Posted 4/12/2012 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
I've been experiencing a whole laundry list of health problems for several years now. I really think most of my problems are neurological and caused me to develop anxiety attacks, but I don't know. I just know that a lot of my problems started BEFORE I ever began having issues with anxiety.
My main problems are as follows:
EXCRUCIATING pain on the back-right of my head that is there pretty much 24/7. It feels like someone jabbed a knife through my skull. It hurts so bad I can't put it into words.
Poor balance (I can't stand still because I sway and feel like I'm going to fall)
Awful memory
Trouble remembering words
Smelling burnt smells at times (doesn't happen really anymore, but it used to all of the time about 2 years ago)
Involuntarily biting my tongue when I'm about to nod off to sleep
Going into a sort of dreamlike state when I close my eyes...I start envisioning choppy, dreamlike scenarios, but I know they're not dreams because I'm half awake and JUST closed my eyes
Inability to concentrate on anything
Urinating every 40ish minutes
Episodes where I feel on the verge of losing consciousness
Gagging fits
24/7 pressure/pain in the center of my chest
And yes, panic attacks when I go in public, but they don't happen all of the time and sometimes even happen when I'm in bed at home, so I don't know if they're even panic attacks necessarily.
On Tuesday, I went to a doctor finally and gave her a list of the problems I've been having, and she wrote me off as a case of anxiety and handed me a prescription for Xanax before even asking me about any of the other problems. I told her I was concerned I had a brain tumor, and she laughed at me. I'm really frustrated. I told her so much of this was happening long before I started having panic episodes, and she just kind of went "okay."
I was going to try the Xanax to see if it at least helped me not be in a constant state of worry about what my body is going to do without my permission next, but then I read that it can cause seizures in those who are already prone to them. I've read that a lot of my problems can actually be types of seizures like the smelling burnt smells, suddenly biting my tongue in my sleep, and dreamlike hallucinations or whatever they're called when I close my eyes. So now I'm afraid to take it because I'm afraid it'll trigger a really bad seizure that will kill me or something.
Does anyone know if Xanax really is a seizure risk?
I'm so frustrated and just don't know what to do with myself besides sit in my bedroom and cry. I don't feel well enough to do anything else, and apparently no one believes me or wants to listen to me.
Oh, and I'm 22/female if it makes a difference. :)