Aa
Is this an acute form of anxiety?
I am a 23 year old Asian male. Recently, I have had irrational feelings of (possibly) anxiety that I cannot trace the source of. For most of my life, I always used to worry about things, and I have a habit of thinking too much. However, I cannot recall in recent memory something like this occurring in that there is no rational source for this anxiety and that I cannot get over these feelings of anxiety even through attempts to calm myself down. In the past, even though I sometimes worry excessively about things, I always tend to get over it very quickly. There were no persisting feelings of anxiety, especially over a 24 hour period. The following described what I experienced over the past week.
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10/7/09:
-Ate too much for dinner (Domino's cheesy bread and half of an italian sausage oven baked sandwich).
-Felt like wanting to vomit later in the evening, but held it in.
10/8/09:
-There were some visible clumps of white/light brown mucus in bowel movements.
-Did not eat lunch until approximately 3PM, where the remainder of the italian sausage sandwich was eaten.
-Felt brief urges to want to vomit again after eating the remainder of the italian sausage oven baked sandwich in the evening. Only happened once and it was very brief.
10/9/09:
-Early morning bowel movement: pushed very hard, felt my bowels cramping up.
-Followed by ~3 hours of constant bowel movements from ~9AM to 12:00PM. Earlier bowel movements in this period of time involved feelings of cramping in the bowels, but far less serious than the very first bowel movement.
-Meals for the remaining day consisted of saltine crackers and broth.
-No more bowel movements the remainder of the day.
10/10/09:
-Family came to visit in the morning. They were staying from Saturday to Sunday.
-Began adhering to a more normal diet. No bowel movements throughout the day. Sometimes felt like there was an imminent bowel movement, but it turned out to be gas.
-Felt tired throughout the day, especially in the morning.
-Felt better after eating lunch, but then started feeling tired later in the afternoon.
-Sense of tiredness included an almost numb-like feeling in the head alongside general tiredness.
-Ate dinner regularly.
-Slept at approximately 12:30AM without an issue.
10/11/09:
-Woke up at approximately 8:20AM. Fell back asleep and woke up at approximately 9:45AM. I do not remember if I woke up during the night at any time before 8:20AM.
-Felt tired throughout the day. The almost numb-like feeling in the head persisted in the afternoon and evening hours of the day, especially when standing up for too long.
-Ate a normal lunch but was full somewhat earlier than usual, compared to the average meals I've had in the past.
-Feeling of fullness lasted all day, not sure if this is due to the meal having too many calories, or if I lost my appetite after lunch.
-Was feeling irritable at approximately 6PM.
-Began more obvious/pronounced feelings of anxiety/nervousness approximately 6PM as well.
-Talked over the phone with my sister after she and my parents left when I let her know all the emotions I have been bottling up over the years, particularly pertaining to my inner feelings towards my parents that I haven't been openly expressing. (I've always hid most of my emotions, even from my parents, for many years now. I was closer to my sister than I was to them, since they're gone for several months out of the year. I love them all dearly, even though I do not express it as openly. After I told my sister how I felt, I started crying my eyes out as feelings from the past began pouring out and invading my mind. I then wrote an extensive e-mail message to my father soon after this phone call expressing feelings from deep within my heart, something I have never really done before.)
-Nervousness/anxiety seemed to have subsided temporarily immediately after crying.
-Had trouble sleeping at night due to lingering feelings of nervousness/anxiety, although not as severe as it was at 6PM that night. Did not sleep until approximately 3-4AM. Heart beat was at approximately 79/80 BPM when measured. Body temperature via measuring below the tongue at the time was 97.5F. There were feelings of shortness of breath when attempting to sleep. However, sooner or later, I was able to fall asleep some time before 4AM.
10/12/09:
-Worked from home today.
-Frequent bowel movements in the morning (no cramping). Expelled matter in early movements appeared regular, while latter movements appeared more loose. No cramping whatsoever.
-Still no appetite as of 10:45AM. Having trouble finishing an average sized bowl of cereal. Finished cereal apprxoimately 11:50AM.
-Beginning to believe that these feelings are psychosomatic, brought on by repressed stress/emotions over time, especially over worrying about the health of both myself and my family members.
-Feelings of anxiety were fading at 3-5PM, but started coming back around 6-9PM.
-Had minor trouble falling asleep. Tried to sleep at approximately 9:00PM, did not fully fall asleep until approximately 10:30PM-11PM.
10/13/09:
-Woke up for no reason at 5:45AM, fell asleep shortly thereafter. Woke up at approximately 6:45AM due to roommate taking a shower. Fell back asleep. Woke up approximately 7:30AM due to other roommate taking a shower. Fell back asleep. Woke up approximately 8:02AM. Began getting ready to go to work. (During the periods of waking up at night, I will still feel some anxiety, but I was able to calm myself down enough to fall asleep again in a reasonable amount of time.)
-Believed that anxiety would fade when at the workplace. This was not so. Arrived at the workplace approximately 9:05AM. Some feelings of anxiety/nervousness still exist as of 9:39AM. These feelings include occasional slight tingling in hands, occasional slight dizziness, minor feelings of nervousness, still no apparent appetite.
-The time is now 10:46AM. I had no problems finishing a banana I had several minutes ago. In fact, I even felt slight pangs of hunger before eating it. The feelings of anxiety seems to be fading at the moment. Not sure if it will come back later or not.
-I had one bowel movement after I woke up at approximately 8:20AM. No movements since as of 12:09PM. Not sure if this is because I am not eating as much, or if it is because my mind is slowly stabilizing itself.
--------------------------------------------------------------
About a month ago I had food poisoning and was very sick with a fever for several days. I recovered from this. Perhaps the seemingly isolated incident of cramping/frequent bowel movements on the morning of 10/9/09 sparked a fear in my mind that the food poisoning debacle I experienced a month beforehand was recurring? Perhaps this led to a vicious cycle of loss of appetite, worrying about loss of appetite leading to persisting loss of appetite, etc etc. I'm not sure if this is the cause of my anxiety, or if my repressed feelings that I have now un-repressed towards my parents was the cause. (Since, if my repressed feelings was the cause, then wouldn't it have gone away when I opened up to my parents?)
Before 10/8/09, I was absolutely fine. My feelings of anxiety peaked on Sunday afternoon, but is still lingering in a less serious form. I just want to be normal again, with a regular appetite and less worries on my mind. Perhaps it was because my anxiety was so serious on Sunday afternoon, that it might take a few days to restore balance (replacing neurotransmitters or something, I'm not a doctor so I don't know)? I actually feel somewhat better when I type down all these feelings. I'm just hoping someone here can confirm that what I'm experiencing is just the result of some kind of acute anxiety, which may actually help me feel even better.
Any help/information/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
WChen
--------------------------------------------------------------
10/7/09:
-Ate too much for dinner (Domino's cheesy bread and half of an italian sausage oven baked sandwich).
-Felt like wanting to vomit later in the evening, but held it in.
10/8/09:
-There were some visible clumps of white/light brown mucus in bowel movements.
-Did not eat lunch until approximately 3PM, where the remainder of the italian sausage sandwich was eaten.
-Felt brief urges to want to vomit again after eating the remainder of the italian sausage oven baked sandwich in the evening. Only happened once and it was very brief.
10/9/09:
-Early morning bowel movement: pushed very hard, felt my bowels cramping up.
-Followed by ~3 hours of constant bowel movements from ~9AM to 12:00PM. Earlier bowel movements in this period of time involved feelings of cramping in the bowels, but far less serious than the very first bowel movement.
-Meals for the remaining day consisted of saltine crackers and broth.
-No more bowel movements the remainder of the day.
10/10/09:
-Family came to visit in the morning. They were staying from Saturday to Sunday.
-Began adhering to a more normal diet. No bowel movements throughout the day. Sometimes felt like there was an imminent bowel movement, but it turned out to be gas.
-Felt tired throughout the day, especially in the morning.
-Felt better after eating lunch, but then started feeling tired later in the afternoon.
-Sense of tiredness included an almost numb-like feeling in the head alongside general tiredness.
-Ate dinner regularly.
-Slept at approximately 12:30AM without an issue.
10/11/09:
-Woke up at approximately 8:20AM. Fell back asleep and woke up at approximately 9:45AM. I do not remember if I woke up during the night at any time before 8:20AM.
-Felt tired throughout the day. The almost numb-like feeling in the head persisted in the afternoon and evening hours of the day, especially when standing up for too long.
-Ate a normal lunch but was full somewhat earlier than usual, compared to the average meals I've had in the past.
-Feeling of fullness lasted all day, not sure if this is due to the meal having too many calories, or if I lost my appetite after lunch.
-Was feeling irritable at approximately 6PM.
-Began more obvious/pronounced feelings of anxiety/nervousness approximately 6PM as well.
-Talked over the phone with my sister after she and my parents left when I let her know all the emotions I have been bottling up over the years, particularly pertaining to my inner feelings towards my parents that I haven't been openly expressing. (I've always hid most of my emotions, even from my parents, for many years now. I was closer to my sister than I was to them, since they're gone for several months out of the year. I love them all dearly, even though I do not express it as openly. After I told my sister how I felt, I started crying my eyes out as feelings from the past began pouring out and invading my mind. I then wrote an extensive e-mail message to my father soon after this phone call expressing feelings from deep within my heart, something I have never really done before.)
-Nervousness/anxiety seemed to have subsided temporarily immediately after crying.
-Had trouble sleeping at night due to lingering feelings of nervousness/anxiety, although not as severe as it was at 6PM that night. Did not sleep until approximately 3-4AM. Heart beat was at approximately 79/80 BPM when measured. Body temperature via measuring below the tongue at the time was 97.5F. There were feelings of shortness of breath when attempting to sleep. However, sooner or later, I was able to fall asleep some time before 4AM.
10/12/09:
-Worked from home today.
-Frequent bowel movements in the morning (no cramping). Expelled matter in early movements appeared regular, while latter movements appeared more loose. No cramping whatsoever.
-Still no appetite as of 10:45AM. Having trouble finishing an average sized bowl of cereal. Finished cereal apprxoimately 11:50AM.
-Beginning to believe that these feelings are psychosomatic, brought on by repressed stress/emotions over time, especially over worrying about the health of both myself and my family members.
-Feelings of anxiety were fading at 3-5PM, but started coming back around 6-9PM.
-Had minor trouble falling asleep. Tried to sleep at approximately 9:00PM, did not fully fall asleep until approximately 10:30PM-11PM.
10/13/09:
-Woke up for no reason at 5:45AM, fell asleep shortly thereafter. Woke up at approximately 6:45AM due to roommate taking a shower. Fell back asleep. Woke up approximately 7:30AM due to other roommate taking a shower. Fell back asleep. Woke up approximately 8:02AM. Began getting ready to go to work. (During the periods of waking up at night, I will still feel some anxiety, but I was able to calm myself down enough to fall asleep again in a reasonable amount of time.)
-Believed that anxiety would fade when at the workplace. This was not so. Arrived at the workplace approximately 9:05AM. Some feelings of anxiety/nervousness still exist as of 9:39AM. These feelings include occasional slight tingling in hands, occasional slight dizziness, minor feelings of nervousness, still no apparent appetite.
-The time is now 10:46AM. I had no problems finishing a banana I had several minutes ago. In fact, I even felt slight pangs of hunger before eating it. The feelings of anxiety seems to be fading at the moment. Not sure if it will come back later or not.
-I had one bowel movement after I woke up at approximately 8:20AM. No movements since as of 12:09PM. Not sure if this is because I am not eating as much, or if it is because my mind is slowly stabilizing itself.
--------------------------------------------------------------
About a month ago I had food poisoning and was very sick with a fever for several days. I recovered from this. Perhaps the seemingly isolated incident of cramping/frequent bowel movements on the morning of 10/9/09 sparked a fear in my mind that the food poisoning debacle I experienced a month beforehand was recurring? Perhaps this led to a vicious cycle of loss of appetite, worrying about loss of appetite leading to persisting loss of appetite, etc etc. I'm not sure if this is the cause of my anxiety, or if my repressed feelings that I have now un-repressed towards my parents was the cause. (Since, if my repressed feelings was the cause, then wouldn't it have gone away when I opened up to my parents?)
Before 10/8/09, I was absolutely fine. My feelings of anxiety peaked on Sunday afternoon, but is still lingering in a less serious form. I just want to be normal again, with a regular appetite and less worries on my mind. Perhaps it was because my anxiety was so serious on Sunday afternoon, that it might take a few days to restore balance (replacing neurotransmitters or something, I'm not a doctor so I don't know)? I actually feel somewhat better when I type down all these feelings. I'm just hoping someone here can confirm that what I'm experiencing is just the result of some kind of acute anxiety, which may actually help me feel even better.
Any help/information/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
WChen
hi WChen,
i've been battling anxiety most of my adult life, and based on what you describe with your gastro issues, i would say you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrom) which is almost always associated with anxiety. some people have constipation, some diarreah .. some both. I have both that alternate and it keeps me guessing from day to day..
when i have insurance, i prefer benzo's (ativan or klonopin) and while that doesn't cure my IBS, it certainly helps me sleep through the night and keeps me calm during the day. i can focus on my job without worrying about what happens when i leave work.
if you don't like taking meds, you can get over the counter herbal remedies such as damiana and st. johns wort. B complex vitamins work too.
i've been battling anxiety most of my adult life, and based on what you describe with your gastro issues, i would say you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrom) which is almost always associated with anxiety. some people have constipation, some diarreah .. some both. I have both that alternate and it keeps me guessing from day to day..
when i have insurance, i prefer benzo's (ativan or klonopin) and while that doesn't cure my IBS, it certainly helps me sleep through the night and keeps me calm during the day. i can focus on my job without worrying about what happens when i leave work.
if you don't like taking meds, you can get over the counter herbal remedies such as damiana and st. johns wort. B complex vitamins work too.
FYI: I've had a longer bout of nervousness/anxiety accompanied with discomfort and frequent bowel movements in the past. This was many years ago, but there was a rational source for this. I played a practical joke on a friend, the school found out and didn't find any humor in it and nearly expelled me. I felt these similar feelings of anxiety that week when I was on suspension from school. This was about 7 years ago.
At the moment (12:10PM), I do not feel hungry yet but I also do not feel as much anxiety as I did at 9:05AM. I think worrying about not being hungry is only encouraging a loss of appetite so I'm trying not to think about it too much.
At the moment (12:10PM), I do not feel hungry yet but I also do not feel as much anxiety as I did at 9:05AM. I think worrying about not being hungry is only encouraging a loss of appetite so I'm trying not to think about it too much.
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