Is my problem physical or mental?

[Heroine26]

Here's a bit of history; I'm 37 and I have been pretty healthy my whole life except for anxiety/heart palpitations. I have had palpitations since I was in my early 20's. I asked my doctor about them and she said they were normal, everyone has them, not to worry. Sometimes it's skipped beats and sometimes it beats fast for no reason, even when I'm laying in bed or relaxing (in fact, I've noticed this usually only happens when I'm relaxing). I'd say 75% of the time after I lay down in bed each night, it happens. And i've also noticed that for like the first half hour I can't lay still, I have to shake my foot and bite my cheeks (that's a wierd habit i've had since I was probably 12 years old).

The other issue is sometimes it isn't even my heart, sometimes I just get this nervous scary feeling that I'm going crazy or I'm going to die (i'm sure these are panic attacks of some sort) but all that happens is I get a little clammy and I have to distract myself to get my mind off it. This may or may not include anything wierd happening with my heart, sometimes it's just a general feeling that I can't handle life and I am not happy and that I'm gonna go nuts. But then it goes away after a while and I'm fine. I'm fine most of the time, I'd say this happens anywhere from a few times a week to once or twice a month. I have also noticed it gets worse in the week before my period, so it could be hormone related.

Tonight it happened while I was dancing listening to music which is ALWAYS one of my favorite things to do but tonight I just had no energy and I couldn't get into it and I felt exhausted, and I quit early, and I felt so anxious that I almost went to the hospital but I don't have health insurance and I'm unemployed so I can't afford that.

One time this happened and I felt scared/anxious/clammy for over an hour and then I suddenly had to go to the bathroom and after I went, I felt completely fine. That tells me it might be a physical problem but that has only happened once, every other time the feeling just passes without going to the bathroom.

I eat as healthy as I can, for the most part I avoid fast food, soda, caffeine (quit that in my early 20's). Today i've eaten GREAT and it still happened. In case it's important, I'm five foot one and 110 pounds, so i'm not overweight at all. I don't think i'm underweight either, I have fat on my body (I'm kinda flabby, actually).

I also have some mild social anxiety, like I have trouble making eye contact with people, and when meeting new people I get nervous, and when I'm trying to impress someone, but that is pretty normal I think. But I think I am in my head too much, and i'm always thinking and worrying and analyzing. So that's what makes me think maybe this is all being caused by my mind. I don't think I have OCD though, I've never had compulsory feelings.

Does this sound like a physical problem or is it really just panic attacks? I've read up about panic attacks and they always sound worse than what I have, unless there are different degrees and I just have a mild case.

Is there anything I can do to make this go away without using medications, (since I can't go to the doctor)?

[Crush]

I felt so anxious that I almost went to the hospital but I don't have health insurance and I'm unemployed so I can't afford that.

You have anxiety and you have not accepted that you have anxiety. I know this because of the fact that you had to ask if it could be something else. This means you have doubts that it's really anxiety.

As long as you have these doubts, you will always have symptoms popping up. But words are just words. No one can make you fully believe that you have anxiety except yourself. People tell you that you have it including your own self. And you even agree..

But you don't really believe it.

That's normal and understandable.

I think you have been untreated for a long time and the fact that you are unemployed and have no medical insurance is more reason to get scared and worry.

Worry causes anxiety. Medicatoins like Citalopram are mild SSRI's that will basically 'stop the worry' in given time. In months you will notice a drastic decrease in your worrying, and your symptoms. 5mg will be effective as a minimum dose.

But even this medication can not get you to accept that you have anxiety. It will only help you. You need to eventually accept your diagnosis. Hoepfull after you take medication you can. You can go down the therapy road etc. I personally don't recommend other paths except medication. That is just a personal preference though.

I recommend looking at the list of symtoms sticky here on the forum. It should be helpful to you as a starting point.

[Heroine26]

Well it's hard to accept something when you haven't been officially diagnosed with it, at this point all I can do is guess, really...I mean every symptom appears to be a seperate physical problem so it's hard to think they could all be one thing and all caused by your thoughts. I am against medication though, just because I've been researching natural health for so many years, but it doesn't matter because without insurance you can't get on medication anyway.

I did look at the list of symptoms and I have had most of them at any given time. But all my symptoms are also the same symptoms of hypoglycema and I took a quiz on that and it said I was high risk for having that, so I could have that too.

[Crush]

I did look at the list of symptoms and I have had most of them at any given time. But all my symptoms are also the same symptoms of hypoglycema and I took a quiz on that and it said I was high risk for having that, so I could have that too.

This darn site just wiped out my response because I tried to include a URL to Youtube. It wont let me.

Go to Youtube and find a video called 'What It Feels Like to Have a Low Blood Sugar' and pay attention at 0:55 sec. Hopefully that will set you at ease.

I've been down the whole hypoglacemia path myself and know how it's like. I would think that when I ate food, I would get less light headed. That would just my mind playing tricks on me.

[Heroine26]

I found 2 that had the same title, one had some guy dancing for the first few minutes, :D The other one he said the 3 things he feels, and I have to say I don't feel ANY of those symptoms. I just get shaky and weak. No pain, no confusion, no sweating, and no fear. (I do experience fear and sweating when I'm having "panic attacks" but this isn't the same thing as that at all).

[Heroine26]

I should add to all this...I have never had any of these problems in the first 6-8 hours of being awake, they ALWAYS happen somewhat close to bedtime. That goes for the panic attacks and the low blood sugar IF that is what it is but now after watching that video I dont think that's what I have, but I don't know what it is then. I'm watching another video of hypoglycemic symptoms and they're talking about numb tongue and sweating profusely, I don't have either of those either.