can someone help me?

[kkb13]

Hi everyone,

I am new here because I have not been diagnosed with anxiety, or anything else for that matter.
About 6 years ago in high school I had a "dizzy attack", I felt lightheaded and like everything around me was wavy. I rushed home. It has gotten progressively worse over the years, from days of constant dizziness to new symptoms.
Lately, my new symptoms are down right scary and make me think I have a mental illness. I feel almost like things aren't real, they look weird to me. When I close my eyes to sleep at night I feel like Im spinning, and when I open them I feel like it stops. Sometimes parts of my body feel like they are just disappearing and I'm flipping around.
My eyes have started to really bother me, my vision seems to do a quick skip/jump and I have been seeing lights that float while my eyes are open.
I have the dizzy sensation most of the time and I never feel like I am at peace, constant neck strain also.
I wake up at night and Im talking to myself in my head even when I don't want to be, I want to rest! I get a shaky sensation like an earthquake in my back of my head, uncontrolable thoughts that are my own voice.
Does this sound like anxiety? What type of anxiety? Or is it something else????
I have had MRI, VNG test, benign proximal positional vertigo testing, blood work, thyroid check (ALL negative)

Any help would be great because now I don't feel like I can drive or sit in class very long. Very draining and ruining my life. I'm 21 year old female.

[mykids12]

I get some of those. I also get the floor moving underneath me feeling. Just last week while driving long distance at night I got that light headed dizzy feeling like I was going to lose control of the car. Scary. But yeah I do get the light headed dizzy thing too.

[kkb13]

have you been diagnosed with anxiety?
Yes tonight I had a really bad episode while driving and even after I drove, im still feeling weird now actually.

[mykids12]

have you been diagnosed with anxiety? Yes tonight I had a really bad episode while driving and even after I drove, im still feeling weird now actually.

Oh yes. Severe depression and anxiety. But I also think I have medical issues too. I know for sure I have anxiety though. I have since I was young.

[Lee Grant Irons]

kkb,

I have some questions. What kind of doctor ordered all of these tests for you? Was it a primary care doctor, a neurologist, or some other type of doctor? Was this a doctor local to your area that you saw, or did you go to a university or research clinic such as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland, or Mayo?

There are a couple of things you could do. The first is that you could go see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist might recognize what this is if it is a mental disorder. The second is that, if you have not been to a major university or research clinic, you could schedule an appointment with a neurologist at one. Typically for such clinics, the first doctor you see is the one who would most likely be able to diagnose you. But this first doctor also helps coordinate you seeing other doctors at the clinic. These doctors then work together to figure out what is going on with you. Mayo Clinic is the best for this, and you can self refer, assuming your insurance covers it.

[kkb13]

If you get light headed and dizzy often you could get tested for heart arrhythmias , which are not life threatening, but can cause light headed feelings. Ive been tested for so many physical ailments and im negative for all so Im starting to think it is anxiety or some other mental illness....but just want some answers as to WHY so many crazy weird symptoms that never go away.

[kkb13]

Lee Grant Irons-
I have seen ENTs, general practioners, neurologists and "dizzy experts" in the neurology department, at university clinics and local clinics.
I am scared to go to a psychiatrist because I worry they will either a. diagnose me with nothing, since that usually seems to happen to me. or b. I will have some sort of mental illness that has no cure or relieve. But yes I suppose that they would know what to do or where to refer me.
I have reached out to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. I am waiting back for the types of tests they would want to schedule so I can check with my insurance because it is likely they will deny the request.....I really hope Mayo works out though~

[mykids12]

If you get light headed and dizzy often you could get tested for heart arrhythmias , which are not life threatening, but can cause light headed feelings. Ive been tested for so many physical ailments and im negative for all so Im starting to think it is anxiety or some other mental illness....but just want some answers as to WHY so many crazy weird symptoms that never go away.

Do you have other physical symptoms besides all the head stuff going on?

[kkb13]

Do you have other physical symptoms besides all the head stuff going on?

Well, physically I feel lethargic and weak when I wake up. Sometimes i feel my eyes jump or skip, but I have been told I dont have nystagmus (uncontrolable eye movement) I feel off balance at times (dont know if that physical or mental) and I used to get stuffy ears/pressure in my head that hasnt been happening for the past month, but has probably been replace by other symptoms is my guess?

[kkb13]

kkb,

I have some questions. What kind of doctor ordered all of these tests for you? Was it a primary care doctor, a neurologist, or some other type of doctor? Was this a doctor local to your area that you saw, or did you go to a university or research clinic such as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland, or Mayo?

There are a couple of things you could do. The first is that you could go see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist might recognize what this is if it is a mental disorder. The second is that, if you have not been to a major university or research clinic, you could schedule an appointment with a neurologist at one. Typically for such clinics, the first doctor you see is the one who would most likely be able to diagnose you. But this first doctor also helps coordinate you seeing other doctors at the clinic. These doctors then work together to figure out what is going on with you. Mayo Clinic is the best for this, and you can self refer, assuming your insurance covers it.

Lee Grant Irons-
I have seen ENTs, general practioners, neurologists and "dizzy experts" in the neurology department, at university clinics and local clinics.
I am scared to go to a psychiatrist because I worry they will either a. diagnose me with nothing, since that usually seems to happen to me. or b. I will have some sort of mental illness that has no cure or relieve. But yes I suppose that they would know what to do or where to refer me.
I have reached out to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. I am waiting back for the types of tests they would want to schedule so I can check with my insurance because it is likely they will deny the request.....I really hope Mayo works out though~

[Lee Grant Irons]

Lee Grant Irons-
I have seen ENTs, general practioners, neurologists and "dizzy experts" in the neurology department, at university clinics and local clinics.
I am scared to go to a psychiatrist because I worry they will either a. diagnose me with nothing, since that usually seems to happen to me. or b. I will have some sort of mental illness that has no cure or relieve. But yes I suppose that they would know what to do or where to refer me.
I have reached out to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. I am waiting back for the types of tests they would want to schedule so I can check with my insurance because it is likely they will deny the request.....I really hope Mayo works out though~

There are three Mayo Clinic locations: Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida. Have you checked to see if the doctors at any of these clinics are in network for your insurance? If they are, then you should not have any problem.

Your insurance company should have published a document that tells you what it covers. This would include things that are specifically not covered and things that are covered that different rates than you standard coverage. So typically all other tests, treatments, and medicines that are FDA approved and used per the FDA approved label are likely to be covered if a doctor orders it. Mayo goes strictly by the FDA and AMA book when it comes to tests and diagnoses, so if your doctor visit would be covered, I have a 99% percent confidence that all of your tests would be covered.

I am concerned that your insurance company might not respond to you unless you actually have a prescription or letter from a doctor stipulating that you need a certain test or treatment. So, I would advise you as follows, based upon my own experience at Mayo.

1. If you know that your insurance company will at least cover the doctor visit, then schedule that appointment and plan that visit. You would not need further special approval from your insurance company. Mayo will initially set up for you one visit to one doctor. This doctor will be in a specialty that seems most suited to your symptoms. The telephone consultant at Mayo will figure this out for you. It will be a one-hour long appointment. However, the cost is not what you think it would be for a clinic that is rated #1 in the world. Mayo doctors are paid on salary. They are more committed to helping people than to getting wealthy.

2. Take your copy of your insurance coverage with you to the appointment, so the doctor can use it to consult with you over what tests need to be done and whether your insurance covers them. In that one-hour appointment, the doctor will go over your entire medical history with you. That doctor will then, through Mayo's online scheduling system, schedule tests and schedule appointments for you with other Mayo doctors in other specialties that the first doctor believes may be able to help with the diagnosis. Most, if not all of the tests and appointments will likely be scheduled to occur within the following seven days. Some types doctors, such as geneticists, might not have availability for a month, but all tests will be able to be done and most doctors will be able to see within the same week you visit. Once you have this schedule of tests and other doctors set up by your primary doctor, then you can contact your insurance company about the tests that you either know are not normally covered or that you are not sure about. You would use your primary Mayo doctor's prescription for these tests as a basis for forcing the insurance company to make an expedited decision. Mayo will probably even help you with this process in order to expedite getting the insurance company response immediately.