Aa
Figuring this all out.... I know I will overcome it!
26 male. If you have read some of my previous posts you will know a lot about me. Just a quick summary.. I'm an anxiety sufferer... but it goes in spouts of anxiety... then it'll go away... and i'll be anxiety free for months at a time... then i'll have anxiety for 2-3 weeks at a time when i get an anxiety spell. I do not get panic attacks. Just anxiety spells... which in my opinion... I'd rather have a panic attack b/c they tend to leave quickly.... my anxiety episodes last 24/7... with symptoms of panic attacks... it stinks!
I havnt had an appetite really for over a month now! I just started paxil 10mg about a week and a half ago... not really feeling it yet i dont think. my dr. plans on upping me to 20mg in a couple more weeks.
I also take ativan during the day... i take two .5mg each day... sometimes ill take one during day and one before bed... sometimes i'll go all day without taking any... and take 2 at once at night.
My main symptoms have been, loss of appetite... feeling fatigued... stiff throat... feeling of gagging... fear of throat cancer... some pacing.... morning anxiety.... diarhea sometimes... depending on what i eat... and may also depend on my anxiety level at the time... and just loose stools... I do smoke ciggarettes... but my dr. tells me i don't have cancer. Which, you guys all know... when we find something or have a symptom... we all tend to fear cancer. lol.
This is a constant battle.... everyday.. i know i'm doing it to myself... but its hard to get out of the cycle... I know I will get out of this... I'm also seeing a therapist... only been once so far... but am excited to go back.
I notice the more I educate myself about anxiety and what it can REALLY do to your body... the BETTER I feel.
My dr. told me I prob. have IBS.... but I hate labeling myself as a person with IBS.... b/c I do believe once I get out of this funk... I will no longer have these digestion issues... heres why... I've researched a little something that kinda surprised me... I'll post it below:
"Digestion Cessation
Digestion stops during a panic attack or *anxious phase*. The body switches on the flight-or-fight response and every part of the body that is not used for protection or is not vital is turned off. This includes digestion and the intestinal processing of food. Someone with severe and recurrent panic attacks or anxiety may reject food, and may feel nauseated. He cannot handle food well when digestion has stopped and his concentration is fixated on the anxiety or panic. "
That right there made me feel less worried about my digestion issues.
Also, my biggest fear/symptom is my throat symptom... its pretty much constant... but better at times... comes and goes throughout the day... but some days are worse than others...
When I breath in... your upper pallet natrually goes up in the back of your throat... do you know what im talking about? the part in your throat with the dangly thing... lol. Well, when I breath in sometimes it feels like its going up too much or something? and feels hard to breath... but I CAN BREATH. Also my throat get's tensed feeling... sometimes where it feels like I'm being slightly choked... and its really swelling or something.
My mom calmed me down lastnight... b/c I was so worried about it... she said when she was my age... she suffered from anxiety but naturally overcame it... she said she got that feeling in her throat too... and like she couldnt breath... she also said her throat still gets like that at times... especially when her allergies are bad... and trust me, my mom suffers bad from allergies...
I have been swallowing lots of drainage too... and swallowing kinda makes my muscles feel sore in my throat... not like a sore throat like strep or anything... just tired and muscle sore.
But I have to remember... this is probably just a mixture of anxiety... globus hystericas, allergies... and thinking way too much about it.
When I go back to see the Dr. here in a couple weeks for my paxil check up... I will ask him to view my throat to give me more peace of mind.
Bc once I OFFICIALLY know there is NOTHING wrong with me... I think my anxiety will let up that much more...
Just needed to vent. Thanks guys for listening. And maybe this has helped some people too?
I havnt had an appetite really for over a month now! I just started paxil 10mg about a week and a half ago... not really feeling it yet i dont think. my dr. plans on upping me to 20mg in a couple more weeks.
I also take ativan during the day... i take two .5mg each day... sometimes ill take one during day and one before bed... sometimes i'll go all day without taking any... and take 2 at once at night.
My main symptoms have been, loss of appetite... feeling fatigued... stiff throat... feeling of gagging... fear of throat cancer... some pacing.... morning anxiety.... diarhea sometimes... depending on what i eat... and may also depend on my anxiety level at the time... and just loose stools... I do smoke ciggarettes... but my dr. tells me i don't have cancer. Which, you guys all know... when we find something or have a symptom... we all tend to fear cancer. lol.
This is a constant battle.... everyday.. i know i'm doing it to myself... but its hard to get out of the cycle... I know I will get out of this... I'm also seeing a therapist... only been once so far... but am excited to go back.
I notice the more I educate myself about anxiety and what it can REALLY do to your body... the BETTER I feel.
My dr. told me I prob. have IBS.... but I hate labeling myself as a person with IBS.... b/c I do believe once I get out of this funk... I will no longer have these digestion issues... heres why... I've researched a little something that kinda surprised me... I'll post it below:
"Digestion Cessation
Digestion stops during a panic attack or *anxious phase*. The body switches on the flight-or-fight response and every part of the body that is not used for protection or is not vital is turned off. This includes digestion and the intestinal processing of food. Someone with severe and recurrent panic attacks or anxiety may reject food, and may feel nauseated. He cannot handle food well when digestion has stopped and his concentration is fixated on the anxiety or panic. "
That right there made me feel less worried about my digestion issues.
Also, my biggest fear/symptom is my throat symptom... its pretty much constant... but better at times... comes and goes throughout the day... but some days are worse than others...
When I breath in... your upper pallet natrually goes up in the back of your throat... do you know what im talking about? the part in your throat with the dangly thing... lol. Well, when I breath in sometimes it feels like its going up too much or something? and feels hard to breath... but I CAN BREATH. Also my throat get's tensed feeling... sometimes where it feels like I'm being slightly choked... and its really swelling or something.
My mom calmed me down lastnight... b/c I was so worried about it... she said when she was my age... she suffered from anxiety but naturally overcame it... she said she got that feeling in her throat too... and like she couldnt breath... she also said her throat still gets like that at times... especially when her allergies are bad... and trust me, my mom suffers bad from allergies...
I have been swallowing lots of drainage too... and swallowing kinda makes my muscles feel sore in my throat... not like a sore throat like strep or anything... just tired and muscle sore.
But I have to remember... this is probably just a mixture of anxiety... globus hystericas, allergies... and thinking way too much about it.
When I go back to see the Dr. here in a couple weeks for my paxil check up... I will ask him to view my throat to give me more peace of mind.
Bc once I OFFICIALLY know there is NOTHING wrong with me... I think my anxiety will let up that much more...
Just needed to vent. Thanks guys for listening. And maybe this has helped some people too?
you are wayyyy too much like me it's scary!!! I experienced my very first panic/anxiety attack a few months ago after what I thought was a traumatizing event and have been having the same thoughts ever since im hoping this will pass
THE ANSWER??????
You know what I'm going to say...
The answer is sometimes there IS no answer other than "It's your anxiety"...and sometimes we just have to accept that, believe it, and move on.
You are WAAAAYYYYYYY over-thinking this...which of course is typical of anxiety as well.
We are constantly searching for the easy answer...the quick fix.....could it be allergies? Could be IBS? GERD? The harsh reality is chronic anxiety causes symptoms ITSELF. It's OWN symptoms...it takes a toll on the system. Once you get a grip on the anxiety...the next thing you know the symptoms fade away into the background.
The very BEST thing you could do is dive head first into therapy and learn ways to preoccupy your mind and try as hard as you can to stop thinking about your symptoms...that includes the internet! The more you focus on them, the more they will bother you, I promise you.
You know what I'm going to say...
The answer is sometimes there IS no answer other than "It's your anxiety"...and sometimes we just have to accept that, believe it, and move on.
You are WAAAAYYYYYYY over-thinking this...which of course is typical of anxiety as well.
We are constantly searching for the easy answer...the quick fix.....could it be allergies? Could be IBS? GERD? The harsh reality is chronic anxiety causes symptoms ITSELF. It's OWN symptoms...it takes a toll on the system. Once you get a grip on the anxiety...the next thing you know the symptoms fade away into the background.
The very BEST thing you could do is dive head first into therapy and learn ways to preoccupy your mind and try as hard as you can to stop thinking about your symptoms...that includes the internet! The more you focus on them, the more they will bother you, I promise you.
something else I've found about my major loss of appetite.
"Changes in appetite and eating behavior are generally associated with depression, but lesser known is the fact that anxiety can also cause an eating disorder.
Anxiety and depression affect the appetite and eating behavior quite differently. Depression tends to suppress most biological functions and drives related to hunger: thirst, sex, movement or exploration of the environment. Anxiety seems to over stimulate and overcharge the same systems. Therefore, when anxious, we become "hyper," "fidgety," over focused or super vigilant.
For sake of simplicity, let's say that in depression a person becomes "under reactive" and in anxiety, "over reactive." Pursuing this line of thinking, we can see that, by and large, in depression the appetite and eating should be reduced, while in anxiety, the same should be increased. Sounds simple. Right?
But, real life is far more complicated. We know that depression can both increase or decrease the appetite. Some depressed individuals develop a hyper appetite and crave for food all the time. Likewise, anxiety can either kill appetite or turn a person into a voracious eater. How is that possible? How come the anxiety and depression both can take us to the opposite extreme?
To answer these questions, we have to look at anxiety and depression a little more closely. Many times, depression is mixed with anxiety. Studies show that depression and anxiety go hand in hand in about sixty percent of cases. Some depressed individuals feel restless and agitated. Restlessness and agitation, which are really signs of heightened activity and excitement, might in fact be caused by anxiety accompanying the depression.
It's possible that the increase in appetite and craving for food seen in depression is really caused by anxiety. I am not offering this as just "food for thought," but it can be important for the treatment of eating disorders associated with anxiety and depression.
Therefore, a depressed individual who also exhibits hyper appetite and craving for food should be evaluated for presence of anxiety. If there is a significant level of anxiety, then therapy should obviously include techniques for anxiety reduction.
As mentioned earlier, life throws a few curves now and then, here and there. Here is one such curve: some anxious individuals report severe loss of appetite. They can become emaciated. They should, of course, be evaluated for depression, but, keep in mind that anxiety can also cause the same symptoms.
Here is one explanation regarding how anxiety can kill the appetite and suppress eating behavior: anxiety causes excessive secretion of acids in the stomach causing low-grade nausea and giving the feeling of fullness in the stomach. Furthermore, a feeling of fullness in the throat and difficulty in swallowing experienced in anxiety can also suppress the desire to eat.
Other associations between anxiety and eating disturbance are not yet clearly understood. For instance, social fears and the thoughts of being negatively judged or evaluated by others are sometimes associated with loss of appetite or food refusal.
Relationship conflicts, or "tangles," are also associated with both under eating and over eating. Perhaps, anger and anxiety are responsible for this. The reverse is also true. Anxiety and eating problems improve as relationships improve.
Interestingly, in some cases during pregnancy and breastfeeding, anxiety and eating problems are spontaneously modified. However, personal and family conditions do play an important role. If conflict and tension already exists in a family, pregnancy or childbirth is likely to increase anxiety or depression and, consequently, disturbed eating and appetite.
If anxiety alone is causing overeating or under eating, calming the over reactivity of the nervous system can be helpful. And, you should calm the mind as well. Obviously, if there is a situation that is keeping you tensed up, it needs to be modified.
Learn relaxation techniques to calm the body and the mind. Gentle music can enhance the effect. Use breathing techniques to relax the whole torso.
After a round or two of relaxing the whole body, lightly stretch the abdominal and pelvic area. Relax the abdomen externally and internally. Breathe softly and gently in and out from the diaphragm. "
"Changes in appetite and eating behavior are generally associated with depression, but lesser known is the fact that anxiety can also cause an eating disorder.
Anxiety and depression affect the appetite and eating behavior quite differently. Depression tends to suppress most biological functions and drives related to hunger: thirst, sex, movement or exploration of the environment. Anxiety seems to over stimulate and overcharge the same systems. Therefore, when anxious, we become "hyper," "fidgety," over focused or super vigilant.
For sake of simplicity, let's say that in depression a person becomes "under reactive" and in anxiety, "over reactive." Pursuing this line of thinking, we can see that, by and large, in depression the appetite and eating should be reduced, while in anxiety, the same should be increased. Sounds simple. Right?
But, real life is far more complicated. We know that depression can both increase or decrease the appetite. Some depressed individuals develop a hyper appetite and crave for food all the time. Likewise, anxiety can either kill appetite or turn a person into a voracious eater. How is that possible? How come the anxiety and depression both can take us to the opposite extreme?
To answer these questions, we have to look at anxiety and depression a little more closely. Many times, depression is mixed with anxiety. Studies show that depression and anxiety go hand in hand in about sixty percent of cases. Some depressed individuals feel restless and agitated. Restlessness and agitation, which are really signs of heightened activity and excitement, might in fact be caused by anxiety accompanying the depression.
It's possible that the increase in appetite and craving for food seen in depression is really caused by anxiety. I am not offering this as just "food for thought," but it can be important for the treatment of eating disorders associated with anxiety and depression.
Therefore, a depressed individual who also exhibits hyper appetite and craving for food should be evaluated for presence of anxiety. If there is a significant level of anxiety, then therapy should obviously include techniques for anxiety reduction.
As mentioned earlier, life throws a few curves now and then, here and there. Here is one such curve: some anxious individuals report severe loss of appetite. They can become emaciated. They should, of course, be evaluated for depression, but, keep in mind that anxiety can also cause the same symptoms.
Here is one explanation regarding how anxiety can kill the appetite and suppress eating behavior: anxiety causes excessive secretion of acids in the stomach causing low-grade nausea and giving the feeling of fullness in the stomach. Furthermore, a feeling of fullness in the throat and difficulty in swallowing experienced in anxiety can also suppress the desire to eat.
Other associations between anxiety and eating disturbance are not yet clearly understood. For instance, social fears and the thoughts of being negatively judged or evaluated by others are sometimes associated with loss of appetite or food refusal.
Relationship conflicts, or "tangles," are also associated with both under eating and over eating. Perhaps, anger and anxiety are responsible for this. The reverse is also true. Anxiety and eating problems improve as relationships improve.
Interestingly, in some cases during pregnancy and breastfeeding, anxiety and eating problems are spontaneously modified. However, personal and family conditions do play an important role. If conflict and tension already exists in a family, pregnancy or childbirth is likely to increase anxiety or depression and, consequently, disturbed eating and appetite.
If anxiety alone is causing overeating or under eating, calming the over reactivity of the nervous system can be helpful. And, you should calm the mind as well. Obviously, if there is a situation that is keeping you tensed up, it needs to be modified.
Learn relaxation techniques to calm the body and the mind. Gentle music can enhance the effect. Use breathing techniques to relax the whole torso.
After a round or two of relaxing the whole body, lightly stretch the abdominal and pelvic area. Relax the abdomen externally and internally. Breathe softly and gently in and out from the diaphragm. "
adding on.... The Ragweed count in our area is SUPER SUPER HIGH right now... and EVERYONE in our town is suffering from allergies... And I do mean almost EVERYONE. lol.
I just looked up symptoms of ragweed allergy.... and one is inflamed throat! Maybe this is all I've got? Maybe I just need to try an antihistamine or something for a while and see if that helps...?
Here's what I found on that....
Q. What are its symptoms of ragweed allergies?
A.
The allergic reaction to all plants that produce pollen is commonly known as hay fever. Symptoms include eye irritation, runny nose, stuffy nose, puffy eyes, sneezing, and *inflamed*, itchy nose and throat. For those with severe allergies, asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, headaches and impaired sleep are symptoms.
I just looked up symptoms of ragweed allergy.... and one is inflamed throat! Maybe this is all I've got? Maybe I just need to try an antihistamine or something for a while and see if that helps...?
Here's what I found on that....
Q. What are its symptoms of ragweed allergies?
A.
The allergic reaction to all plants that produce pollen is commonly known as hay fever. Symptoms include eye irritation, runny nose, stuffy nose, puffy eyes, sneezing, and *inflamed*, itchy nose and throat. For those with severe allergies, asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, headaches and impaired sleep are symptoms.
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