Anxiety? Confused Soldier Needs His Own Heroes

[urbanmaguy]

Hi Everyone:

I am a 30-year-old soldier with no medical issues (mental or otherwise) other than the story I am about to reveal. For nearly a year, I have been suffering with what I believe is anxiety and would sincerely appreciate any advice anyone might have to offer. Last March, while sitting in one of my graduate classes, I experienced a sudden onset of intense dizziness and nausea. The feeling came out of nowhere with the room feeling as though it were spinning. After sitting for a few moments, I excused myself and managed to make it to the restroom, but the spinning did not let up. I thought relieving myself would help; however it did not. At this point my heart did begin to beat very fast. I actually remember my heart starting to pound because I was very worried about why I was spinning. I remember thinking to myself, “what’s going on?” and “why am I so dizzy?” Looking at myself in the mirror my skin was noticeably flush. I left the restroom and called my mom (who’s a nurse) and sought advice. Throughout the entire ordeal I was calm, never felt panicked, or overtly fearful.

My mom advised me to go to the ER, so I walked back into the classroom where the session had just concluded. I spoke with my professor and told him I felt very dizzy and asked if he’d walk with me to the security booth. He agreed and I called EMS while walking. I remember the heart palpitations subsiding, but the dizziness was coming in waves for about an hour or so. Even while in the ambulance I had a wave of dizziness. Once in the ER, the attending told me I was dehydrated and/or possibly coming down with an infection. I was released after a few hours.

A few days later (3-5) I did come down with a sinus and middle ear infection, where my left ear plugged up. I was prescribed a Z-pack and it cleared; however my story does not end. It has been a year and I still feel this strange out of body feeling. At times I am dizzy, not vertigo/spinning like that first night, but just feel “off.” I get headaches, am constantly fatigue, have an anxious feeling, am forgetful, and just do not feel like my old self. It is like I am living in a constant brain fog, where prior to this “spell” I was perfectly fine and now I am changed. I’ve been to several doctors and two therapists. ENT thinks I have allergies and neuro migraines. My primary thought it was labyrinthitis originally. One therapist said I had a severe panic attack and the other that it wasn’t a panic attack, but I have given myself anxiety as a result of not letting go of this event. All this leaves me very confused.

Before the incident I had general stress from school, but nothing significant. Actually, my life was coming together quite well and I was expecting a great post-grad school opportunity which fell through as a result of all this occurring. I engaged in a lot of public speaking events, and as a matter of fact had a very hearty debate with someone a few hours before this all happened. I won that debate and was feeling good about that. Being a very social person, who did very well in school, and is always outspoken I would never expect to have a panic attack in class. I am very eager to solve this mystery. If anyone has any thoughts I’d love to hear them. I am not taking any medication and I do not let this get the better of me. Daily tasks such as driving, flying, and even being in the store are uncomfortable, but I still do them. I manage to go out, work out at the gym, and leave the house regularly. I guess you could say I am consistently doing my own Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but it’s not working. My biggest fear is that since I am not sure what happened, I don’t want it to happen again, ie…the dizziness while driving or in a position where I could endanger others or myself. Any thoughts anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

[metallijim]

Sounds just like anxiety. Your first experience sounds like an inner ear infection which you said it was. The nausea, vertigo and getting flush points to this.
I'm thinking then after this had passed, did you maybe in the back of your mind hold onto the anxiety you felt when you had that episode? This could be the case. Have you noticed yourself worrying about odd feelings you might get in your body? Even just for a few seconds?

[Saldav]

All I can say with what I just read, is you have signs of anxiety. (GAD). Look into breathing exercises, stop the caffeine. You sound very positive so keep that going. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I've been through it all.

[lamman]

I agree with your therapist that you are having panic attacks. The cause and the symptoms are a person suffering panic attacks would have. You didn't suffer the severe form of a panic attack as well as you were ill at the time of the attack, so you might not have made a connection to it. You have only recognize the anxiety part of the problem being fear of not knowing what it wrong or when the next time you will feel dizziness. I think you should give panic attack treatment a try either with a therapy or by yourself.

I am glad that you are trying to keep active even though some of the things are making you uncomfortable. I really hope the treatment will work out for you at a timely manner. For some it takes a life time to get over panic attacks, which now we refer to as a panic disorder.

[urbanmaguy]

Metallijim, Forwells, Saldav, and Lamman:

I really appreciate each of you taking the time to respond to my post. The bulk of my anxiety stems from what happened that night. I think I’ve been successful in identifying my trigger and that is being afraid of having another dizzy spell. I am also worried about the possibility of passing out and causing an accident. It would help if I knew whether or not my original incident was a panic attack or related to something like inner ear. I tend to think it might have been something inner ear related, which could have triggered migraines. A few life events have given me reason to believe it is an illness, which is causing my anxiety. I used to love flying, but now I get some anxiety when I go. The reason is because during take off and landing I get very nauseous. As soon as we ascend my sinuses fill with pressure and I get a sick feeling. The same occurs on landing. My ears will also plug up terribly. This never happened to me until after the occurrence. Bright lights and loud noises also seem to bother me now, especially fluorescent lights.

Also, movement seems to cause me some nausea and dizziness now. For instance, at times I will get carsick if I am the passenger and sudden head movements will set me into a spell. Even bending over will get me a bit dizzy. Since the original episode I have had 2 panic attacks, however they were nothing like the first one. With the first one I got dizzy and had the heart palpitations much later. The other two came on as straight heart palpitations. However, because I read up on panic attacks I just told myself “stop, it’s just your mind” and it stopped after about one second. Oddly the first panic attack took place after a lot of head movement and the second took place right before another sinus infection. I was feeling really sick and dizzy and think I freaked out about that. Like I said, I am not letting this beat me. I will do whatever it takes to overcome the problem, but I need help. I’ve tried self-CBT and therapy. What’s next? Do you think I am on the right track with this inner ear and migraine issue being the cause of my anxiety? I am thinking if I solve that, the anxiety will follow.

I am still comfortable talking with people and function well in my daily life. I’ve had several job interviews and performed flawlessly. In my other job I’ve given lectures for hours without any issue. I am pretty confident I could deliver a public speech without any issues as well. Sorry for the long post again, but I am so glad to have come across this forum. Thanks again.

[lamman]

What about seeing a doctor about your ear? if the result is good then you know for sure :)

[metallijim]

From the way you describe your symptoms in your second post it sounds like you still have an inner ear infection, maybe coupled with sinusitis. Getting dizzy while leaning forward is a classic sinusitis symptom, as is sinus pressure while flying. Feeling nauseous while moving, dizzy spells and being sensitive to sound and light are all symptoms of an inner ear problem. Also it's common for a bad inner ear infection to bring on anxiety and panic attacks. As for the migraines, both sinusitis and inner ear problems can both cause them.
I'd recommend going to your doctor and ask him/her to make an appointment to see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. An ENT will get to the bottom of it much quicker. Regular GP's generally can't tell if you have this problem because they don't have the equipment to check. If it's inner ear related you'll more than like be given a course of antibiotics or maybe a mild steroid depending on the severity. They generally clear up between 3-6 weeks. I hope this helps

[laurandisorder]

Just to add to the very valid points above; what is your blood pressure like?

I have chronic low blood pressure and standing suddenly, climbing stairs and even just shifting my body weight can cause intense dizziness. It causes me some stress at work because although I have only fainted once from it, I am constantly concerned about it happening at work in a classroom full of kids - which would be a nightmare!

I'm imagining at some stage throughout this ordeal you have had all your blood work done to check for thyroid problems and other illnesses that can cause similar symptoms to anxiety?

It sounds like you are doing all the right things, so I guess you have to start challenging this - if it is anxiety. What's the worst that can happen? Panic attacks and anxiety, though terrifying can't hurt you and it is very, very rare to faint during an anxiety attack. Learn about how the body functions when adrenaline floods it - it's a preservation mechanism - it happens to HELP your body in times of real or perceived stress, not to harm you - as horrible as it may seem at the time.

[alankay]

If fear or distress is not part of your symptoms, I doubt it's anxiety. Thanks for serving trooper. :) PM me any time. Alankay

[Cara1989]

Hi Everyone:

I am a 30-year-old soldier with no medical issues (mental or otherwise) other than the story I am about to reveal. For nearly a year, I have been suffering with what I believe is anxiety and would sincerely appreciate any advice anyone might have to offer. Last March, while sitting in one of my graduate classes, I experienced a sudden onset of intense dizziness and nausea. The feeling came out of nowhere with the room feeling as though it were spinning. After sitting for a few moments, I excused myself and managed to make it to the restroom, but the spinning did not let up. I thought relieving myself would help; however it did not. At this point my heart did begin to beat very fast. I actually remember my heart starting to pound because I was very worried about why I was spinning. I remember thinking to myself, “what’s going on?” and “why am I so dizzy?” Looking at myself in the mirror my skin was noticeably flush. I left the restroom and called my mom (who’s a nurse) and sought advice. Throughout the entire ordeal I was calm, never felt panicked, or overtly fearful.

My mom advised me to go to the ER, so I walked back into the classroom where the session had just concluded. I spoke with my professor and told him I felt very dizzy and asked if he’d walk with me to the security booth. He agreed and I called EMS while walking. I remember the heart palpitations subsiding, but the dizziness was coming in waves for about an hour or so. Even while in the ambulance I had a wave of dizziness. Once in the ER, the attending told me I was dehydrated and/or possibly coming down with an infection. I was released after a few hours.

A few days later (3-5) I did come down with a sinus and middle ear infection, where my left ear plugged up. I was prescribed a Z-pack and it cleared; however my story does not end. It has been a year and I still feel this strange out of body feeling. At times I am dizzy, not vertigo/spinning like that first night, but just feel “off.” I get headaches, am constantly fatigue, have an anxious feeling, am forgetful, and just do not feel like my old self. It is like I am living in a constant brain fog, where prior to this “spell” I was perfectly fine and now I am changed. I’ve been to several doctors and two therapists. ENT thinks I have allergies and neuro migraines. My primary thought it was labyrinthitis originally. One therapist said I had a severe panic attack and the other that it wasn’t a panic attack, but I have given myself anxiety as a result of not letting go of this event. All this leaves me very confused.

Before the incident I had general stress from school, but nothing significant. Actually, my life was coming together quite well and I was expecting a great post-grad school opportunity which fell through as a result of all this occurring. I engaged in a lot of public speaking events, and as a matter of fact had a very hearty debate with someone a few hours before this all happened. I won that debate and was feeling good about that. Being a very social person, who did very well in school, and is always outspoken I would never expect to have a panic attack in class. I am very eager to solve this mystery. If anyone has any thoughts I’d love to hear them. I am not taking any medication and I do not let this get the better of me. Daily tasks such as driving, flying, and even being in the store are uncomfortable, but I still do them. I manage to go out, work out at the gym, and leave the house regularly. I guess you could say I am consistently doing my own Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but it’s not working. My biggest fear is that since I am not sure what happened, I don’t want it to happen again, ie…the dizziness while driving or in a position where I could endanger others or myself. Any thoughts anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

that's how my anxiety started up except I was in walmart and I was dizzy about 2 months everyday after the only thing I could think of was anxiety and that's what it is

[urbanmaguy]

Hi Everybody:

Thanks again for the sage advice and words of wisdom. I've gone to a few doctors, including: 2 ENT's , 2 Neurologists, and Gastroenterologist. The ENT's found that I have severe allergies to trees, pollen, and dust yet nothing further. The second ENT recommended me to a more advanced ENT and I am waiting on that appointment. Both Neurologist believe I suffer from migraines and put me on Topamax (which I forgot to mention). The most surprising revelation was the Gastro doctor who tested me and found markers for Crohns Disease in my blood. I am doing a follow up with him later in the month. I am sure there is anxiety there and I just want to do whatever it takes to get rid of it. I read Claire Weeke's book and have been following her principles. No matter how I feel I just go out and do what needs to be done. Is there anything else I can really do to calm my thoughts down?

Just another point I'd like to make. Last month I got into a car accident. When I was hit I didn't freeze up or anything. I actually secured the scene, helped everyone else out and did how I have been trained. I have had no fears of driving, due to the event either, to include fears of the intersection which I still pass by daily. The only thing is my migraine feelings which I associated with the anxiety have intensified. I never feel overtly afraid even during an attack. My symtoms are just headache, dizzy, light/noise sensitivity, brain fog, and nausea. Sorry with all the questions. You all have been so very helpful and have armed me with some knowledge to take with my doctors.

[lamman]

I'm glad there is some new progress on your health condition. keep it up.

I don't know if it's the cause. however, if your assumption is true that the migraine is associated with anxiety attacks, i think you have built up a tremendous amount of stress. Maybe you are trained to keep calm in any situation and this is now a barrier preventing you to react to fear/stress/anger/frustration. taking your car accident as an example, most of us would have gone into a shock or got out of car feeling distressed. In this way, we actually experience these emotion change. maybe you should let your emotion carry you for a while, let the stress out and off naturally.

[helplessinseattle]

Hi. What an interesting, intelligent guy you are. Just the type I would want on MY side in a fight! I recognize myself in some of your posts. For years and years I was charge nurse in an ER/Trauma center and dealt with just about anything you can imagine. Your experience w/the car accident........nice work, there. Even when I was at my most anxious, really debilitating stuff, I found I could rise to any occasion at work because I was trained and experienced and knew what to do. Strikes me as similar to your handling of a crisis situation w/the accident. I think maybe that people like us can handle just about anything that comes our way outside of ourselves. But when we have personal symptoms like your dizziness, etc, we are at a loss to understand or to help ourselves. My first panic attack was also in a college lecture. It's that 'out of the blue' thing that throws us into terror. You are so wise to be ruling out any medical causes for your symptoms. I know it's hard. I've since learned that the terrifying first panic attack is very much similar to any other sort of serious trauma and can start a PTSD cascade of events that can include many other previous traumas. It sure did with me. I don't really have much to offer you except to congratulate you on your efforts to nail down any medical cause for your symptoms so that , with or without medical cause you can move on. I like what Iammann says in the above post that perhaps you have built up a great deal of stress, etc. Maybe re-read his post. It's brilliant. You will manage this becasue you are not about to allow yourself to be messed up by anxiety and all when there is help available. You are WAY too cool and smart a guy to become any sor tof victim. Keep in touch.