Brain Damage

But... what if 95% of the time i'm not anxious or depressed? I honestly feel pretty good otherwise. I was scared by the way my body is acting, but I honestly can say at this point in my life i'm a pretty happy person.. I have bouts of frustration but most days are pretty good I think.

 

I don't know.. i'm getting the MRI anyway, and hoping the neurologist gives me a thorough look. I definitely do not want to go to a psychiatrist to be put on an anti-depressant when quite frankly I don't feel depressed or like i'm being crushed by the weight of anxieties. I'm a little awkward socially but shit.. who isn't?

 

Thanks for the advice anyway. Watmm looking out... :)

You'll be super duper fine, dawg. 4real.

Anxiety disorder isn't like the colloquial use of anxiety. It is a true neurological disorder and doesn't always manifest as anxiety as you would think of feeling stressed out. Feeling a loss of motor coordination is actually a common symptom and a large amount of people report thinking they had MS, neural or brain damage and so on. Take a look at this forum thread you might find it helpful. Also, I haven't been to a psychiatrist since I was in school, my family doctor was able to diagnose and prescribe my meds. I had a neurologist appointment scheduled but ended up canceling it once the prozac took full effect.

 

http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php?topic=9832.0

That's very interesting and insightful. I suppose it's reasonable to renounce and assume this could be anxiety related. Still going to get checked (and get that damn MRI) regardless. Better safe than sorry. :)

Speaking from experience. When your health is really bad and you are not able to pinpoint what it is that is ailing you then you tend to become a wreck and start misdiagnosing yourself. What helped me was beginning to understand nutrition better and really disciplining myself about my diet and supplementation. After I did that many of my ailments disappeared or improved some of which I thought were indicators of a serious problem. My advice to you, especially if you aren't in tip top shape physically, is to buckle down on it and start learning about it then stick to it.

 

Really if you aren't physically at 100% your not going to be 100% mentally either.

  On 5/27/2014 at 6:06 PM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

Speaking from experience. When your health is really bad and you are not able to pinpoint what it is that is ailing you then you tend to become a wreck and start misdiagnosing yourself. What helped me was beginning to understand nutrition better and really disciplining myself about my diet and supplementation. After I did that many of my ailments disappeared or improved some of which I thought were indicators of a serious problem. My advice to you, especially if you aren't in tip top shape physically, is to buckle down on it and start learning about it then stick to it.

 

Really if you aren't physically at 100% your not going to be 100% mentally either.

 

Yeah that's not a problem. You'd have a hard time finding someone who is more obsessed with nutrition I think.. I exercise a lot too, but am not the type to pump iron constantly in gyms.

Who knows.. :X

Are your lymph nodes swollen or do you have a sore throat along with these? Swollen tonsils? Fever, night chillls? Painful tooth?

 

If its been around for 2-4 weeks and you don't have those then it is probably not a virus. It sounds like it might be either an infection or something in your environment (i.e. allergies)

 

Also anxiety is the biggest killer when it comes to catastrophizing illnesses. Just try to remember that doing self diagonsis on you is not going to tell you what you have: a return phone call from the doctor will. Try to take your mind off the symptoms by distracting yourself with friends and activities and get lots of sleep.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Entorwellian

Depression and anxiety can manifest in somatic ways.

 

also, an MRI is simultaneously terrifying and relaxing.

Get an MRI definitely. What you described could be a mild withdrawal from weed, due pressures of your system now needing to produce its own endocannabinoids for once. However, your symptoms could point towards parkinson's disease, but please don't sweat it. PD is caused by a reduction in neurons within a regulatory cortical region (SNr) within the basal ganglia, controlled predominantly through dopamine, so weed would not affect this cortical pathway in any form. Chronic cigarettes/tobacco use on the other hand...

 

 

I'm not a doctor, and have yet to earn a Phd, so listen to my bantering with a grain of salt.

Having zero qualifications other than being a human I would say that you should probably get a full diagnostic blood test done if you want to spend money on your health. Make sure all your levels are in their appropriate ranges. thyroid, cholesterol, testosterone, leptin resistance, glucose levels, etc. Lots of places offer really thorough blood work these days that can at the very least help you pin point any dietary deficiencies you may have. You can also identify if you are suffering systemic inflammation or immune system reactions which can definitely contribute to elevated anxiety. I would also recommend seeing a chiropractor & massage therapist if you sense you suffer from misalignment, pains, or tightness regarding your spine. Spinal pressure/problems can cause surprising nervous system issues with other areas of your body. I suggest these options because they are possibly things your doctors may not evaluate and they have a huge impact on your physiological well being.

 

You might also try biofeedback and HRV monitoring to assist you in identifying and controlling anxiety and mood. HRV can also be used to identify food sensitivities that may not be noticeable to you. I've not tried bf or hrv but there are lots of cheapish options out there like heartmath. I am interested in experimenting with it though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12_deficiency

 

before you dismiss it, there are other causes other than diet.

Nutritional deficiencies are for the most part based on diet except for things like vitamin D which really can't be satisfied through diet alone.

  On 5/28/2014 at 3:01 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

Nutritional deficiencies are for the most part based on diet except for things like vitamin D which really can't be satisfied through diet alone.

 

some people cant 'synthesize' or metabolize b12 for whatever reason, even if they eat meat, and those individuals need to receive injections or their nervous system may fail.

 

http://chriskresser.com/b12-deficiency-a-silent-epidemic-with-serious-consequences

Edited May 28, 2014 by skibby

Cool, thanks for more of the tips guys. :) MRI is the first to go down without a doubt.. the anxiety/depression is still kind of strange and doesn't sit right yet.

For quite a long time now (excluding a brief period of emotional eating junk shit) i've eaten exclusively some combination of meat, eggs, pastured butter, coconut oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts, occasional seeds, 85%+ cocoa bars, and occasional fermented foods. My diet tends to stay fairly low carbohydrate and by 99%+ people's standards i'm probably considered extreme about my food. I almost never eat out at a restaurant unless i'm stuck with it and even then i'm picking apart the menu to eliminate cheap oxidant-prone oils, and refined/manufactured anything. Ideally I strive for a diet rich in saturated fats, fat-soluble vitamins (D3,K2,retinol), and the rest is just cramming nutrient density.

 

Despite this is does sound like a good idea to get nutrient deficiencies checked as eating them is half the battle.. absorption is another issue altogether. Not much info ofcourse, but the hospital blood/urine analysis came back flawless.. inflammation appears low, BG perfect, BP perfect, cholesterol/trigs perfect, WBC count solid, and everything else more than okay. Anti-nuclear antibodies are low, creatine kinase is low, and my sed rate while slightly elevated in one lab resumed back to normal at lower end of the reference ranges..Lymph nodes aren't inflammed, no headaches really, teeth are strong and not inflamed, no fever, no night chills or abnormal body temps, no back pain to speak of but the neck is stiff..

 

Took a very long bike ride today and despite having been a while I felt like a beast on the pedals. Heart was in fantastic shape.

Kinda feeling bad this turned into a "lets diagnose fiznuthian" thread.. maybe my ears are just clogged wicked bad and i'm being a giant pussy

Edited May 28, 2014 by fiznuthian

you've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread! as someone who is beginning to realize the extent & seriousness of my own depression, I can say too that it's taken a long time to realize my baseline is so low. As in, I would freak out when having an attack or whatever, but then try to shrug off the general shittiness I felt outside of the attacks. So it's possible that your baseline for anxiety is higher than you think. Anyway, please let us know how everything turns out, and I hope for the best.

Thanks for looking out A/D. I think maybe you guys were right and the anxiety/worrying/hypochondria was absolutely doing me in.. I've been eating like a champ, exercising a lot like usual, and generally just doing my normal thing and now a week later i'm quite happy and feeling normal again. Maybe i'm just happy to be fine again or something but i've been walking around with a smile on my face like someone slipped something in my water...

  On 5/31/2014 at 2:03 AM, fiznuthian said:

I've been exercising a lot like usual

 

 

why a lot? don't over do it. 15-30 min of moderate activity daily would be much better

 

second, go and talk to a psychiatrist. i know that psychiatry is still stigmatized but don't be one of those and don't let this episode pass easily cause it'll come back sooner or later. you need someone to talk to without hurry and who will understand your position in detail and objectively.

 

 

 

auwwff! i just saw that you're from the states and because you don't have a social system like we do in eu so all the medical examinations and therapies can be very expensive for you and i don't know what's your status but talk to your family doctor and ask him how to prioritize further treatment.

  On 5/28/2014 at 2:19 AM, Zorro said:

Depression and anxiety can manifest in somatic ways.

 

also, an MRI is simultaneously terrifying and relaxing.

yes, the sounds that the MRI scan machines make are like some weird kind of minimal techno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aj2QspPf7s

  On 5/31/2014 at 6:30 PM, ghsotword said:

 

  On 5/28/2014 at 2:19 AM, Zorro said:

Depression and anxiety can manifest in somatic ways.

 

also, an MRI is simultaneously terrifying and relaxing.

yes, the sounds that the MRI scan machines make are like some weird kind of minimal techno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aj2QspPf7s

 

 

typical raster-noton :)

I'd guess your fine. By all means get them checked out and whatever, but don't worry about it too much.

 

Your symptoms seem like a combination of aging and anxiety.

 

I notice that you're 26. I'm around that age too, and I've noticed more body aches, trouble recovering from exercise, loss of appetite, etc. That's just your body falling apart as you get older. No biggie.

 

The other stuff could easily be anxiety. Anxiety symptoms can be directly physical without any worry. These symptoms can include some pretty extreme stuff like temporarily going blind, passing out, or developing hives.

 

Hope this all gets sorted out and stuff.

 

EDIT: I had an MRI once. I was a seriously awesome IDM experience. Hope you have fun in there!

Edited May 31, 2014 by Root5

Lol at 26 being old.

Also nothing wrong with exercising a lot as long as you're not injuring yourself.

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:08 PM, chenGOD said:

Lol at 26 being old.

 

That transition from invincibility to regular mortality.

 

You know, there's actually a limit to how much I can eat in one sitting now? This is the stuff nightmares are made out of...

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:08 PM, chenGOD said:

Also nothing wrong with exercising a lot as long as you're not injuring yourself.

 

with exercising a lot you are injuring yourself and especially in this state it's not good for him, especially for his brain and mind

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:44 PM, Root5 said:

 

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:08 PM, chenGOD said:

Lol at 26 being old.

That transition from invincibility to regular mortality.

 

You know, there's actually a limit to how much I can eat in one sitting now? This is the stuff nightmares are made out of...

I'm turning 40 this year and I can generally abuse my body like I did when I was 20. I do eat better, but I think that's simply a more developed palate.

 

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:48 PM, xox said:

 

  On 5/31/2014 at 7:08 PM, chenGOD said:

Also nothing wrong with exercising a lot as long as you're not injuring yourself.

with exercising a lot you are injuring yourself and especially in this state it's not good for him, especially for his brain and mind

Exercising a lot properly should cause no injury. Exercise releases plenty of happy chemicals in the brain, and the psychological benefits of exercise have been pretty extensively documented.