Is it really anxiety?

[okky]

Well it all started 3 to 4 months ago. I had just started holidays from university. One day out of the blue I got this overwhelming feeling go through my body, almost like a wave going from my head to my toes, my heart felt like it was thumping outside my chest and my left arm felt really weak. I was also getting pins and needles, my joints were hurting and tight throat like I couldn't get enough air and a cough. I had never felt anything like it before so naturally it scared the crap out of me. It happened a few times throughout the day and it seemed to get worse when I went to bed, was even waking me up in the middle of the night. I seen my doctor and she did a blood test and it all came back clear, she seemed to think it was probably a virus. It seemed to get worse over the weeks so my dr sent me to a neurologist. By this time I was also getting muscle soreness, some dizzy spells and chest pains. I had an MRI which came back clear and neuro of my brain and he seemed to think I suffered from painless migraines with aura and that the rest of the symptoms that I was getting was from anxiety.
Since then my symptoms are always changing. I looked at the symptom checklist thread and believe t or not I have had just about every symptom listed at some point. The worst I am experiencing at the moment is foggy head sore scalp, blocked ears, muscle soreness and pins and needles. I also can't concentrate and feel nausiated throughout most of the day. I am starting to feel depressed because I am scared that I have something that the dr hasn't picked up and I feel like I am going to die sometimes. Sleeping has been incredibly hard as I am scared I won't wake up in the morning.

The doctors are convinced it is anxiety but how do I convince myself that that is what it is.

Can you have anxiety without having something traumatising happen to you recently?

and how can my body make me feel this way without doing harm to me? Also I thought anxiety was anxiety attacks, so how can I have anxiety when I feel sick all day long?

One of the symptoms I am getting at the moment is tingling and soreness around my veins. When they tingle and are sore I notice that they are more visible, is this an anxiety symptom?

I am so stressed out at the moment and struggling to believe that I am not going to die.

Sorry about the long post.

[Charlene]

You were wise to seek medical attention when you first started experiencing those new body sensations. The good news is, you're healthy! :) You are not going to die! The symptoms you've described here are indeed common amongst anxiety sufferers and although most unpleasant and often times, seem to be debilitating, they are not harmful or dangerous in any way. They are just physcial feelings that you have become very aware of. These sensations that have come out of the blue have made you very keen to monitor what's going on throughout your body. They're impossible to ignore. And by noticing them, unfortunately, it often can bring on episodes of panic. Panic will not harm you. Anxiety will not harm you. You are safe. They are just physical feelings and nothing more. You may ask then, why have they suddenly come on out of the blue, just out of nowhere? Well, for some sufferers, trauma is what brought on their disorder. For others, it's stress, such as leaving home, losing one's job or going through a divorce or some other change. Others still, the disorder could be brought on merely by genetic inheritance. You may not yet be able to pinpoint exactly why the episodes have come about and it's not really all that important at this point either. First thing is to be aware that you are not going to die from it. Nobody dies from anxiety or panic disorder. Second thing, you are not alone in this. Did you know that it's been estimated that approximately 1 in 8 people have this disorder? You're in good company! Third, you will wake up in the morning. You are healthy. You are okay. You are experiencing some very new and odd sensations right now but please know that they can not harm you in any way.

[Knawx]

Conviencing yourself that you have anxiety is a hard task. Mainly because people who do have anxiety also have a brain that wants to focus on the worst case scenerio. It tells you that you have someting terribly wrong.

The truth is, %99 percent of the time it's axiety. %.08 percent of the time it's nothing serious and %.02 percent of the time it may be something that will require some medical attention.

Anxiety sucks, no doubt. But, just remind yourself that it's okay to have an anxiety attack, because it won't last forever.

If your having them frequently or they are interfereing with your life, there are tons of option from talking to a therapist or taking medication that you can later ween yourself off of.

Also remember that you are not alone :)

[okky]

Thanks so much! The more reasurance the better.

I was having a tough week where everything seemed to be getting worse. I would wake up in the morning at first thinking thank god I made it through the night and then I would instantly have this feeling of dread for a couple of hours aftater getting up. I would be thinking, oh no what is going to happen to me today am I going to die or get a new symptom or what.

I went and seen my doctor yesterday and she reasured me that it was all due to anxiety and that I didn't need to be worried about anything. I kind of felt stupid going to her all the time so I would stay at home and worry about them for weeks and then the symtoms would get worse and I would eventually go anyway. She told me yesterday that if I need to see her to feel free to come and see her again because sitting back and worrying about it will make it worse. She kept telling me that I am fine though and evrything will get better. She seems to think with time it will get better and I won't need the medication but she said if it doesn't then there is plenty of options. I am currently trying the magnesium and vtiamin tablets.

I felt quite confident coming out of the doctors, thinking that it is just anxiety and I can beat it. felt good pretty much all day and evening, had a little bit of anxiety before bed and started thinking that maybe they missed something but it didn't take me too long to get my head back in the right space. Those stupid medical shows do my head in with all these misdiagnosing cases but I just keep reminding myself that I have had 3 doctors looking over me and they all say the same thing, anxiety, they can't be all wrong surely.

I woke up this morning pretty well normal, I had a slight pang of anxiety shortly after waking but it didn't last for long. I haven't had the heart palpitations at all since I went to the dr which is great and a lot of it has settled down. I am hoping I can keep the good thoughts up, so all your encouragement is great. I keep re-reading it because it gives me so much confidence, so thank you so much. I have found that I can't deal with people talking about really sick people and death, it sends me into a state of panic. I had to leave the dining table the other night when my mum was talking about someone in the hospital, I felt like I was going to vomit and I felt like I had something stuck in my throat. I have been watching comedy shows at night which puts me in a happy mood before bed.

It will be interesting to see if I am in the same state of mind this time next week. I hope I can keep it up and that if I get new symptoms I can convince myself that it is just anxiety. I will keep coming back to this sight to reasure myself.

Thanks so much!

Jodie

[ThePhoenix]

Thanks so much! The more reasurance the better.

I was having a tough week where everything seemed to be getting worse. I would wake up in the morning at first thinking thank god I made it through the night and then I would instantly have this feeling of dread for a couple of hours aftater getting up. I would be thinking, oh no what is going to happen to me today am I going to die or get a new symptom or what.

I went and seen my doctor yesterday and she reasured me that it was all due to anxiety and that I didn't need to be worried about anything. I kind of felt stupid going to her all the time so I would stay at home and worry about them for weeks and then the symtoms would get worse and I would eventually go anyway. She told me yesterday that if I need to see her to feel free to come and see her again because sitting back and worrying about it will make it worse. She kept telling me that I am fine though and evrything will get better. She seems to think with time it will get better and I won't need the medication but she said if it doesn't then there is plenty of options. I am currently trying the magnesium and vtiamin tablets.

I felt quite confident coming out of the doctors, thinking that it is just anxiety and I can beat it. felt good pretty much all day and evening, had a little bit of anxiety before bed and started thinking that maybe they missed something but it didn't take me too long to get my head back in the right space. Those stupid medical shows do my head in with all these misdiagnosing cases but I just keep reminding myself that I have had 3 doctors looking over me and they all say the same thing, anxiety, they can't be all wrong surely.

I woke up this morning pretty well normal, I had a slight pang of anxiety shortly after waking but it didn't last for long. I haven't had the heart palpitations at all since I went to the dr which is great and a lot of it has settled down. I am hoping I can keep the good thoughts up, so all your encouragement is great. I keep re-reading it because it gives me so much confidence, so thank you so much. I have found that I can't deal with people talking about really sick people and death, it sends me into a state of panic. I had to leave the dining table the other night when my mum was talking about someone in the hospital, I felt like I was going to vomit and I felt like I had something stuck in my throat. I have been watching comedy shows at night which puts me in a happy mood before bed.

It will be interesting to see if I am in the same state of mind this time next week. I hope I can keep it up and that if I get new symptoms I can convince myself that it is just anxiety. I will keep coming back to this sight to reasure myself.

Thanks so much!

Jodie

Hi Jodie,

Its good you went to the doctors when you first got the symptoms, it can be hard to accept that it really is anxiety. I know when I first started with my issues really bad I couldnt accept that they hadnt missed something. I would feel good straight after but then after awhile I would be convinced there was something else.

The best tip I can give you is make anxiety the enemy, focus on the fact that the only thing wrong with you is anxiety and focus on that. I know what you mean about people talking about hospitals and doctors and all that, I feel the same. The best thing to do is either get up and leave or if you feel comfortable just ask them to not talk about it while your there if you dont feel you can cope with it.

[okky]

Thanks for the advice :) I will give it a go and see how I go. I had a bad headach today and it felt like my brain was trying to escape my head, there was so much pressure. I started thinking that I had a brain tumour and that it has developed since I had the MRI 4 months ago. I finally conviunced myself that I was being ridiculous and that it was anxiety. It eventually subsided but then I started getting the tingling in my hands and feet but I am ignoring it and just keep reminding myself that it is anxiety and I will be fine. I honestly feel like a mental case sometimes :oops:

I am going on holiday for a week tomorrow and I think some of todays anxiety was caused from that. I have been worried I will get sick over there and maybe won't come back :o But I know deep down that I will be fine and just have fun and relax.

I am glad to hear I am not the only one that can't stand being around death and sickness talk, I thought I was turning into a fruitloop. I nearly yelled at my mother today to stop talking about a friends friend who is dying but I held back as I felt a little embarrassed, so I just walked away.

Okay, so anxiety is my enemy and that is all I have and it can't hurt me. Now, I just have to continue to believe that. I am trying really hard.

Thanks :)
Jodie

[ThePhoenix]

Thanks for the advice :) I will give it a go and see how I go. I had a bad headach today and it felt like my brain was trying to escape my head, there was so much pressure. I started thinking that I had a brain tumour and that it has developed since I had the MRI 4 months ago. I finally conviunced myself that I was being ridiculous and that it was anxiety. It eventually subsided but then I started getting the tingling in my hands and feet but I am ignoring it and just keep reminding myself that it is anxiety and I will be fine. I honestly feel like a mental case sometimes :oops:

I am going on holiday for a week tomorrow and I think some of todays anxiety was caused from that. I have been worried I will get sick over there and maybe won't come back :o But I know deep down that I will be fine and just have fun and relax.

I am glad to hear I am not the only one that can't stand being around death and sickness talk, I thought I was turning into a fruitloop. I nearly yelled at my mother today to stop talking about a friends friend who is dying but I held back as I felt a little embarrassed, so I just walked away.

Okay, so anxiety is my enemy and that is all I have and it can't hurt me. Now, I just have to continue to believe that. I am trying really hard.

Thanks :)
Jodie

Sounds like your doing well! The whole headaches and tingling is just anxiety, focus on beating that and enjoy your holiday! You will be fine! Just relax and enjoy it. :)

[dtrotter]

Thanks for the advice :) I will give it a go and see how I go. I had a bad headach today and it felt like my brain was trying to escape my head, there was so much pressure. I started thinking that I had a brain tumour and that it has developed since I had the MRI 4 months ago. I finally conviunced myself that I was being ridiculous and that it was anxiety. It eventually subsided but then I started getting the tingling in my hands and feet but I am ignoring it and just keep reminding myself that it is anxiety and I will be fine. I honestly feel like a mental case sometimes :oops:

I am going on holiday for a week tomorrow and I think some of todays anxiety was caused from that. I have been worried I will get sick over there and maybe won't come back :o But I know deep down that I will be fine and just have fun and relax.

I am glad to hear I am not the only one that can't stand being around death and sickness talk, I thought I was turning into a fruitloop. I nearly yelled at my mother today to stop talking about a friends friend who is dying but I held back as I felt a little embarrassed, so I just walked away.

Okay, so anxiety is my enemy and that is all I have and it can't hurt me. Now, I just have to continue to believe that. I am trying really hard.

Thanks :)
Jodie

Good that you notice things are not as bad as you imagine. I hope you can enjoy your holiday without getting another anxiety attack. Personally, i think you just need a break, take things easy, you should be back on your feet in no time

[okky]

Thanks :) I had a fantastic holiday. The first 4 days I felt really good and confident that I was fine. I had a few moments where I had slight moments of doubt but got over it fairly quick. My symptoms shifted again and I started worrying. I was getting lots of pressure in my head and got a blood nose a couple of days before we left and that freaked me out a bit.

My biggest problem is that I start believing that I am fine but then I get a symptom and I am freaking out because I can't understand why I am gettign it when I am not anxious. I a just get worried that the doctors missed something and a few months down the track they will find something but then it will be too late to fix me. I am trying to be possitive and believe I am fine but my brainhas other ideas sometimes.

I hope I can get back to how I was feeling at the start of my holiday.

I hope you guys are doing well.

Cheers
Jodie