Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Early 20's
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi, I'm 21 years old. I have been lead to believe that I am a hypochondriac, but as anyone here probably knows, it's obvious that there is something wrong when you are experiencing a number of abnormal symptoms regularly. I'm not sure where this began, I'd say maybe 3 years ago and some symptoms are newer than others. I experience palpations regularly, to the point I actually feel my heart could stop, but I assume it is due to anxiety. Which then causes more anxiety. I experience lower back pain regularly almost constantly, and have grown to accept it. It feels like you would if you've been sitting straight up in a chair for hours, but constantly. My neck is always stiff, when I go to the library I feel weird for constantly feeling the urge to roll my neck and stretch my back. It is the main reason I have trouble falling asleep at night. My eyes have recently been super dry day to day. I have to blink hard and it's awkward. Sometimes my fingers hurt but it's nothing severe and nothing I notice too much. I was also weirded out that sometimes when I'm in the shower bathing my body, my stomach and rib area almost feel sensitive to touch. My shoulders feel as if they need to be massaged, and sometimes when I wake up, my elbows are extremely painfully stiff. Before college I was always a very sharp girl, and I feel that I have trouble remembering a lot. I almost feel stupid sometimes, though it does not interfere with my grades. I am always tired, even when I've gotten more than a full nights rest. I could sleep till 2 pm easily. But when I'm trying to fall asleep I struggle with where to position my legs and my neck. I have to really concentrate on someone talking so I don't lose focus. My feet and hands are always cold, and I'm extremely sensitive to being warm or hot. To the point where I get super irritable. I feel lazy, but I don't want to. I almost always have a faster heartbeat. And I get extremely anxious about small things. I know that these symptoms can't be right because I did not experience these in high school.
If anyone has any advice or has experienced this sort of scenario, please help so I can stop worrying that I have some form of cancer!
0 likes, 2 replies
lilian05079 Annab3472
Posted
Who said you are a HChondriac?
You need to have a few tests the symptoms you present may be due to thyroid problems or inflammation in the body.....symptoms such as extreme tiredness, pain, dry eyes, heart palpitations and memory loss are not normal for your age..Pay a visit to your doc and write down all your symptoms and show him/her...i do this as i sometimes forget some of the symptoms.
The tests you need are an ESR blood test for inflammation(Erythtrocyte Sedimentation Rate)blood test...thyroid function test..and a B12 test...best wishes...keep us posted...
amkoffee Annab3472
Posted
I agree with what Lillian has said. I would also add a blood test for C-reactive protein. It is also an inflammation marker and then iron test to make sure you're not anemic. But chances are your doctor will run a CDC test which is a broad-spectrum test. It's a blood test that will test all kinds of different things.
Typically dry eyes present with watery eyes or the feeling that you have something in your eye or a kind of a gritty feeling. And you can treat that with some over-the-counter Lubricant Eye Drops. Don't try to use Visine. If in addition to dry eye you are also very thirsty and have a dry mouth then it is possible that it is Sjogren's syndrome. Sjogren's syndrome can be diagnosed with a blood test but the blood test can show a false negative when you actually have it. The only way to be absolutely certain is to have a lip biopsy done. Obviously the first thing would be to have the blood test done while having the other blood work done.
I think the thyroid is a very real possibility. At your age an hypothyroid can make you feel very tired and slugish. It could make you gain weight it can even make your hair fall out. There's a lot of symptoms that can happen with an underactive thyroid. With hyperthyroidism an overactive thyroid things are about the opposite. Again you can google that too.
In the meantime I highly recommend you download a relaxation tape to listen to. And I do not suggest music or sounds period I'm suggesting one that has talking in it. Something that has instructions on how to relax. For example it'll tell you to tighten a muscle and then loosen that muscle and it'll divide up different parts of your body and work on different parts as you go through the tape. I think that will help a great deal with your anxiety.
Finally I hope you keep us posted on how things go for you. I'd be interested to see what you find out