Sudden blurred vision, feeling out of it, fatigue, neck stiffness, tightness in throat for 5 months.

Brain and nerves
1

HI there, I want to start by saying that I am going to be as thorough as possible with this post so be patient as I will be entering a lot of information starting with when my symptoms started exactly. 

For starters, I recently turned 20 years old and am entering my third year of University. I am an athlete and have been active and in good health my entire life. About 5 months ago, I was living a pretty normal life until one day my symptoms started. I remember it like it was yesterday, I hadn't gotten much sleep one night and had also been drinking that night. The next morning I had to wake up early to help set up for a super bowl watch party. Obviously I was sort of hungover but I didn't feel any different than usual. My friend and I went to the store to get some stuff, and suddenly I started feeling a strange "out of it" sensation. I felt dizzy, had blurred vision, and I remember having a tight sensation in my throat or feeling like there was a ball stuck in it. I figured maybe it was from the drinking and although I was worried I figured it would be gone when I woke up in the morning. 

Well, it didn't go away the next day and a day later when I was walking on campus towards my first class, I just couldn't make it there and felt like I was going to pass out. Since these symptoms first started, I have had good days and bad days, but ultimately my main symptoms have been blurred vision, a constant brain fog, sensitivity to sound and light, stiff feeling in back of neck and base of skull, fatigue, feeling like there is a notch in my throat. 

To date, I have had blood tests done, blood sugar tested, blood pressure, and an eye exam. Also it's not my heart because I had an EKG done a year ago when I was having shoulder/chest pain, turned out to be muscular. i have also been given sinus and migraine medication even though I knew it wasn't either of those causes. 

Ever since this started it has affected my grades, as I have had to walk out on exams for fear of passing out, it is affecting my personal relationships because anytime someone wants to hangout I just feel like I can't because I feel out of it and don't feel up to do anything at all. I have been working our 4-5 days a week since I was in high school it has been extremely hard to keep on working out since this started. I am tired a lot and have no drive. 

Based on my symptoms the main things that I think it could be and haven't been tested for would be a chiari malformation, lyme disease, Atlas sublexation in my neck, or something else. 

If any of you have any information that may help me with this, I would be so grateful, I really just want my life back and will do anything to get better. Thank you. Let me know if you need any more info. 

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Also, I forgot to add that I've noticed that when I drink alcohol the symptoms will momentarily be sort of numbed for that night, but I guess that's to be expected. However, if I do drink, for days or weeks afterward the symptoms are substantially worse, causing me to stay in bed almost all day and feel nauseated. Its basically like a hungover feeling times 10 and with my symptoms I already have. Also I've noticed that if I get little sleep the symptoms are worse than normal. 

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Hi, Ethan, I'm sorry that you're dealing with all this. I'm in the UK, hence my spelling, when I go very Mum like on you: while nobody on this site can definitively give you an answer, it really does sound as if it could all e due to stress. It's a horrible thing to have to deal with, but you have a lot of responsibility on what, to me (a veritable fossil, by comparison) are, still very young shoulders. See if you can find some kind of relaxation techniques to help, it can't hurt, and it might well help. Alcohol will only mask what's going on, be it physical, or emotional, so maybe go carefully. I'd recommend seeing if there's any sort of student counselling available to you, again, it can't hurt to try it. Perhaps you could find some time to do something completely carefree, that you simply enjoy?! Above all, your health is what is most important, right?!

Take care of yourself

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see if you can get swallowing studies done which will show whether you have real or just perceived tightness at the back of your throat. a scope of the throat will show if reflux from the stomach (common with drinking)  is irritating the tissues and giving you a tight sensation. a simple CT rules out Chiari malformation. get investigated fully, then , if all negative, you are stressing out, but possibly you were partying hard and upset your healthy balance. IMO

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That's my plan right now. If I did upset my healthy balance, what do I do to fix that? I just want to feel normal again.

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sorry , gave my best... would hate to give advise if need actual treatment. I guess there is no harm in the usual advise of stop binge drinking (or perhaps any alcohol), eat healthy meals in healthy portions, get your sleep, make sure you are taking time for things that bring you joy, even if they are just small parts of the day, smile more and follow thru with the investigations till you are satisfied but without stressing too much. Statistically, you are young and that is always in your favour!