Hey rangerkoala, I have had these symptoms too where you think its your body, but in fact something else. I would have constant flank pains and no test confirmed anything wrong. After being diagnosed with severe depression my social worker told me many times, physical illness such as the one you describe shows up to tell you something is wrong. With my social anxiety i would become physically sick, to ensure i wouldn't go out. You need to talk to a professional to find out the route of these symptoms. Until then try some basic relaxation, i find avoiding any caffine, and since you get dizzy make sure you eat every couple hours to make sure your blood sugar is up :)

hi Rk, I am far from a medical person. I have degree in literature and I work in accounting... but I have some experience with anxiety and panic attacks. When stress goes out of control the next step is anxiety and then panic. Usually, panic attacks and generalised anxiety (worring to the point of making yourself sick) have very real physical symptomes. Several are related to the way we breath when the body switches to the scared mode and is ready to fight or flee! Dizziness, heart palpitations, numbness in fingers and jaw and toes, even digestive problems arise, even fainting in some people I know... etc. For more details I think the sister site of this has lots of info. And your regular doctor might be a good place to discuss your current situation. If (s)he doesn't know that you are having trouble juggling all the issues at hand (s)he might not know that you are have a period of elevated stress. Anxiety, like depression has one part chemical imbalance in the brain and one part way we think and deal with life's challenges. So yes it is all in our head ... but the head controles the body ;p I wish I could be of help to you. I wish I could say do a followed by b and c will happily follow. But like everyone else, I only seem to wander around the dark with a little red pointer light to find my way through this period.

Hi rangerkoala First off, I want to let you know that my experience with doctors and the healthcare system has been pretty poor, so my response to you may reflect that. I know that there are lots of great medical practitioners out there, I've just had difficulty finding them. With no medical background, I'm not even going to try to speculate what may be causing your dizzy spells. I'll emphasize, though, that psychosomatic issues are as real as physiological issues, regardless of what the doctors may say. Be calm and firm with your doctor that you need these dizzy spells resolved. If he/she isn't supportive, find a doctor who is. Easier said than done, I know. It's also easy for a specialist to look you over and say that you're fine from that perspective and brush you off as not in their field. Remember that each specialist originally had general medical training, so firmly ask for their opinion about what else could be causing your dizzy spells, and what your best next steps would be. You sound as though you are in a panic, which is perfectly understandable, given the runaround you're getting from the medical community while your dizzy spells are totally disrupting your life, but panicking isn't going to help. You know this, so take this weekend to do nice things for yourself so that you can relax somewhat and think more clearly. Obviously, getting back to your job is a top priority, but you can't get back to work until your dizzy spells have been addressed, so that becomes your immediate priority. Having dizzy spells doesn't necessarily mean that your depression has come back. There may well be a physiological cause that the doctors just haven't found yet. You've been doing well for 10 years -- what has changed in your life over the past several months besides the new medication? Does your chronic illness have an association, and if so, would it be helpful to talk to someone there? Other people with your condition may have also experienced dizzy spells and already found out what caused them. If you haven't already done so, I'd also recommend that you tell your doctor of your job situation and financial worries -- he/she may be able to give you papers which qualify you for short-term disability payments of some sort. At the very least, telling him/her will emphasize the urgency of resolving this for you. I've pretty much run out of suggestions -- just take a deep breath and don't jump to conclusions. You must be feeling pretty awful physically as well as being in the emotional panic, since dizzy spells are not fun at all. So be kind to yourself, take care of yourself, pamper yourself even, and don't accept "It's all in your head, and there's nothing we can do" as an appropriate response. Good luck

ranger, It is good that you are working with your doctor to come up with a plan that is right for you. Your body is telling you something. Try relaxation techniques and do get enough rest. Our bodies will tend to shut down, if we do not give it rest, emotionally and physically. Can you take a paid leave? Ask your human resources department. Continue to work through the program to help challenge those negative thoughts and give yourself a time out to help recharge. Josie, Health Educator

One of my doctor's had said that my current medical problems are not a result of my illness but are physcoshematic (? spelling) I get dizzy spells ... no medocal reason. They happen all the time. THe neurologist says that all the tests are fine. Talking with him made me feel okay that it is not medical/ physical byt medical/ mental. I feel like I am going backwards. For 10 years I was dealing with a chronic illness and I was doing well. Was not having any symptoms and off all my medications. This summer the doctor talked me into going back on a medication because evidence was showing that I might get worse if I wasn't on a diease modifing drug. After tests and talking I went back on a medication. The drug is 1500 of whicj 312 I have to pay ... every month. anyway .... the last four months I have been having dizzy spells sometime a lot sometimes none. Anyway, they happen all the time and anywhere. As I said it is been rule out not to be medical but mental. a long time agao I was depressed and I used to cut myself ... I used to attack myself. Now my body is attacking me and I can't deal with it.Last Wednesday, I collasped in the mall and spent 11 hours at the hospital and now Work has told me not to comeback without the "problem" being solved or resolved. I collasped at work on Thursday. My neuro is getting me into see a specialist that I had in the psat that brushed me off to somelse because he says I need that type of doctor and he was the only one in the area. But what do I do in the mean time ... I need to work to pay for the drugs, lifestyle aids and the bills. Nothing to make me happy ... just to keep on living .... where can I get help NOW.............. right now?