Strange symptoms - urgent help needed!

[carelesswhisper]

Hi,
About 2 weeks ago, I began to experience a strange onset of symptoms. That day, my husband and I drank frappuccinos from Starbucks...that night, out of the blue, I suddenly felt very short of breath and panicky. Both arms and hands were tingly and I felt lightheaded...all of those symptoms were made worse due to the fact I was panicking. As I walked around and tried to relax, the symptoms gradually went away. I thought maybe the coffee was the cause because I felt the same thing a couple days later after drinking coffee at home. About one week after that, my husband and I were having sex and both of my arms began to tingle and went numb (mostly in my hands) and even had the same feeling in my tummy and lips. Again, as I relaxed and shook my arms, the feeling went away. Ever since off and on, I'll get short of breath for no apparent reason. I suffer from seasonal allergies and the breathing is made worse when my nose is congested. I don't have health insurance so I haven't seen a doctor yet. I've started taking vitamin B, including B12 and flax seed daily. Even though the tingly/numb sensations have diminished so far, I still get the shortnesss of breath. Sometimes it may happen when I'm on the phone, or when I get up in the morning. One thing I thought I should mention is that around this same time of year last year (weather getting cold, holidays, bdays, etc.), I would have what seemed to be night terrors; I would jump out of bed so hard that my leg would hit a nearby object and bruise, and I would be panicking. This lasted for a few weeks and I haven't experienced it since. The only sleep disturbance lately is waking up with my heart racing as if I was having a bad dream. Also, I've never had regular periods but am currently PMS-ing (sore breasts, moodiness, etc.). If anyone could help me or shed some light as to what's been going on, I would sincerely appreciate it...I'm really worried. Thanks!

[NickOne7]

Good advise from Spider, Your symptoms are not a call for concern at this point. Anxiety can do some crazy things to your body.

Hope this helps!

[Spider1979]

What you are experiencing is classic anxiety. When I first started having anxiety, shortness of breath was my major symptom. Then came the tingling in the hands and feet. My therapist explained it best. When you get anxious you start taking shallower breaths. When you take shallower breaths, you are taking in more oxygen than needed. So in turn the tingling you feel is simply too much oxygen in your blood. It sounds terrible, but is not harmful to you. The therapist told me when I feel the tingling, hold my breath for 30 seconds. During the first 10 - 15 seconds, your body starts telling you to breathe. Keep holding it though. When you've held it for 30 seconds, breath slowly. You may have to do it 2 or 3 times, but you will be slowing your breathing and burning the extra oxygen. Try it. Good luck