needles. as were my lips. my hands were feeling all funny.
they hooked me up to an ekg, done some bloods and kept me there til i calmed down.
i was having a panic attack because my dog died.

when they hooked me up to the ekg, i thought "i'm right. i really am dying, they're just not telling me"

[Buttercup]

There was a time when I was feeling awful for a couple of weeks and put it down to anxiety. The iller I felt the more anxious I became. Due to the exhaustion I asked my GP to gave me a blood test which showed I had increased white blood cells. This meant that my body was fighting an infection or virus although the doctors were not sure specifically what. The blood work was repeated a month later and everything was back to normal. So I think the reason I felt so off was becuase I was actually ill but that in turn made me anxious and worsened the symptoms. Another time several years ago I used to get dizzy spells and feel off balance and that turned out to be an inner ear problem (labyrinthitis) and not my anxiety. It's so difficult because anxiety manifests itself with so many different physical symptoms which mimic certain illnesses. I think it's always important to get checked out and if the doc can't find anything else wrong then it's more than likely caused by anxiety.

[alankay]

No. After they checked and double checked I was told what I already knew. I was anxious. They just have to make sure they cannot find anything physically wrong. If you feel anxious....you may just be anxious. :( Not very profound I know.
Don't get caught up chasing just the symptoms of anxiety. Try to find the cause and treat the root anxiety(if it can be found) via therapy, working with docs, reading, etc. Alankay