Is it really Anxiety?

[drumsandboards]

Okay i am 15 years old. A little after Christmas of this year my father was diagnosed with skin cancer (melanoma to be exact) That really shook me up. My family has always been extremely healthy and we've never really had any major issues. He had surgery and they got rid of all of it. I hadn't been feeling right during that whole episode and i thought that now that it was over i'd feel better. I didn't. I started having this feeling. Mainly depression, but also a feeling of helplessness. I had extremely wierd vision, especially in bright lights and outside. Then for almost a week and a half i suffered with a feeling of not being able to breathe. It was really bad. That seemed to go away. The odd vision eventually got to me and i went to see a doctor. I had all the tests done. Blood work, MRI, EKG. Nothing. They said anxiety. I couldn't agree. They put me on Prozac and Xanax (as needed for Xanax) and that helped a little bit i guess. I was officially diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia. It didn't seem right. But i'm just gonna skip right to my symptoms because these are my biggest problems. 1) Vision is way off. Almost hard to focus kind of. Gets worse with exercise. Outside and bright lights make it worse. 2) Constantly light headed. My arms always feel weightless. I feel off ballance sometimes too. 3) I feel like i'm losing touch with myself. Like who i am. Why am i really here. 4) Attacks of even worse vision that i can't even begin to explain. Last for about 10 minutes off and on every 10 seconds. 5) I'm very in shape but exercise now makes me feel even lighter and like i'm going to faint. 6) If i wake up at night i feel like i'm going to die. Everything is unreal and i feel like i'm floating. 7)Floaters. Biggest problem! Isn't anxiety supposed to be attacks? Not constant feelings. My vision has been off for 4 months now. I've been lightheaded for 3 months. Is it anxiety?

[Steve_P]

Definitely get yourself checked out - I'd recommend heading to a doctor and explaining in great detail your symptoms. You could be suffering from some type of physical ailment that is compounded by anxiety - or believe it or not it could all be due to anxiety.

First see a doctor and have whatever tests done to ensure that there is nothing physically wrong with you.

I used to have all sorts of weird crazy feelings and thoughts - especially like you mention - you feel like you're losing touch with yourself. In talking with many others, this seems to be common amongst anxiety sufferers (feeling like everything is surreal, or as if you're watching your life). So if it turns out all to be attributed to anxiety, believe it or not millions of people have had the same weird physical and mental symptoms.

[drumsandboards]

Thank you. I'm glad i'm not the only one feeling this way. It just seems like the symptoms that are mentioned on websites don't really fit me sometimes. My heart doesn't beat at a rapid pace, I don't really have trouble breathing either. I just feel like the way i feel is so different because i don't really have attacks. I just have a constant feeling. So wierd.

[dtrotter]

Thank you. I'm glad i'm not the only one feeling this way. It just seems like the symptoms that are mentioned on websites don't really fit me sometimes. My heart doesn't beat at a rapid pace, I don't really have trouble breathing either. I just feel like the way i feel is so different because i don't really have attacks. I just have a constant feeling. So wierd.

it's better to get yourself checked out by a professional therapists or psychologist. Sometime those symptom can be varied for different people. It's not universally same for everyone.

[fernandogress]

I also think.Definitely it's anxiety.The thought you go on for weeks feeling like you are in a haze is not consistent with anxiety disorder. Normally, anxiety is related to the feelings of dread and then physical reactions during a panic attack.