Need to understand what Anxiety can really do

Hi Everyone -

I am so glad to have found this forum. I have been suffering with Panic/Anxiety disorder for years. 5 years ago I started developing symptoms outside of my "normal" panic attack symptoms. I went to the doctor and they ran numerous tests since I felt that what I was suffering from was more than just anxiety. I have had SO many tests in the last 5 years and still NO diagnosis....However, I have had doctors tell me that I suffer from severe anxiety/panic disorder and even possibly some other form of somatoform disorder.

I need to know if anxiety can TRULY cause the following symptoms. I am having a hard time believing that anxiety can actually cause the symptoms I am suffering from. Yet I have to say ...... I have had SO many tests and no answers maybe I should start believing it is anxiety?!? Here are my symptoms:

1. Visual disturbances such as episodes of blurred/dim vision, sparkly vision, lots of floaters

2. Headaches/Migraines

3. Dizziness/Vertigo

4. Numbness in different parts of the body and tingling

5. Episodic Chest and Joint pain

6. Feelings of unreality or like Im "not really there" with floating sensations/lightheaded

7. Palpitations/skipped heart beats

Most of all when extending my neck or back I can bring on dizziness. I will admit I have been VERY tense the last 5 years....So much that I wonder if its possible that I myself created pinched nerves which worsen the dizziness? Is it even possible that someone can be so stressed/anxious that they can create symptoms??????

Welcome Neurogurl!

It is definitely possible to be so stressed/anxious that you can create symptoms. In fact, a lot of people (myself included) with anxiety disorders have so many scary physical symptoms that they end up being afraid of the anxiety itself which of course makes it a million times worse. I have experienced all of the symptoms that you listed except for dizziness getting worse when I extend my neck/back. It really is amazing how strongly the mind can affect our bodies. The most scary of these is the heart palpitations, but I have been assured many times that my heart is fine. It is just the anxiety. I do notice that each time I am anxious/panicky I get different symptoms.. they vary from time to time. Sometimes I get so anxious that I literally throw up, other times I get dizzy and start having tingling in my hands, other times I get heart palpitations/chest pain, etc.

Since you say that you have been checked out by doctors and all is fine, I suggest that you start to focus on reducing your anxiety level. One of the most helpful things is to find a therapist that you really like and trust. Don't feel like you are stuck with the first therapist you see because they are all different. I have been lucky that I have had very understanding, helpful therapists and it has made so much difference for me. I've had anxiety since I was a little kid (elementary school) and did not get any real help with it until I got to college. Up until that time, I had to learn to cope on my own through simple trial and error. I was very determined to get better and I did improve a lot over time, but it was really hard. I do think, however, that it wasn't until I began to see a therapist that I could really live a normal life. I don't necessarily know if this was because of the therapist or if I would have gotten to that point anyways, but I like to think that my therapist was at least a good part of it. I've seen three different therapists, and all of them were very supportive and helpful in teaching me to accept who I am and to learn to trust myself. I was also given an anti-depressant and klonopin (a benzodiazepam - I don't know if that's spelled right), and I believe that they gave me the edge to get past some of the more difficult aspects of my anxiety.

Basically, what I want you to know is that there is hope and that you can get better. I thought I would never, ever get to a point in my life when I felt like I could function like a normal person, and look at me now!

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.
toutserabon

PS sorry this was long.. guess I'm in a writing mood right now ;)

Wow, I live ALL of your symptoms. Not necessarily all at once or even everyday, but I have vertigo on and off and had it really bad for two months straight.

Headaches could be caused from the stress of the anxiety. I have constant headaches.

I experience tingling and numbness.

The feelings of unreality is called "derealization". I get this alot. I had it for YEARS when I was a teenager and thought I was completely out of it and would never feel normal.

I have joint pain and a tense neck/shoulders. Stretching the muscles out in my neck is so painful that I can imagine it could cause you dizziness. For me it just causes a headache. My joint pain is in my hands and ankles. I don't associate those with anxiety. I don't know what causes it really.

Palpitations SUCK I would like to add. It feels like my heart is going to LEAP out of my chest for how hard it beats. I've heard a lot of members here having the "skipped beats". Frightening but it happens.

Maybe you should try doing yoga or meditation. I do meditation and it helps clear my mind, ease my tension in my muscles, and calms me. Yoga is just great for stretching.

Just my two cents.

TG~

Thanks everyone, and your right no one understands....except for you guys :) My headaches do not always start after the visual stuff. As far as the vertigo I constantly feel off balance .... I honestly believe I have some condition that the doctors are missing and that the anxiety is a symptom and not the cause. Although I have had soooo many tests.....ugh this is so tiring.

Yep I get all those symptoms too everyday and have also have every I mean EVERY test known to man even balance and inner ear tests cause I feel like im walking around on a boat all the time because my balance is so messed up! At times it makes me feel crazy because the Dr's tell you everything in fine and your tests are fine but you feel the furthest thing from fine often times just feel like your going to drop dead at any second!

Ive also had anxiety my whole life especially health anxiety and when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and treated 9 years ago the anxiety became much worse cause I thought I would drop dead from it! Though the Lyme disease is gone the increased anxiety that having all the health problems I did for years still remains, and it's pretty much ruining my life!

This whole anxiety thing is awful I wish we could all trade places with someone that was laid back and had little or no anxiety! That would be awesome!!

Jess

The doctors didnt know what was wrong with me for years my immune system was messed up and I kept getting infection after infection. Ear infections, sinus, bladder and woulod run a low grade fever for no reason often at night. I also has having joint pain, well mainly just my knees they would ache and crack. I also had a lot of muscle stiffness in my shoulders and neck which I still have which causes headaches. The headaches arnt as had as they used to be but they are still there several times a week. I actualy came across the Lym symptoms myself after being tested for everything else and having it come back normal, my lyme test finally came back CDC postive the first time.

I was treated with antibiotice for several years which helped the knee pain and constant infections though all my anxiety related symptoms still remain today which im told isnt Lyme but extreme anxiety which the stress from the Lyme disease cause to get worse.

So im currently stuck the constant dizziness, balance issue, light sensitivity, nerve burning, arms and legs fall asleep all the time, im constantly tired, muscle aches, rapid heartrate, trouble sleeping, stomach issues, and pretty much anything else you can find under a definition of anxiety symptoms. Many of these I didnt have before I was diagnosed with Lyme disease but was tod by several doctors if they super high doses of antibiotics had not helped these problems it wasnt from the Lyme disease but from the extreme anxiety.

I was born and anxious person and have been as far back as I can remember, though it seems with many of us that suffer from anxiety problems that illnesses and other life stressers can bring new and worse anxiety symptoms than we previously had.

So im currently working on undoing the increased anxiety that being sick for so long without answers has caused.

If you have any questions about Lyme disease feel free to ask I think I have read every book on Lyme and treating it with modern and natural medicine. Ive spent years reading about it and what a tricky and confusing disease it can be!

Jess