Physical Symptoms and other questions.

[Walking Circles]

I have always been an anxious person, it runs in my family. My big thing is health fears, I am constantly diagnosing my self with some terrible disease, the more rare the disease the more I am drawn to it. Years ago I worried about going blind, despite the fact that I have 20/15 vision in both eyes. I have worried about every kind of cancer known to man and a few I am sure I just convinced myself were real. Honestly the list just goes on and on.

My current thing is weird neurological symptoms. You see about 10 months ago I was hospitalized for a bout of atrial fibrillation, I was released briefly and put on 25mg of atenolol daily. I then worried constantly about my heart. About a month after I got out of the hospital I found out my wife was pregnant, and about a week after that I had a bout of tremoring in my left arm that freaked me out. I went to the E.R. and they weren't concerned. I was not satisfied and googled it, and discovered a terrible disease called ALS and soon diagnosed myself. Soon after that I began to have muscle twitches all over my body, as well as weird tingling feelings, and an feeling like the inside of my chest was vibrating. This lasted for months, I saw my GP and a highly recommended nationally recognized Internal medicine specialist who weren't concerned about it.

I moved on and started to get better, the twitching subsided from constant twitches to the occasional one. My hand continued to tremor slightly but I wrote it off. However I have never completely got over it and still worry about it some and when I do it gets worse.

So hear is my question to you guys, does your anxiety cause physical symptoms? If so have any of you ever had it make your muscles twitch or caused you to experience a dull aching pain in your body somewhere? Also if it does cause you to twitch does it tend to be in particular areas?

I am just trying to figure out if my anxiety could be causing all of my symptoms or if my doctors are just missing something important. I am sick of spending all my time worried about every little quirk of my body and constantly testing my balance and strength to make sure something isn't off. I am wearing my family out and I am beginning to worry if I have just finally cracked. My symptoms have flared up again since I just found out my wife is pregnant again and I am terrified she will miscarry like last time.

[defmunel]

First welcome. Second, yes. I absolutely think anxiety creates symptoms. I also think its psychosomatic. Meaning, if you think it's true, your body will too. I have all sort of health anxieties. It's not an easy road to be on, but do your best to believe and trust your doctors. Also never google. I've realized that google is crack cocaine for my anxiety ridden brain. When I worry about some health thing, I always ask my husband first, then my brother who is in med school. Then I usually end up making an appt with my gp. Good luck my friend. I wish all the best for this pregnancy. I just miscarried in December so I understand the worry on that account.

[angieproc1977]

Yes I do I get really bad palpitations and then stress more and more I also get light headed and shaky and weak its awful the physical symptoms make my anxiety worse

[Lin]

What you say all sound like anxiety and depression symptoms. The worry over the pregnancy probably isn't helping. The more you worry about symptoms the worse they get. You have to trust your GP. Also try to relax and enjoy your wife's pregnancy, rather than worry the whole time.

[joshbagosh]

Crazy stuff man! This is exactly what happened to me! About a year ago my heart want into atrial fib, I took a pill was released with the doc telling me I drank too much caffeine! A couple days later I had chest pains, heart palps, and a mumbo jumbo amount of other symptoms. Went to docs and was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder! I thought I was dying! But after about a year you'll notice that the more calm u are the less the symptoms are as bad! They say over 50% of people who have heart attacks and other heart scares get anxiety or depression from it! Try to work on being more relaxed and calm! U have to retrain your brain to think your perfectly healthy! Harder done than said! IM me I u need anything!

[angieproc1977]

Im having palps right now very scary wish I could make them go away

[vicky]

Hi
I had muscle twitches and sharp random
pains all over my body, really freaked me out, convinced myself I'd got cancer everywhere. They were anywhere really but often in the wrists, hands, feet, neck, abdomen and knees. I also had weird back pain at times. Like you, doc wasn't concerned, I started on Zoloft and these went away. I had a whole load of weird symptoms.

[Walking Circles]

Thanks for the input guys. I was really begining to think I was losing my grip on reality, glad to know I am not alone. The twitching and what not causes more anxiety which seems to cause more twitching and pain and it just feeds this never ending cycle.

[M.C]

Hello

I suffer from health anxiety
6 months ago I was in a plane coming back home and my right lung collapsed I didn't feel it at the time
3 days later I started having severe back pain but I carried on for a week thinking It will go away
I went to see my GP she recommended to do an X-ray I went the next day then I was rushed to A&E straight away I had a chest drain fitted because my lung was deflated due to an air leak but it would b all sorted in 24 h I was told
I stayed in the hospital for 6 days without improvement
I was transferred to harefield hospital to undergo an operation
I had a bullectomy and pleurodosis and 2 big chest drains I stayed there for 10 days then was discharged with 1 chest drain that I kept for a week then had it removed because of the pain
A day after that I was hospitalised for a wound infection
I had an IV treatment for 6 days then discharged with oral antibiotics
It took 2 months for the wound to heal
Within that time I started having severe back pain again I kept on going to A&E thinking that my lung collapsed but after the X-rays the blood tests the ECG s...there was nothing
Last time I went there 1 of the medical doctors recommended that it must be anxiety
I was referred for a CBT course which I m still attending
I m constantly thinking about my health I scan my body all the time and when ever I feel any pain in my chest my abdomen my head or my back
I think of cancer
I feel that I m gonna die at any mn and that horrified me
If I see a cancer ad in the tv or I find that someone I know is ill I automatically feel ill my self I don't know what to do as no1 understand what I m going through

[Walking Circles]

It sounds like you had some truly rough going there for awhile. I can understand what you are going through, it seems like a bad medical experience has us traumatised into always expecting the worst. You most certainly are not alone in this there are plenty of us around here that are going through the same thing.

[M.C]

Thank u loads for replying

It s a bit of a relief to know that I m not the only one suffering from health anxiety
I sometimes think that I m gonna end up in a psychiatric ward if I carry on this way
I am trying the techniques that I was thought by my therapist such as deep breathing thought suppression meditation relaxation postponing my thoughts going for walks getting out of the house but still I can't get rid of it
I was thinking of doing hypnotherapy or try the panic away course
Please if anyone of u tried either plz let me know

[Walking Circles]

I have not tried any of the techniques you have mentioned for dealing with anxiety, but I have been considering taking up meditation. I do feel better for a while after exercising though, but it never lasts for more than a few hours or a day tops.

[M.C]

That s exactly what I meant u feel good in the short term but the anxiety don't go away
Can I ask u how do u get on with it?

[Ahlstrom]

I get sharp pains, hard to pinpoint where, usually accompanied by fast heart rate. I think I have a good resistance to pain but the sharpness is unbearable