Aa
Severe anxiety symptoms please help.
Hello everyone, I have been browsing this site for a while now and its helped me during my attacks.
Fisrt let me start out how this started, i am currently 17 years old, 5' 10" 175 lbs. about 4 years ago I had a panic attack out of no where, my first one, this included major chest pins and impending death. Ever since that day i wold have an attack at night, i was afraid of being alone at night for some reason. This all started after my fathers leg surgery was botched and he got blood clots. I started to feel pains in my leg thinking i had blood clots myself, he would get chest pains, i would get them too every pain he had i had. Ive been in and out of the hospital, had numerous tests done (my doctors said i was in 100% perfect health) this included x rays, ekg's blood tests, echograms. They said i couldent be in better shape. But i kept on worrying, this dident help one bit. ive visited doctors, physhyatrists, nothing helped, ive taken zoloft, and buspar. But the meds made me feel weird so i ended them. Now, years later i keep having constant reaccouring problems, i visited this website: "http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety_symptoms.shtml" and read the symptoms, and my jaw dropped. i had literly, no lie, about 95% of those things. One of the most recent is this derealization/depersonalisation feeling, everything feels weird. Years ago, i used to have attacks, at night only, now i get these symptoms all day, all day long i am dizzy i feel so weird like at a mall, it feels like nothing is normal like im embarassed about anything and everything and (CONTINUED BELOW)
Fisrt let me start out how this started, i am currently 17 years old, 5' 10" 175 lbs. about 4 years ago I had a panic attack out of no where, my first one, this included major chest pins and impending death. Ever since that day i wold have an attack at night, i was afraid of being alone at night for some reason. This all started after my fathers leg surgery was botched and he got blood clots. I started to feel pains in my leg thinking i had blood clots myself, he would get chest pains, i would get them too every pain he had i had. Ive been in and out of the hospital, had numerous tests done (my doctors said i was in 100% perfect health) this included x rays, ekg's blood tests, echograms. They said i couldent be in better shape. But i kept on worrying, this dident help one bit. ive visited doctors, physhyatrists, nothing helped, ive taken zoloft, and buspar. But the meds made me feel weird so i ended them. Now, years later i keep having constant reaccouring problems, i visited this website: "http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety_symptoms.shtml" and read the symptoms, and my jaw dropped. i had literly, no lie, about 95% of those things. One of the most recent is this derealization/depersonalisation feeling, everything feels weird. Years ago, i used to have attacks, at night only, now i get these symptoms all day, all day long i am dizzy i feel so weird like at a mall, it feels like nothing is normal like im embarassed about anything and everything and (CONTINUED BELOW)
This is an old thread but I thought I'd post. I never had anxiety issues as a teenager. I thought I had it, but when I actually experienced it in university, I realized it was a whole new thing. I never had anxiety about common things, relationships, school, work, crowds, etc. It all started with chronic headaches that triggered overwhelming health anxiety. I never used to get them so when I got one-sided headaches everyday for months, I was certain it was a growing tumour. I made my way to a neurologist after many tests, doctors and clinic visits. I was popping naproxen and was still certain I was dying until I had a clear MRI. When that happened, my headaches stopped being so severe and my other health anxieties (thinking I was pregnant all the time, or had an STD even though the chances were low).
Flash forward to this year, and the headaches are back and the anxiety is the worst its ever been. The headaches are worse and have more symptoms, including brain-fog, depersonalization, dizziness, nausea, etc. I was diagnosed with chronic migraines and I take amitripylene. Even after seeing a new neuro several times, he does not seem to take it seriously. I see dizziness and everyday headaches as a bad sign and he doesn't. Obviously he is the doctor but I am 26/f with no other health problems so I can't seem to get to the source. Some days the headache is a zap, other times stabbing when I cough or laugh, other days it makes my scalp tender/hot. When I get these zaps I immediately think I am done for. I think about my death alot; how my family and husband would react. How I would react if I was diagnosed with cancer. I feel like I need another MRI to confirm its not cancer or something else. I am not sure how many of the symtoms (I also get head rushes, feeling of something dripping in my head, feel flushed, increased heart-rate). When I drink caffine it makes everything worse. I used to be fine in crowds and in shops but now the movement and lights make me feel like I will faint. The neuro keeps telling me that the "fainting" feeling is not part of the migraine but has not actually suggested anxiety. I go back to him tomorrow...
Flash forward to this year, and the headaches are back and the anxiety is the worst its ever been. The headaches are worse and have more symptoms, including brain-fog, depersonalization, dizziness, nausea, etc. I was diagnosed with chronic migraines and I take amitripylene. Even after seeing a new neuro several times, he does not seem to take it seriously. I see dizziness and everyday headaches as a bad sign and he doesn't. Obviously he is the doctor but I am 26/f with no other health problems so I can't seem to get to the source. Some days the headache is a zap, other times stabbing when I cough or laugh, other days it makes my scalp tender/hot. When I get these zaps I immediately think I am done for. I think about my death alot; how my family and husband would react. How I would react if I was diagnosed with cancer. I feel like I need another MRI to confirm its not cancer or something else. I am not sure how many of the symtoms (I also get head rushes, feeling of something dripping in my head, feel flushed, increased heart-rate). When I drink caffine it makes everything worse. I used to be fine in crowds and in shops but now the movement and lights make me feel like I will faint. The neuro keeps telling me that the "fainting" feeling is not part of the migraine but has not actually suggested anxiety. I go back to him tomorrow...
I am 32yr old married female. I have been suffering paralyzing 24/7 anxiety for over 3 weeks now. I started having panic attacks at 25 yrs old. My dr put me on lexapro and prn klonopin. Both low doses. But after 7 years of a high stress career as a registered nurse and 6 long years of marriage that introduced the most hateful inlaws into my life... Trying my best to raise my 5 year old innocent child! I am at the lowest point in my life. I have never felt so worthless. I am in pure agony. My entire body hurts almost every moment of the day. I was diagnosed with lupus at 27 right after my child was born. That is when the pain started. Then they explained to me that I have polyarthralgia and fibromyalgia as we'll. I forgot to mention I was diagnosed with hypothyroid and PCOS at 21yrs old. So even thru all this stuff wrong with me I was still functional. But the past month I am in such agony from panic. My heart racing so bad I couldn't get it to slow down. I have resisted going to the ER for fear of embarrassment. In the worst of my heart racing I remembered from working as a RN that your pulse can slow down because of the vagal response when you "bear down" to have a bowel movement. So I tried it while I was laying paralyzed in agony in my bed. And I also did breathing exercises. It did seem to slow my pulse down some. But that is how desperate I was... Yet I am too afraid to go get help. My main symptoms right now tonight is feeling so worthless and that I don't have any purpose anymore. And I feel so dizzy all I can do is lay still. And so I cry. 3 months ago I quit my job because I was getting worse. I couldn't concentrate well enough to take care of other people. I was getting a lot of negative attention from my boss. As a RN, we are supposed to be perfect for others in pain and suffering.. And I was doing the best I could. I loved all my patients and felt so deeply for them and I worked so hard to help them. I ended up leaving work later and later until my 12hr shift became 16hr shifts. I knew I was losing it. I needed a break. Rather than getting fired sooner or later, I went ahead and quit. I was ok for about a month but now I just feel like I don't have a purpose anymore and that just depresses me. I have no where to be each day. Of course we have no extra money now. Even had to sell my car. My husband makes very little compared to what I brought home. He has never been motivated to provide. He went to school and graduated and never took his license exam. That was 2 years ago. He could have a better job if he wanted. I almost think he delights in seeing me suffer and be so low in life cause it makes him feel better about himself. So even tho I love him, he is not really an option for help right now. He sleeps all the time anyway when he is not at work. He rarely plays with our child. He won't do anything with him. He says I'm at home now and their is no reason for him to have to do anything. This is the same man pressuring me to have another child ASAP. I personally would love to have more children but I cannot go thru raising another child by myself. Especially not in my current mental state. I just need help. I am deeply religious. I have never appreciated the suffering that Jesus went thru on the cross than I do now. I don't know what to do at this point. But I have a feeling I am going to have to and get some help. I don't have any insurance til jan 2015. And pretty much no money. I can't even afford my lexapro. I had to wean myself off the past few weeks. I hope you all find peace as well as myself. Love to all.
Your post was from so long ago, so I don't even know if you are still out there, but I wanted to post back, "thank you." It's been one of those long nights and mornings full of anxiety and tears, despair and confusion. Reaching and looking at the internet I often find my anxiety levels increase, but today am refreshed and inspired by your and another's post. I don't give up hope, although I do get close, somehow, I suppose it's my spirit, I push on through this crippling state believing I, too, will somehow find my way home as you did. I believe I arrived here as you write which is largely by the power of the mind which is so powerful and complicated. I will next check out these books you recommend, and thank you for the prayer that you noted.
Thinks2much2
Thinks2much2
I have every day symptoms which change every 2-3 days. Diziness. Weakness numbness scared to stay to long in shower, headaches , twice in er and nothing waiting for MRI but my doc said is anxiety. I have been diagnosing my self with so many conditions is not even funny. I'm living hell. Good luck to everyone.
After reading a few of these posts, and breaking my doctor's orders (ie. DO NOT READ MEDICAL-RELATED THINGS ONLINE), I've decided to put in a quick blurb.
I got into a bad car accident a year and a half ago. I've suffered from PTSD, panic attacks and severe anxiety ever since. I've had quite literally every single symptom known to man for anxiety-- rashes on the tops of my feet, back of my neck, back of my arms, to the point they would hurt to the touch. They'd bleed due to severe dryness. Severe panic attacks. Nausea, insomnia, impeding doom, tingling, muscle twitches, numbness, itchiness, etc etc etc. I can't even begin to list all of the symptoms. I've had panic attacks where my chest muscles turned black and blue. My heart rate would go to 200 BPM for hours. One panic attack I had recently, I had an irregular heart beat, I felt like I was going to die, I was vommiting, I had such an intense sense of doom that I packed everything I would want to donate to my mother as if I were going to die, and I started calling my relatives in order to tel them that I loved them and I wouldn't live much longer (that's how bad it was). I was walking around outside disoriented, in and through traffic, confused, etc. My shooting nerve pain is so bad when that I scream when it gets bad and convulse. I have constant buzzing sensations in the palms of my hand and in my inner toes. Constant nightmares. Vivid dreams. Insane insomnia-- my hours are inversed for weeks at a time and I can't fix it. INSANE hypochondria, like many on here-- I get odd symptoms, and I fixate and assume the worst. One particular terrible one is stomach pains (aka Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I get nausrea and stomach grumbling, and I assume it's stomach cancer. My cousin died of stomach cancer recently, at 28-- had a kid, got married, went to the doctor and they diagnosed him with stomach cancer, died 7 weeks later (my stomach is rumbling like no tomorrow right now as I type this, that's how bad my anxiety is). I drink a lot to calm myself, to shut off my brain; the ironic part is that causes ms insane anxiety, liver cancer, cirroasis, etc. Smoking too- to the point that I've essentially quit smoking. The last two years I convinced myself I've had (no exaggeration): lung cancer, sinus cancer, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, cirriosis, skin cancer, eye cancer, brain cancer, jaw cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, bone cancer, lymph node cancer, heart disease, strokes, aneurysms, etc. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It is truly hell. I realize when I'm calm that it is my mental disorders, but when you're in the throes of it, well, if you've ever been there, you know.
The good news it HAS gotten better-- it's still there, and I'm starting to realize it's my mental disorder talking, and I am able to calm myself down. But trust me, for example 2 weeks ago, I had a stomach flu, and I was fully convinced I had stomach cancer, my IBS as a result of my anxiety was an affirmative symptom that I was going to die, and it was a nasty anxiety spiral. I'd have the worst nightmares, my insomnia flared, and so forth.
The worst part is I have anxiety about taking medication-- Pristiq. One of the side effects is high bp, and it runs in my family. I'm a bit overweight, 248, 6'2". I'm about 25 lbs overweight, my lean weight is ~225, I'm very muscular. I quit smoking- well when i drink I have one or two. But I'm down from 8-12/day. I know I should get my BP checked by my doctor, but that induces panic- what if they check my BP, or would want to run tests, and test my liver, and I have some liver ailment due to drinking, I know it's very, very unlikely, I turned 29 3 weeks ago, but I always catastrophize and think in black & white (I've seen shrinks, they've pointed out my negative thinking patterns). I've been to the ER a few times, seen a few docs-- they say I'm healthy as an Ox, but as anyone with severe anxiety knows, ah let's not go there.
The one thing I've found is maintaining a healthy lifestyle-- sleeping normally, 3am -> 8-9am, keeping myself busy with healthy endeavours, working out 4-5 times a week, cardio 4-5 times a week. Talking to friends, doing work, etc. When I am by myself and my anxiety flares, I always worry about the worst. A doctor once joked with me regarding me quitting smoking due to anxiety, he said that's fantastic-- next let it make you quit drinking, and turn vegetarian. It's frustrating. I can't even take Pristiq because my anxiety of the side effects is so bad. But the last year alone, I've gone cocaine, heroine (snorted), MDMA, methylone, mephedrone, ecstasy, and countless other synthetics. How retarded is that, I do all these random hard drugs, but I'm too scared to do a weak *** synthetic like MDMA, pristiq (aka effexor)?
Maybe someone who has anxiety will understand. The good news is I'm seeing professional Psychologists next week for intense CBT, and changing my life around. But for all of you suffering from anxiety, panic, ptsd, etc-- hang in there. It DOES get better. Get treatment. It's not permanent.
God speed.
I got into a bad car accident a year and a half ago. I've suffered from PTSD, panic attacks and severe anxiety ever since. I've had quite literally every single symptom known to man for anxiety-- rashes on the tops of my feet, back of my neck, back of my arms, to the point they would hurt to the touch. They'd bleed due to severe dryness. Severe panic attacks. Nausea, insomnia, impeding doom, tingling, muscle twitches, numbness, itchiness, etc etc etc. I can't even begin to list all of the symptoms. I've had panic attacks where my chest muscles turned black and blue. My heart rate would go to 200 BPM for hours. One panic attack I had recently, I had an irregular heart beat, I felt like I was going to die, I was vommiting, I had such an intense sense of doom that I packed everything I would want to donate to my mother as if I were going to die, and I started calling my relatives in order to tel them that I loved them and I wouldn't live much longer (that's how bad it was). I was walking around outside disoriented, in and through traffic, confused, etc. My shooting nerve pain is so bad when that I scream when it gets bad and convulse. I have constant buzzing sensations in the palms of my hand and in my inner toes. Constant nightmares. Vivid dreams. Insane insomnia-- my hours are inversed for weeks at a time and I can't fix it. INSANE hypochondria, like many on here-- I get odd symptoms, and I fixate and assume the worst. One particular terrible one is stomach pains (aka Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I get nausrea and stomach grumbling, and I assume it's stomach cancer. My cousin died of stomach cancer recently, at 28-- had a kid, got married, went to the doctor and they diagnosed him with stomach cancer, died 7 weeks later (my stomach is rumbling like no tomorrow right now as I type this, that's how bad my anxiety is). I drink a lot to calm myself, to shut off my brain; the ironic part is that causes ms insane anxiety, liver cancer, cirroasis, etc. Smoking too- to the point that I've essentially quit smoking. The last two years I convinced myself I've had (no exaggeration): lung cancer, sinus cancer, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, cirriosis, skin cancer, eye cancer, brain cancer, jaw cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, bone cancer, lymph node cancer, heart disease, strokes, aneurysms, etc. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It is truly hell. I realize when I'm calm that it is my mental disorders, but when you're in the throes of it, well, if you've ever been there, you know.
The good news it HAS gotten better-- it's still there, and I'm starting to realize it's my mental disorder talking, and I am able to calm myself down. But trust me, for example 2 weeks ago, I had a stomach flu, and I was fully convinced I had stomach cancer, my IBS as a result of my anxiety was an affirmative symptom that I was going to die, and it was a nasty anxiety spiral. I'd have the worst nightmares, my insomnia flared, and so forth.
The worst part is I have anxiety about taking medication-- Pristiq. One of the side effects is high bp, and it runs in my family. I'm a bit overweight, 248, 6'2". I'm about 25 lbs overweight, my lean weight is ~225, I'm very muscular. I quit smoking- well when i drink I have one or two. But I'm down from 8-12/day. I know I should get my BP checked by my doctor, but that induces panic- what if they check my BP, or would want to run tests, and test my liver, and I have some liver ailment due to drinking, I know it's very, very unlikely, I turned 29 3 weeks ago, but I always catastrophize and think in black & white (I've seen shrinks, they've pointed out my negative thinking patterns). I've been to the ER a few times, seen a few docs-- they say I'm healthy as an Ox, but as anyone with severe anxiety knows, ah let's not go there.
The one thing I've found is maintaining a healthy lifestyle-- sleeping normally, 3am -> 8-9am, keeping myself busy with healthy endeavours, working out 4-5 times a week, cardio 4-5 times a week. Talking to friends, doing work, etc. When I am by myself and my anxiety flares, I always worry about the worst. A doctor once joked with me regarding me quitting smoking due to anxiety, he said that's fantastic-- next let it make you quit drinking, and turn vegetarian. It's frustrating. I can't even take Pristiq because my anxiety of the side effects is so bad. But the last year alone, I've gone cocaine, heroine (snorted), MDMA, methylone, mephedrone, ecstasy, and countless other synthetics. How retarded is that, I do all these random hard drugs, but I'm too scared to do a weak *** synthetic like MDMA, pristiq (aka effexor)?
Maybe someone who has anxiety will understand. The good news is I'm seeing professional Psychologists next week for intense CBT, and changing my life around. But for all of you suffering from anxiety, panic, ptsd, etc-- hang in there. It DOES get better. Get treatment. It's not permanent.
God speed.
After reading a few of these posts, and breaking my doctor's orders (ie. DO NOT READ MEDICAL-RELATED THINGS ONLINE), I've decided to put in a quick blurb.
I got into a bad car accident a year and a half ago. I've suffered from PTSD, panic attacks and severe anxiety ever since. I've had quite literally every single symptom known to man for anxiety-- rashes on the tops of my feet, back of my neck, back of my arms, to the point they would hurt to the touch. They'd bleed due to severe dryness. Severe panic attacks. Nausea, insomnia, impeding doom, tingling, muscle twitches, numbness, itchiness, etc etc etc. I can't even begin to list all of the symptoms. I've had panic attacks where my chest muscles turned black and blue. My heart rate would go to 200 BPM for hours. One panic attack I had recently, I had an irregular heart beat, I felt like I was going to die, I was vommiting, I had such an intense sense of doom that I packed everything I would want to donate to my mother as if I were going to die, and I started calling my relatives in order to tel them that I loved them and I wouldn't live much longer (that's how bad it was). I was walking around outside disoriented, in and through traffic, confused, etc. My shooting nerve pain is so bad when that I scream when it gets bad and convulse. I have constant buzzing sensations in the palms of my hand and in my inner toes. Constant nightmares. Vivid dreams. Insane insomnia-- my hours are inversed for weeks at a time and I can't fix it. INSANE hypochondria, like many on here-- I get odd symptoms, and I fixate and assume the worst. One particular terrible one is stomach pains (aka Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I get nausrea and stomach grumbling, and I assume it's stomach cancer. My cousin died of stomach cancer recently, at 28-- had a kid, got married, went to the doctor and they diagnosed him with stomach cancer, died 7 weeks later (my stomach is rumbling like no tomorrow right now as I type this, that's how bad my anxiety is). I drink a lot to calm myself, to shut off my brain; the ironic part is that causes ms insane anxiety, liver cancer, cirroasis, etc. Smoking too- to the point that I've essentially quit smoking. The last two years I convinced myself I've had (no exaggeration): lung cancer, sinus cancer, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, cirriosis, skin cancer, eye cancer, brain cancer, jaw cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, bone cancer, lymph node cancer, heart disease, strokes, aneurysms, etc. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It is truly hell. I realize when I'm calm that it is my mental disorders, but when you're in the throes of it, well, if you've ever been there, you know.
The good news it HAS gotten better-- it's still there, and I'm starting to realize it's my mental disorder talking, and I am able to calm myself down. But trust me, for example 2 weeks ago, I had a stomach flu, and I was fully convinced I had stomach cancer, my IBS as a result of my anxiety was an affirmative symptom that I was going to die, and it was a nasty anxiety spiral. I'd have the worst nightmares, my insomnia flared, and so forth.
The worst part is I have anxiety about taking medication-- Pristiq. One of the side effects is high bp, and it runs in my family. I'm a bit overweight, 248, 6'2". I'm about 25 lbs overweight, my lean weight is ~225, I'm very muscular. I quit smoking- well when i drink I have one or two. But I'm down from 8-12/day. I know I should get my BP checked by my doctor, but that induces panic- what if they check my BP, or would want to run tests, and test my liver, and I have some liver ailment due to drinking, I know it's very, very unlikely, I turned 29 3 weeks ago, but I always catastrophize and think in black & white (I've seen shrinks, they've pointed out my negative thinking patterns). I've been to the ER a few times, seen a few docs-- they say I'm healthy as an Ox, but as anyone with severe anxiety knows, ah let's not go there.
The one thing I've found is maintaining a healthy lifestyle-- sleeping normally, 3am -> 8-9am, keeping myself busy with healthy endeavours, working out 4-5 times a week, cardio 4-5 times a week. Talking to friends, doing work, etc. When I am by myself and my anxiety flares, I always worry about the worst. A doctor once joked with me regarding me quitting smoking due to anxiety, he said that's fantastic-- next let it make you quit drinking, and turn vegetarian. It's frustrating. I can't even take Pristiq because my anxiety of the side effects is so bad. But the last year alone, I've gone cocaine, heroine (snorted), MDMA, methylone, mephedrone, ecstasy, and countless other synthetics. How retarded is that, I do all these random hard drugs, but I'm too scared to do a weak *** synthetic like MDMA, pristiq (aka effexor)?
Maybe someone who has anxiety will understand. The good news is I'm seeing professional Psychologists next week for intense CBT, and changing my life around. But for all of you suffering from anxiety, panic, ptsd, etc-- hang in there. It DOES get better. Get treatment. It's not permanent.
God speed.
I got into a bad car accident a year and a half ago. I've suffered from PTSD, panic attacks and severe anxiety ever since. I've had quite literally every single symptom known to man for anxiety-- rashes on the tops of my feet, back of my neck, back of my arms, to the point they would hurt to the touch. They'd bleed due to severe dryness. Severe panic attacks. Nausea, insomnia, impeding doom, tingling, muscle twitches, numbness, itchiness, etc etc etc. I can't even begin to list all of the symptoms. I've had panic attacks where my chest muscles turned black and blue. My heart rate would go to 200 BPM for hours. One panic attack I had recently, I had an irregular heart beat, I felt like I was going to die, I was vommiting, I had such an intense sense of doom that I packed everything I would want to donate to my mother as if I were going to die, and I started calling my relatives in order to tel them that I loved them and I wouldn't live much longer (that's how bad it was). I was walking around outside disoriented, in and through traffic, confused, etc. My shooting nerve pain is so bad when that I scream when it gets bad and convulse. I have constant buzzing sensations in the palms of my hand and in my inner toes. Constant nightmares. Vivid dreams. Insane insomnia-- my hours are inversed for weeks at a time and I can't fix it. INSANE hypochondria, like many on here-- I get odd symptoms, and I fixate and assume the worst. One particular terrible one is stomach pains (aka Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I get nausrea and stomach grumbling, and I assume it's stomach cancer. My cousin died of stomach cancer recently, at 28-- had a kid, got married, went to the doctor and they diagnosed him with stomach cancer, died 7 weeks later (my stomach is rumbling like no tomorrow right now as I type this, that's how bad my anxiety is). I drink a lot to calm myself, to shut off my brain; the ironic part is that causes ms insane anxiety, liver cancer, cirroasis, etc. Smoking too- to the point that I've essentially quit smoking. The last two years I convinced myself I've had (no exaggeration): lung cancer, sinus cancer, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, cirriosis, skin cancer, eye cancer, brain cancer, jaw cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, bone cancer, lymph node cancer, heart disease, strokes, aneurysms, etc. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It is truly hell. I realize when I'm calm that it is my mental disorders, but when you're in the throes of it, well, if you've ever been there, you know.
The good news it HAS gotten better-- it's still there, and I'm starting to realize it's my mental disorder talking, and I am able to calm myself down. But trust me, for example 2 weeks ago, I had a stomach flu, and I was fully convinced I had stomach cancer, my IBS as a result of my anxiety was an affirmative symptom that I was going to die, and it was a nasty anxiety spiral. I'd have the worst nightmares, my insomnia flared, and so forth.
The worst part is I have anxiety about taking medication-- Pristiq. One of the side effects is high bp, and it runs in my family. I'm a bit overweight, 248, 6'2". I'm about 25 lbs overweight, my lean weight is ~225, I'm very muscular. I quit smoking- well when i drink I have one or two. But I'm down from 8-12/day. I know I should get my BP checked by my doctor, but that induces panic- what if they check my BP, or would want to run tests, and test my liver, and I have some liver ailment due to drinking, I know it's very, very unlikely, I turned 29 3 weeks ago, but I always catastrophize and think in black & white (I've seen shrinks, they've pointed out my negative thinking patterns). I've been to the ER a few times, seen a few docs-- they say I'm healthy as an Ox, but as anyone with severe anxiety knows, ah let's not go there.
The one thing I've found is maintaining a healthy lifestyle-- sleeping normally, 3am -> 8-9am, keeping myself busy with healthy endeavours, working out 4-5 times a week, cardio 4-5 times a week. Talking to friends, doing work, etc. When I am by myself and my anxiety flares, I always worry about the worst. A doctor once joked with me regarding me quitting smoking due to anxiety, he said that's fantastic-- next let it make you quit drinking, and turn vegetarian. It's frustrating. I can't even take Pristiq because my anxiety of the side effects is so bad. But the last year alone, I've gone cocaine, heroine (snorted), MDMA, methylone, mephedrone, ecstasy, and countless other synthetics. How retarded is that, I do all these random hard drugs, but I'm too scared to do a weak *** synthetic like MDMA, pristiq (aka effexor)?
Maybe someone who has anxiety will understand. The good news is I'm seeing professional Psychologists next week for intense CBT, and changing my life around. But for all of you suffering from anxiety, panic, ptsd, etc-- hang in there. It DOES get better. Get treatment. It's not permanent.
God speed.
I I am glad to hear that others suffer from obsessive irrational thoughts and sever anxiety!! At a young age! Everyone I know doesn't understand how I feel! They think you can just stop it I'd you want to. If that was the case I would be in good shape! When I was a child I suffered from slight OCD and migraine with aura which comes from genetic of my fathers side but never interfering with my life, until about 2 years ago I started getting other neurological physical symptoms where my legs and arms felt numb and my legs were weak. Then I started to get severe fatigue and memory loss with blurry vision and a stiff neck that was so painful I could barely keep. it up. rashes on my chest and seeing spots in vision. I also began developing a slight mild dementia getting lost in familiar places and not recognizing people easily or myself This is not normal for a previously healthy 26 year old female.
The drs did all of the bloodwork to check for lymes,lupus infections disease, anemia thyroid, Wilson's disease, B12 defencies and every disease out there. All resulting negative, which just a high bilirubin which is benign condition drs said and many people test high for in the liver enzymes. Then I got a MRI of brain, neck, and back all negative. The drs were thinking of doing spinal tap. But I am being referred to a big university for second opinion.
I have a huge career and now needs to be put on hold. I want to rule out severe neurodegenerative disorders but all the drs have really given up on finding a real illness confirmed by a test.
After all these symptoms started a year later I started developing irrational thoughts and fear of dying and I began to overbreath constantly and think about it every moment. This has left me home bound filled with severe anxiety and paranoia, I can't sleep well, I get nightmares,, and feel like I'm looking thru tunnel vision,.my body feels numb and my mouth so dry,my face feels numb as well which is hard to tell cause I am a migraine sufferer originally and I feel like if I don't consciously breath I will die or something so then I over breath constantly and it puts me in a state of shock it seems. I am fainting and the vertigo is so bad I can barely stand. My eyes are dry and my appetite is gone. I cannot enjoy anything? Do you think my prior health symptoms activated a severe anxiety disorder? Or was it that all along manifesting on different symptoms, the breathing symptoms just started recently so that's when the really scary symptoms of feeling like I'm going crazy started. Could it still have been anxiety all along and now chronic hyperventilation in later stages? Any help is so greatly appreciated! I really loved my life and don't know why this would start gradually and worsen i never suffered from depression before and now am getting worse out of nowhere? Thanks for your help in advance.
The drs did all of the bloodwork to check for lymes,lupus infections disease, anemia thyroid, Wilson's disease, B12 defencies and every disease out there. All resulting negative, which just a high bilirubin which is benign condition drs said and many people test high for in the liver enzymes. Then I got a MRI of brain, neck, and back all negative. The drs were thinking of doing spinal tap. But I am being referred to a big university for second opinion.
I have a huge career and now needs to be put on hold. I want to rule out severe neurodegenerative disorders but all the drs have really given up on finding a real illness confirmed by a test.
After all these symptoms started a year later I started developing irrational thoughts and fear of dying and I began to overbreath constantly and think about it every moment. This has left me home bound filled with severe anxiety and paranoia, I can't sleep well, I get nightmares,, and feel like I'm looking thru tunnel vision,.my body feels numb and my mouth so dry,my face feels numb as well which is hard to tell cause I am a migraine sufferer originally and I feel like if I don't consciously breath I will die or something so then I over breath constantly and it puts me in a state of shock it seems. I am fainting and the vertigo is so bad I can barely stand. My eyes are dry and my appetite is gone. I cannot enjoy anything? Do you think my prior health symptoms activated a severe anxiety disorder? Or was it that all along manifesting on different symptoms, the breathing symptoms just started recently so that's when the really scary symptoms of feeling like I'm going crazy started. Could it still have been anxiety all along and now chronic hyperventilation in later stages? Any help is so greatly appreciated! I really loved my life and don't know why this would start gradually and worsen i never suffered from depression before and now am getting worse out of nowhere? Thanks for your help in advance.
I know exactly how u feel, I suffered terribly for 9yrs, my world felt like it had been turned upside down an I got to the point where I didn't know if I could handle it anymore. It all started when I became a mother an the feelings of having this new life to look after over whelmed me. Things started to progress, thoughts in my head, feeling like I was having a heart attack all the time, my heart would race so I was for ever going in an out of hospital thinking maybe they were missing something. I had so many tests at the doctors an as soon as I entered the doctors my heart rate would rocket sky high, in fear that they would tell me that I was going to die. When I got a headache or any sort of sickness yet again I convinced myself it was something more. I would look up my symptoms on the computer an what came up terrified me, so I would think omg I have this terrible disease. Its amazing all the symptoms you have from anxiety, the sweets, hart racing, numbness, headache, an omg the feeling like u are going to pass out, the list goes on an most ppl cant truly know how u feel until they themselves are or have gone through this. Knowing that u are not alone in this some what gives your relief. I broke down bad one day an went to see a nurse an I tell u what from then on my life has improved 100%. I was put on antidepressants, it took about 3 weeks then one morning I woke up an felt so good. I was put on these not for depression but for anxiety. I know a lot of ppl are against these tablets an it may take a few different types before you find the right one for u but at the end of the day I feel like I am living again. I really hope this has helped someone, knowing that u are not alone an your life can improve!!! I wish u all the best :)
I have horrible anxiety and the worst part is - I don't know why. I think that's why I constantly try to find something wrong with me. I really am having a problem with my left arm veins swelling up. But, I am seeing a doctor and he is doing a nerve test. He says it's not serious. Well...I go to webMD and all sorts of sites. Now Im thinking it's my heart...it's my veins... I'm thinking I'm going to get a blood clot. I think about dying like 20+ times a day. I just started Celexa. I sure hope it kicks in soon. I miss feeling normal. :( It's a horrible disorder and I wish people could understand how depressing it is to have these symptoms. It's like everyday is a fight to get through. And then every morning I wake up, I'm so happy I made it another day. I'm so scared. I just wish I could get better right now. :( I hope all my heart test turn out okay. That is worrying me the most. Oh and I don't want a blood clot. ugggh. Im only 30. Im super healthy. I don't understand...why me? :(
I have suffered from two serious anaphylactic shocks. I'm afraid to take anything. When I do, I convince myself it's happening again, and the symptoms of a panic attack feel exactly the same as anaphylactic shocks. I can never tell. I need help, someone that can relate to me?
ok, i know i mgiht sound like a jackass to some of you, but i want you to realise one thing, i went through the EXACT same thing, for almost 2 years, and honestly, it was quite severe. like, a cancerous, 3rd person, borderline constant hallucination, and in a panic attack 16-24 hours/ day ( depending on how much i slept) anxiety. and it got to the point to where i said im either going to find a way to make this **** liveable with, or im gonna end it. and i was 17 when it started, 6'3" 220 lbs. and the only reason im doing this, is because i only wish someone would have done this for me while i was reading blogs on anxiety almost all day, to help me cope. What you need to do, is actually read up on anxiety, what it is exactly and what causes it, the cycles that you send your mind on, that never end, producing your all day anxiety.. and i say all day anxiety, because anxiety is a normal healthy thing, just not when experienced all day every day. so thats one thing down, anxiety is fine, you are most likely not ill, and do not need medical attantion or medicine, just some good old willpower. for the record, i neevr took any medication at all while i was struggeling with my anxiety. so, as im sure most of you are aware, anxiety is not viable, without depression, meaning you can not have anxiety without first having depression (again, another completely normal healthy emotion, just not when experienced continuously) and there are many many things that can have an onset of a deep depression, some of them subconcious. and what i found, throught a lot of my research and readings, is most of the younger people that have a sudden onset of anxiety, is almost completely home to them "growing up" just in a more intense, rapid sense. which could be caused by problems as a child, past experiences or w/e. but what it seemed to be to me, was figuring out that i wasnt invincible, and was vulnerable to the same things everyone else is. i just didnt know that at first. because think about it.. what is it that keeps your anxiety on a roll? the fight or flight response. what is it that causes you to take to the fight or flight response? your mind over exaggerating pains that you feel, your depression, and many other things, causing you to dwell deeper and deeper into that until you convince yourself something is wrong. and one of the worst things is, is you catch it sometimes, your like.." why did i panic over that?" which makes you start to question you own mentality therefore sending you on the same cycle. so, next time you start to panic, when you feel an attack coming.. try your hardest to figure out why, and try to make sense of it ask yourself "is there a reason to panic over that?" "was that actually what i thought it was?" and try to convince yourself to not go on the cycle, because thats how i broke it, i would find the reasons for my panic, and break them down until it seemed silly of me to think anything of it. because the thing is, they are the same feelings youve been feeling your whole life, you just never stopped to think that hard about it, because it seemed so miniscule, but when your alone and/or depressed, your mind works in a different way, and exaggerates everything you feel, giving you a very xenophobic outlook on life "what was that pain? i need to google it, something must be wrong with me" and i know, most of you are thinking.. take advice from some1 thats 17? uh, no. but ill tell you, one of the biggest helps i had ( although frustrating as hell) was my dad, telling me to get over myself, and to grow up. which obviously at the time, i just thought he was a jackass, and didnt understand, until i talked to a few of my older friends/acquaintances, and almost all of them said they went through the exact same thing, just a stage of life to overcome, only making you a stronger person morally. which is funny, because you can point out the people that you know have never been through anything as such, and i gurantee you will call them a jackass, because they are loud, obnoxious, and full of themself, because they have never grown up. and so by the time i started putting all of the peices together myself, i started completely agreeing with my dad, that i really did just need to get over myself, because.. there are far more importat things to worry about in life, especially the pain you are putting other people through with your cycled mentality, because i watched my mom and sister cry over me too many times, because they just figured i was a lost cause, because i basically turned into a shell of a person, i showed no emotion ever, never laughed or smiled, and had some mild suicidal thoughts. which i also got over.. because, i figured out, that suicide was the easy way out.. which also was a big boost to morale when i overcame my anxiety. and for the record, i had virtually no personal help or support in overcoming my anxiety, most of my friends thought it was something that could be shrugged off, obviously never having been through it themselves, and none of my family, because none had went through it besides my dad... which made a lot of sense to me, why he didnt try to help that much. although, he is quite old (was almost 60 at the time). so basically all i had to rely on was the blogs i read, and the research i could do. but , as of now, i am almost normal now, and definately able to function within society quite normally. i just still have a terrible memory, and my vision is still askew (3rd personish) but i have learned to deal with that, also, i will often have to grab my head, to remind me what size it actually is, lol. because it just feels liek a big hot air balloon mosrt of the time. but, anyways im tired, and i hope inthe long run, this might help some1, because i do understand that everyone is different, and this probably wont reach understanding with more than 5-10% of the people that read it.but anyways, hope i helped.
I am at the peak of my anxiety.. i feel like i have no control over my life at all anymore. I am 26 years old, i have an amazing bf who thankfully has put up with me. I had to stop my job because i was feeling trapped in situations. Almost clausterphobic, in the smallest situation. Then onetime i didnt feel well and i almost got sick infront of a huge crowd... ever since then im now afraid i will get sick infront of people and when i go out i almost make myself feel so sick. I have tried to take natural calming pills but i was eating them like candy and they still didnt do anythng. I also will eat gum or a mint to try to distract me but it seems its getting worse and nothing can stop them now. I just want to feel normal. My family is huge and so is my bfs so everyone is always asking us over for dinner and i always make up some reason not to go. So i try to have people at my house more so i dont have to leave. Thankfully i just picked up a work from home job that consists of talking on the phone, i hope this helps me get talking to more people. I feel for every single one of you with anxiety!!! i dont wish this apon anyone! I am crying writing this because im fed up, and want to feel normal.. people dont realize how lucky they are to not have anxiety..
I am so relieved to hear that I am not alone. Reading this has made me feel so much better. It's like listening to myself from another person's point of view!
I had a very traumatic accident where was hit by a car as a pedestrian almost three years ago. I had always been a nervous person. I did not have a stable upbringing and it made me nervous, but it really turned into a problem after my accident. I'm also at a very stressful time in my life where my financial situation causes me to live in the house I grew up in, which is an unhealthy environment.
I suffer from terrible panic attacks now. I recently had Epstein Barr and my spleen was enlarged. It's gone down a lot and my dr says I can resume normal activities and just to rest a lot, but I am still so worried my spleen could burst and kill me. All this anxiety about it led to an outbreak of shingles which cleared up quickly. Proof that under it all, as I have been repeatedly told, I am healthy. But of course I worried about whether the shingles were going to my heart/brain/eyes/ears/etc. Now, as I'm at the end of all this, I have caught a normal virus that's been going around according to my doctor and that's freaking me out too.
I have had bloodwork, ekgs, a ctscan, sonogram through all of this and none of them indicate that I am in danger of dying. But still, I panic. My doctor says that I am getting sick so much because my anxiety is wearing my immunity down.
I believe this, but still, I am struggling to stop it. I am in therapy and considering anxiety meds. I really need to force myself to implement the techniques that will make me get better and be brave enough to push past the fear that if I don't worry, something bad will sneak up on me.
I try not to think about it, but sometimes, I wish I could go back to who I was before my accident. I would give anything now to be that person again. I know that the only thing stopping me is my frame of mind, so I retain hope that I will get back there. It seems so crazy that I can't just decide ok I'm going to be myself again!
My symptoms when I'm not sick vary a lot. I sometimes feel dizzy and faint and worry about passing out. I see lights and get ocular migraines. Sometimes, I feel like I can't focus my eyes. My mouth and throat get very dry and scratchy and I feel like I can't clear my throat or I can't breathe. Then I worry that my throat will close. I worry that I'm allergic to things. When it first started, I used to wake up with upset stomachs.
At various times I've feared I was dying of a heart attack, stroke, anyuerism, allergic reaction, asthma attack or a serious disease that my dr may have overlooked. I've feared that I have menangitis, a fractured skull after hitting my head, diabetes, MS, cancer, internal bleeding, dehydration, aenemia, an electrolyte imbalance, that I am losing my mind, you name it! This worrying is truly a waste of time:(
I'm going on vacation for a bit tomorrow. I haven't been on a vacation since before this began. I know it will take work to dig myself out of this hole, but I'm hoping a change in scenery will help me put my life back into perspective.
I had a very traumatic accident where was hit by a car as a pedestrian almost three years ago. I had always been a nervous person. I did not have a stable upbringing and it made me nervous, but it really turned into a problem after my accident. I'm also at a very stressful time in my life where my financial situation causes me to live in the house I grew up in, which is an unhealthy environment.
I suffer from terrible panic attacks now. I recently had Epstein Barr and my spleen was enlarged. It's gone down a lot and my dr says I can resume normal activities and just to rest a lot, but I am still so worried my spleen could burst and kill me. All this anxiety about it led to an outbreak of shingles which cleared up quickly. Proof that under it all, as I have been repeatedly told, I am healthy. But of course I worried about whether the shingles were going to my heart/brain/eyes/ears/etc. Now, as I'm at the end of all this, I have caught a normal virus that's been going around according to my doctor and that's freaking me out too.
I have had bloodwork, ekgs, a ctscan, sonogram through all of this and none of them indicate that I am in danger of dying. But still, I panic. My doctor says that I am getting sick so much because my anxiety is wearing my immunity down.
I believe this, but still, I am struggling to stop it. I am in therapy and considering anxiety meds. I really need to force myself to implement the techniques that will make me get better and be brave enough to push past the fear that if I don't worry, something bad will sneak up on me.
I try not to think about it, but sometimes, I wish I could go back to who I was before my accident. I would give anything now to be that person again. I know that the only thing stopping me is my frame of mind, so I retain hope that I will get back there. It seems so crazy that I can't just decide ok I'm going to be myself again!
My symptoms when I'm not sick vary a lot. I sometimes feel dizzy and faint and worry about passing out. I see lights and get ocular migraines. Sometimes, I feel like I can't focus my eyes. My mouth and throat get very dry and scratchy and I feel like I can't clear my throat or I can't breathe. Then I worry that my throat will close. I worry that I'm allergic to things. When it first started, I used to wake up with upset stomachs.
At various times I've feared I was dying of a heart attack, stroke, anyuerism, allergic reaction, asthma attack or a serious disease that my dr may have overlooked. I've feared that I have menangitis, a fractured skull after hitting my head, diabetes, MS, cancer, internal bleeding, dehydration, aenemia, an electrolyte imbalance, that I am losing my mind, you name it! This worrying is truly a waste of time:(
I'm going on vacation for a bit tomorrow. I haven't been on a vacation since before this began. I know it will take work to dig myself out of this hole, but I'm hoping a change in scenery will help me put my life back into perspective.
Hi everyone:
I had all of the symptoms from the original poster. I also went to anxietycentre and though it was all stress related. It turned out to be lyme disease with Bartonella and Babesia.
Once I got properly diagnosed and treated, I got better. All symptoms are gone. I'm still in treatment (on month 5 right now) and probably have 4-5 more months. But I feel like myself at last. Depersonalization, anxiety, air hunger, brain fog, malaise, gone!
Here is a message I left for another, but it should apply here. be well!
______
Have you considered Lyme disease? I had all of the symptoms you had and was told for months that it was all stress, in my head. I was told to seek therapy and go on Prozac. I was given klonopin.
It turns out anxiety is a common side effect of disseminated lyme disease and Bartonella (a common co-infection with lyme).
See the symptom list far below. (This is only some of them...there are really more than 70.) You don't need to have all of them. But more than 15 strongly suspect lyme & co's.
The key to getting diagnosed properly is the doctor. I had a terrible time back in Feb-April of 2010 with weird symptoms, dizziness, anxiety, forgetfulness, brian fog, twitching, jaw pain, slurrred speech, etc, etc. I had dozens of tests, including a lyme ELISA test...all normal. I was told it was stress, that I had a somatization disorder, and told to go on Prozac and seek therapy. I"m only 35!
I then found another doctor who happened to be an ILADS trained LLMD (Lyme Literate MD). She did a Western Blot test from a lab called Igenex. I came back highly positive for lyme and some "co-infections" (Bartonella and Babesia.) I never had a rash nor do I remember a bite. Lyme is in all 50 states.
I'm now in treatment and am 90% better! I have a few more months to go. All of my anxiety / brain fog is GONE!
Just a word of caution...lyme is very controversial. The mainstream doctors and infectious disease guru's deny that Chronic Lyme exists and feel it is easy to diagnose with good tests and easy to treat with 2-3 weeks of antibiotics. This just isn't true and there have been no double blinded studies to show that lyme is eradicated from the body with a short course of antibiotics.
This is why you need an ILADS trained doctor. You can go to their website and download Dr. Burrascano's treatment guideline. It is the "bible" of lyme. Regular doctors will say these aren't symptoms and that it is in your head.
Not saying you have lyme...but anxiety is a common symptom. I've met people who've been told they've had ALS, Anxiety, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue for 10 years when it was really lyme. They got well once going to an LLMD and getting proper, agressive treatment.
Check out the documentary Under Our Skin (google it). There are also clips on youtube. You can probably rent from your local library.
You can get well! lymenet is a good resource also.
Cheers
Lyme Disease Symptoms List
1. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
2. Unexplained weight change--loss or gain
3. Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina
4. Unexplained hair loss
5. Swollen glands: list areas____
6. Sore throat
7. Testicular pain/pelvic pain
8. Unexplained menstrual irregularity
9. Unexplained milk production: breast pain
10.Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
11.Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
12.Upset stomach
13.Change in bowel function-constipation, diarrhea
14.Chest pain or rib soreness
15.Shortness of breath, cough
16.Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
17.Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
18.Joint pain or swelling: list joints_____________
19.Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back
20.Muscle pain or cramps
21.Twitching of the face or other muscles
22.Headache
23.Neck creeks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
24.Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains
25.Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
26.Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
27.Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
28.lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
29.Lightheadedness, wooziness
30.Tremor
31.Confusion, difficulty in thinking
32.Diffculty with concentration, reading
33.Forgetfuiness, poor short term memory
34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
35.Difficulty with speech or writing
36.Mood swings, irritability, depression
37.Disturbed sleep-too much, too little, early awakening
38.Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
Symptoms for Bartonella and Babesia (common co-infections with lyme)
Bartonellosis symptoms:
Common symptoms of bartonellosis include:
___Fatigue (often with agitation, unlike Lyme disease, which is more exhaustion)
___Low grade fevers, especially morning and/or late afternoon, often associated with feelings of "coming down with the flu or a virus"
___Sweats, often morning or late afternoon (sometimes at night) - often described as "thick" or "sticky" in nature
___Headaches, especially frontal (often confused with sinus) or on top of head
___Eye symptoms including episodes of blurred vision, red eyes, dry eyes
___Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and sometimes hearing problems (decreased or even increased sensitivity - so-called hyperacusis)
___Sore throats (recurring)
___Swollen glands, especially neck and under arms
___Anxiety and worry attacks; others perceive as "very anxious"
___Episodes of confusion and disorientation that are usually transient (and very scary); often can be seizure-like in nature
___Poor sleep (especially difficulty falling asleep); poor sleep quality
___Joint pain and stiffness (often both Left and Right sides as opposed to Lyme which is often on one side only with pain and stiffness that changes locations)
___Muscle pains especially the calves; may be twitching and cramping also
___Foot pain, more in the morning involving the heels or soles of the feet (sometimes misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis)
___Nerve irritation symptoms which can be described as burning, vibrating, numb, shooting, etc.
___Tremors and/or muscle twitching
___Heart palpitations and strange chest pains
___Episodes of breathlessness
___Strange rashes recurring on the body often, red stretch marks, and peculiar tender lumps and nodules along the sides of the legs or arms, spider veins
___Gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain and acid reflux
___Shin bone pain and tenderness
------------------------------------------------------
Babesiosis
As with other co-infections, there is a lot of overlap of symptoms between Lyme disease and Babesiosis. An accumulation of the following signs and symptoms probably warrant testing and/or treatment of Babesiosis:
___Chills
___Fatigue and often excessive sleepiness
___High fever at onset of illness
___Night sweats that are often drenching and profuse
___Severe muscle pains, especially the large muscles of the legs (quads, buttocks, etc.)
___Neurological symptoms often described as "dizzy, tipsy, and spaciness," similar to a sensation of "floating" or "walking off the top of a mountain onto a cloud"
___Depression
___Episodes of breathlessness, "air hunger", and/or cough
___Decreased appetite and/or nausea
___Spleen and/or liver enlargement
___Abnormal labs (low white blood count, low platelet counts, mild elevation of liver enzymes, and elevated sed rate)
___Headaches (migraine-like, persistent, and especially involving the back of the head and upper neck areas)
___Joint pain (more common with Lyme and Bartonella)
___anxiety/panic (more common with Bartonella)
___Lymph gland swelling (more common with Bartonella and Lyme)
I had all of the symptoms from the original poster. I also went to anxietycentre and though it was all stress related. It turned out to be lyme disease with Bartonella and Babesia.
Once I got properly diagnosed and treated, I got better. All symptoms are gone. I'm still in treatment (on month 5 right now) and probably have 4-5 more months. But I feel like myself at last. Depersonalization, anxiety, air hunger, brain fog, malaise, gone!
Here is a message I left for another, but it should apply here. be well!
______
Have you considered Lyme disease? I had all of the symptoms you had and was told for months that it was all stress, in my head. I was told to seek therapy and go on Prozac. I was given klonopin.
It turns out anxiety is a common side effect of disseminated lyme disease and Bartonella (a common co-infection with lyme).
See the symptom list far below. (This is only some of them...there are really more than 70.) You don't need to have all of them. But more than 15 strongly suspect lyme & co's.
The key to getting diagnosed properly is the doctor. I had a terrible time back in Feb-April of 2010 with weird symptoms, dizziness, anxiety, forgetfulness, brian fog, twitching, jaw pain, slurrred speech, etc, etc. I had dozens of tests, including a lyme ELISA test...all normal. I was told it was stress, that I had a somatization disorder, and told to go on Prozac and seek therapy. I"m only 35!
I then found another doctor who happened to be an ILADS trained LLMD (Lyme Literate MD). She did a Western Blot test from a lab called Igenex. I came back highly positive for lyme and some "co-infections" (Bartonella and Babesia.) I never had a rash nor do I remember a bite. Lyme is in all 50 states.
I'm now in treatment and am 90% better! I have a few more months to go. All of my anxiety / brain fog is GONE!
Just a word of caution...lyme is very controversial. The mainstream doctors and infectious disease guru's deny that Chronic Lyme exists and feel it is easy to diagnose with good tests and easy to treat with 2-3 weeks of antibiotics. This just isn't true and there have been no double blinded studies to show that lyme is eradicated from the body with a short course of antibiotics.
This is why you need an ILADS trained doctor. You can go to their website and download Dr. Burrascano's treatment guideline. It is the "bible" of lyme. Regular doctors will say these aren't symptoms and that it is in your head.
Not saying you have lyme...but anxiety is a common symptom. I've met people who've been told they've had ALS, Anxiety, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue for 10 years when it was really lyme. They got well once going to an LLMD and getting proper, agressive treatment.
Check out the documentary Under Our Skin (google it). There are also clips on youtube. You can probably rent from your local library.
You can get well! lymenet is a good resource also.
Cheers
Lyme Disease Symptoms List
1. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
2. Unexplained weight change--loss or gain
3. Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina
4. Unexplained hair loss
5. Swollen glands: list areas____
6. Sore throat
7. Testicular pain/pelvic pain
8. Unexplained menstrual irregularity
9. Unexplained milk production: breast pain
10.Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
11.Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
12.Upset stomach
13.Change in bowel function-constipation, diarrhea
14.Chest pain or rib soreness
15.Shortness of breath, cough
16.Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
17.Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
18.Joint pain or swelling: list joints_____________
19.Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back
20.Muscle pain or cramps
21.Twitching of the face or other muscles
22.Headache
23.Neck creeks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
24.Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains
25.Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
26.Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
27.Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
28.lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
29.Lightheadedness, wooziness
30.Tremor
31.Confusion, difficulty in thinking
32.Diffculty with concentration, reading
33.Forgetfuiness, poor short term memory
34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
35.Difficulty with speech or writing
36.Mood swings, irritability, depression
37.Disturbed sleep-too much, too little, early awakening
38.Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
Symptoms for Bartonella and Babesia (common co-infections with lyme)
Bartonellosis symptoms:
Common symptoms of bartonellosis include:
___Fatigue (often with agitation, unlike Lyme disease, which is more exhaustion)
___Low grade fevers, especially morning and/or late afternoon, often associated with feelings of "coming down with the flu or a virus"
___Sweats, often morning or late afternoon (sometimes at night) - often described as "thick" or "sticky" in nature
___Headaches, especially frontal (often confused with sinus) or on top of head
___Eye symptoms including episodes of blurred vision, red eyes, dry eyes
___Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and sometimes hearing problems (decreased or even increased sensitivity - so-called hyperacusis)
___Sore throats (recurring)
___Swollen glands, especially neck and under arms
___Anxiety and worry attacks; others perceive as "very anxious"
___Episodes of confusion and disorientation that are usually transient (and very scary); often can be seizure-like in nature
___Poor sleep (especially difficulty falling asleep); poor sleep quality
___Joint pain and stiffness (often both Left and Right sides as opposed to Lyme which is often on one side only with pain and stiffness that changes locations)
___Muscle pains especially the calves; may be twitching and cramping also
___Foot pain, more in the morning involving the heels or soles of the feet (sometimes misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis)
___Nerve irritation symptoms which can be described as burning, vibrating, numb, shooting, etc.
___Tremors and/or muscle twitching
___Heart palpitations and strange chest pains
___Episodes of breathlessness
___Strange rashes recurring on the body often, red stretch marks, and peculiar tender lumps and nodules along the sides of the legs or arms, spider veins
___Gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain and acid reflux
___Shin bone pain and tenderness
------------------------------------------------------
Babesiosis
As with other co-infections, there is a lot of overlap of symptoms between Lyme disease and Babesiosis. An accumulation of the following signs and symptoms probably warrant testing and/or treatment of Babesiosis:
___Chills
___Fatigue and often excessive sleepiness
___High fever at onset of illness
___Night sweats that are often drenching and profuse
___Severe muscle pains, especially the large muscles of the legs (quads, buttocks, etc.)
___Neurological symptoms often described as "dizzy, tipsy, and spaciness," similar to a sensation of "floating" or "walking off the top of a mountain onto a cloud"
___Depression
___Episodes of breathlessness, "air hunger", and/or cough
___Decreased appetite and/or nausea
___Spleen and/or liver enlargement
___Abnormal labs (low white blood count, low platelet counts, mild elevation of liver enzymes, and elevated sed rate)
___Headaches (migraine-like, persistent, and especially involving the back of the head and upper neck areas)
___Joint pain (more common with Lyme and Bartonella)
___anxiety/panic (more common with Bartonella)
___Lymph gland swelling (more common with Bartonella and Lyme)
Thank you so much for all of your support...everyone! I've been experiencing many of the symptoms shared, most horribly, prolongued dizziness and loss of concentration, fatigue, and headaches. When I first notices these symptoms progressing and not going away, I immediately assumed the worse. I thought I had some sort of cancer or a brain tumor, or some other terminal illness, which only made matters worse. I'm 21 and have had anxiety for about four years, but only this year started experiencing debilitating symptoms. Just this morning, I felt really dizzy and though I was going to die at the restaurant where I was eating lunch. I came home and tried the exercise in which you close your eyes and visualize a traumatic repressed memory, and train yourself to "detach" from it. To my amazement, my dizzy spell stopped completely. I layed down on my bed and meditated for about twenty minutes using breathing exercises, and sure enough my anxieties seemed to just leave my mind and body.
I think for me, the biggest thing is that I worry about absolutely everything, and it makes me ill. Telling myself that I'm perfectly healthy and reassuring myself that I'm not dying really helps me move out of the downward spiral of negative thought patterns. Listening to happy songs and putting a smile on also helps.
Thanks again to all who posted. It's really comforting to know that I'm not alone.
I think for me, the biggest thing is that I worry about absolutely everything, and it makes me ill. Telling myself that I'm perfectly healthy and reassuring myself that I'm not dying really helps me move out of the downward spiral of negative thought patterns. Listening to happy songs and putting a smile on also helps.
Thanks again to all who posted. It's really comforting to know that I'm not alone.
I know what your going through and i know i can help you trust me. my email is ***@**** im not on there alot so if i dont respond you can call me at 856 - 341 - 3057
I am definitely going to check that out :) I am hoping it is just a thyroid issue, but I won't know for sure until I get tested I suppose.. Thanks so much for the info! I will be posting updates soon :)
Have they looked for something like PCOS? I don't know if it causes anxiety, but it is common and my younger sister has it.
I am not a doctor, but reading through your post, it looks like you need to see a good endocrinologist.
I am not a doctor, but reading through your post, it looks like you need to see a good endocrinologist.
Thanks SO much for taking the time to post!! I have been a prisoner of anxiety for so long that I forgot how to live!! I am going to get some over due blood work done to check my thyroid.. I pray that these tests will shed some light on what is going on with me! I am a fairly logical, level headed gal, but when your body starts freaking out, it gets scary :( I will be posting progress updates asap :) Thanks again for giving me hope!!
I suffer from anxiety too! I have wasted too many years of my life worrying about dying and don't want you to do the same.
You are young and healthy!!!! You are not going to die! How many anxiety attacks have you had? and how many times have you lived? It's not going to kill you, but may make you miserable. I know it's not fair. I try to live my life right and then there are people (some in my family) that smoke crack and do heroine. They seem to be doing all right. So why don't they suffer with anxiety? It's just not fair!!! I do think sometimes if their bodies can handle all of those drugs and lack of food and water, then my healthy body should be able to handle much more!
I am sure you are having smypathetic symptoms because you see your dad suffering, but remember you are healthy and you are young!
Please, don't waste your life worrying. I started having anxiety when I was 16 and am now 31. I wish I could go back and have worried less :(. Try to get into church and keep an open Bible next to your bed. I believe it will help you! Take care and relax.
When you are having an anxiety attack tell yourself "This too shall pass." They always do don't they???
You are young and healthy!!!! You are not going to die! How many anxiety attacks have you had? and how many times have you lived? It's not going to kill you, but may make you miserable. I know it's not fair. I try to live my life right and then there are people (some in my family) that smoke crack and do heroine. They seem to be doing all right. So why don't they suffer with anxiety? It's just not fair!!! I do think sometimes if their bodies can handle all of those drugs and lack of food and water, then my healthy body should be able to handle much more!
I am sure you are having smypathetic symptoms because you see your dad suffering, but remember you are healthy and you are young!
Please, don't waste your life worrying. I started having anxiety when I was 16 and am now 31. I wish I could go back and have worried less :(. Try to get into church and keep an open Bible next to your bed. I believe it will help you! Take care and relax.
When you are having an anxiety attack tell yourself "This too shall pass." They always do don't they???
It's sad, because you people are suffering with no answers.
There are answers to everything. The search may take a long time. In many cases, it may be situational (probably the easiest to fix), genetic (which often can be addressed if it is something like malabsorption), pyroluria (which in turn can lead to schizophrenia if not reversed), emotional trauma leading to a HPA axis abnormalities, CFIDS, Fibromyalgia, metabolic issues, vitamin deficiencies that can only be addressed by taking coenzymated forms, Lyme, etc. Personal note: I have CFIDS/Lyme and PTSD from it and have suffered torturous 24x7 anxiety and been up to 15 mg of Ativan (oral and intravenous) in one day (that was 5x my daily dose). The most helpful psychotherapy I have done was EMDR for PTSD and all I had to do is sit in a chair (talk therapy not necessary). People here would still tell me I need to find the root cause of my anxiety, or to not worry, but this generally isn't helpful. Talk therapy for me was not helpful at all. Relaxation techniques, hypnosis, biofeedback, neurofeedback, CBT, EMDR, etc can help when you have chronic disease, brain trauma (and no brain trauma is not just hitting your head as it can be caused by massive amounts of adrenaline).
I am dependent on a large dose of benzos, but I am addressing the true deficiencies that are causing anxiety so I can get off of them. The deficiencies are caused by the chronic bacteria infections in my case. The supplements (not drugs) sedate me more than my large dose of benzos, and when I take them with my benzos, everything suddenly becomes peaceful, and I fall asleep tranquilized.
To people who have had serious anxiety for years, I don't think there is anything your MD can do to help you, and the anxiety may truly be out of your control. You may have little control when using relaxation exercises, but still not much.
There are clinics to address metabolic/nutritional problems for Anxiety, Depression, ADD, etc, but they are often expensive and don't take insurance (often because insurance companies don't want to pay doctors who diverge away from the mainstream allopathic approach). This approach may take a long time to figure out your true issues, but what's important is people can be cured and not need a pharmaceutical for the rest of their life. They may not be able to find the root cause, because there is still a lot of things in medicine that are unknown.
If you feel like you are in hell, and psychiatric/psychotherapy approaches simply aren't effective treatments, don't give up. Look elsewhere. There is a lot out there to be explored.
I sincerely am trying to help people because I know how torturous anxiety can become. And yes, it can be caused by a true underlying disease that will go unnoticed under routine lab work. Routine lab work really doesn't show much. It pretty much a test to see if organs are working or failing. Routine labwork can miss immunological issues if you have a long-standing illness suppressing your immune system.
There is no way anybody here can be reassured 100% that there is nothing wrong with them. That isn't even realistic, and it makes me cringe when doctors like to say they "ruled everything out". Not possible.
There are answers to everything. The search may take a long time. In many cases, it may be situational (probably the easiest to fix), genetic (which often can be addressed if it is something like malabsorption), pyroluria (which in turn can lead to schizophrenia if not reversed), emotional trauma leading to a HPA axis abnormalities, CFIDS, Fibromyalgia, metabolic issues, vitamin deficiencies that can only be addressed by taking coenzymated forms, Lyme, etc. Personal note: I have CFIDS/Lyme and PTSD from it and have suffered torturous 24x7 anxiety and been up to 15 mg of Ativan (oral and intravenous) in one day (that was 5x my daily dose). The most helpful psychotherapy I have done was EMDR for PTSD and all I had to do is sit in a chair (talk therapy not necessary). People here would still tell me I need to find the root cause of my anxiety, or to not worry, but this generally isn't helpful. Talk therapy for me was not helpful at all. Relaxation techniques, hypnosis, biofeedback, neurofeedback, CBT, EMDR, etc can help when you have chronic disease, brain trauma (and no brain trauma is not just hitting your head as it can be caused by massive amounts of adrenaline).
I am dependent on a large dose of benzos, but I am addressing the true deficiencies that are causing anxiety so I can get off of them. The deficiencies are caused by the chronic bacteria infections in my case. The supplements (not drugs) sedate me more than my large dose of benzos, and when I take them with my benzos, everything suddenly becomes peaceful, and I fall asleep tranquilized.
To people who have had serious anxiety for years, I don't think there is anything your MD can do to help you, and the anxiety may truly be out of your control. You may have little control when using relaxation exercises, but still not much.
There are clinics to address metabolic/nutritional problems for Anxiety, Depression, ADD, etc, but they are often expensive and don't take insurance (often because insurance companies don't want to pay doctors who diverge away from the mainstream allopathic approach). This approach may take a long time to figure out your true issues, but what's important is people can be cured and not need a pharmaceutical for the rest of their life. They may not be able to find the root cause, because there is still a lot of things in medicine that are unknown.
If you feel like you are in hell, and psychiatric/psychotherapy approaches simply aren't effective treatments, don't give up. Look elsewhere. There is a lot out there to be explored.
I sincerely am trying to help people because I know how torturous anxiety can become. And yes, it can be caused by a true underlying disease that will go unnoticed under routine lab work. Routine lab work really doesn't show much. It pretty much a test to see if organs are working or failing. Routine labwork can miss immunological issues if you have a long-standing illness suppressing your immune system.
There is no way anybody here can be reassured 100% that there is nothing wrong with them. That isn't even realistic, and it makes me cringe when doctors like to say they "ruled everything out". Not possible.
Anxiety, Thyroid or Hormones? Can anyone relate to this?
Hello!
My name is Michelle and I am 41 years old. I am so happy to have found this forum! I am hoping that what I have been experiencing the past 3-4 years is perimenopause. I am going to be getting health insurance soon ( thanks to my wonderful fiance!) but I am hoping that I can find some immediate answers to my fears about what is happening to me smile.gif Here is a short description of what has been going on.. Since 2005 I have been having problems with my menstrual cycles. From 2006- now my periods have gradually ceased to exist sad.gif Coincidentally, I switched from Zoloft to Prozac in January of 2006 which may have been a factor in messing up my hormones. Then, things got really crazy when my pdoc added Strattera to the Prozac.. I had to stop taking the strattera because it was making me nauseous. After stopping Strattera, I began having hot flashes.. In fact, I had 30 hot flashes in one day! They hot flashes began to subside... Then I started missing periods.. I have not had a period since Sept 9th of 2008. I had a pap smear on Aug 18 2008 which was normal. I did think it was odd that I had a period shortly after the pap smear.. Up to that point, I wasn't having any periods at all.. The last one I had was Nov of 2007. Since my last period ( Sept 2008) I had only one slight period, which was in October of 2009.
The other symptoms that I have had started up in the spring/summer of 2008.. In the summer of 2008, the hot flashes returned along with heart palpitations.. I could be sitting on the couch watching tv, and my heart would start having palpitations.. I was on Prozac so I decided to taper down to see if it helped stop the heart issues.. I also gained 20 pounds ( most likely from the prozac, I was 20lbs lighter when I started the meds in Jan of 06) I started to do some walking and mild exercise which seemed to stop the heart issues but not the hot flashes. My final dose of Prozac was in November of 2008.
Unfortunately I had to go back on Prozac last fall of 2009 because my anxiety came back sad.gif But when I went back on the prozac, things got worse. I started having chest pains, fatigue, and my eyes felt like they were being squeezed! I also had weird pains in my pelvic area. I had my blood pressure checked and it was normal. I finally had to stop taking the prozac because the angina was getting worse. I have now been off prozac for 4 months now and all the heart palpitations and chest pain is finally gone. The weird pelvic pains have stopped as well. I was going to my doctor the whole time so he was informed of what was going on. He said that the Prozac may have been too stimulating for me..
The symptoms I am worried about now is: lack of a period, insomnia, anxiety,hair loss, can't stand the cold, sensitive, sticky eyes, puffiness under eyes (especially around my left eye) hot flashes ( I can be freezing and have a hot flash) and fatigue. I also have had milky discharge for years since being on SSRI's ( had a mammogram when this first occurred 8 years ago and they found nothing )
I did have my TSH tested in Nov of 09 and it was 2.24 However, my FSH was 153.5 mIU/ml and my LH was 57.7 mIU/ml Sorry for the long post, I am just terrified of what is happening to me and I hope that when I go to see the endocrinologist , they can tell me what is going on!
Hello!
My name is Michelle and I am 41 years old. I am so happy to have found this forum! I am hoping that what I have been experiencing the past 3-4 years is perimenopause. I am going to be getting health insurance soon ( thanks to my wonderful fiance!) but I am hoping that I can find some immediate answers to my fears about what is happening to me smile.gif Here is a short description of what has been going on.. Since 2005 I have been having problems with my menstrual cycles. From 2006- now my periods have gradually ceased to exist sad.gif Coincidentally, I switched from Zoloft to Prozac in January of 2006 which may have been a factor in messing up my hormones. Then, things got really crazy when my pdoc added Strattera to the Prozac.. I had to stop taking the strattera because it was making me nauseous. After stopping Strattera, I began having hot flashes.. In fact, I had 30 hot flashes in one day! They hot flashes began to subside... Then I started missing periods.. I have not had a period since Sept 9th of 2008. I had a pap smear on Aug 18 2008 which was normal. I did think it was odd that I had a period shortly after the pap smear.. Up to that point, I wasn't having any periods at all.. The last one I had was Nov of 2007. Since my last period ( Sept 2008) I had only one slight period, which was in October of 2009.
The other symptoms that I have had started up in the spring/summer of 2008.. In the summer of 2008, the hot flashes returned along with heart palpitations.. I could be sitting on the couch watching tv, and my heart would start having palpitations.. I was on Prozac so I decided to taper down to see if it helped stop the heart issues.. I also gained 20 pounds ( most likely from the prozac, I was 20lbs lighter when I started the meds in Jan of 06) I started to do some walking and mild exercise which seemed to stop the heart issues but not the hot flashes. My final dose of Prozac was in November of 2008.
Unfortunately I had to go back on Prozac last fall of 2009 because my anxiety came back sad.gif But when I went back on the prozac, things got worse. I started having chest pains, fatigue, and my eyes felt like they were being squeezed! I also had weird pains in my pelvic area. I had my blood pressure checked and it was normal. I finally had to stop taking the prozac because the angina was getting worse. I have now been off prozac for 4 months now and all the heart palpitations and chest pain is finally gone. The weird pelvic pains have stopped as well. I was going to my doctor the whole time so he was informed of what was going on. He said that the Prozac may have been too stimulating for me..
The symptoms I am worried about now is: lack of a period, insomnia, anxiety,hair loss, can't stand the cold, sensitive, sticky eyes, puffiness under eyes (especially around my left eye) hot flashes ( I can be freezing and have a hot flash) and fatigue. I also have had milky discharge for years since being on SSRI's ( had a mammogram when this first occurred 8 years ago and they found nothing )
I did have my TSH tested in Nov of 09 and it was 2.24 However, my FSH was 153.5 mIU/ml and my LH was 57.7 mIU/ml Sorry for the long post, I am just terrified of what is happening to me and I hope that when I go to see the endocrinologist , they can tell me what is going on!
I have the exact same thing! It's really scaring me. I've had a ct scan and it was all normal but I still think there's something wrong but there's not. If I could just get that in my head I'd be I've but I can't and I really want to!
When I was in my young twenties my full blown panic disorder started. I had anxiety 24/7 and panic attacks that would ebb and flow for hours! I had this for years and years! Because I was so sensitive, I could only handle 3 mg. of Paxil for a long time. The other meds made me feel more nervous or nuts. No matter what is causing the panic, I suggest you get on the right meds while you are finding out what's going on, be it mental , physical or both. Even though I have dealt with the emotional stuff for well over 15 years, it is very clear I have a physical disorder. Some people must be on meds! You mentioned fight or flight mode. That was me, always feeling like I needed to run. I basically slept in clothes and sometimes shoes, I felt so unsafe. It was hell and I know why you don't think you can make it, but the truth is, you can! Take one day at a time and get all the help you can. Think of reasons to live and cry out to God for help! Know you are not alone and don't hesitate to email me if you want to. When I was growing up, I used to watch a medical show and I always thought I had every disease portrayed on the show each week. I grew up with much anxiety but didn't know what it was at the time! Hope you feel better. I will be praying for you! God is my rock and His word my anchor! I pray He would be yours! Studchick
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