What is happening?

[xSabrinaX]

I just need some reassurance,

Last August I was feeling very dizzy, lightheaded, my eyes were blurry, i was feeling like i was in a dream, i felt as if i was sick or was dying, honestly every symptom imaginable.. I had all these tests done; MRI, blood tests, heart tracking, etc. I've been to therapy too. I'm only 17 - everyone is telling me i am young and that this is a phase, as it's not like i have had it all my life. Forgot to mention, in August when this started i had the flu for around 2 weeks, i was feeling really sick, one morning i woke up at like 4:00am and went to my parents room, because i had a temperature and i felt sick, whilst i was standing in the dark bedroom i felt nauseous and all sweaty, i felt like i was going to collapse, then i realised everything felt more darker then normal i turned on their light and i couldn't see anything, everything was black! I  My mum just said that i wasnt eating and drinking and that is what must've caused it, along with all the medication i was taking. But i happened another time too.. It was around 2:00pm as i was riding my dirt bike, i felt off and wasn't concentrating properly, i fell off at high speed after almost crashing into my sister (i hit the front brakes going downhill, in which i know i wasn't supposed to - i just panicked). Long story short, I broke my wrist, anyways when i fell off i had another blackout, which i was told it was also because it was 2:00pm and i hadn't eaten.. Then not long ago my heart started racing and it happened again. I am literally so scared now, but i've just been told every time this has happened i was because i hadn't eaten properly which is why now i try my best. Anyways, that isn't the point. The point is 2 days ago i got a cold, and i feel so bad, i think it is from my anxiety and my cold together.. But, the thing is. I feel like i can't think properly, i feel really out of it - like i don' feel real, nothing around me feel real. I feel like my head is tight and i am stuck in a dream, i don't feel right, i feel like I'm weak and everything i touch and do it isn't necessarily me that is doing it. So, i don't know if it is because of my cold that is making me feel off and my anxiety that is overexaggerating the feeling i am experiencing, but i feel like something is seriously wrong, what is happening to my brain, i am scared. It doesn't feel like my anxiety where it goes away when i occupy myself. No matter what i do i feel so out of it. Please tell me i am safe! 😞

[therising]

Hi xSabrinaX

The brain definitely does some strange things under a variety of conditions. I suppose the question is 'What condition or conditions are setting it off, to being doing what it's doing?'. It's good that you've had a number of tests and that things are being given the attention they deserve. Still, the tests don't answer your question. Can be so frustrating when there are no obvious answers.

While colds and such and sinus issues can impact brain activity, so too can dehydration. Diet can also have an impact, as can serious sleep issues. Sensitivity to certain things, that can trigger migraines, can also impact brain activity. I used to experience silent migraines (migraines without headaches) and the side effects were pretty bizarre in some cases. With cognition issues, a 'completely off with the faries' feel to them, a nervous system that was easily triggered by them, numbness down my left side and other side effects, they were pretty scary until they were diagnosed as migraines. I was lucky to be having one in the MRI machine. If the usual suspects for your experiences have been ruled out through blood tests and scans, a lot can be crossed off the list. Sometimes it comes down to finding the answer through a process of elimination. I know, it can be a slow process and a frustrating one too.

Wondering if your GP has asked you to keep a diary of the symptoms, when they come about and what circumstances surround them etc. As many clues as possible can help a medical detective (GP or specialist) get to the bottom of the mystery. I feel for you so much. It can be such a stressful experience, not knowing what's going on with us.

[Over-thinker]

Sounds like you’re having a rough time, must be frustrating too.

I have felt like I was living in a daze before, couldn’t snap out of it and realised it was exhaustion. How’s your sleep routine? Staying up very late and having disturbed sleep really impacted my mental clarity.

That was also when I had an eating disorder, lack of nutrients to the brain does wreak havoc on its ability to process everyday living.