Posts by graniteviper5

It’s all in the mind, which means it requires treatment 🙂
My doctor put me on Misar SR, Xanax, and Concor. I can say with absolute certainty that I have never slept as deeply as I did on those; it was like being knocked out. Yet, when morning rolled around, I’d find myself stuck in bed for at least another half hour, just groaning and trying to coax my brain into waking up. I felt somewhat dead to the world all day—not that I wasn't relaxed, but I felt less like a person and more like a zombie. I’ve read and heard from various people that anxiety is something you truly have to treat, and that recovery isn't an overnight affair. However, since those pills essentially turned me into a shell of myself, I decided to stop taking them and instead focused on finding some hobbies; I even joined a local choir for a while, as singing always had a way of calming my nerves. Knock on wood, I haven't had an episode in quite some time, though I still feel it creeping in occasionally during particularly grueling days at the office—it usually starts with a headache, followed by that terrifying sensation of gasping for air and my heart racing just before I try to drift off to sleep. I really ought to see a psychiatrist; I’ve been talking about making the appointment for ages, yet I simply haven't pulled the trigger 😛 There is always something else demanding my attention, whether it’s the workload waiting for me here—my job tends to be relentless—or lunch, or the endless cycle of housework... I suppose I will eventually have to make a concerted effort 😁
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Hello everyone!

I’m a newcomer here; I was reading through the issues Jonathan Morris40 described and felt compelled to write because I’ve been enduring very similar struggles. Perhaps there is some small comfort in knowing I'm not alone, especially since for the longest time, nobody could sit me down and properly explain what was happening to me or why I was dealing with these dreadful dizzy spells paired with heart palpitations.
About seven or eight years ago, I was told I suffered from anxiety and was prescribed three different types of medication. My symptoms manifested as this quiet, creeping dread; every single night, I dreaded going to sleep because I didn't want to endure another episode of feeling like I was "waking from the dead." 🙄It was truly horrific—I distinctly remember the first time I genuinely panicked, convinced I was actually dying. When an episode would strike, I’d jerk awake suddenly, gasping for air as if I were suffocating, while my heart hammered against my ribs so hard it felt like it might leap out of my throat. As for the dizziness, it’s difficult to put into words; it feels as though you are about to collapse right there, even when you are lying in bed after having just fallen asleep... 🙂Things settled down slightly once I started living with my boyfriend and finally moved away from the environment that had quite literally stifled me throughout my entire childhood.

Once I took a job at the courthouse—where one sees just about everything imaginable—my condition took a bit of a turn for the worse. I remember one time during a break, the dizziness hit me so hard my knees felt like they were made of rubber; I could barely stumble my way back to work while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. My colleague and my boyfriend had to practically carry me, one on each side, because I simply couldn't walk while the world was spinning. And, naturally, the heart palpitations were right there with it.

Now, after undergoing several examinations, the only physical cause identified for these dizzy spells is cervical scoliosis, which is likely a byproduct of my sedentary job. It’s common enough that I spend the entire day sitting in a chair. I’ve actually reached a point where I can sense an attack coming; I get a specific type of pain in the back of my head, and I know it's imminent. I probably should pursue more specialized therapy; a doctor at the emergency room at Mount Sinai mentioned they have a dedicated department for vertigo exercises, but my job leaves me so utterly exhausted by the end of the day that I have nothing left in the tank.

Jonathan Morris40, if you aren't already doing so, perhaps you should consider starting some light exercises to strengthen your shoulders and general muscle tone, given how much time you spend sitting at work. And do try to find more ways to unwind and enjoy yourself that don't necessarily involve drinking with friends. 🙂