Feel Freda Talk

Hello, all!

I wanted to give you all a list of the symptoms I experienced from the time I was 17 and a junior in high school up until I was diagnosed at 19 as a freshman in college. I have not experienced a lot of these symptoms in a long time, some of them I actually only ever experienced once. There are other symptoms on this list that I struggle with from time to time, even now, such as anxiety, fatigue, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and brain fog.

• heightened anxiety & panic attacks
• leg weakness
• consistent headaches
• fatigue
• body & joint aches
• difficulty swallowing*
• urinary tract infections (UTIs) & frequent urination
• double & blurry vision*
• difficulty sleeping
• difficulty waking up & getting out of bed
• difficulty concentrating
• brain fog
• short term memory issues
• difficulty finding words
• confusion
• mood swings
• muscle spasms & involuntary movements
• weakened hand-eye coordination
• poor balance
• heat intolerance
• dizziness & lightheadedness
  *The symptoms with the Asterix are the ones I’ve only experienced once.

As you can see, it’s an extensive list and I can understand why anybody could have a difficult time putting all of them together as one disease that’s behind it all. Who knew double & blurry vision and heat intolerance went hand-in-hand when they didn’t happen at the same time? I wouldn’t have every symptom all at once; I would get one or two at a time and then when they stopped, I would get another one or two symptoms and it happened like that for two years.

I’ve learned that a lot of my symptoms come from anxiety and/or stress. I have learned to cope with anxiety and stress to prevent myself from experiencing flare ups, but it took a lot before I got to that point.

At one of my previous jobs, there were a few people I worked with that I didn’t get along with and it led to me being overly stressed out when I would go to work. Sometimes, it would even follow me home. It got so bad that towards the end of my employment with them, I was limping around for about two weeks because the stress within me had manifested as a flare up in my left leg, making it feel as though I was dragging around someone else’s leg. I had spoken to my doctor about this flare up and explained that my job was basically bringing out the worst in me, and he advised me to leave the job because it seemed as though the job was the reason I was having this flare up.

Guess what?

I quit.

And the moment I gave my two weeks notice, I turned around and walked out of the manager’s office with zero weakness in my leg. I could feel the stress melt off my body and luckily for me, it took that stranger’s leg with it.

Now, I know this makes it seem like it’s all in my head. And I think a part of it is absolutely a mental thing. Once I learned how to avoid stress and aggravation, I was able to live a pretty normal life – one with minimal flare ups.

As I sit here writing this, I can tell you that I honestly don’t remember the last time I had a flare up.

I recently had a bout of heat exhaustion, but that was about it. My body just isn’t built for the type of heat NJ, NY, and PA have seen this summer.

***If you or someone you know has multiple symptoms on this list, please seek medical attention to aid in the diagnosis of whatever ailments you have. I am NOT a doctor, and this article should not be used to diagnose or treat anyone. This is just a list of symptoms I have experienced in my life leading up to my diagnosis.