hi guys, im new to this site! HELP ME PLEASE!!!

[jdc12181]

hey guys, i have been suffering from something for the past 5 months and I'm not sure what it is. I got laid off from work about 8 months ago and then about 3 months later i woke up in what i thought was a panic attack (something i felt 10 years ago). I just woke up scared and i couldn't sit still. i had to go to the restroom and just sit in there and i was scared, i thought i was dying. my heart was pounding, my vision was funny, like the light and the white walls were illuminated, I felt like running outside. It lasted for about 10-15 min but felt much longer. the next day i felt strange and almost everyday since then. I feel kind of like disconnected from everything. Sometimes i feel like I'm going to faint and my vision gets blurry and i just feel anxious. My hands also get really cold when i feel this way. lately, I've been waking up feeling even more tired than when i fell asleep, and i also feel achey and almost hungover (and i haven't drank in a couple of months), it's strange. i dont have insurance to go to the doctor right now which is why im on here asking for some feedback. my parents were the ones that told me its anxiety and that im just a little down for not having a job. I have felt really useless about not being able to find work (I'm 28), but they keep saying its the economy. I had applied for the pd and passed the entrance exam and felt great, only to be denied for something in my background. i am sorry this is so long but i just need to get it out and get a little feedback. For some reason i always seem to feel good when someone gives me feedback. here are some of my other symptoms: lack of concentration, when i wake up my body is sore, especially my hands. I feel disconnected from everyone, almost like im watching somebody else live my life. lack of interest in the future. If i'm watching tv my mind sometimes wonders and i start thinking about the way i feel. its times like these when my mind wonders and i find myself staring off for a couple of minutes and then i begin to see double and i snap out of it. Its that split second of seeing double that freaks me out. Sometimes when im staring at the computer i also see double when my mind wonders and then i snap out of it-that always scares me because i heard that seeing double is a symptom of a brain tumor. It seems as though i am constantly thinking about the way I feel. I am always worried that i am dying. I check my body temp almost everyday and lately my temp is 97.0 and that scares me because normal is 98.6. I worry about everything. I always go online and investigate my symptoms. I have at times thought i was hypoglycemic, hypertensive, i thought i had a brain tumor, i thought i had diabetes, i thought i was going crazy. I am such a hypochondriac, and i have been since i was younger. about 10 years ago i had a slight panic attack (right after smoking marijuana, i was in high school and haven't smoked since hs) after that i felt some of the symptoms that i feel now until i went to the doctor and had a blood test done and everything came back fine. They said it was all in my head. I don't really enjoy some of the things i used to, I used to like going out with friends, now i havent gone out in about 4 months. I used to like going out to dinner with my gf but now i'd prefer just staying in and eating. I feel anxious whenever i go out to dinner and my vision starts to get blurry (but then again i could just need glasses because my vision up close is fine but its hard for me to read things that are far). God, it's really weird and i just want to feel normal again. The only time i ever feel good is when i go for my usual 3 mile run m-f, but then again a couple of hours after i feel anxious again. I am SOOO SOOORRRYYY that this is long and it might be all scattered around but i was just typing what i was thinking. anyway, I do appreciate any comments. thanks guys.

[Topcat]

Ok, your not stopping to take a breathe there lol

First of all you may be suffering from depression, when someone is depressed they will wake feeling exhausted, losing your job probably affected you more than you realise. Being depressed also has physical symptoms as does anxiety. It would also account for the fact that you no longer enjoy social activities etc.

You say that you worry about your vision seeing double and whilst I can understand that this is scary, the very fact that the double vision goes away when you become aware of it is a sign that this may well be a sign of stress, if it were something sinister then you would not be able to control it.

As for your temperature, I used to take mine several times a day and discovered that mine always runs slightly on the high side, but for me that is normal (if it isnt then I have been ill for the past 14 years lol).

You say that the only time you feel good is when you go for a 3 mile run, well if you had a serious illness there is no way that would make you feel good, it would exhaust you. Exercise is a great way to help stress/anxiety as it it releases endorphins that put you on a natural high.

As you can not afford to see a doctor I would try an help yourself naturally, plenty of exercise, plenty of sleep, a low sugar diet, plenty of water, maybe a good multivitamin especially one high in B vitamins and zinc as these are good for helping depression.

When you can see a doctor :)

[jdc12181]

haha, yeah I know, I just kept typing and typing. But it does help to get a little feedback. I really do appreciate it. The point you brought up about running 3 miles is the same thing my girlfriend and parents say. There is no way you'd be able to workout as much as you do if something was seriously wrong. They always say the fact that working out makes me feel good as well as cooking (another thing i love to do) is a sign that this could be anxiety and a bit of depression. they say i just need to keep busy. I never felt this way while i was employed and once the company went down and i was stuck at home all day i guess i just started feeling really insecure. anyway, thank you for your response, it's always reassuring to get a little positive feedback.

[TigerShot]

Some of the things you said are similar to what's happened to me like blood tests coming back normal, thoughts of going crazy, feelings of going faint, etc. My doctor thought I had depression and gave me 5 mg of Celexa, but that didn't work. I went to my doctor because I had unexplained fatigue and shakiness in my body for 2 years due to a very burnt out college semester. Believe it or not, I'm only a 22 year old male but I feel like I'm 50 or something. I still have the symptoms. After a lot of thinking, I came down with the conclusion that I had anxiety with a possible connection with chronic fatigue or adrenal fatigue.

I empathize with you about researching symptoms online. I advise minimizing your research online, though you'll become a smarter person on depression! I've researched online for a long time and left me with more questions than answers. The possibilities of what underlying problems we have are endless. That's why I tried to quit worrying and it's helped a lot to put the mental burden off my shoulders.

Nevertheless, it does sound like you have depression, but it could be linked with anxiety. How motivated or inspired do you feel? I'm just asking because a lack of enjoyment in the things you used to do and lack of motivation are some symptoms of depression. You mentioned a lack of interest in the future which is a possible sign. As for me, I don't feel any motivation or the pleasure I used to have playing my favorite sport of tennis. My mother used to be my motivation because she took care of me, my 2 sisters, and her parents for a very long time. However, ever since my grandma passed away (R.I.P.), my grandpa sent to a foster care home, and my 2 sisters have become independent, I see my mother in a new light now that she's free to do whatever she wants and this is the freedom I wanted her to have. However, now that I feel my mission of helping her is complete, I have nothing to turn to! Scratch that, I'm going to try and learn how to play the harmonica. You probably think that's strange (heck, I think it's strange myself!), but it'll give me something to do when I'm bored and gives me a goal. I'm hoping it can help me with my problems.

Like you, I have no medical insurance at the time and am trying different things to heal myself like sleeping earlier. I'm not sure if he can help you, but I'm expecting a call from Dr. Lam to help me with my problems. You can get advice from him for free either through the phone or email. The woman who I called to make a phone appointment told me that if he feels he needs to follow up with you to work on your problems that he would charge fees. However, she said that the doctor would never turn away patients due to financial problems, so maybe he can help. Just google Dr. Lam and click on the first link.

Anyway, sorry my post is so long, but I wish you the best of luck!

[Northerner]

Developing anxiety, depression or panic attacks is not unusual if you are unemployed.

Even if you have no health insurance, there will be free medical and mental health care available to you somewhere, and in addition to the techniques mentioned by the posters above, getting professional help is a good place to start. Contact your local social services department and tell them that you are unemployed and uninsured and need some medical care. They will point you to free medical clinics and a place to get counseling for free. These people can tell you whether you should treat your problem with talk therapy or with medication or a variety of other techniques. It's tough to go it alone, using only the internet for guidance.

[jdc12181]

thanks for your advice Northerner. I will look into that.