Costochondritis, virus, anxiety and depression, or something more?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi,

I'm a normally very healthy, active 19 year old. In September I moved to university in London, but since then have had various health problems, which may take a while to explain..

I came off antibiotics after 6 months, went on the pill and stopped after a month because it completely messed up my cycle and hormones, and then 5 weeks ago started getting sharp, stabbing chest pain - it was especially bad when lifting, twisting or stretching, but sometimes just on its own. I started to really panic, get bad asthma and I felt like my chest was being constricted. I went to the doctor who checked everything out and said I was probably just very anxious and stressed, and put me on a brown inhaler. 

This settled me a little, but the stabbing pains in my chest and ribs were still there which worried me. After having a very bad cold and cough during which I still forced myself to keep going without rest, the pain got worse again, to the point it's at now.

A couple of weeks ago everything began to spiral - I began getting fluttering, dropping palpatations in my chest, my throat would get dry, I was fatigued but once again, I convinced myself to keep going in order to distract my mind. Last week I had got to a point where I was constantly anxious and very, very depressed. I couldn't get out of bed some days, couldn't eat, couldn't concentrate on work or in social situations, I would cry down the phone to my mum every night convinced that I was going to die; in the end I had to come home.

I went to the doctor who finally diagnosed costochondritis and said I could still be getting over a bad virus. But the pain goes through to my back, down my spine, between all of my ribs. My whole body now feels like it's become hypersensitive - I get shooting nerve like pains which come and go in my arms, hips, knees and feet, and throbbing in my hands. I tingle and sting all over - sometimes it feels like crawling, others actual pain. I'm overly sensitive to heat and cold and to the slightest tummy ache or indigestion. I'm still getting these palpatations, and I have very little energy. I'm constantly falling asleep, and have to really force myself to do the things I used to enjoy. I also just noticed these white spots at the back of my mouth/ throat and think I have vaginal thrush, as if things couldn't get worse!

I've never been a person to let health problems get to me, and usually I have a pretty high pain threshold, so I don't know what's happened to me. I've become a serious hypochondriac and convinced myself that I have something wrong with my heart, or cancer, or a disease of the nervous system that's going to paralyse me. I'm terrified I'm never going to get my health back and be myself again, and that the doctor isn't running enough tests to find out the cause of all this. I just don't feel like I'm getting better.

I know that this is a combination of physical and mental health issues, but if anyone could help explain all of this to me I would be so grateful and relieved. 

Thank you 

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    The antibiotics you took, was it Cipro or Levaquin? I was adversely affected by taking Cipro and ended up with heart issies, chest pain, stomach problems, and muscle atrophy.
    • Posted

      It was oxytetracycline for my skin, and while I was on them and for about a month afterwards I was fine rolleyes
  • Posted

    Genuinely have the exact same symptoms as you sad hope you are well this is hard lol

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