struggling

[colleen224]

Hi everyone,

If you have read any of my posts before, you know that I have been struggling with major panic about my health. I have had so many tests which all came back normal, and I am very grateful for that, but I still feel that it is a physical condition and not anxiety/panic that is causing my symptoms.

First I was worried about pain radiating from a spot by the top of my right ear which has ranged from stabbing to throbbing to burning. Now I have episodes where my right arm feels numb and tingly, and I feel trigger points between my neck and my right shoulder that almost feel like little knots. There are times when I feel like the whole right side of my head, from my scalp down to my upper back and right arm, is burning. I saw an orthopaedic surgeon a few days ago who ruled out an orthopaedic problem and a pinched nerve in my neck, but yesterday the pain was terrible. It still bothered me even after I took Vicodin.

I am sure that a lot of you have gone through a similar situation where you had symptoms that scared the hell out of you, went to see several doctors, had a bunch of tests and felt like no one was ever going to tell you what was wrong with you. I guess I am looking for some reassurance since I feel like I am going to go crazy from panic about my symptoms. I started medication for anxiety and depression today and am trying to be hopeful about that.

Can anyone share a similar experience or give me some advice please? My next step is seeing a neurologist.

Thanks for your help!

[Southern_Belle]

Hi Colleen,

The knots between your neck and shoulder could be from stress. You don't state that you suffer from headaches so I personally do not see a need to go to a Neurologist. If half your head is burning it could be some sort of a migraine. If I were you I would see how the new medication works. If the head problem continues, then I would see a Neurologist. I get migraines and after all the tests were said and done not one Neurologist or Neurosurgeon has really helped me.

Many of us (anxiety sufferers) have our arms and hands go numb and it is stress. I also have the knots in my upper back and neck too. Have you considered going for a massage? It just might help. Please keep me posted on your results because I do care. You can private message me if you want.

Many hugs,

Laura

[kaz0904]

:hugs:I have suffered the same as you, and I was convinced I had cancer or aids. It was anxiety, all of it. I found it so hard to believe that all that pain wasn't something physical, but it was all just anxiety.

I was put on a course of meds, and it went away eventually. I am now back on the meds again after renewed problems, but I have every faith that I will start to feel better soon, and so will you!

[Bill]

Kaz:hugs: ,

I'm copying one of your original posts here because I think it could also help Colleen to understand what "could" be happening.

a couple of years ago, I started feeling ill. My IBS, which I have had since I was a teenager, got really bad, and I was getting severe surging pain in my arms, legs, neck, head, chest.....everywhere basically. I convinced myself I had cancer and AIDS (both at the same time, so there was really no hope for me at all) and finally went to the doctors! I was told I had Anxiety Disorder, caused by extreme stress. Not a surprise, we had just bought a house, I had just passed my driving test, I was being pursued by the Inland Revenue for thousands of pounds in Tax Credits I had never recieved, and my ex-husbands mother was pestering me for unsupervised access to my daughter (long story also!)
Anyway, to cut to the chase, I ended up on meds for 3 months, but got pregnant, so I had to come off them. Straight away, which meant I came crashing down again! Being pregnant made the anxiety fade into the distance for me, but now the baby is 8 months old, and my old problems are slowly returning. I'm back at the bad IBS stage at the moment, so I am taking meds for that. I don't want to end up on antidepressants again, so I am looking for other ways to solve the problem.

When you were a teenager, you experienced a period of extreme stress, possibly due to exams?. A couple of years ago you experienced another period of extreme stress which brought on your pains to your "arms, legs, neck, head, chest etc" and IBS symptoms as a response to the stress you were feeling.

These pains then frightened you into thinking they were being caused by something other than just "stress" so you began to think of all the illnesses you might otherwise be suffering from.

You went to the doctor to seek reassurance and they explained that your symptoms were Just stress which was understandable when you consider all the things that were stressing you at the time.

However, you were prescribed meds to ease your symptoms but when you became pregnant you had to come off them. While you were pregnant though, you felt fine, "the anxiety faded into the distance" because your pregnancy focussed your mind away from all the things that were stressing you at the time so your pains and symptoms also faded.

However, since your baby was born, your anxiety symptoms are now returning which again are making you focus on health worries because you're feeling stressed again so you're now back on meds to ease your symptoms.

When you think back though, you actually felt "well" when you were pregnant because you weren't "thinking" about the things that were stressing you so neither were you thinking about health worries because you were preventing your anxiety symptoms because your mind was being occupied with being pregnant.

You can't be pregnant All the time but you can find other enjoyable interests such as a creative hobby or getting out to mix in a group to occupy your mind so that you don't have time to focus on stresses and worries.

Anxiety symptoms only exist because "we" create them by focussing on stresses and worries but if we focus our minds on positive thoughts or enjoyable interests, we can learn to control our minds to prevent our symptoms so that we can learn to enjoy life without the need for meds.:hugs: