Abnormal blood pressure or neurological issue? Anxiety and face numbing?

Posted , 4 users are following.

I’m trying to figure out what these symptoms are that Ive had long-term but seems to flare up more recently. It seems to happen most often immediately after I eat and persist about two hours. It is usually in the late afternoon and/or after lunch and doesnt seem to correlate with meal size or type of food. It happens about twice a week.

The symptoms are

  • anxiety, made worse by movement while sitting down (for example, if I lift my arm or tilt my head too fast I feel a sense of doom/a falling sensation)
  • shortness of breath
  • a dull headache
  • Mental slowness/lethargy
  • numbness in the left side of my face and head that sometimes extends to my arm and leg on the left side if it’s especially bad
  • pins and needles around my face and scalp
  • a slight squeezing sensation on the left side of my head and face
  • Sensitivity to light, sound

The symptoms are alleviated most when I am laying down, slightly when I’m standing up, and they are the worst when I’m sitting. but I’m usually at work when this happens so I have to be sitting at my desk. I’m wondering if this issue is blood pressure related with my blood pressure being too low or high, or if it’s a migraine, because I’m not sure what migraines feel like. I have chronic visual snow syndrome and mild tinnitus and I’m overall hypersensitive to sensory things like sound, light, pain, etc. I also have general anxiety. So that makes me think this could be neurological? But I’m also overweight and drink a moderate amount of caffeine and alcohol daily, so that makes me wonder if it’s a blood pressure issue. But I’ve had these symptoms to a degree for as long as I can remember, even in childhood. Especially with the shortness of breath and lightheadedness. They’re only recently (in the last year) seeming to get worse (the numbness and mental slowness). I plan to see a doctor about this and am currently working on finding one, but I wanted to get some possible points to the right direction beforehand out of curiosity.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi, as your symptoms are numerous and you haven't consulted with a medical practitioner yet and you haven't undergone any tests even basic ones like BP, bloods etc, then it's impossible for anyone on the forum to even second guess what your problem is.

    You need to be evaluated and then once you have a diagnosis you can get advice and support on how to deal with it.

    This is not a medical site where you put you symptoms in and a doctor gives you an answer it's a UK peer to peer support forum.

    Please come back when you have seen someone, your symptoms could be all anxiety related which is very possible but you need to rule out anything more sinister

    • Posted

      Hi Alexandria, sorry for the confusion wanted to clarify my intent. Per the end of my post, I intend on seeing a doctor on these issues. I'm not seeking a diagnosis from this site. for future readers I'm asking if anyone has familiarity with these symptoms and/or suggestions of what types of questions to ask when I go to seek medical help. It's about sharing an experience that's foreign to me, that other people might share. Arranging an appointment can be a lengthy process and it would be nice to swap insights in the meantime.

    • Posted

      Hi I did understand your final comment but still feel that as this is just a forum for people already diagnosed who are looking for a bit of support with others who are suffering from the same conditions it would be scary if someone came on and said yes they had all your symptoms and it was diagnosed as anxiety and you thought yours was also the same and didn't seek medical advice and it turned out to be something like a brain tumor, not that I think it could be but you can never be sure until you have a better idea of the cause, hence my advice to go see a doctor sooner than later, take your explanation and show him, that will ask all the questions you need and if you think of more then you can add them.

      Where abouts are you

  • Posted

    You have too many problems for one doctor to cure. It will probably be recommended that you check into a rehab center,

  • Posted

    @Lester and Alexandria, I’ve become kind of confused about the response here. Upon looking through this particular section of the forums I’ve noted most of the people posting are noting symptoms and asking people for opinions and leads to what they may be. So I’ve concluded I’m either using the forums right or most everyone here is also using them incorrectly, which would be.. strange. I’m wondering if mine seems too complex because I listed background info on my general health, but that was only from following the website’s direct posting instructions that ask forum posters to be as specific as possible. I want to clarify that I was asking people if they have experience with the symptoms I listed in bullets. The info about my general anxiety, my general health etc. was just background info/insight and not part of my curiosity. I don’t see an option to delete my post or anything, but I’ve decided to back out of this site as the community response was not an expected fit to the site’s declared intent.

  • Posted

    DAILY ALCOHOL INTAKE COULD BE THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL OF THE ABOVE. WITHDRAWAL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, OVERWEIGHT, SUGAR INTAKE... I personally think a lot of your symptoms are related to alcohol. I would definitely get a physical and get into treatment and safely dry out. BUT DEFINITELY GET UNDER THE CARE OF A PHYSICIAN!

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