Leg Pain, weakness, and restlessness

[LauraLy]

i'm an 18-year-old highschool student, i'm a Self-diagnosed hypochondriac and for the past year i've been dealing with anxiety. lately my legs have been fealing weak and restlessness, and kind of painful...(but notreally) i'm hopeing this is a physical symptom of my anxitey...but because of my fear for my health, i'm scared to death that it could be more serious?

[LauraLy]

thanks thanks :D

i'm half and half.
i'm shure it's just anxiety, like almost positive, but then there is that other half that says "NOPE, it's cancer"

i can't wait to go to the doctor. i'm sick of living like this. i'm only 18, i didn't even graduate yet!

[RubyWitch]

I'm happy to hear that your mom has set up the doctors appointment for you. And it's like I said in my post before..............we hide under blankets waiting to die because we're terrified of what the doctors MAY find! Trust me on this, as hard as it's going to be to swallow, it is far, far better to know if something is wrong than to hide and hope and hyperventalate. It's very scary and I know this as well. But you are in an extremely vicious circle and you need to break out of it. It takes guts, which I know you have because you came to us for help.
You didn't have the brain tumor, did you? I once thought I had a brain tumor. I had constant headaches, so what else could it be? The eye doctor who diagnosed me as being farsighted and told me that my penchant for sitting in the front row at school, THAT was the culprit. I got me some very natty glasses and my brain tumor disappeared!
Leg tumors? Do you have lumps and bumps and oozing pustuales on those legs of yours? Did you nick yourself while shaving and that scrape has now turned into a cancer filled cravass? I am pulling your leg Sweetie.........the one without the tumor, because I've been where you are. I do understand your fear, but I also know you can, with the right treatment, beat this monkey on your back. (Any tumors there?)
I'm glad to hear that you will be avoiding the Internet symptom sites. If you can do that, you will have, all by your pretty self, taken the first big step in regaining control of your life/mind/body. I'm very proud of you!
When you see the doctor, tell them you have self-diagnosed yourself as a hypochondriac. If you don't, or worse, start denying that you are, there will be a big red slash across your chart that says "HYPOCHONDRIAC!" and from then on, every time you go to the doctor, they will listen with only half an ear. If they know you are fighting this particular phobia, they should, if they are any good, recommend you get some help for it and actually help you set up an appointment with at least a psychologist to get to the root of this. I hope your mom will be an advocate for you in helping you seek the help you need.
I'd say don't worry, but I know you will. I think the very worst they are going to find is that you have a mild case of anxiety and hypochondria...........a hand in hand diagnose, for which there are many options to help you overcome both.
And don't let those finger tumors keep you from posting! You're going to be fine and some day, very soon I hope, you can laugh at yourself as I laugh at myself now. Unless MY tumors are acting up! (Only kidding!)
With love and compassion
Greenlydia
P.S.
Be aware that for those folks, including your family, who have never fought the anxiety monster, you will be in an up-hill battle to get them to really understand what you are dealing with on a daily basis. It's just one more nasty little part of our "problem" that others can't relate to it like they can to the flu or bunions. That's why you got us Babe!      

[LauraLy]

nope. i do have anxitey....but i'm doing the whole hide under the blanket thing....but my mom set up a doctors appt ment. but i am scared about what they are going to say, or maybe find out? but, even back when i had headaches i thought that i had a brain toumor....and now i think i have toumors on my legs....it's scary :(

and yeah. i do look up symptoms on line, and they do freak me out, but i guess i shouldent do that anymore.

thanks for understanding....because every one in my family is fine, and they don't understand what it feals like to be scared, and stressed, EVERYDAY, all the time.

[Jennifer375]

  I LOVE your response to this Greenlydia, its what made me ask you to be a 'friend' lol! Take it easy on yourself Laura,,, because Greenlydia is so right, you need to talk to somone close to you first for a health check, then couseling because someday something will eventually at some point in life really be wrong with you and believe me its no fun. Far better to enjoy and appricate being healthy instead of spending time worrying you might be sick if your not.

Sincerely, Jenn

[RubyWitch]

Hi Sweetie,
And welcome to the "Idiots Club for Hypochondriacs!" (I am the Queen Hypochondriac, so I expect to be treated with the respect that title demands!)

My first piece of advice for you is to stay the hell OFF the WebMeds sites, AND their ilk, that proliferate on the Internet, and DO NOT buy ANY book that has "Symptoms" in it's title!

Is your anxiety also "self-diagnosed?" Please tell us a lot more about yourself, how your anxiety manifests itself, what, if anything, has happened in the past year to make you feel anxious? Are you taking any meds and were they prescribed by a doctor or are you self-prescribing? We need more information to help and support you and to give you the best advice we can.

You say your legs have been feeling weak, restless and painful.........but not really. So, which is it? There IS a very real disorder out there called "Restless Leg Syndrome," which you may or may not have. Only a doctor can diagnose that. But please, don't run to your computer and convince yourself you now have THAT as well!

Hypochondriacs have a silly tendency to do one of two things. We either camp out at our doctors office and bug the bejeeezus out of him/her, or we stay curled up under the blankets waiting for our latest "disease de jour" to take us to the promised land.

Both are a waste of time. We don't believe the doctors when they tell us we are fine, OR, we are too terrified to see them in the first place because we fear what they MIGHT tell us. It's your classic rock and hard spot...........not a healthy place to hang!

Your symptoms could, and I emphasize COULD, be a manifestation of anxiety. I'm not a doctor and would be remiss in telling you it was. The ONLY person who can tell you what is going on is your doctor and I would highly recommend you go see him/her as soon as you can. Not because I think you have something horrible, or anything at all aside from a hypochondriacal bent, but because you need to, first of all, be reassured that nothing IS physically wrong with you, secondly, you need to be really open and frank with your doc and tell them you KNOW you are a hypochondriac and want help in dealing with that issue. They should, at this point, recommend someone you can see to dicuss this with and get to the root of your "worry wart" nature and the anxiety it is producing. You don't like feeling like this, so do something about it! Be proactive in obtaining the care you need. Talk to your parents, the school nurse or counselor, a trusted adult...........but take some action now. And please keep posting to us. We're open 24/7  and we care because we understand. Good luck, Toots.
Greenlydia