anxiety?

[manxious]

This is sort of a long one, so please bare with me here: I've been having weird tingling pain in my left leg/foot/arm/hand. it feels like they're numb, but they're not because when I touch them, I can feel it. This has recently gone away, but I had a headache in my left temple (not really an ache, but a tight feeling) that lasted almost two weeks. I've been experiencing heart palpitations (more frequently in the past week and a half or so) but I'm going to get my period in about 4 days. I feel tired and weak all the time, sometimes experience pain and stiffness in my left upper chest and shoulder area. My whole body feels tired and anxious almost constantly. I thought I had a blood clot in my left leg for a while, but no signs point to a blood clot. I feel nervous always and have a hard time going out with people or making friends because I am always in fear that I might start to feel sick while I'm out doing something. Last week I was watching t.v when I felt like the side of my left breast and underneath it had lost feeling. I could feel it when I touched it but something just felt off. I freaked out completely and started to shake and felt like I was going to faint. It passed after about 45 mins. My mind feels fuzzy and it's hard for me to concentrate at school (I'm in my first semester of college). My eyes sometimes have floaters or it feels like my vision is ALMOST going blurred. I feel afraid to be left alone for fear that my heart might stop or that I might have a stroke, a blood vessel in my brain may explode or any other catastrophic event. My mind is always racing and when I go to bed at night, I'm often shaken awake by my own body spasms or jerking, or a feeling like I'm falling or my heart skipping. A couple of weeks ago, the left side of my face from my temple to my jaw starting feeling really stiff for a little bit, I had a panic attack for a while and then my face went back to normal. I've had heart tests done when I was about 5 or 7 years old (they were normal), I've had TMJ (I had braces and head gear to correct), I was diagnosed with "depression" and chronic fatigue syndrome (whatever that really means) when I was about 17yrs old (I'm 23 now) I was put on prozac for a while but eventually stopped taking it because it made me feel too melancholy. I do not smoke and I drink alcohol but not everyday. I have been taking Afrin nasal spray for about a , month and a half, but not more often than 12 hours. This is a very, very long and drawn out post, but whoever reads this and has an explanation for these symptoms I would appreciate it so much. Thank you!

[manxious]

Here's a question: I just got up from laying down for a while and now I feel really unreasonably weak for some reason. I feel very nervous about it, too. I feel like I am breathing alright and my heart doesn't really hurt or anything, but I just feel very weak and it's confusing. I don't know if this is a symptom of something I should look into or if I am just freaking myself out. I have a weird feeling in my heart right now, almost like I am too aware of it's beating or something and I have just now developed a feeling of sort of a lump in my throat. Should I go to the hospital?

[manxious]

can anxiety symptoms cause your left hand to feel weaker or somehow not as quickly responsive as the right? my hand feels kind of weird and, not weak, but not as quick to do the tasks that my right hand is doing just fine. like right now when i'm typing, my hand IS doing it, but i feel like it's doing it more clumsily or less quick somehow. does this sound like a serious thing? i'm really scared that i'm just having strokes and now i'm alone for the whole night and the rest of tomorrow. sometimes i think i just need to be put in a mental institution.

[manxious]

and nobody thinks this has anything to do with my prolonged use of afrin nasal spray??

[alex74alex]

I hear you.
I wake up every morning hoping, praying that the symptoms have vanished over the night, but they're there, almost 24/7. It is scary, and even if I keep telling myself that there is no harm in what I feel, the feelings themselves are horrible.
Have you seen a doctor about this? Are you taking any medication? Have you tried any of the self help websites/books for anxiety? (there is a wealth of them on the internet) - send me a private message and  can share some with you.
Just like you I am at the beginning of this journey and I am still trying to figure out the best/fastest way out. I guess the key is to persevere and not lose hope.
Hang in there.

[JC71]

Thanks for the reassurance. I just keep expecting these horrible symptoms to dissapear when I wake up in the morning, but they dont, and its not even as if Im getting a break from them, its quite contstant, I think I may go short spells where I start to think Im rid of it, but then all of the symptoms are back, shooting head pains, pins and needles, feeling sick, stiff muscles??? Its really scary! I keep fearing Im dying of something dreadful illness!

Youre quite right though, being able to speak to people like yourself about it who are in the same boat as me does help. Thankyou!

[alex74alex]

Hi all,
it looks like we are in the same boat so to speak. I've had almost all (if not more) of the symptoms you are experiencing. I've seen so many doctors, I've had so many tests done and redone and they all showed I am in perfect health. I feared a heart attack, a brain tumor, a brain aneurism, blod clots, strokes, MS, etc but it looks like none of my fears have any real basis. It is hard to accept that all these physical symptoms are not associated with a severe illness, but the cold hard truth is that they are not. They're all because of anxiety.
@ JC: all my problems started in July and they progressively got worse and worse.
I am trying to think positively, I'm trying no to let this take control over me. Does it work? Sometimes which is better than never.
I seek reassurnce in reading posts on this forum, on thinking that there were others in my shoes and they have been successfull at overcoming their problems. I realize it's a huge battle, because it's a battle with myself, and I also realize it's not something that will just ... poof... magically vanish on its own, but I try as hard as I can.
Posting on this forum has some sort of therapeutical value for me, so I'll keep doing that. Good luck to all of you (us) facing this.

[JC71]

Hi

I have just joined this forum for exactly the same reasons as you. I have posted a comment similar as below:

Ive been reading all of the threads which has put my mind at ease a little but would like to know if any of you have had the same symptoms as Im having, and how long has your anxiety attacks been going on for. Do they last as long as mine, a few weeks???

I have been really frightened and have been having lots of various symptoms for about 2/3 weeks now, almost constantly. I have been having sharp shooting pains in my head and ears, shivers and hot sweats, feeling sick, short of breath, but mainly feeling weak and having jelly like muscles and pins and needles in my hands and feet. I have thought every sympton is a serious illness such as MS, Cancer, tumours, stroke, heart attack, etc.

I went to the docs a few days ago and explained my symptoms to him,  he checked my senses, my eye sight, my blood pressure, and told me it was probably panick/anxiety. He told me to go back in two weeks if I didnt feel better and he would arrange tests. I have recently left a very stressful job on bad terms, and have moved house which could have caused anxiety, but I still cant cant help but fear the worst and thinking Im dying of something or other.

Have any of you had the same symptons, and how long has your anxiety lasted? Has it lasted a couple of weeks or more?

Thanks, JC

[manxious]

thank you everyone! all of your comments pretty much just confirmed what i already knew, but it just seems like all of these symptoms HAVE to be from something wrong with me. i guess that i just need to learn how to stop freaking out all of the time. do any of you feel like you get these symptoms when you're not even worrying about anything at the time? how do you deal with those panic/anxiety attacks that just pop up out of nowhere?

[Ms_C]

I used to have such a hard time sleeping. If I try napping during the day, it seems like I am awake and my heart is just pounding. My doctor gave me celexa, I only took it twice and it was a very low dose but it made me feel awful so I stopped taking them. I don't like taking medications at all even though I have been told they will help. I have started seeing a transformational life and body coach, which has helped a lot but i still have some anxiety. Thank you so mucha nd please know that I am also here for you!!

[Jstine2388]

I have all of those exact symptoms. Its horrible. I also would wake up in the middle of the night feeling my heart skip and thinking it was going to stop. my doctor gave me zoloft, but I refuse to take medication because I have myself convinced theres something more wrong with me. I'm absolutely terrified of dying. I truly hope the best for you! Keep us updated and please know we are here to talk whenever you need someone :)

[Ms_C]

Yes, it is anxiety. I always have different symptoms, I
m so terrified of dying and I don't understand why!! It's something I have no control over. If it helps at all go to anxietycentre,com there are so many different symptoms you will be amazed. Every time I get anxiety or I start to panic I always go back to the site and I reassure myself it's only anxiety. It doesn't always work but usually.

[gdjs]

All anxiety symptoms. Have you tried xanax? Your body is reacting to stress, If you dont want to try meds, you will need to learn to calm yourself down. I know its easier said than done, but you have to train yourself to get through the actual panic or worry. You are so young, and shouldnt have to live like this. So many people suffer from it, but dont talk about it. This is a perfect place for you to see other people are exactly the same. Good Luck & feel better.