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)
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.
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