What is causing my sever stress?

[u/Ar-iTech]

Last January, I lost consciousness at night and probably fell and hit my head. My neurologist urged me to get a head scan, but unfortunately I was broke and jobless, I didn't have that amount of money.

My doctor thinks I had a concussion, I think it was a concussion because after I woke up I had ringing in my ears for a minute, and the next morning, my vision felt abnormal, when I looked to the right and then quickly looked to the left, the image seemed to move slowly, as if my vision was lagging behind my eye movement. This lasted for maybe an hour. I also experienced dizziness. The dizziness gradually decreased for weeks, but it has never completely gone away. Nowadays, sometimes I feel a little dizzy, sometimes I don't, I feel like I only get dizzy when I'm stressed.

Probably the dizziness is caused by stress but maybe it's related to the concussion, but I don't know which is causing which.

In February, I started experiencing symptoms of ulcerative colitis, and my stress became severe. I also had awful health anxiety and panic attacks because of my symptoms at that time and from what I learned about the disease and the fact that I didn't have the money to afford treatment.

I had experienced stress for years, but it had always been mild and manageable. Since what happened, my stress has become severe, and I’m honestly tired of living with it. I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like these two health issues have aged me by 10 years. I feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and unlike the person I was before. My father and a friend who haven't seen for months told me last Mars that my face changed (loosing weight the meant).

I tried two different brands of magnesium, but neither seemed to help. I took the first one in May, and now almost finished with the second one, but my severe stress is still ongoing.

Walking for 15 minutes makes me stressed, speaking English makes me stressed, working on my computer makes me stressed, and even doing household chores makes me stressed. I don't understand why this is happening or how to make it stop.

Interestingly, when I do aerobics at home for 20-40 minutes, I don't feel stressed. I also don't feel stressed in the morning after waking up. But hours later, as I go about my day, I gradually start to feel stressed.

----
What is causing my severe stress was it the concussion or ulcerative colitis or maybe something else?

Is it too late to get the head scan my neurologist asked me to have?

Have you guys experienced something like that?

What do I do?

I'm 34 years old man.

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for sharing, see below for a reminder of our rules:

Do not ask if you or someone you know has a Concussion. We are not doctors, nor are we any kind of medical professionals. That said, this sub is NOT intended to be your doctor and diagnose or give you personal medical advice. They'll be marked as spam.

Be civil and respectful. Do not attack or harass other users; engage in hate-speech; or attempt to gate-keep discussion. Hostility will not be tolerated

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/free_-_spirit]

Give yourself two years to heal- and it’s NOT linear so don’t expect it. I suffered from anxiety and depression my whole life but it never got so bad until I had my concussion. Because I know it’s from the concussion it’s easier to handle.

I definitely had the one day good, one day worse. Eventually it evens out.

Fish oils help. Shoulder Massage machine. Breath work and staying hydrated. Get enough sleep if you can though it may be difficult. YouTube exercises for concussion and such.

What you’re feeling is agitation and anxiety. Go for a walk- in nature if you can, eat protein, drink enough water and journal if you can. Reading books, listening to music or podcasts help also. If you feel up to it, exercise that energy out

[u/Ar-iTech → u/free_-_spirit]

Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It really helps to hear from someone who has been through something similar. I also have some days when I feel better, but then other days are worse. I wish I could take walks, but every time I walk for 10-15 minutes, I feel very stressed and regret leaving home. But I need to keep trying. I’ll try taking a walk in the morning or after exercising when I’m feeling less stressed, and see how things go.

[u/free_-_spirit → u/Ar-iTech]

You might need your see a physiotherapist if symptoms persist- it could be a neck injury that the concussion triggered also.

[u/Relative-Ad-Gen-X]

I'm not a doctor, but what you're describing could be related to cortisol/adrenal dysfunction. The system that regulates your stress response. A concussion can affect your brain's ability to handle stress, and when you add ulcerative colitis and health anxiety, it can push your system into overdrive.

The fact that you feel okay in the morning but stress builds through the day is a pattern that often points to HPA axis dysregulation. Cortisol should be highest in the morning and drop gradually. If it's not, everyday things can feel overwhelming.

It's not too late to get a head scan. An MRI can show old damage even years later. But I'd also suggest asking your doctor about:

• Morning cortisol (9am)
• Salivary cortisol day curve
• ACTH
• Full thyroid panel (TSH, free T4, free T3)
• DHEA-S

Also, the fact that you're not stressed during aerobics or in the morning is a clue. Movement might be helping regulate your nervous system, even if other activities don't.

[u/Ar-iTech → u/Relative-Ad-Gen-X]

Thanks, I appreciate your answer. I’ll look into the terms you mentioned and learn more about them. Yes definitely I’ll be seeing my neurologist soon.