Can anxiety make me feel this ill?

I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for about 16 years on and off.
I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this:

After going through a stressfull period, through which I've managed to cope, with the odd panic attack, once everything's settled down and I can relax, I start to feel really ill. First I get dizzy spells and then I start to feel as though I'm coming down with flu except the flu never materialises. I just feel as though I have a low grade fever with a head ache for most of the time and it can go on for weeks and weeks.

It's happened three times to me. Last time I went for all sorts of blood tests because I was convinced there was something very wrong with me. They couldn't find anything and my husband decided to take me away on a holiday. On the first day there all my symptoms disappeared.

I've had a very stressful few month since Christmas and now that things are back to normal I've started feeling ill again. I want to put it down to anxiety but there's still a niggling little voice in my head telling me there's something medically wrong.

Please, if anyone has experienced this, tell me about it. I just need some reassurance and if I know what it is I'll just put up with it knowing it'll eventually go.

Thanks
Becky

Hi Becky,
obviously it goes without saying that maybe you should see your doctor just to make sure all is OK but having said that suffering from anxiety & panic for so long most likely the cause of your fatigue.
I don't want to write my whole history here but you can always check out some of my old posts to see what I've been through. In a nutshell I was a chronic worrier since I was a child which turned in to anxiety & then panic attacks. When I look back now I can see that my body was sending me 'messages' to change things & deal with this in the form of aching arms & legs & a feeling of weakness although only 'perceived' weakness.
Then I had 3 or 4 major stresses happen around the same time-longer hours at work, perimenopause which caused my anxiety to become overwhelming, too many demands at home & my mums death-& it was like my body just said enough & I fell ill with exhaustion. I have never felt so ill in my life. Had all the tests-all normal-eventually diagnosed with CFS.
Have been working with a great therapist for 18 months mostly doing Reverse therapy but others too & he has helped me to understand that fear & anxiety can make you feel really ill but that once you change your way of thinking-& you can-you'll feel so much better.
Anyway, this has turned out to be longer than I wanted but just wanted to reassure you that this really just sounds like a 'hangover' from all that panic & anxiety. The fact that once your husband took you away you felt better is a very clear sign of this because I experienced that once too.
You don't need to just put up with it until it goes you need to change the way you think & deal with life stresses in a healthier way. This might mean finding a therapist who can help you with this.
Really hope you feel better soon!
Hope this helps,
Seffie xx

Thank you Seffie. Already after spending time here reading other people's posts and what they experience has helped me to accept that this is yet another symptom of anxiety and stress. I actually feel better this evening.
What a good way to describe it - a hangover. That's exactly what it is.
I would love to change my way of thinking and deal with the stress in a different way. Not so easy to find a good therapist where I live though.
I have had an incredibly stressful year so far and I think anyone would react badly to what I've been through. Still I wish I could be stronger. I'm terrified that something else will happen and I won't be able to cope with it.
I'm also peri-menopausal which doesn't help I know.
I'm going to find out about reverse therapy as you suggested.
Thank you.
Becky

Hi Becky,
really glad you're feeling better. I think it really helps to read others experiences as then you realise that what you're experiencing is 'normal'!
I found that I got caught up in cycle of fear-anxiety-exhaustion-fear & I needed someone to help me break this so that my body could calm down & get the rest it needed. Please don't think you're not strong, if you've had a bad year then, like you said, anyone would be struggling. The difference is you already have years of sensitising your body through anxiety & panic & so when life piles on more stress your body is already tired so your 'starting point' is different to other peoples. Interesting that you're also perimenopausal.
Another therapy worth looking in to for this kind of thing is Lightning Process. If you can't find a good therapist then maybe some of the self-help books might help. I found books on mindful meditation very helpful for coping with stress & anxiety. Just a few coping strategies can make a real difference but consistency is the key, I find it very easy to fall back in to old ways of thinking but eventually these new patterns become the new normal.
Hope you find something that helps!
Good luck & glad you feel better!
Seffie xx

I'm going to look for some self-help books and thanks for the advice.
I've always been an anxious person and started getting panic attacks almost 17 years ago. I just knew that when I hit my menopause years it would get worse. I'm really trying very hard to control it. I must say that this site is helping me alot. I'm going to continue with my research and if I find anything new I will definitely let you know.