Chronic Anxiety - Stroke?

[CelestialFire]

Hey everyone...This is my first time posting or doing anything like this so..stick with me...

I have chronic and acute anxiety, meaning I can't do even small things like shower without having a full blown panic attack. Unfortunately of course this also bring along all the other lovely anxiety symptoms, and that amazing thing your brain does when it decides you're going to die.

Recently, for about the past week or two, I've been having some really scary feelings in my head. I have rung the 13Health number to ask about it, and have stopped myself from calling 000 many times...basically I have this insane pressure at the front of my head, and yet also have this feeling like..my brain is empty? And not emotionally but physically.

Things got really bad when I went to the gym for the first time in a very long time...I struggled the whole time, and when I got home my head just felt heavy, and I was very wobbly and my brain just felt...wrong and my face felt heavy too

The sensation did calm down, which leads me to believe it was some kind of anxiety driven thing, but I keep having these symptoms and of course the first thing that pops into my head is a stroke... I'm really scared, and I don't feel very supported right now so you guys are all I have...

Has anyone ever had anything similar? Are these symptoms just because my body and brain are getting tired of all the panic attacks and stress I deal with?

Am I going to die?...

I'm sitting right now awake in bed because as usual I can't sleep, and I have a pressure running from temple to temple...

Also (I'm sorry this is so long) but after the even at the gym I am terrified of going back, but I want to so badly...I'm so disappointed that I can't do the most basic things and I just want to be healthy...how can I get over a fear of exercising when the heart rate increase you get from it just makes me panic....

I appreciate any help or advice...I just don't want to feel so alone and scared anymore, I'm so suck and tired of living this way...

thank you x

[Sophie_M]

Hey CelestialFire, welcome to our friendly online community, we are so glad you decided to join us here. We know it can be hard to write the first post, so thank you for having the courage.

If you would like some help finding mental health support, we would recommend that you get in contact with the Beyond Blue Support Service. They are available 24/7 by phone on 1300 22 4636 or on Webchat 1pm-12am AEST on our website: www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport  One of our friendly counsellors will be able to talk through these feelings with you and can offer support, advice and referrals. 

We would encourage you to seek medical attention for your symptoms as it would be reassuring to have a medical opinion about them. Also the GP can refer you to a psychologist for ongoing support.

 

[therising]

A warm welcome to you CelestialFire 🙂

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling so much with the challenges that can come with anxiety. I believe some people don't fully realise the true impact of certain mental health challenges, which can in turn make things even more challenging. It can definitely leave you feeling lonely in your struggle to better understand yourself.

First of all I should of course mention the importance of getting regular physicals from your GP, to make sure your blood pressure and chemistry are on track. I imagine you're already onto this, having had pressure and blood tests done.

Second, I wonder whether you've considered looking into the challenges that come with being a highly sensitive person (a HSP). One of the most common questions a HSP will ask is 'What am I sensing?' or another way of questioning is 'What's wrong with me?' Of course, an insensitive person doesn't question so much. If someone's fairly insensitive to what people say to them, insensitive to the impact of their own thoughts and insensitive to any subtle changes going on within their own body, there's not too much of an issue for them. On the flip side, if you're sensitive enough to feel the words or nature of another person, feel the impact of your own thoughts and feel any subtle changes that are going on inside you...cue a stack of challenges. To add to this, if you're sensitive to certain stimuli, this can set things off too (such as a sensitivity to certain sounds, visual stimuli such as light, certain tastes, certain smells or touch/feeling of things on your skin).

I used to get silent migraines (migraines without headaches). Before the experts discovered the cause of my symptoms, the symptoms were of great concern to me, as they mimicked a stroke to some degree. Beginning with pressure through my sinuses, things would escalate to loss of function down my left side, difficulty walking, trouble speaking and thinking, my nervous system being triggered and so on. Once it was diagnosed, I was able to say 'I can sense which parts of my brain are impacted by a migraine' - the parts responsible for balance, muscle and nerve function, speech etc). Until then, I had no idea what I was sensing or observing and it was pretty concerning.

Wondering if what you're sensing is a change of blood pressure in your head when exercising, in turn creating certain quirky sensations. If you're seriously worried, you've every right to ask for a brain MRI, just to make sure all's good.