Is this depression/anxiety/stress ?!
Question: Is this depression/anxiety/stress .?
Hello, Here's my story. I'm Male 22
My life was going pretty smoothly (university, gym, etc) until I got sick in late October and early November with some very bad viral chest infection. First Doctors gave me antibiotics for 2 weeks which never helped.
So had blood test and doctor came to conclusion that it is viral infection and will go away. When I was antibiotics (Z-pack) I had so much anxiety and even had panic attack.
Since that panic attack I am not feeling myself. I have been examined by 5 different doctors and have had drawn blood test 4 different times and also had ECG 2 times.
Doctors keep on saying its virus or stress.
My body is feeling so weak everyday, no energy at all, no concentration, sometimes it feels someone is squeezing my body (scary),irregular heart beat and occasional lightheadedness. I feel like I am in a dream all the time.
Even my family doctor have just like given up. She has performed variety of blood tests and nothing comes up.
She thinks its anxiety.
Since last month I had 2 trips to E.R...due to severe weakness and feeling of passing out. Sometimes I also get this weird tickling sensation at front of forehead.
Doctor perform several tests and don't find anything.
So In Conclusion I have just one question........
Can constant anxiety and stress worn your body so much that you feel physically weak and light with no energy in your body, and concentration level drops .?
I am worried and think I have Cancer since i am not getting better!
If I had Cancer would it show any signs in my Complete Blood Panel or CBC test .?Health Question & Answer
My life was going pretty smoothly (university, gym, etc) until I got sick in late October and early November with some very bad viral chest infection. First Doctors gave me antibiotics for 2 weeks which never helped.
So had blood test and doctor came to conclusion that it is viral infection and will go away. When I was antibiotics (Z-pack) I had so much anxiety and even had panic attack.
Since that panic attack I am not feeling myself. I have been examined by 5 different doctors and have had drawn blood test 4 different times and also had ECG 2 times.
Doctors keep on saying its virus or stress.
My body is feeling so weak everyday, no energy at all, no concentration, sometimes it feels someone is squeezing my body (scary),irregular heart beat and occasional lightheadedness. I feel like I am in a dream all the time.
Even my family doctor have just like given up. She has performed variety of blood tests and nothing comes up.
She thinks its anxiety.
Since last month I had 2 trips to E.R...due to severe weakness and feeling of passing out. Sometimes I also get this weird tickling sensation at front of forehead.
Doctor perform several tests and don't find anything.
So In Conclusion I have just one question........
Can constant anxiety and stress worn your body so much that you feel physically weak and light with no energy in your body, and concentration level drops .?
I am worried and think I have Cancer since i am not getting better!
If I had Cancer would it show any signs in my Complete Blood Panel or CBC test .?Health Question & Answer
Answers:
It very well COULD be panic and/or anxiety attacks (they're NOT the same thing, but often occur together). But some of your other symptoms don't make sense. It IS true that if you have panic disorder and are in DENIAL of it, you will often get physical symptoms such as: dizziness, feeling faint, rapid heartbeat, a sense that you're going to die or pass out, and fatigue that can last weeks.
However, since you DO seem open to the idea that you might have panic disorder, the physical symptoms should start subsiding once you recognize that it's psychological.
Try seeing a therapist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. They can diagnose you AND give you ways to cope with the panic attacks. You may need a medicine like Klonopin (they might try anti-depressants, but do NOT just take them if you're truly not depressed...there can be serious mental & physical side effects, such as severe anxiety, agitation, suicidal or even homicidal thoughts!).
The thing that bothers me is the diagnosis of a viral infection. If it's something like Epstein-Barr, or another one that causes fatigue and muscle weakness, your symptoms may be due to that. You should be evaluated and also have a tox screen done, in case you've been exposed to something in your environment that is affecting parts of your body. We're bombarded with toxins all the time and nobody thinks of that.
Cancer wouldn't show up on a CBC unless it was something like leukemia, that affected blood cells. You need a special test. According to WebMD, "...the best screening method now available -- a blood test for levels of a protein known as CA-125..." (1)
There is also a condition known as "Post-viral Fatigue Syndrome" (PVS). It has many forms and causes. Check out the Wikipedia article (link below) for an overview. They can test you for various antibodies (the test is called a "titer") to see which virus you had/have. (2)
The last link below offers a possible treatment for different types of fatigue disorders.
also, you should have your thyroid function tested. A viral infection in your thyroid gland can leave you exhausted, make you lose weight rapidly and cause racing heartbeat, among other things. It can also lead to later thyroid problems. It's VERY hard for most docs to imagine in someone young and fit, but it can happen--I had it in my 30's and it took my (very competent) doctor WEEKS to figure it out!
The test only involves swallowing some dye and then getting an image. (There are blood tests also, but they don't look at the thyroid gland itself).
The main things is; DON'T GIVE UP! Go to different doctors until you get a good diagnostician. THEN you can just treat it as panic disorder. Too many docs are quick to write off chronic physical problems they can't figure out as "all in your head". Maybe it is...maybe NOT!Health Question & Answer
However, since you DO seem open to the idea that you might have panic disorder, the physical symptoms should start subsiding once you recognize that it's psychological.
Try seeing a therapist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. They can diagnose you AND give you ways to cope with the panic attacks. You may need a medicine like Klonopin (they might try anti-depressants, but do NOT just take them if you're truly not depressed...there can be serious mental & physical side effects, such as severe anxiety, agitation, suicidal or even homicidal thoughts!).
The thing that bothers me is the diagnosis of a viral infection. If it's something like Epstein-Barr, or another one that causes fatigue and muscle weakness, your symptoms may be due to that. You should be evaluated and also have a tox screen done, in case you've been exposed to something in your environment that is affecting parts of your body. We're bombarded with toxins all the time and nobody thinks of that.
Cancer wouldn't show up on a CBC unless it was something like leukemia, that affected blood cells. You need a special test. According to WebMD, "...the best screening method now available -- a blood test for levels of a protein known as CA-125..." (1)
There is also a condition known as "Post-viral Fatigue Syndrome" (PVS). It has many forms and causes. Check out the Wikipedia article (link below) for an overview. They can test you for various antibodies (the test is called a "titer") to see which virus you had/have. (2)
The last link below offers a possible treatment for different types of fatigue disorders.
also, you should have your thyroid function tested. A viral infection in your thyroid gland can leave you exhausted, make you lose weight rapidly and cause racing heartbeat, among other things. It can also lead to later thyroid problems. It's VERY hard for most docs to imagine in someone young and fit, but it can happen--I had it in my 30's and it took my (very competent) doctor WEEKS to figure it out!
The test only involves swallowing some dye and then getting an image. (There are blood tests also, but they don't look at the thyroid gland itself).
The main things is; DON'T GIVE UP! Go to different doctors until you get a good diagnostician. THEN you can just treat it as panic disorder. Too many docs are quick to write off chronic physical problems they can't figure out as "all in your head". Maybe it is...maybe NOT!Health Question & Answer
It does sound like anxiety. The thing you need to do and the hardest thing to do is push through it. Get back to what you consider your normal pre illness routine. Get lots of exercise. Spend as much time outside as you can stand. These things don't cure anxiety but they help a lot.Health Question & Answer
Cancer should show up on a blood test
and yes, Stress and be physically exhaustingHealth Question & Answer
and yes, Stress and be physically exhaustingHealth Question & Answer
Get off the roidsHealth Question & Answer
Yes it could be anxiety and those feeling you are having are from the body reaction to the panic attacks. Look on the web for a good description of what your body does during a panic attack. Its very interesting. But you should also make sure that you do not have Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) especially if you have had a virus and a fever lately. People with MVP have panic attacks as one of their symptoms.Health Question & Answer
Some types of cancer do cause abnormalities in routine blood tests, high or low white blood cell count, or high calcium (I'm not sure if "complete blood panel" refers to what I know as "complete metabolic panel" or is what you are calling the CBC). However, normal values for these don't rule out cancer. Nevertheless, what you are describing does not sound like cancer aside from the fatigue, which is an extremely non-specific symptom.
Since you say this all started with your viral illness, my first thought was that you are still having repercussions from that infection. However, since I obviously can't examine you myself I'll defer to the judgment of your physician in that regard. I'm assuming from what you say that the CBC is normal, which includes a normal white blood cell count, tending to indicate resolution of the infection.
All that said, the symptoms you are describing could absolutely be due to an anxiety disorder. It seems that you are continuing to have panic attacks, with which your symptoms are quite consistent. Since nothing in particular seems to bring on the attacks each time (at least, that is my understanding from what you said), and you have significant concern about the implications of the attacks, there is a good chance that you have panic disorder.
I highly recommend that you seek an appointment with a psychiatrist. Panic disorder can be treated with a particular class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, to reduce your anxiety and the frequency of your panic attacks. In the meantime, the psychiatrist may choose to give you a benzodiazepine (an anxiolytic or anti-anxiety drug) in the short-term to help you deal with the attacks.
On the other hand, my impression may be entirely incorrect. The psychiatrist can get a fuller history from you, including medications and drugs you are taking, other medical problems, family history, etc., to determine what is the cause of this present distress.Health Question & Answer
Since you say this all started with your viral illness, my first thought was that you are still having repercussions from that infection. However, since I obviously can't examine you myself I'll defer to the judgment of your physician in that regard. I'm assuming from what you say that the CBC is normal, which includes a normal white blood cell count, tending to indicate resolution of the infection.
All that said, the symptoms you are describing could absolutely be due to an anxiety disorder. It seems that you are continuing to have panic attacks, with which your symptoms are quite consistent. Since nothing in particular seems to bring on the attacks each time (at least, that is my understanding from what you said), and you have significant concern about the implications of the attacks, there is a good chance that you have panic disorder.
I highly recommend that you seek an appointment with a psychiatrist. Panic disorder can be treated with a particular class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, to reduce your anxiety and the frequency of your panic attacks. In the meantime, the psychiatrist may choose to give you a benzodiazepine (an anxiolytic or anti-anxiety drug) in the short-term to help you deal with the attacks.
On the other hand, my impression may be entirely incorrect. The psychiatrist can get a fuller history from you, including medications and drugs you are taking, other medical problems, family history, etc., to determine what is the cause of this present distress.Health Question & Answer
Constant anxiety and stress CAN make you feel physically ill or weak, and anxiety/stress and depression CAN make it hard for you to concentrate.
It might be helpful for you to talk to a counselor or a psychiatrist to help you figure out what is causing your anxiety and depression and find ways to deal with it. A psychiatrist may also prescribe medication to help you feel better.Health Question & Answer
It might be helpful for you to talk to a counselor or a psychiatrist to help you figure out what is causing your anxiety and depression and find ways to deal with it. A psychiatrist may also prescribe medication to help you feel better.Health Question & Answer
You need to go to a medical diagnostic center, usually affiliated with large hospitals and universities. Just because it is not a common disease does not mean that it is just stress! Don't give up until you find a doctor that will find out what is wrong. I've been working on finding the cause of my problem for 13 years. I went through that phase of doctors handing you off and giving simple answers for your symptoms. It's very discouraging. Make connections with others who are supportive of you and keep asking questions.Health Question & Answer
Well, I know what you're going through. I had a time several month ago in which I was not myself either. But things got better. I'd say you're just experiencing anxiety which is kind of a broader term for what could be a lot of other problems. My advice would be to not make any life changing decisions right now because your judgemnet will be bad. I made a lot of mistakes when I was experiencing this.
Just wait and things will get better.
Good luck and best wishes!Health Question & Answer
Just wait and things will get better.
Good luck and best wishes!Health Question & Answer