I don't see how this could be anxiety?

[mbell]

For the past month, I've been experiancing tingling and numbing sensations in my body.  The left side of my face feels numb, off and on.  I have really bad muscle twitches throughout my entire body.  I have aches and pains.  Sometimes when I wake up in the morning My leg or arm will feel like it's falling asleep!  This has been going on continuisly for a month.  I have always been depressed, with a low level of anxiety, but never physical symptoms like this.  I've been to five doctors, who only took blood tests for vitamin b-12 deficiency, and lyme disease, both negative.  And then one nuerologist, who gave me anti-depressents, saying it's anxiety, and another nuerolgist, who flat out refused to give me an mri, because he tottally believed it's anxiety.  I don't see how anxiety, can cause all these symptoms, lasting for this long everyay.  My muscle twitches are so bad that my finger will move, or my foot, or other body parts.  But I do notice that when I take xanax they decrase rapidly.  I wonder if these doctors are going to wait until I'm dead to see that there's obviously something more going on than anxiety.  What are your opinions on this?  Is it actually true that this could be anxiety lasting this long?  It's really taking a toll on my life.  I'm 23, I have two small babies, just gave birth four months ago.  And I can't stop wondering what must be wrong with my health?  If you know of any stories of anxiety, that sound like this I'd appreciate it, thank you.

[Mark]

I have had anxiety attacks ever since my daughter was born,Now its 3 years later and its panic now , Im male 31 yrs, I dont know what to do , I wonder if its just that i dont want to be with my girlfriend, But i dont want my daughter to leave, this is the hardest time of my life.

[florence]

I have been diagnosed with b12 deficiency which did not show up in a blood test but in a bone marrow test.  I have had one b12 shot so far and another 3 scheduled once a week for three weeks. Then one a month forever.  My vision has become blurred and has me greatly concerned.  Is this a symptom of b12 and approximately how long before I can hope for it to clear if it is?

Thanks

[connie]

I have muscle twitches all over my body and sometimes muscle cramps come with it. I get really bad headaches at times and
I to wake up in the morning and find my hand or arm asleep.

I had a benign tumor that was removed from my brain 4/97, did not have these twitches before this although had other systoms.
I was also diag 11/97 with a left ventricle dysfunction and reguration. Then 3/98 with Hypertention Cardiomypathy but the reguration was not seen.  when lying down I have noticed all at once on my left side underneith my left breast that I get this sudden Jolt of lightning that makes me stand up quickely but once I breath in and hold it I notice it dimishes.

I had an infection that I understood with treatment should now be gone but its one of those test that can also result in a false postitive if you have an autoimmune disorder or cancer.
This test will always show postitive so I have no idea if this is what I really had or not but most likely not since no one else in my family does. I am so confused. I am told that there is no surgery for this heart problem. I do have a pretty good ejection fraction stress test but I guesss you can have a normal one with this problem. I have no idea what causes this I thought it was due to my heart and yes when this occur out of the blue and I am not even upset when it starts then I must say I get anxious, After all I have been through the mill. I am currently taking 50mg of tenormin which has helped some and also calcium w/Vit D in it and a hormone theapy pill, 81mg of asprin the coated asprin and a valium if needed. Does anyone have a story similer?
Can anyone give me advice on these spasms and twitches? I to was told its just anxiety..... I have had spells where two fingers have gotten numb and then both eyes blurr and after a few minutes it comes back pretty much clear...at times I have headaches when this happens. Please I hope that a doctor reads this and can give advice or anyone out there who wants to discuss this please do...Lets help each other. May God Bless all of you!

[kel]

It is such a relief to read some of these posts!  I had a baby almost a year ago, and ever since then I just can't seem to get back to normal.  I've had terrible anxiety, and I did have postpartum depression, which seems to have lifted somewhat.  The anxiety persists, however.  I have this horrible fear that something terrible is wrong with me and I won't live to see my baby grow up, or will have some debilitating disease and won't be able to enjoy/participate in his life.  I've had lots of symptoms and was also afraid I have MS.  My doctor won't test me for it because she is convinced it's anxiety.  I wasn't aware that anxiety could produce the same symptoms as MS, such as muscle twitching and weakness, tremors, tingling in the hands and feet, all of which I have.  I visited the neurological page on this site and read about MS, and it terrified me.  I saw so many of my symptoms there.  But one thing that I think I understand about MS is that the symptoms come in a cluster, all together, then go away for a period of time, then come back together again.  My symptoms don't do that.  I don't know if this is in fact true about MS, but it's what I have understood from what I've read.  Sometimes my muscles are weak, then other times I get the tingling, etc.  

Anyway, I'm rambling, but I'm just so relieved that I'm not alone.  I wonder if it has something to do with having a baby.  I had a traumatic delivery, and my midwife said that lots of times when the delivery is especially difficult, anxiety can be an after-effect.  I'm grateful to have read your posts, and if anyone wants to email me regarding this, my address is ***@****.  It would be nice to continue to discuss this with someone who understands.

[stefanie]

i've been having severe muscle tremors/twitches for three years now.  not a day goes by that i don't twitch, and often the spells last for hours--up to 22--keeping me from sleep.  sometimes i'm wakened from my sleep because it's so severe.  it happens in my temples (mostly left) and my calves, my thighs--literally my entire body, rapidly and forcefully, every few seconds until a break comes.  it's all completely unpredictable.  there seems to be no correlation between what i eat, the weather, my body temperature, or anything, so i have absolutely no way to tell when it's going to hit.  also, i often feel tingles and numbness with the twitches, and my body feels pins and needlesy during the attacks.  i get very irritable.
i've seen 6 pcps, all of whom say it's nothing to worry about.  well, i'm not *worried* about it myself--it seems very benign with no pain.  but it's annoying as anything, and really, all i want is some relief!  i was prescribed amitryptiline once, which seemed to help for about a week, and then the twitches got much worse than ever.  i found out then that one of the side effects of the medicine is muscle tremors!  i went to a neurologist who gave me neurontin, which made no difference, and now i'm taking flexeril.  if this doesn't work, my doctor will prescribe an anti-parkinson's disease medicine.  what are you all taking for relief?  i've never been told it's anxiety.  i'm past the point of wanting to know what this is--i just want relief!

[kim]

Interesting about the connection to motherhood.  I had a child 2 years ago, suffered bad post-partum depression for which I never sought treatment.  Also ever since my child was born, I've suffered nightly insomnia -- not getting even an hour of sleep some nights.  8 months ago, I began having several-day attacks of tingling on my right side.  This has now spread to my left side as well and has changed from tingling to weakness.  And the last "attack" beginning 12 weeks ago has never really gone away -- good days, bad days.

Have had every neurologic test imaginable which are all (thank God) normal and so have been referred to a psychiatrist.  At this point, I don't mind being labeled "crazy" just as long as someone can help me get better.  I'm curious if the pregnancy and post-partum hormones do something to us.  Or is it sleep-deprivation related?

I might add that I was put on anti-depressants 2 months ago and although the symptoms still persist, at least I get good rest at night.  Good luck to all of you.

[Mary]

Several people on this post seem to have four month old babies (or thereabout) I do too, and anxiety (starting with hyperthyroidism which is now in check) started in full force around this time.  Perhaps there is a connection with being at a certain point postpartum?

[Julie]

The test for Hashimotos ( hypothyroidism) is not a regular thyroid test, but a test for anti-thyroid antibodies.
Maybe you could ask for that. Maybe an endocrinologist would be a good choice. ( Or an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist)
Anxiety can cause very physical symptoms. Just because it may be caused by your brain chemistry does not make your physical complaints any less real. It is no reflection on you as a person, and is not a "character defect." If you are not satisfied with the diagnosis, by all means, get another opinion.
But anxiety IS capable of doing very strange things in the body and causing very uncomfortable, distressing symptoms.
Best to you
Julie

[Theri]

one of you mentioned Mitral valve prolapse along with tingling and anxiety. Is this a normal thing?

My daughter has symptoms of these,as well as severe migranes but we have always attributed it to her heart..
Beta blockers and lanoxin seem to help

[pasta]

Hi there!

I

[to GP from mbell]

Hi GP, I read your post, and I live in massachusetts. During the time that all this started, I was not eating right. or taking vitamins.  I just had a baby four months before all this started, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.  What symptoms were you having to make you think it was ms?  I'm pettrified it's ms.  If you want to e-mail me, so we can compare our symptoms it's ***@**** Did they ever find anything wrong with you?  thank you for responding

[GP/Anything in common?]

I was wondering if you Nancy & mbell were nursing, were lactose intollerant, dieting, drinking coffee, etc. Anything you can think of. I was dieting, not intaking enough calcium, skipping my prenatals - just not paying enough attention to my body because I was busy and stressed w/ 3 kids. Do either of you have previous history of unexplained medical complaints or panic attacks? Mitral valve prolapse, low blood pressure? What area of the country are you in? I'm in Colorado.
I know this sounds far fetched but I'm wondering if there are some common threads here.

[jeane]

I was having numbness and pain in my leg and I was really worried about it.  My father and sister, who are both doctors, told me it was psychosomatic, as did my psychiatrist.  Because I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, they thought "it was all in my head."   Eventually, I found out I had sciatica (very common), inflammation of the sciatic nerve.  I was so relieved.  I encourage you to continue to seek a diagnosis besides anxiety.  Attributing your pain to anxiety is the easiest diagnosis for a doctor to give.

[Response to GP]

GP,
If your thyroid levels are truly in the normal range then you should not be treated for hypothyroidism.  Overuse of thyroid hormone can be very stressful to the heart.  However, some clinicians have found that those people who are on the very end of the scale of normalcy (meaning you are still normal but close to being hypothyroid) can benefit from a small amount of thyroid hormone.  It would be important to find out where your thyroid levels fall.
Christine (who is not a doctor but is very experienced in thyroid problems)

[HFHS.MD-AJ]

Mbell,

You sound concerned about the tingling/numbing sensations, muscle twitches, aches and pains that you have been experiencing in the past one month. It also appears that medical and neurological evaluations have not revealed any physical causes of your symptoms. You mention that you have always had a low-grade anxiety, and that Xanax (an anxiety-relieving medication) provides relief from your symptoms. This may indicate that your symptoms are indeed due to an anxiety disorder (such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, etc), or a somatoform disorder.

Somatoform disorders are characterized by involuntary misinterpretation of one's bodily sensations, resulting in preoccupation with physical symptoms for which no medical causes can be found. Anxiety and somatoform disorders often go hand in hand with depression, which you also report suffering from. These illnesses are all treatable with a combination of medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy. I urge you to seek thorough evaluation by a mental health professional, and to discuss your concerns further with your treating physicians.

[Christine/Hashimoto's thyroiditis]

Yes, I have heard of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  It is an autoimmune disorder in which the body begins to see the thyroid as an invader, attacks it, and over time destroys the thyroid gland.  This causes gradual hypothyroidism.
Christine

[GP]

I have been having the same problems since mid-August. I was so scared it was MS. I've had an MRI (normal). I've also had a complete neuro exam (normal), tests for hypothyroid, b12 deficiency, liver function, etc all normal. My General practictioner sent me to a therapist who told me she thought I should be treated for hypothyroid and anxiety, and that I should switch doctors. Does anyone know about treatment for hypothyroid when test show normal ranges. I've got 3 kids under 5, and don't have time to feel lousy and run to doctors. I'd rather this was "all in my head" and not some horrible disease but It isn't stopping. My General pract. put me on Prozac 2 weeks ago. I'm hoping it helps once it kicks in.

[Nancy Re Christine]

Yes, thyroid tests have been run twice and have both been normal. Have you heard of something called Herishimotos thyroid syndrome?

[Nancy RE: mbell]

No, they still havent found anything wrong with me yet and yes, my main doctor still thinks its anxiety but my internal medicine doctor is at least willing to run more tests.  How long have your symptoms been going on for?  Keep searching for answers because until everything else has been ruled out, how can they call it anxiety?
Nancy

[mbell to Nancy]

Nancy, this all started with a little tingling in my left leg, then when I got scared about it, I went into panic, and it spread throughout my whole body, in a matter of minutes.  That's the only part I can attribute to anxiety, but it staying this long, and causing all these other symptoms leads me to think otherwise.  Have you found out if there's anything wrong with you, or are they still sayong anxiety?  Thank you for responding.

[nancy]

How did your symptoms initially start if you dont mind me asking?

[nancy]

I completely know what you are going through.  I am 27, have 2 small kids and have tingling, burning and now hand cramping and the shakes all over my bod!  They have told me the same thing-anxiety.  Keep searching for answers, and find a neurologist who will give you the tests you are requesting.  If you are interested in staying in touch, let me know.  Best of luck to you and hang in there--believe me I know how hard that is to do!!

Nancy

[Christine]

Have either of you had thyroid tests done?  Hypothyroidism (not enough thyroid hormone produced) can cause your extremities to "fall asleep".  When I have been hypothyroid, my hands and arms fall asleep all night long making sleeping uncomfortable.  Also, when I sit at my desk for long periods, while hypothyroid, my legs and feet will do the same.  Being both hyperthyroid and hypothyroid can cause muscle tics/twitches.  Being hyperthyroid can cause shaking and tremors.  Both conditions can cause depression and/or anxiety.
Christine