Legs gave out

[kamala]

I went to a Memorial Day weekend cookout to try to help my anxiety get better thru exposure and thought I was doing good was nervous off and on after standing for over 3 hours while talking in a group my legs gave out, out of nowhere no warning. I landed hard on the ground twisted my ankle and hurt my arm in front of a group of 15 people. Legs went 100% to jelly. I sat for 30 minutes and then left. I had always been told If you are standing keep standing because your legs will not give out because of leg numbness/weakness it is all in your head well I am here to tell you that is not always correct. Anyone else's legs ever give out?

[Cobra]

Happens to people who don't have anxiety, too. Were you standing with your knees locked? That will cause it. When I was in college, one of our figure drawing models fainted and fell face first off the dais. Soldiers are told to stand with their knees slightly bent to keep from passing out. If you don't sweat it, I would call that a good episode of exposure therapy!

[kamala]

Standing legs bent not with knees locked at all.

[trinidiva]

I'm sorry that happened....my legs get that jelly like feeling sometimes, but they have never given out. I usually try to sit down when I feel like that.

[kamala]

First time in 8 years dealing with anxiety issues it has ever happened to me so nervous of it happening again now as If the other symptoms of anxiety are not bad enough. It is like a double whammy.

[trinidiva]

You may just of had low blood sugar or something. Had you eaten properly that day?. Don't let this one incident hold You back from continuing to make progress.... you just know for next time that when you start to feel the jelly legs, grab a seat.

[kamala]

Not diabetic at all. In the future I will grab a seat alot earlier than 3 hour mark.

[Judie]

Hey Kampala, well it is all in your head but that's just the origin of the symptoms that is in your head that doesn't mean the symptoms are in your head. They're real , just coming from the mind not the body ( in other words no disease process at work) First I'm sorry that happened to you, a friend of mine woke up on the ground last year- fainted anxiety attack) She has a chronic leukemia so you can imagine how scared she was ) She said when she woke up she felt great ! Why ? Because she was hyperventilating from the anxiety, fainting caused her to regulate her breathing. I bet after you sat for awhile you felt relatively stable on your legs after that as your breathing became more regular. Wobbly Legs are horrifically scary BUT that is your warning sign that you are not breathing correctly and that your legs are not getting enough oxygenated blood. Now you can continue to stand ( if you have to) but become very aware of your breathing slow deep breaths in through the nose ( mouth closed ) to a count of 4 and hold for I second and then out through the mouth ( don't blow out, just release slow steady to a count of 4. Think of it this way Fresh Clean Oxygen for your blood and circulation through your body ( the air feels cool,fresh ) and then release the carbon dioxide ( anxiety ) out of your body through your mouth ( this will feel warm, it's used up ,done). In with the new, out with the old ! Listen you survived the worse case scenario and now know how to avoid a reoccurrence. Be Well ! Anyone will eventually go down if they breathe like that. Let this be a lesson to everyone to deep breathe anxiety or not .

[kamala]

Made a doctor appt to make sure it is not a medical issue, I do have a bad back and may have aggravated a nerve standing so long. My legs have not felt right since I fell they feel like they can give out at any time just walking now. My anxiety is at a alltime high.

[Judie]

Made a doctor appt to make sure it is not a medical issue, I do have a bad back and may have aggravated a nerve standing so long. My legs have not felt right since I fell they feel like they can give out at any time just walking now. My anxiety is at a alltime high.

Kamala, Good to hear you made an appointment. I too have a bad back ( herniated disk beteeen L4 and L5 ( Lumbar ) )When it first happened it compressed my nerve and I lost all my reflexes ( which would cause me to randomly loose power in my legs. The brain doesn't receive proper messages from nerve to muscle. The Neurosurgeons wanted me to have surgery but they allowed me 6 weeks for my reflexes to return and the nerve to rejuvenate. My reflexes came back but I still have periods of the left leg just giving out so ???? Poor circulation ( Jelly Legs or a entrapped nerve ? ) Good Luck, Let us know !

[kamala]

I am just shocked nobody else has ever legs go out from under them while standing for awhile from anxiety.

[Lin]

I had a friend who had same problem when she was pregnant and kept falling/feinting. Her problem was low body sugar and she always carried a chocolate bar with her in case she felt wobbly afterwards.
So it could well be your sugar levels and you need to keep eating a good balanced diet and gentle exercise.
However, anxiety can make you so dizzy from shallow breathing that it could be from panic and you need to realise quickly and calm yourself down by concentrating on slow deep breathing.

[kamala]

I had a friend who had same problem when she was pregnant and kept falling/feinting. Her problem was low body sugar and she always carried a chocolate bar with her in case she felt wobbly afterwards.
So it could well be your sugar levels and you need to keep eating a good balanced diet and gentle exercise.
However, anxiety can make you so dizzy from shallow breathing that it could be from panic and you need to realise quickly and calm yourself down by concentrating on slow deep breathing.

Not a blood sugar issue 100% anxiety related.

[Lin]

At least you are definite it is anxiety so you should be able to work out some techniques to stop it happening like meditation or just slow breathing.

[Judie]

I am just shocked nobody else has ever legs go out from under them while standing for awhile from anxiety.

I told you in an earlier post that a friend of mine had an anxiety attack and fainted. She was hyperventilating ( as you may have been as well ) We don't feel ourselves breathing shallow, no one does. Were you having thoughts like " I'm handling this, my anxiety isn't bad, in other words thinking about the anxiety at all ? You mentioned, I believe, that you were pleased that you were socializing etc. at the party,which is wonderful " but" if you were thinking about how good or bad you felt with your anxiety, regardless of what type of thoughts on anxiety you were having, those those thoughts were feeding it. Your mind/body hear anxiety it doesn't hear good or bad. The key is to not allow yourself to think of the Anxiety at all. Change your thoughts immediately. Try words like cancel or stop to put an end to Negative Thoughts ( which are thoughts of anxiety) I have no idea if this is what was going on, was it ? If so then most likely you were hyperventilating, decreases oxygenated blood flow to the legs causing them to basically " fall asleep" from decreased circulation ( and yes I have fallen twice from legs falling asleep and standing up to quickly ( at the time mine was from poor circulation not anxiety but the same applies when it comes to decreased circulation ) so were you feeding the anxiety, do you think ?

[kamala]

Had MRI on back done Friday get results this Thursday. My legs are still very weak and very shaky with dizziness/anxiety since I fell. People say oh your legs are primed for movement and will not fail is not 100% always true.

[kamala]

MRI came back clean anyone who tells you that you cannot fall from anxiety/leg weakness and have your legs go out from under you is flat wrong.

[Enduronman]

Do you have an eating disorder?

[kamala]

Do you have an eating disorder?

No 100% anxiety related issue.

[Enduronman]

Ok..The reason that I asked that is because (both) of my daughters had similar experiences as you have stated here, and it all pointed to their diets. They had low BP as well. I upped their sodium intake abit and made them drink water too. Problem solved within days. What is your BP readings usually high or low, if I may ask that?...Also, do you use tobacco? THX!

[kamala]

Ok..The reason that I asked that is because (both) of my daughters had similar experiences as you have stated here, and it all pointed to their diets. They had low BP as well. I upped their sodium intake abit and made them drink water too. Problem solved within days. What is your BP readings usually high or low, if I may ask that?...Also, do you use tobacco? THX!
BP 122/74 not an issue and I do not drink or smoke.

[Enduronman]

Ok.. You mentioned in a earlier post that you have a bad back and also had an MRI on your back that came back clean. What exactly is this back issue if it isn't with the spine itself? Pinched nerves? Do you have pain medications for this or do you just live with it? Any anxiety medications?

[kamala]

Ok.. You mentioned in a earlier post that you have a bad back and also had an MRI on your back that came back clean. What exactly is this back issue if it isn't with the spine itself? Pinched nerves? Do you have pain medications for this or do you just live with it? Any anxiety medications?

L4/L5 spinal stenosis issue not cause of legs issue though. No meds of any kind.

[Enduronman]

Well ok Kamallaaa,

I guess I'm just kinda stumped on this one friend. I'm going to think that since your first post said "get yourself out for some exposure" and the fact that you stood for 3 hours, your leg muscles are just weak from being inactive and then kerplunk...I see no other explanation here at all. Take some walks with someone, strengthen your leg muscles, and have a cookout!

and :D too!

[Shepard]

Sounds like you gave it a challenge and it challenged you back, haha. You sound pretty sure it's an anxiety related issue, so keep challenging it and let it know you don't fear it. Fear feeds anxiety and makes it grow big and strong.

I also agree that some things people say cannot happen with anxiety, can happen. Although they happen, IMO simply because we tend to let anxiety control us instead if us controlling anxiety. Our minds, if put to the test, can stop this crap pretty easily, we just don't let it.