Help...numbness.

[jaimet]

Hi guys, this is my first post so be gentle ;)

I am having a really bad time with what I 'think' is anxiety at the moment.

I have numbness and tingling in my foot, leg, arm and face and I am just so worried. I didn't realise that numbness could be a symptom of anxiety but I am under a lot of pressure at the moment with different things.

I've had a sore throat for weeks and the numbness started about a week ago...I'm waiting to see a neurologist about it.

I have always been a hypochondriac/frantic googler...mainly worried about stuff like hiv etc...which is a great disease to choose because EVERYTHING is a symptom!

I think I need reassurance that my kind of numbness is normal for anxiety? My GP said that anxiety numbness wouldn't be so specific....mine is just on one side.

I am also wondering whether it's normal to suddenly start getting the numbness after years of anxiety/depression with no numbness present?

This place has been a godsend...I'm so glad I found it....I feel more 'normal'?!

Thanks in advance for any replies....Jaime x

[Tywrap]

This is my first post here but what you discribe sounds like an anxiety attack. No one dies from them but they do suck.

I first had one when we were stationed in Turkey. I just tried to blow it off and stayed busy, it seemed to help. When we went to Alaska and I had another one. This one was a big. Lightheaded, arms, face feet tingled, felt like i was going to lose my mind. I saw a doctor and it went away after several weeks. Your probably fine just need to tell your doctor how you feel and most importantly what your thinking.

I'm feeling a little anxious now so the doctor put me back on Paxil. I took it a few years ago and it worked great. I didn't experiance any withdrawls. I just started with the pills yesterday do I can't wait until it kicks in. I feel lightheaded and detached, kind of like I'm dreaming. I hate it but I know I won't die.

Good luck.

[MShemel]

It sounds like anxiety to me. Very similar to my type also, because I get these periods when I worry about diseases like HIV, and recently, when I was tested, it took so long for the results to come. I also had a false alarm with a blood test that showed I was prediabetic, which wasn't the case ultimately. As for the tingling, recently I have been having that and mine is much worse than yours. It always starts on my face, right or left side. Then I start to think about the tingling, which results in that sensation spreading all over my body. This usually happens when I'm driving, for some reason, regardless of time of day or traffic. The last time, the tingling spread literally through my entire body. Even my tongue felt like it was shaking. I got out of the car and within 5 minutes it was all gone. We are all in the same boat, I would only suggest to try and wait it out. My doc gave me all sorts of meds like xanax and lexapro. I filled them, but have just left them on my counter, not touching it at all. Good luck.

[DreamQueen52680]

Hi Jaimet. I know what you are going through right now, cause the same thing is happening to me. I have had really bad anxiety for the last 5 years. It hasn't been consistant with the same symptoms. One point I had pain in my chest, swore I was having a heart attack. Had every test under the blue moon and I was healthy. Then it was headaches and once again my anxiety kicked in and I thought I was having an Anuerism. Now, I get this Muscle Weakness, numbness and tingling on the left side of my body. It isn't there all the time, but when it comes it makes me more nervous. I have an appointment with the neurologist next week to check it out. There are somedays where I know my anxiety is bad and I need to treat it and say I am going to take meds, but then the days that are ok I say to myself that I don't need them. I also for the past few years started with some depression. Of course along with anxiety comes depression cause people with anxiety always feel the worst and something is always wrong that they get tired of feeling that way and feeling like nothing will ever help and then because a person with anxiety gets depressed they feel more physical symptoms which makes them more nervous. It is a vicious cycle. The docs tried giving me meds and they just made it worse. I hope everything works out for you. More than likely it is anxiety. :|