Posts by Thomas Gray8

ruggedowl0 said:Donna White50, thanks for sharing this. 🙂

I’d add that those bouts of feeling crappy never really last that long—they just hit you, and then they pass. Because of that, I don't think I need a psychiatrist, though maybe a therapist could help a bit.

That point about forcing things is spot on. While pushing through works for some stuff, like grinding at college, it can actually backfire in other areas, like dating. So, we'll see. I used to think staying constantly busy was the way to go, that being tied down to obligations made life better or more meaningful. Now, I'm going to try to carve out some actual free time and focus on things I actually enjoy doing. And, honestly, probably stop people-pleasing quite so much. I suspect that constant sense of responsibility and all those "what if" anxieties come from that.

Thanks again. 🙂

Hey!

If you look at other threads, you'll see I actually started a similar one once where I described a struggle almost identical to yours. Physical exhaustion, depression, constant sadness, lethargy, massive anxiety about the future, heavy pessimism, and even suicidal ideation (and finding a strange comfort in those thoughts)...

People on the forum supported me, and here I am—feeling positive and active again, trying to pass some advice along to you.

If you feel sluggish, unmotivated, and just lack any willpower, I wouldn't call it clinical depression (which is a much heavier diagnosis). It sounds more like melancholy... maybe you're just wired to overanalyze everything and take it all to heart. That’s typical for a melancholic personality. Even your birth season can say a lot about your temperament (shoot me a DM if you want to dig into that).

On the flip side, if you’re feeling tension, nervousness, high blood pressure, or a racing heart—that restless feeling where you just have to move—then you’re likely dealing with anxiety (a slightly tougher diagnosis). Personally, I used to get bouts of anxiety that lasted a few days, manifesting as severe shortness of breath. It felt like no matter how hard I breathed, oxygen wasn't hitting my bloodstream and I was suffocating. I always beat it by going for long bike rides... trust me, it works.

I fight off melancholy with intermittent fasting. If I go a full day without eating, the fatigue and lethargy vanish. It triggers the sympathetic nervous system, and I get a rush of warmth, energy, and motivation. For me, it even hits euphoria levels.

Of course, you can only suppress the physical symptoms this way; you won't solve the core psychological issue. To do that, you have to work through it yourself or with a psychologist.

To the OP:

You looking for a fight? How old are you, and what kind of world are you living in where people are still trying to scrap with you?

I dealt with some bullying back in grade school, though it pretty much stopped once I hit high school. Now, I’m actually on good terms with some of those former bullies. Once people move past twenty, things tend to get a lot more serious. So, I'm genuinely curious—how old are you if you're still dealing with this stuff?

Regarding the fighting part: have you ever actually seen a real fight and what the consequences are? Go on YouTube, search "street fight," and watch those psychos out there. There are guys who will kill you with a single punch to the head, or they won't even stop after you're knocked out—they'll just keep stomping until you're dead. Is that really how you want your story to end?

Look, if you aren't built for it, stay away from fights. Instead, work on an intimidating presence and a bit of arrogance. I’m physically strong, but I don't know how to fight, period. I just don't have that rage or the agility for it. But when I walk into a club, for instance, I carry myself with this certain level of confidence and edge. It works; if someone accidentally bumps into me, they’re usually the ones apologizing immediately. Just build up your aura.

As for verbal confrontations, that's something you can actually practice. Shoot me a DM if you want some specific advice.

Steven Cook56 said:So, honestly? I feel like absolute garbage. I’ve been through the ringer—hospital visits, endless tests... probably cleared over 50 different things at this point. Heart ultrasounds, thyroid panels, chest X-rays, spirometry, gastroscopies, hormone levels, you name it. Everything comes back "normal." The only outlier was testing positive for H. pylori; I finished a seven-day round of meds two years ago and the doctor told me I was good to go. Back then, my main issue was panic attacks and that tight feeling in my throat, but things have shifted. The panic attacks are rare now, but instead, I'm stuck with this shallow breathing. Like, I just can't get a full lungful of air. My spirometry from two years ago showed FEV1 and FVC values around 97%—so my lungs should be fine, right? Oxygen saturation sits at 99%. Yet, the symptoms are still brutal. For instance, if I get hungry, my throat constricts and feels like there's a lump in it, forcing me to gulp air just to burp it out. My blood pressure used to be a steady 120/80, but now it's up. Sometimes my heart skips beats or starts racing, and sleep? Forget about it. I don't drift off until I'm basically collapsing from exhaustion. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, but nothing—zero progress. And lately, I’ve started having these jolts during sleep. I'll be drifting off and suddenly jerk awake, feeling like I can't breathe or like I've stopped breathing entirely. That never used to happen. Now I'm starting to wonder... could this be sleep apnea? Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

I went through something very similar. I noticed that whenever I'm agitated or stressed, I can't take a full breath; it feels like the oxygen isn't actually reaching my bloodstream. It's this suffocating sensation that lasts for a day or two. It doesn't even require a major crisis—just enough restlessness from work or exams to spike my blood pressure and heart rate, all accompanied by that heavy chest feeling, like I'm bloated and every single breath requires manual effort. Even when I inhale, it never feels like enough.

This sounds like a standard physical manifestation of stress and anxiety. When you bottle up anger, it builds up this psychological energy. If you don't find a constructive outlet for it, it releases somatically: high blood pressure, palpitations, tremors, and so on.

You likely have a psychosomatic issue. I’d suggest picking up a high-intensity sport where you can vent that frustration and aggression. If you stick to it regularly, your blood pressure and breathing should stabilize within a month. If that doesn't work, go see a psychiatrist or a therapist, because then we're looking at a deeper underlying issue driving everything else.

A few more questions for you:

-Are you perhaps drinking more coffee or tea than average?

-Do you smoke?

-Could you be overdoing it on green vegetables?

-Have you ever taken a hard hit to the back of your head or sustained any other head injuries?

-Have you ever had a lung disease?

Steven Cook56 said:Hey everyone, popping back in after a two-year hiatus. I’m hoping there might be someone here who can help me make sense of things—is this just a classic anxiety disorder or am I looking at something else entirely? Here's the deal: I get this constant sensation that everything around me isn't quite real, like I'm living in a dream or something. On top of that, there's the shortness of breath, high blood pressure, that nagging lump in my throat, and this relentless need to burp constantly. My heart races too, though not all the time. If every single medical test comes back perfectly normal, could this really just be anxiety? And one more thing... what if these symptoms don't just pop up occasionally, but stay present from sunrise to sunset, year after year? Thanks.

In what way does everything feel "unreal" to you?

All those symptoms you listed fall under psychosomatic issues, though they don't strictly have to be. If a doctor has already ruled out physical causes, then yes, they're likely psychosomatic. 👏 It's possible you're harboring some internal rage that you're suppressing; that mental energy eventually leaks out as heart palpitations, high blood pressure, or excess stomach acid. If you suspect it might be anxiety, try channeling that negative energy into sports—it’ll help stabilize your blood pressure and breathing—or just go talk to a therapist.

I'm speaking from experience here, and trust me, it works.

Best,

Patrick Thomas29 said:Current meds: Seretide two puffs twice a day, Spiriva one inhalation daily, Alvesco once a day, and Ventolin as needed. My asthma is definitely getting worse.
I feel like this combo is pretty rare—hitting almost every major asthma med at once. Has anyone else ever been on all of this simultaneously?
Is it even normal for my asthma to be flaring up like this when I’m actually sticking to such a heavy regimen?
I've had to use my Ventolin five times just in the last 24 hours.

Are you taking anything else alongside the bronchodilators, like blood pressure medication?

Are you coughing? What kind of cough is it? If you are, do you notice a particularly unpleasant odor when you cough?

Do your lungs "wheeze" when you breathe? If so, what does it sound like?

Regarding your question about internal hemorrhoids, you might find the answer in my previous reply above.

Best,

Amanda Fox2 said:Thanks a lot, 🙂

I’m a bit confused here. I'm a medical student, which basically means my life revolves around sitting in lectures and studying. Despite that, I've never dealt with external hemorrhoids. It's almost always internal ones, which tend to be linked to portal vein pressure. Whenever I overindulge in greasy or sugary foods—essentially forcing the liver to convert fructose into lipids—I end up with hemorrhoids and bloody stools. The same thing happens when I'm on strict diets. This occurs because these scenarios trigger fatty liver changes, which spike portal pressure and lead to swelling in the upper rectal veins.

If internal hemorrhoids persist, you really should see a primary care physician. Long-term issues can be red flags for serious liver conditions like cirrhosis, fatty liver disease (which often points to other underlying metabolic issues), or even idiopathic portal hypertension...

briskhawk4 said:Why? I don't get it. I was just at my doctor's two days ago for a full checkup—bloodwork, everything—and all five markers were fine. Now, suddenly, this is happening and nothing makes sense.

If you’re dealing with painful episodes in your fingers along with blue discoloration and tingling, it could be Raynaud's. Basically, your blood vessels constrict in your extremities and near the heart, causing intense pain. It’s not something to mess around with either; it can lead to things like gangrene in your fingers or even a heart attack.

If you aren't experiencing those specific symptoms, it could easily be heart-related. Either way, you should definitely head back to the clinic. Make sure to tell them that this chest pain has been lingering for days and ask for a referral to a specialist.