pain :(

[buckeyegirl]

Good morning everyone! Hope this post finds everyone in Good Spirits.

I've been dealing with extreme anxiety since June. I've been able to mostly control all of my symptoms, except health fear, without meds or therapy.

Since my anxiety started I've been experiencing pain in my calves. I've had a ton of blood work and 4 weeks ago I had ultrasounds of both calves to rule out blood clots. The problem is my doc really isn't giving me answers and the pain is getting worse. It is causing cramping really bad and is now in my calves and feet, sometimes in my thighs. This pain is daily and constant. Of course my health anxiety brain keeps telling me that its blood clots and the docs missed it. I am scared. I can't see my doc until Wednesday next week. I am wondering if I should call and demand a quicker appt. Sorry for the ramble, its just been 4 months and I want it gone.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

[raggamuffin]

You can always book an emergency appointment with a doctor if you feel the need to. However we always think we know our bodies better than people who've spent 5+ years training in medicine. Worry takes over most of the time and feeds our anxiety which creates more panic and more adrenaline pumped through the body. With no way to fully release all this built up tension our muscles start to ache.I've never had leg pains myself but everyone with anxiety is different.

I'm sure you've read about the fight or flight response the brain has to perceived danger. It pumps adrenaline filled blood to protect the chest (why a lot of people suffering from anxiety hurt here) and blood also rushes to the limbs. Hence leg pain is perfectly justifiable when you're an anxious person constantly fretting.

A doctor can only offer so much reasurance when you yourself believe it is something more sinister. Accepting that the pain stems from anxiety is the first step to recovery. It's also the hardest. If you've had the tests and the doctors are positive it's nothing sinister, you really need to start telling yourself that. I have daily pains myself and they're very very real. It's hard to tie worry to pain. But it really does happen. Every post here of people complaining of pain who are living in a day to day cycle of worry and stress are living proof that worry is linked to real pain in the body.

I hope you feel better soon.

Ed

[dazza]

Call an emergency doctor or even an ambulance...

I would!

[buckeyegirl]

Thanks guys....I don't think I need to rush to the ER since Septembet they told me I don't have blood clots.

[dazza]

Thanks guys....I don't think I need to rush to the ER since Septembet they told me I don't have blood clots.

I would still want to know what the f*ck it was... and quickly! :-)

(I'm sure it's nothing bad... I would just want results)

[buckeyegirl]

Thanks!!! I'm currently sitting in the waiting room at my docs. I'll know more soon

[buckeyegirl]

So yeah....still no further. My doc is still sure its not blood clots. Now I've gotta go to a physical rehab specialist to have them check my muscles. My appt is 10-25 so we'll see

[dazza]

So yeah....still no further. My doc is still sure its not blood clots. Now I've gotta go to a physical rehab specialist to have them check my muscles. My appt is 10-25 so we'll see

Pleased to hear you're seeking a medical opinion honey.

Anxiety is a REAL fucker. Sometimes it's SO hard to distinguish between anxiety & non-anxiety pains.

Generally speaking, if symptoms are actually or nearly constant... daily... and in particular... get worse over time, then we must be vigilent and
get checked.

Some possible causes I can think of are:

1/ Anxiety (let's hope so)
2/ Celiac (gluten related)
4/ Severe lack of potassium and / or magnesium

We'll see. Best of luck.

[buckeyegirl]

Thanks Dazza!!!!

[trinidiva]

When I read your post, I started to wonder if perhaps your potassium levels might be low. When I was pregnant, I used to get the worst cramps in my legs and feet. It was due to a lack of potassium...so I started to either drink orange juice every morning or I would eat a banana. It helped quite a bit. After delivering, I haven't had that problem......my husband on the other hand, gets those types of cramps all the time. It wakes him up out of his sleep sometimes.......

[lsapphirel]

Low potassium = eat bananas, i dislike bananas, so i end up frying them, saute them, eating with ice cream or just dip it into chocolate. anyways, since i start eating bananas, my paranoid part of the anxiety has lessen. I am still paranoid or fear stuffs but it gets better.