What is wrong with me?

[StephenF]

Hello, I am in need of help! Basically I have been suffering from various symptoms for the past 11 months now (nearly a year together yay!) I was previously a very healthy young man with no history of any serious illness. However, I went to bed one day feeling just fine and woke up the next feeling awful. At first I thought I had the flu because of the foggy/dizzy feeling in my head and took a few days off college. However, when the symptoms showed no signs of abating I went back to college and tried to get on as usual. The symptoms included:
· A feeling of light/heavy headedness - my head felt like it was constantly full of water (and this led very rapidly to a since-persistent occurrence of strong derealisation and a difficulty in clear thought).
· Intense ear-pressure - which was impossible to fully equalise even with yawning etc. - and pressure on the back of my nose/eyes. The pressure also got drastically worse after a nap/short sleep.
· An extreme malaise which made even the simplest of tasks (making the bed for example) incredibly exhausting and daunting.
· A numbness/tiredness in my hands and feet. This was to the extent that ,when I was drinking or excessively tired, I could not even close my hands properly.
· Very stiff neck and shoulders, especially when stress-levels were high.
These symptoms all intensified in situations where I was experiencing increased levels of physical/mental exertion. My liquid intake has also drastically increased (I probably now drink 6 glasses of water per-day more than I previously would have). I believe my eyesight has also been affected. Although I had it tested and was told it was not significantly worse than last time, it takes a long time for my eyes to adjust when switching from close to far distance, and I find it hard to focus when watching the TV (especially fast-paced sports).
Unsurprisingly, this also led to a range of psychological problems including; avoidance of social situations, high levels of anxiety (amounting to almost hysterical levels in certain stressful situations), confidence problems, lack of motivation, and - I believe, though it has not been diagnosed - depression.
In the intervening months I have left school and taken on a part-time job in a warehouse. I was working 3 hours a day and although it was exhausting at first, I eventually became accustomed to it and it became easier. Because I worked during the evening I was getting as much sleep as I wanted (10+ hours every night) and was also attempting to treat my psychological problems with self-imposed CBT I started seeing gradual improvement. I got to a level where it was bearable most of the time, though I was still careful not to over-exert myself. However, recently I have taken on more hours at work and my condition has started to deteriorate again. The pressure in my head is increasing again, and I am getting localised but intense headaches which move around my head, and get worse when I lean over etc. The realisation of the relapse has caused my psychological problems to starkly worsen again.
I visited A GP after a few months and was diagnosed with Post Viral Fatigue. I was not convinced of the diagnosis at the time and am still not. I Have not visited any professionals (medical or psychological) since. This may be because I perceived that I was slowly getting better; but now I wonder if I was just getting more used to living like this and my psychological problems had decreased as a result. Even if I was/am recovering slowly, the condition has at all times remained sufficiently debilitating so as to be severely restrictive both physically and socially. What is more, there has always been the risk that a bad night’s sleep (<4 hours) could cause a worsening of the symptoms which would put me back at least a week. I am going to university next year, but I don’t feel I am ever going to be able to live the life I want to with all this going on. If anyone reading has got this far, thank you for taking the time to read this; I’m sorry to give you my life story like this but I don’t really talk to anyone about my problems - not even my family - because I want to be treated as normally as possible and don’t want to have option to be able to make excuses not to do things. However, it has got to a point where I need to do something before I become so resigned to it I lose the will to even search for a cure (I have already effectively forgotten what it feels like not to feel like this). I know that my problems are multi-faceted and complicated, and  that there are overlaps between the mental and physical elements. However, I thought that this would be as good a place as any to start because I am pretty certain that my condition began with the physical illness, with the mental being a result rather than a cause. Obviously, any help would be greatly appreciated. I am open-minded to any suggestions.
Thanks again,
Stephen.

[Annielin]

I, too, have been in the process of trying to determine my own health issues for many years. There can probably be no clear answer for you yet, because it seems these difficult-to-diagnose conditions are determined to reveal themselves with clarity in their own time - or not. I can offer the hope that my first true symptoms occured more than eleven years ago and plagued me considerably for the better part of a year. Some symptoms were similar to yours (heavy water in the head feeling and cloudy thinking, difficulty visually tracking moving objects, anxiety and strange sensations - I also had sleep disruption and appetite issues along with a near-crippling fatigue) the good news is that slowly the symptoms abated, and although I had some fatigue that remained, my life felt almost completely normal for eight years. A couple of years ago the symptoms returned along with a defecit in my left leg and loss of dexterity in my hands. the leg issue was temporary (resolved in appx. five months and the reflexes returned) but the dexterity issues in my hands remain. I went through intense diagnostic testing for about a year and then decided that I needed a break from one more "inconclusive" test. I manage well although there is no denying the unknown. I find encouragement in the fact that something which was so terrifying at its onset has become something that, although I cannot give it a definitive name, was not out to kill me overnight after all. If the mystery is ever solved, that will be well enough, but things can be well enough without a diagnosis, too. Keep paying attention to what makes you feel better and what makes you feel worse. Keep a journal for yourself tracking physical and emotional happenings. There is power in finding your own patterns. Good luck and stay strong. There is an army of invisible warriors out in the world with you, contributing to this life and living well in spite of adversity.

[Jules77733]

Were you ever worked up for diabetes?

[justme719]

Many of your symptoms are the same as mine.  I have fibromyalgia.  I am not saying that is what you have but you may want to ask your doctor to look into it.  A rhuematologist would be able to find out for sure.  Good Luck.

[amysay]

I have the exact same symptoms. What is this? It is so frightening. Somebody please give some advice.