Dear doctor,
After years of searching for my "feelings" I think that I finally found a name for it. Neuropathy.
-My feelings involve (burning/electrical/irritating/itchy) feeling mostly in my thighs, arms and hands and ankle joints. Not on the skin but kinda more to the bone or the nerves.
This all started when I was about 12 years old. Now I am 28. I experienced this shock when I got suddenly and extremly scared of something. The first few years it was extreme and unbearable. I felt this feeling in most of my body including the brain. What also came with it was depersonalization or derealization. There was no doctors available because it was a war zone.
When I finally got out of that country, about 5 years later, doctors diagnosed me with depression and anxiety. I started anti-depressants and was feeling much better than the first 5 years.
Now I still have this feeling 24/7 but it is moderate and I feel some pressure in my brain. The "pain" worsens and lessens throughout the day depends of how stresfull I get. SMOKING cigarettes makes it much worse. Depersonalization, POOR MEMORY and lack of concetration is present.
My questions to you are,
1: Could this neuropathy be all from my diagnosed chronic anxiety or can anxiety cause the same symptoms?
2: Can sudden extreme fear cause neuropathy?
3: Can neuropathy cause memory loss?
Also to mention, less that 2 years ago I saw a neurologist, did a brain CT scan and he said he didn't see nothing wrong. I didn't mention neuropathy to him because I didn't know how to explain it.
So to repeat, the first few years it was unbearable, then it got severe and now changes from mild to moderate (mostly moderate) especially when I think or talk about it.
Other symptoms/conditions that I now still have are:
-Generalized anxiety disorder + lots of stress
-Some depression and OCD
-Depersonalization
-POOR MEMORY (both long and short term)
-Lack of concetration
-Impotence (may be from anti-depressants)
The last 3 started about 3 years ago.