Do I have anxiety?

[shanchuy]

I have been to the ER twice by ambulance from work in a month and it is mortifying.  Ive been to the doctors 3 going on 4 times and I would like to know if I just have anxiety.  My doctor did blood tests that came back normal in which he checked me for all the diseases, cancer etc.  Then he did a breath test to see if I have a stomach issue going on and that came back normal and Ive also had an MRI which has not come back yet but Ill find out on the 3rd that its also normal.  Im very scared.  I get tingly, sick to my stomach, feel like Im distant and disoriented and I cannot concentrate.  I feel like my whole body gets on fire sometimes and I feel like Im going to pass out and really hot and my heart starts racing and I start sweating a little and I get dizzy and woozy.  It happens a lot after I eat but it is almost constant.  Can someone please help me.  Ive had a half a dozen EKG's in the past 6 months and they have all come back normal!

[RubyWitch]

I'm glad to hear that some of the doctors are considering anxiety, so I will take back MY diagnosis that they are ALL morons. As many of us on this forum know, it can be very difficult, frustrating and frightening to find the right medication to control our symptoms. Frightening because as you found out the hard way, there are side effects involved with any medication we take. That you experienced such a bad one, which has now made you afraid to take anything else, is understandable, but I'm sure your doctors are now aware of what it was in the medication that caused the reaction and will not give you anything containing that specific ingrediant again. You say they had you on Klonopin, which you now take prn (as needed) but apparently, don't. Did you have a bad experience with that as well? I wish, for your sake, you would consider getting back on it regularly to help with your anxiety..........I know what it's like to be scared and it's horrible, but there is help and I think you should take advantage of it.
Everybody has a theory about where, exactly, anxiety comes from. There are some who don't believe it can just "come out of the blue," some who believe it's all a chemical imbalance, some who believe it's "all in our heads," and some who know it came from a specfiic event in their life...........either last week, last year or when we were 5 years old. As far as how long it will last, there is no answer for that. Since you have an exact date, June 22nd, when you began to feel this way, it should be fairly easy for you to go back in your mind to that time and try to figure out if something traumatic happened to you, either directly or indirectly and you may have your answer about where this came from. How long it will last, if it is anxiety, will depend a great deal on you and how much work you want to put into getting your life back. Meds will help with the symptoms, but they won't cure anything....that will take therapy to get to the bottom of the anxiety and deal with it.
And this may NOT be anxiety. This COULD be a chemical imbalance and it's just going to take some time for them to figure out which one. In the meantime, they are trying to help you deal with the very real anxiety of not knowing.
Try the Klonopin, AS DIRECTED, and if you don't soon begin to get some relief from the anxiety, then you need to get back with your doctor and let him/her know their current treatment plan is NOT working.
Hang in there and be strong and know we are all here for you.
You're going to be fine!
Peace
Greenlydia
  

[shanchuy]

Thank you so much for your responses.  My doctors have treated me for anxiety with several medications one in which was supposed to level out my serratonin levels and that one I had a serious alergic reaction to which resulted in one of my trips the the ER the other medication which they still have me taking (when needed) is Clonazapam 0.5mg tablet.  I at this time dont take anythig because Im so scared that it has a lot to do with my symptoms.  They are trying to rule out everything before they say this is an anxiety disorder.  Im just getting tired of the run arounds.  Ive spent above 300 in copays for office visits, er's and rx's!  All I want is some answers.  Ive never been so scared in all of my life and I have never experienced anything like this.  What would cause this to come out of no where and how long does it last.  Ive been sick like this since June 22.  Ive had one day where I felt very minimal symptoms.  Is this going to happen a lot?  Thanks again for answering my questions!  I really appreciate it.  The not knowing is the scariest part!!!

[RubyWitch]

In all your visits to the ER and your doctors, after all your tests have come back negative, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that NONE of these learned professionals has even suggested the possibility of anxiety to you!
It sounds like classic anxiety to me..........with the exception that you say this happens a lot AFTER you eat. That part doesn't make sense to me unless you are eating something you're allergic to on a regular basis which is possibly creating an anxiety response. There are folks here who know a great deal more about nutrition than I do and they may have some ideas along those lines for you. I will assume you told your various doctors that eating seems to be a frequent trigger...........in my mind, this should have seen you being sent to a nutritionist to have your diet evaled.
Since none of the docs you've seen have even mentioned the possiblility of anxiety being the cause of your symptoms, which makes them all pretty much MORONS in my book, I would seek out a doctor who specalizes in psychiartic disorders and who can give you the appropriate tests to determine IF you have an anxiety disorder and if so, what kind. And then treat you for it instead of having your insurance company pay to shove your head in a tube.
Please let us know what you finally do.......and what dx you end up with.
Peace
Greenlydia
    

[amish1979]

Those are all symptoms of anxiety and, while it does sound like anxiety, you would need your doctor to make that diagnosis.  It seems as though all these tests are ruling out more serious issues, so eventually I'm sure he'll chalk it up as anxiety.