Jenerally Speaking

Well, studying is going well….except for the fact that I am getting sick. I’ve been battling head congestion for three months – I kid you not. I can’t remember the last time I was able to breathe clearly through my nose or even taste regular food. It’s might be allergies, but I never had it this bad before.
However, now it appears that the congestion has gone to my chest. I have a pretty icky rattle-cough, which led me to make an appointment to see my doctor tomorrow. It was time for a check-up anyway….I needed refills for my anxiety medicine. Medicine which I am entirely and completely lucky to have. In the five months since I have been put on this medication, I haven’t had a single panic attack. Even though it’s a low dose of anxiety medication, it is working wonders.

If you can believe it, I went through 2 years of a dozen different tests and 3 different doctors until my current (and absolutely wonderful!) doctor finally diagnosed anxiety.
It’s amazing how this disorder can masquerade as many different conditions. The main complaints I had…aside from the occasional panic attack and trips to the emergency room because I was certain I was going to die…was daily headaches, muscle weakness, fuzzy and blurred vision, heart palpitations, chest pain, and stomach pain.
They sent me for CT scans, MRIs and they did blood work and monitored my heart….and it all came down to an anxiety disorder.
The strangest symptom was really the muscle weakness. When the anxiety got really bad, I couldn’t walk without shuffling. I had absolutely no strength in my hands or legs. This would last about an hour or two.
They tested me for MS, lyme disease, myasthenia gravis, strep…and the final diagnosis was anxiety.
The best part about these past few months is that my headaches are gone. I used to live on Advil Cold and Sinus and Excedrin. Then, my doctor puts me on a low dose of Prozac…and no more headaches. Added with an extremely low dose of Zyprexa for my remaining anxiety-related symptoms, I finally feel 100% better.
So, bring on the colds and sniffles – I can handle that. At least I won’t be making any late night trips to the emergency room for that. Those panic attacks are so scary!
Well, time to make some tea and get snuggled in for the night. The Bachelorette is on tonight, but I think I’ll be heading to bed right after that.
I won’t be taking my mid-term until next Monday, so I have a few more days to study.