NoMedsThanks
07-25-2014, 08:01 AM
Hey everyone,
I'm a 29-year-old man and have been dealing with what I assume is anxiety for about 2 years now. To start, I used to think this sort of thing was entirely made-up, until it happened to me. I was heading to the hospital for kidney stone surgery and on the way I started to feel numbness throughout my entire body until I could no longer speak or move. Thankfully I wasn't driving, but I have since experienced this same feeling a few more times, although never quite as bad as that original "attack".
I was and continue to be living overseas in countries where mental disorders are not really taken very seriously (India and China), and I don't have a lot of people to talk to other than my girlfriend. I have been checked out in Vietnam, China, India, and Thailand, but no one has been able to come up with any sort of diagnosis. The best information I have gotten is from my family, as my dad and sister have what seem to be similar conditions, although we have different symptoms and triggers.
I have experienced any or all of the following symptoms off and on for the last few years. Neck/back pain (had an MRI for this, apparently nothing wrong), headaches, dizziness, inability to sleep (either can't get comfortable, or wake up suddenly in a panic for no reason), extreme thirst, nervousness, difficulty breathing, hypersensitivity to sound/light/touch, sudden need to go to the bathroom, and a few others. Another symptom I had a lot early on but haven't had much lately is a loss of sensitivity in my fingers and toes. That's a difficult one to explain, but basically it feels like my grip or feeling is weak and I don't have great coordination in my extremities. I still have full muscle control and strength, but it just doesn't feel right. The times I have had serious attacks all involved a gradual numbing of my whole body, and then I get extremely cold and thirsty which doesn't seem to go away no matter how many blankets I have or how much I drink. I literally feel like I'm going to die, or at least stop breathing, but it passes.
I am still trying to learn what helps and what causes problems for me. I have had issues on flights as I travel a lot. This is annoying because I used to really enjoy flying, but the thought of having an episode mid-flight really freaks me out these days so I'm on edge during any turbulence. I also don't like buses, concerts or even movies as I feel like I can't easily escape if something sets me off. Furthermore, I'm a teacher so the idea that I might have something happen at school is troublesome. I don't want to freak out my students, but I also don't want them to know about it. Staying up late is bad as it triggers symptoms that remind me of my attacks, which gets me worried, which leads to more symptoms, and so on. Same thing with caffeine. Any amount of coffee or pop will set me off in a bad way - even coffee cake or certain chocolates. Crowds or constant noise can be a problem, and tend to lead to dizziness or vision problems for me. Sitting or lying in a weird posture can be really detrimental too.
I am very curious to see if other people have had similar experiences and hope you can give me some tips on what works for you. To that end, I have found that certain things are very helpful for me and I'm happy to share those here as well. I'll post these in the general forum, instead of taking up even more space in the welcome section. Looking forward to helping out and getting some much needed feedback as well!
I'm a 29-year-old man and have been dealing with what I assume is anxiety for about 2 years now. To start, I used to think this sort of thing was entirely made-up, until it happened to me. I was heading to the hospital for kidney stone surgery and on the way I started to feel numbness throughout my entire body until I could no longer speak or move. Thankfully I wasn't driving, but I have since experienced this same feeling a few more times, although never quite as bad as that original "attack".
I was and continue to be living overseas in countries where mental disorders are not really taken very seriously (India and China), and I don't have a lot of people to talk to other than my girlfriend. I have been checked out in Vietnam, China, India, and Thailand, but no one has been able to come up with any sort of diagnosis. The best information I have gotten is from my family, as my dad and sister have what seem to be similar conditions, although we have different symptoms and triggers.
I have experienced any or all of the following symptoms off and on for the last few years. Neck/back pain (had an MRI for this, apparently nothing wrong), headaches, dizziness, inability to sleep (either can't get comfortable, or wake up suddenly in a panic for no reason), extreme thirst, nervousness, difficulty breathing, hypersensitivity to sound/light/touch, sudden need to go to the bathroom, and a few others. Another symptom I had a lot early on but haven't had much lately is a loss of sensitivity in my fingers and toes. That's a difficult one to explain, but basically it feels like my grip or feeling is weak and I don't have great coordination in my extremities. I still have full muscle control and strength, but it just doesn't feel right. The times I have had serious attacks all involved a gradual numbing of my whole body, and then I get extremely cold and thirsty which doesn't seem to go away no matter how many blankets I have or how much I drink. I literally feel like I'm going to die, or at least stop breathing, but it passes.
I am still trying to learn what helps and what causes problems for me. I have had issues on flights as I travel a lot. This is annoying because I used to really enjoy flying, but the thought of having an episode mid-flight really freaks me out these days so I'm on edge during any turbulence. I also don't like buses, concerts or even movies as I feel like I can't easily escape if something sets me off. Furthermore, I'm a teacher so the idea that I might have something happen at school is troublesome. I don't want to freak out my students, but I also don't want them to know about it. Staying up late is bad as it triggers symptoms that remind me of my attacks, which gets me worried, which leads to more symptoms, and so on. Same thing with caffeine. Any amount of coffee or pop will set me off in a bad way - even coffee cake or certain chocolates. Crowds or constant noise can be a problem, and tend to lead to dizziness or vision problems for me. Sitting or lying in a weird posture can be really detrimental too.
I am very curious to see if other people have had similar experiences and hope you can give me some tips on what works for you. To that end, I have found that certain things are very helpful for me and I'm happy to share those here as well. I'll post these in the general forum, instead of taking up even more space in the welcome section. Looking forward to helping out and getting some much needed feedback as well!