Anxiety or something else?

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drumsandboards

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Hello there. I figured I might as well join HealtrabroadoarRAB considering doctors don't seem to help me much. I was diagnosed with GAD after all the usual tests came back negative. MRI, EKG, Blood Work, stuff like that. That would be just fine if I actually had anxiety symptoms. Personally I think it's something neurological. Tell me what you think. Sorry if this is a bit lengthy. My symptoms are quite complex.
Well I'll start with my biggest problem, my vision. For about the past 5 months or so my vision has been off. It's very hard to describe. I'll do my best. Basically things just look different. Very spacey and as if it's hard to focus. Also it seems as if my brain is having a hard time registering what it is I'm looking at. An example would be something like this. I'm walking down the street. A car drives by at average speed. As it goes by I see it, but I don't really see it. It's like my brain can't keep up with it. Another example. There's a pile of trash with various objects. Again my brain seems to be confused on what to focus on. It's like I can't take it all in. Very disturbing. My vision is always like this. Especially outside and in bright lights such as flourescents. Another thing that sometimes bugs me is floaters. I have developed a massive amount of them over the last few months. I've learned to adapt to them but they can become quite annoying. My vision symptoms become even worse with exercise. Which brings me to my next point. I've always been a very athletic kid. I could run for miles on end. No problem. Now it seems I barely get walking and I'm out of breath, dizzy, and lightheaded. If I even try to run the instant I stop it feels as though I'll pass out any second. Odd. Also I always feel a bit off balance and lightheaded. It's just kind of a constant feeling. Now this symptom is actually probably associated with anxiety, but there IS other possibilites. I seem to suffer from depersonalization ALOT. Not fun. Lastly theres dizziness upon standing. It feels like I will almost pass out if I get up to fast. I also black out for a few seconRAB. And it's not like just every once in a while, it is every single time I get up. I do not have low blood pressure so I'm ruling out Hypotension. But does anyone have any ideas what this could be, besides anxiety?
 
well I know you said you want some input as to what it could be excluding anxiety... but i hate to tell you, those are classic anxiety symptoms. light-headedness, dizziness, depersonalization, etc... all stem back to an anxiety disorder. If you cure the anxiety disorder all the other stuff will go away. I apologize as that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear.
 
Not sure about your problems, but I thought I would let you know I suffered from very, very similar symptoms for almost 18 months. It all started after playing sports one day. After that, my vision was weird. I felt like I was walking down the Vegas strip all the time, so much visual to take in but I couldn't process it all... and this was just walking down the driveway. I also had afterimages (like when you look at the sun, then look away) but it would happen even after looking at something like the newspaper.
This all started after exercise. And it was always worse after exercise. I too had the shortness of breath- I had to give up all my old sports activities. Lightheaded?? Yep, alllllllll the time, and off balance. Someone even noticed once that I was walking crooked.

Well, I went through every test in teh book, more than 50 doctor appointments in a year. Most test were normal, but nothing officially diagnosed. I started reading a lot of posts here, and realized it was probably just anxiety. After reading all the similar posts, and internalizing that it was probably just anxiety, I started to feel better. Now, I rarely, if at all, suffer any symptoms.

That's not to say that would happen to you, but that has been my experience.

Bottom line- your symptoms sound almost identical to mine- no one could understand the vision thing- and I am A-ok now.

I wouldn't worry.
 
Hmm.. well maybe it's not anxiety, I'm no expert. Take a look at the "Common Panic Disorder/Anxiety Symptoms" sticky thread and you'll see there are many many effects anxiety can have on your body. Would you say your vision problems match any of these?

DISSOCIATIVE sensations such as feeling~

* detached from the body (dissociative sensations)
* feeling as if you and/or surroundings are not real (dissociative sensations)
* as if looking through a white or grey mist (dissociative sensations)
* sensitivity to light and sound (dissociative sensations)
* tunnel vision (dissociative sensations)
* stationary objects appearing to move (dissociative sensations)
* sensations of falling into a void (dissociative sensations)
* temporary paralysis (dissociative sensations)
 
To Kill Panic-Those symptoms are somewhat like how I see and feel but not quite.
To JorabobWE-I was thinking inner ear too but I looked up some possibilities and the symptoms just weren't quite right. Not sure though. As for the vision I completely agree. I need to get it checked. That could be the source of my whole problem because I'm so worked up about my vision. And as for medication I am on Prozac and Xanax as needed. It helps some I suppose but nothing major.
To dduff-That's almost exactly how I feel. You described how my vision to a tee. And now that I think back, this seemed to have all started after A very strenuous game of basketball. Thanks for the input. Maybe it is just anxiety. I'm still not completely convinced though.
 
I'd go to an opthamologist to didcover why I was developing the floaters and discuss whether that could be a cause - - and a have my ears checked (inner ear problem?).

If that doesn't reveal anything - ask for an SSRI at a low dose for GAD to see if that doesn't help.

The curious thing to me is the floaters. If the visual problem is causing the anxiety, it's not an anxiety DISORDER - it's anxiety caused by something. - fix the something and reh anxiety goes away. If it's an anxiety disorder, treat the anxiety and the symptoms go away....

Just my 2 centavos
 
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