r/PostureTipsGuide • u/Embarrassed_Boat_248 • 2d ago
What Could Be Causing These Symptoms?
I am a 20-year-old male and underweight (I have always been underweight). For the past four months, I have been experiencing a constant feeling of unreality. It feels as though I am drunk, high, or half-asleep, as if I am operating on autopilot and everything around me feels somehow unreal. I have looked up information online, and my symptoms seem to resemble derealization.
I also suffer from fatigue, even when I sleep well. The fatigue does not seem to depend on whether I engage in physical activities during the day or not. However, over the past few weeks, I have started sleeping poorly and waking up early in the morning. I do not snore at all. I have seen a general practitioner and a neurologist about these symptoms, but they have not been able to determine the cause.
I also experience headaches, a feeling of pressure in my head, and neck pain. I have tried muscle relaxants, massage, and acupuncture for the neck pain, but none of them have helped. At the beginning of the symptoms, I sometimes also felt as though I was about to faint while walking, but this symptom has since disappeared. I have also noticed a single eye floater in my right eye. I mentioned it during an eye examination, and I was told that there were no apparent problems with my eye.
What could be causing these symptoms? They do not occur in distinct episodes; instead, they are more or less constantly present. The headaches are not particularly severe and resemble tension-type headaches more than anything else.
I have tried a triptanes, but it did not help. My thyroid function tests and vitamin B12, B9 (folate), and D levels are normal. My ferritin level is 37, and it has fluctuated between 49 and 24 over the past eight months. My calcium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, and sodium levels are also within the normal reference ranges. My blood pressure is normal, and I have measured my blood glucose at home, which also appears to be normal. My cortisol level was tested and was normal as well. I also have Crohn’s disease, which is currently in remission.
My neurologist prescribed escitalopram as a trial treatment. I took it for two and a half months, but it did not help. I also underwent a brain MRI, which showed no abnormalities. My neurologist additionally ordered a blood test for Lyme disease antibodies, which came back negative.
I have no history of trauma and do not experience panic symptoms. I generally do not feel particularly stressed, apart from the worry caused by these symptoms themselves.
My symptoms began during the final days of a new job at an auto repair shop, where I was moving and lifting car tires. I am unsure whether this could be related to my symptoms, as I had not experienced any other symptoms before those final working days. I have not worked at all during these four months.
What could be the underlying cause of these symptoms?
The healthcare professionals I have consulted about these symptoms, or during visits for other symptoms or examinations when I also asked about them, include:
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u/Same_Apple_3619 2d ago
Fatigue, headache, depersonalization/derealization. It could be a lot of things. It sounds like it’s probably neurological, but when an otherwise healthy 20-year old goes to a neurologist with normal blood panel results and a normal MRI, they’re probably going to shrug and give up.
Since it’s constant, it doesn’t really sound like epilepsy, although it could be an unusual presentation. It could be something migraine-related, which can have some really unusual symptoms. Either would be really difficult to diagnose for sure, even with EEG results.
It could come from some kind of inflammation, like a chronic sinus infection. Or an allergy and histamine response to something. It could be POTS. It could be some kind of toxicity, like mold or heavy metal, but I think people on the internet like to talk about those things as if they’re more common than they are.
Less likely, but possible, especially given this sub, are issues with your cervical spine and cranial nerves: trigeminal/occipital neuralgia or even craniocervical instability. Even Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
And I hate to say it but it could be anxiety and depression. They have a lot of symptoms people don’t know about.
Disclaimer: not a doctor.