Could anxiety/hypocondria cause actual physical feeling?

[misterserb]

I'm 20 years old, male and generallyt healthy. For the past 2 months I have been a wreck, going completly crazy over my health. i had pneumonia and prolonged antibiotic treatment that caused some unpleasant side effects.

I have been very anxious, had panic attacks, was convinced im going to die, and always searching for possible illnesses, more specifically i was afraid i had cancer.

Yesterday, i got over it. I went to see a doctor (i had already went to see at least 6 others that said i had nothing serious) and he explained that I suffer from sth called Neuro-Reflex-Disorder or sth, that causes me to feel actual aches and pains and other symptoms, when I dont actually have them. And that all this is caused by my immense stress and anxiety.

First to explain what my period of anxiety meant:

1. Restlessness, constant certainty and fear of death

2. Almost being certain that I have cancer, being frustrated that other people dont believe me and that because of that im going to die

3. Suspending all activity, with very very few exceptions

4. Staing in doors, not exercising at all

5. Sleeping very little, very tense and usually not at night.

6. Analysing all physical symptoms


Now after a day and a half of decinding I have to get myself together I still feel some stuff

What I feel:

1. Muscle aches and stiffness, tenseness in my muscles

2. Confusion and spacey feeling

3. Unreal sensation

4. Tinglyness in whole body

6. Pressure in head

7. Earache

8. Sth in my throat

9. Joint aches

10. Iritable Bowel Syndrome (diagnosed by a physician, said it was cause of stress)

Can these be caused by my stress/anxiety condition and my previous lifestyle? Just want to clear my mind and help the healing process, be it physical or mental.
If it would be physical, it would be sth weird and pontentially serious i guess so i want to be sure (then again maybe thats still the hypocondriac in me speaking :) )

[Ted A Grossbart, Ph.D.]

It sounds like you have been having a really awful time!

Anxiety can produce ALL of the symptoms you list.  Focus on treating the anxiety, not the physical sensations. Psychotherapy, biobehavioral techniques, and medication can all be helpful.

Now that you have been throughly checked out medically, the task is to feel the anxiety in your heart and mind and let your body go back to being a body, not a set of hooks to hang the anxiety on.  Then you can more effectively reduce the anxiety and explore why it is there.  

Think about who taught you that your body is so weak and vulnerable?
Did any key people treat you better when your were sick than when you were healthy, training you to look for symptoms as the ticket to love and caring?

I would see the IBS (#10) as more a result of the stress.  Hypnosis is very effective for it and the anxiety as well.  

[Ted A Grossbart, Ph.D.]

It sounds like you have been having a really awful time!

Anxiety can produce ALL of the symptoms you list.  Focus on treating the anxiety, not the physical sensations. Psychotherapy, biobehavioral techniques, and medication can all be helpful.

Now that you have been throughly checked out medically, the task is to feel the anxiety in your heart and mind and let your body go back to being a body, not a set of hooks to hang the anxiety on.  Then you can more effectively reduce the anxiety and explore why it is there.  

Think about who taught you that your body is so weak and vulnerable?
Did any key people treat you better when your were sick than when you were healthy, training you to look for symptoms as the ticket to love and caring?

I would see the IBS (#10) as more a result of the stress.  Hypnosis is very effective for it and the anxiety as well.  

[misterserb]

Thank you very much doctor!

It's quite reasuring to know I'm on the right track and I will certainly take your advice.

I went through a simillar stage about 3 years ago, but it was less serious than this one, and got over it on my own.

I will seek some counseling and see if there are any undelying issues to my condition.

Anyway it might just be that it was myself that I was initially looking for attention from, have been working a bit to much latelly. Usually I'm very good at self-councling and my social life is prety rewarding in itself. But sometimes I guess things can grow out of my capability of solving them alone.

Thank you very much again,

And the very bes to you,

misterserb