Does this sound like a concussion or anxiety?
 

Hey all,

So some background. I've had OCD and anxiety since I was little. I was on zoloft for it for years, and I improved to the point where I was able to completely stop it, and everything was under control. However life happened, and I ran into some health problems that kicked off my anxiety and OCD into overdrive. Mainly, I started worrying that every time I bumped my head I would get a concussion. This has been going on for over 6 months.

Anyways, about a week ago a seemingly insignificant event set off this terrible chain of symptoms, and I'm not sure if these are symptoms of a concussion, or simply anxiety. I was itching my nose on a towel by pushing the side of it against the towel when my nose slipped off and hit the hand that was holding the towel. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm very anxious that this may have caused some brain injury from my head stopping against my hand in a twisting motion.

Anyways, I had no noticeable symptoms except for anxiety that night. However, hte next morning I woke up with a bad headache that went away with breakfast but was replaced by nausea. Then the headache returned that night before dinner.

But more importantly is what I experienced in class. Monday was the first day of classes of the new term, and while I still had anxiety going into class, I didn't think it was that bad. However, about 10 minutes into the lesson I began to get that anxious feeling I usually get before giving a presentation, and soon began to feel faint. I ended up needing to leave the class early because I was scared I was going to faint. Then yesterday, in the second class of the semester I began to experience the same sensation, but it died down before it got to the point where I needed to leave.

And now I constantly don't feel as alert, and I feel groggy. Is it possible that that little hit caused all of these symptoms, or is it more likely that this is all anxiety?

Thanks for any input!

Hello JOHN TITOR: Well... I'm not a doctor. So I can't offer you anything in the way of medical advice related to what you've experienced. But, just from my own personal experience, I will tell you my head has taken a beating over the years. (I'll spare you the details.) And, although I have a couple of problems related to this, I have not experienced what you describe. So, from my perspective, I would say what you are experiencing is most likely related to your anxiety... not from bumping your nose on your hand.

Anxiety is something I've struggled with for many years. And I know it can cause all sorts of distressing sensations & experiences. However, since what you are experiencing is clearly of concern to you, my suggestion would be that you see your doctor about it. It may be unlikely, but it is possible that the symptoms you're experiencing are related to something else entirely & that they simply happened to arise at the same time you bumped your nose, thus making you think that perhaps the nose bump had caused the symptoms you're experiencing. Anyway, getting yourself checked out may be the best way to resolve the concern you have regarding what you are experiencing. I wish you well... :)

Hey thanks for the reply, it was reassuring.

Thinking about the situation, and similar situations, literally, I know that there's a good probability that I didn't do any damage. And if someone asked me if they could get injured that way, I wouldn't even take them seriously. But for some reason, emotionally, these events really worry me, and I can't think myself out of the anxiety.

I did actually see a doctor today for an unrelated hand injury, and while I didn't mention the bump because I'm embarrassed about being worried about something so small, I did bring up how I have been feeling faint on a number of occasions, and was able to get a referral for a therapist. So hopefully everything is moving in the right direction.