Head symptoms... VERY scared...

[Amberjake12]

Hi everybody... For four months I've been dealing with the craziest things/ symptoms. If you have time, please check out my post under Mood Disorders called "New to this-Anxiety-Head Symptoms". I have a ton of symptoms that started with just head pressure. Now, what I'm really concerned about is that when I go to bed, and I'm drifting to sleep (I think), I feel a hard pulse-like feeling in the back of my head, and then it feels like my head and neck start shaking or vibrating... it's hard to explain. I'm scared poop-less. I have been to my doctor before the holidays, and he said it's anxiety. He did a neuro exam, which he said was completely normal... but doesn't want to send me for an MRI. I think I need one, b/c I think it could be an aneurysm, a brain tumor, a circulation/ heart issue... I'm scared, so I'm really hoping someone will help... Thank you... Also, I have been having daily headaches in my temple areas that feel almost like cramps... I know it sounds silly, but I can't think of another way to explain it...

[Lukemike]

Did you ever resolve that issue?  I'm starting to experience something very similar, and am curious what to do about it.  I get random pains all around my head, and weird random tremors in my head, (and some other parts of the body), while lying down.  It usually wakes me up several times every night. Very frustrating.  I'm also noticing a strange fizzing feeling in my right neck from time to time, almost like it's secreting fluid.  If you, or anyone reading this, has any helpful advice, (other than "go see a doctor"), I'm all ears. I don't have health insurance right now, and I can't afford some gigantic medical bill. I'll see a doctor as an absolute last resort.  Right now I'm just curious what this might be.  

[debbieb07]

Everything you described is EXACTLY what I have had happen to me recently. I too worried about a brain tumor or some neurological problem. I would have the vibrations/shakes and pulses in my head in addition to some numbness in my extremities. Very scary. I had this sensation both before and after being put on Wellbutrin for ADHD and depression. I think something was being stimulated in my brain with the wellbutrin that would make these symptoms worse but they didn't totally subside when I stopped taking it. I even went to the ER and the Doctor said it was just anxiety. He gave me Clonopin and it made it all go away totally. Unfortunately my idiot Doctor treats me as if I'm drug seeking and won't prescribe any controlled medicine to help me. I was fine until I ran out of the Clonipin and then I was back to square one. I couldn't handle the head symptoms with Wellbutrin and quit but am now back on a lower dose. I don't want to get off of it because it's helping but I also hate the head problems. I wish you the best of luck in getting the help you need. I know you are likely ok but just under a great deal of stress like I am.

[meme590]

all it is anxiety. i get the same feelings,feels like pressure in your head, then you tend to freak out, yep all it is anxiety, if you want to get rid of that feeling. go online, and download, this book, its called. AT LAST A LIFE,by paul david. i guarentee ya will overcome this feeling, good luck

[royarox]

Hi amber,

I'm so happy to have found your post since I also experience the same worries. I'm hoping to reach out to someone in this community. My head randomly hurts at times and I automatically think the worst. Having a family member who is suffering of brain cancer at only 8 years old, and loosing my grandfather 3 years ago to cancer has taken its toll on me. The sad thing is, my anxiety has not only worsened but at times takes over my 3 year relationship with my boyfriend as well. My headaches lead to constant freaking out over not only my health anxiety, but my loved ones as well. I have occasional nightmares that I'm losing a loved one unexpectedly or random episodes of distrust and hurt with my boyfriend. We broke up once 2 years ago just for a month, but that event has left me more traumatized than i thought. Having a history with an ED and never getting proper treatment for it besides a few therapy sessions also is triggered by my anxiety. Not to mention in social situations, my hands will turn red, sweat profusely, and if my sugar is low since I am a hypoglycemic they will turn purple. My boyfriend and I are very serious, we each have positive things going in our lives and plan to spend the rest of our lives together, but until we leave together which we both believe would calm my anxiety I need a solution. I walk daily, drink loads of tea (which I am trying to replace my coffee consumption with) and eat a very healthy primarily plant based diet. I'm in love, I have everything I could have ever wanted, but at 22 years old I am sick and tired of being so scared in life.

[jordygotswag]

Okay, so I'm reading all of your comments and I figured I'd comment as well. The things I'm going to tell you sound dumb, but maybe some of you know what I'm going to be talking about. My friend got me to come over to his house because he said, I have legal Marijuana. I thought to myself, okay.. that would be legit, so I went over to his house. He showed me a small packet that said, "Atomic Bomb, Not For Human Consumption" I was stupid and just laughed that off because apparently it was the new thing since it was legal. I took a few hits and than it kicked in. I stood up and it felt like my heart was going to stop. I felt like I wasn't in the real world. I told my friend, I couldn't breathe and he just laughed and said, sit down.. you're just high and that was ********, never try it even if it is legal. That was what officially triggered my first panic attack. I tell doctors and others that and they either never heard of incense or looked at me like I was crazy. Than my panic attack went away after I woke up from a nap. Then, a year later my dad had a heart attack and I had a panic attack in the hospital from watching my dad suffer this. I was horrible and I felt like I was going to faint, but than an hour later it went away. Than, last year my sister was diagnosed with cancer and I had tons of panic attacks for days. I kid you not, I would have anxiety 24/7. Tight chest, irregular heartbeats, but no headaches! Now, in the middle of Feb, I was chillin' with my friend and I laid on the kitchen floor like a dying animal with the worst headache ever. I physically couldn't even get up. Now every day since, it's been 7 months and morning to night, I have a dull headache, sometimes a sharp pain in my head. It's strange because it moves around. I feel it from my temples to the back of my neck and the sides of my neck and behind my eye. I feel all of your pain when you say, OMG am I going to die yourself? I use to be the cockiest person ever and never worried about a thing. I had a hot *** girlfriend, good job and my life was great, until the devil hit me and that devil is none other than anxiety. I've gone to shrinks and it's just a waste of money. I have this headache right when I wake up, to when I go to sleep. I don't throw up, have blurred vision or anything like that, but I did have this thing when I was laying in bed and I tried opening my eyes and it felt like my brain was shutting down, irregular heartbeat. It was the scariest sensation I ever felt. I never use to have headaches, but my dad had them and they say anxiety is genetic. I feel like I have a brain tumor and I annoy my parents and everyone else around me always asking questions about it. I'm sure it gets beyond annoying, but I can't help it. I don't know what else to do. I told my doctor about it like 4 times when I've gone in multiple times and he says, it's anxiety, tension headaches and it all leads to stress. The crazy thing about anxiety is, if you think you have something in your mind, you actually start make yourself sick. All my friends look at me like I'm some crazy person and I always tell them, if you had it, you would understand, but they don't. I guess it's apart of life, but it's really taken over and I regret ever smoking, Cloud 9, Atomic Bomb and other incenses.
I could write a book on this subject because of how experienced I am with all the anxiety I have every single freakin' day! You cry out for help, but it feels like know one is there or listening. Trust me, I'm with all of you researching for an answer and I refuse to get an MRI because than I'm stuck with a $5,000 bill just to tell me that it's anxiety when I already knew that? Nah, I'll pass. Everyone tells me, I'm fine including my doc, so I'm just gonna cope with it. Ps. I am the worst hypochondriac ever.
I connect with everyone's comment, literally. I have the worst of worst anxiety, and also pain relievers like, Advil and **** don't work, so that leads me to believe it's anxiety because obvi the anxiety headache it's an actual headache, it's just a sensation, so it wouldn't take the pain away. That's just my theory. Sorry for this being so long and rambling on, but I could talk about this for hours, but I'll stop here and like I've been saying to all of you that will check this a year later since it's been a year since you's have written on this, YOU'RE NOT ALONE ANXIETY BUDDIES. :/

[jul04]

Hi,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I was visting with famiy for the weekend.  I started having real problems with anxiety when I was 28.  I have had ups and downs with it but now that I am really ready to face it and deal with it I have more ups.

I have been working really hard on overcoming my anxiety and although there are times I feel it creeping up on me I now use the tools I have learned over the years to try and face it.

Alot of the symptoms you are having are things that I too experienced.  I do think it might be a good idea to see another dr to put your mind at ease but I also think if it is anxiety you need to face it.

I get random twitches throughout my body as well.  My neurologist diagnosed it as BFS (benign fasciculation syndrome).  It is a bening twitching disorder and anxiety makes it worse.  So you see the endless effects that anxiety has on people.

You just need to know you are not alone and things can and will get better.....

I hope this has helped you......

[UhOhDontKnow]

My mum has anxiety and last year she had some 'attacks'. She woke up one might screaming and we took her into the hospital and they thEy thought it was an aneurysm and she spent 2 weeks in hosPital going through tests and having more attacks but turned out it was anxiety and now she's on medication and hasn't had another one.. It's scary but you'll be ok :) I'm sorry you have to experience it, I haven't myself but I know what it's like. Mum described it feeling as though her head was going to explode, she couldn't even see and every tiny bump on the road hurt her head.. I hope you don't experience anything as bad as she did.. Goodluck with everything, I hope you ok

[Hate_panic_attacks]

I just almost drifted to sleep but I got in shock and then had the blury double vision for 3 seconds ha -_- It *****

[Hate_panic_attacks]

Oh and the twitching in the body is anxiety :o I do get that numb feeling sometimes too and the vein thing.

[Hate_panic_attacks]

I have the headache too :p thought it was a tumor... I thought it so much that I even told my parents that I knew I had one. I was so sure I did... but it was just anxiety D: Its a bothering headache with pressure on thehead :/ mine was on the left front side of my head. it would hurt ALL day but not in sleep. I didnt have the sleep vibrates but I would have adredaline when I was about to drift in sleep and it would make me get up as if I woke up from a bad dream (movie style) and I would gasp for air and my vision would feel like im really high but would go away in 3 or 4 seconds. :( It ***** but thats anxiety. The headache would make my temples feel tired like if I chewed steak... and it would hurt the back of my eye sockets sometimes and make my eyes tired early :x

[Amberjake12]

Hi! Yes, my veins throb regularly... I can feel it most when I'm laying down, but can also feel when sitting. Do you get the feeling of shaking/ vibrating in head when falling asleep??? I do seem to be getting twitches in random places... My headache is on in full force at the moment, which of course scares me... i do get pressure on top of head, sometimes almost burning... and numbness too... I don't know if it can all be anxiety, but it seems that this is what my doctor thinks... Have you been to the doc??? Have you had an MRI or CT??? I'm a bit worried, b/c my doc said he didn't think I needed one...

[helpmeee99]

Is the pressure on top of your head? Like a bothering numbness sensation? Do your veins throb really hard regularly? Get a lot of twitches in your body? I think we might be in the same boat. I'm only 17 nd I'm feeling the same things as you. Can this really be anxiety?

[Amberjake12]

Hello again... Can I ask you how old you were when your symptoms started??? And what you were first concerned with??? It's ok if you don't want to answer these, it's just that I've never suffered from this before, and I'm 28... it seems like it would have popped up before this. Thanks for walking/ talking me through this... it's scary when you think/ "know" you are dying... very SCARY... Thanks again.

[jul04]

With health anxiety you can end up in endless cycles of researching symptoms, worrying and then your anxiety/stress levels raise.  I wouldn't be surprised if the OCD is adding to things.

I know it is really hard but you need to stop researching because it is only going to make things worse.  The internet can be a really helpful resource for some things but not for medical issues.  I honestly belief it does more harm then good.

When you find yourself wanting to research on the net force yourself to do something else like write in a journal, read a book, cook or exercise.  Anything that will keep your mind busy.

Sending lots of good wishes your way!

[Amberjake12]

Also wanted to mention that I've had OCD that started in grade school. (possibly before, but this is what I remember) And yes, I've been researching since this started... It's really hard to stop... I wonder if all this is connected with the OCD...

[jul04]

When I was having high anxiety I constantly thought I had a brain tumor or an anerusym. I would have alot of headaches and weird shooting pains in my head.  I was convinced I was going to die.  

I went for all these tests and I was in the hospital a couple of times.  Even though I do sometimes get tension headaches (which can cause alot or pressure in the head) most of my problems really were caused by my anxiety.  Stress can cause head pains and anxiety causes stress.

Once again, I don't know if anxiety is causing your symptoms only a dr can tell you that but I think you shouldn't rule it out as a possibility.  If you try and focus on something else and thinks calm down then I would think that maybe the anxiety had something to do with it.

It doesn't hurt to get another opinion.  I hope you get the answers you need.  Good Luck....  

[Amberjake12]

Thank you so much Jul04. The thing about it is, I don't really have a doctor that I've been seeing for a long time. We moved here almost 2 years ago, and I still don't have health insurance... I went to this doctor... but first I saw a different one, when I only had the head pressure. I went to the ER when this first started as well. I might schedule another appointment with another doc just to see what they say... without mentioning the "anxiety dx" from the other doc. I just feel like most symptoms are so constant so it can't be anxiety. Again, I really appreciate you writing me... Hopefully I'll find some others with these symptoms, or possibly similar ones... :/

[jul04]

I am so sorry that you are going through such a hard time right now.  Let me start by saying that I understand what you are going through.  I have been dealing with health anxiety for the last 11 years and it can be overwhelming.

The first thing I am going to suggest to you is not to research your "symptoms" on the internet.  I don't know whether or not your are but doing so will only elevate your anxiety.

Anxiety comes in so many different forms.  I have had head problems and pains caused by anxiety and let me tell you some of them can be extremely scary!  The one thing I have learned is to trust my dr.  I have been going to her for 22 years and she has never once steered me wrong.  If you have a dr that you trust you have to learn to fully trust them.  I am not saying that a dr can't be wrong but you have to learn to accept that it could possibly be anxiety.

I am not a dr so I am not saying that it is 100% anxiety I am just trying to help you understand that if you have been thoroughly examined and everything came back O.K. you should put your mind at ease.

If you feel like you haven't received the correct diganosis then it is fine to get a second opinion.  I would then suggest you see a neurologist.

Please know that you are not alone.  Everyone on this forum is here to help you.

I hope you start feeling better soon.  Please keep us posted.....