jupiter28
13-09-11, 08:19
Hello,
I've been reading these boards for a while now and have found they've really helped me, but I've only just plucked up the courage to post! I'm a long time sufferer of anxiety - I'm 23 now but can remember having a panic attack at the age of 4. I've always struggled with it and had periods where it's worsened, but in the past 4 years my anxiety has been awful pretty much all the time and as a result my body has been under huge amounts of stress. During that time, I've completed my degree, moved away from home to London on my own, started a new job (twice) and moved flats twice. The anxiety has been rubbish for a long while now, and I'm quite used to getting all sorts of symptoms. I feel nauseous the majority of the time, get dizziness, shaking, weak feelings, tremors, IBS, headaches, random aches and pains... I really struggle with travelling, even the 20 minute journey to work, and often panic at the mere thought of going out.
Over the past few months, my feelings have suddenly got worse. I changed doctors practices and my new doctors immediately recognised the anxiety, giving me a referral for CBT and a regular prescription of propranalol. Still feeling terrible, I was then told 8 weeks ago that I have chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, most probably as a result of the anxiety. I had a huge set of blood tests at the end of July which all came back fine apart from a vitamin D deficiency, which I'm now taking tablets for. However, much to my annoyance, in the meantime I seem to have developed health anxiety. About 5 weeks ago now, I had a particularly stressful week, and as soon as I relaxed slightly the gland above my right collarbone swelled up. It was also very painful, but I didn't seem to have any other signs of infection. The swelling went down after a few days, but the pain remained although it moved slightly, spreading up my neck into my ear so my ear would feel numb, or down my shoulder and hurting my arm. At the same time, the veins on my right shoulder and down into my chest became more visible. I also started having chest pains, diagnosed as costochondritis (my upper chest is painful to touch), and then got a cough and sore throat. I was given a course of antibiotics, which did absolutely nothing, so I went back to the doctors and told them I was concerned about lymphoma. To cut a long story short I've now seen 4 doctors, all of whom have examined me and told me my glands aren't even swollen, and my other symptoms are caused by anxiety and ME - the pain in my collarbone I was told was muscular. I have a hard time believing them at all, but at the weekend I managed to finally relieve the pain under my collarbone by lying down for a long while with a hot water bottle on it. However, then the glands in the left of my neck started to ache! The gland under my jaw intermittently feels like I've been punched in the face, and my neck sometimes aches (several times a day). After going back to the doctors so many times it was suggested I start taking Citalopram to help, which I've had before but not for about a year. I started the Citalopram on Wednesday evening, and since Thursday night have been waking up sweating in the night, so another lymphoma symptom to add to my list. At the same time, I also started to get a very itchy face and scalp, which has persisted and sometimes spreads to my neck and torso too, as well as a really weird feeling of fullness and tingling/burning in my face. I went back to the doctor AGAIN yesterday and was told the night sweats are just the tablets, and I still have perfectly normal glands. He couldn't explain the itching, but said probably just anxiety. I know that both these things could well be the tablets, and are also common symptoms of ME, but I just feel convinced they're lymphoma. On Tuesday last week, I also started for the first time to feel really breathless a few times a day, another symptom of lymphoma being in the chest. I've never had this before, and although I know it's a common anxiety symptom, it causes my chest to hurt and is horrible. Additionally, I read about the spleen being enlarged and since yesterday have had pain in my spleen/upper abdomen! I really hate all this and just feel sure it’s lymphoma, even though equally I know all this could be caused by the power of my mind, the Citalopram or the ME or a combination of all three. I’ve been told by the doctor I need to accept that I’m really not well and try to focus on how I can feel better, but I’ve never been much good at that! Just wondered if anyone had any similar experiences or advice?
Many thanks :)
I've been reading these boards for a while now and have found they've really helped me, but I've only just plucked up the courage to post! I'm a long time sufferer of anxiety - I'm 23 now but can remember having a panic attack at the age of 4. I've always struggled with it and had periods where it's worsened, but in the past 4 years my anxiety has been awful pretty much all the time and as a result my body has been under huge amounts of stress. During that time, I've completed my degree, moved away from home to London on my own, started a new job (twice) and moved flats twice. The anxiety has been rubbish for a long while now, and I'm quite used to getting all sorts of symptoms. I feel nauseous the majority of the time, get dizziness, shaking, weak feelings, tremors, IBS, headaches, random aches and pains... I really struggle with travelling, even the 20 minute journey to work, and often panic at the mere thought of going out.
Over the past few months, my feelings have suddenly got worse. I changed doctors practices and my new doctors immediately recognised the anxiety, giving me a referral for CBT and a regular prescription of propranalol. Still feeling terrible, I was then told 8 weeks ago that I have chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, most probably as a result of the anxiety. I had a huge set of blood tests at the end of July which all came back fine apart from a vitamin D deficiency, which I'm now taking tablets for. However, much to my annoyance, in the meantime I seem to have developed health anxiety. About 5 weeks ago now, I had a particularly stressful week, and as soon as I relaxed slightly the gland above my right collarbone swelled up. It was also very painful, but I didn't seem to have any other signs of infection. The swelling went down after a few days, but the pain remained although it moved slightly, spreading up my neck into my ear so my ear would feel numb, or down my shoulder and hurting my arm. At the same time, the veins on my right shoulder and down into my chest became more visible. I also started having chest pains, diagnosed as costochondritis (my upper chest is painful to touch), and then got a cough and sore throat. I was given a course of antibiotics, which did absolutely nothing, so I went back to the doctors and told them I was concerned about lymphoma. To cut a long story short I've now seen 4 doctors, all of whom have examined me and told me my glands aren't even swollen, and my other symptoms are caused by anxiety and ME - the pain in my collarbone I was told was muscular. I have a hard time believing them at all, but at the weekend I managed to finally relieve the pain under my collarbone by lying down for a long while with a hot water bottle on it. However, then the glands in the left of my neck started to ache! The gland under my jaw intermittently feels like I've been punched in the face, and my neck sometimes aches (several times a day). After going back to the doctors so many times it was suggested I start taking Citalopram to help, which I've had before but not for about a year. I started the Citalopram on Wednesday evening, and since Thursday night have been waking up sweating in the night, so another lymphoma symptom to add to my list. At the same time, I also started to get a very itchy face and scalp, which has persisted and sometimes spreads to my neck and torso too, as well as a really weird feeling of fullness and tingling/burning in my face. I went back to the doctor AGAIN yesterday and was told the night sweats are just the tablets, and I still have perfectly normal glands. He couldn't explain the itching, but said probably just anxiety. I know that both these things could well be the tablets, and are also common symptoms of ME, but I just feel convinced they're lymphoma. On Tuesday last week, I also started for the first time to feel really breathless a few times a day, another symptom of lymphoma being in the chest. I've never had this before, and although I know it's a common anxiety symptom, it causes my chest to hurt and is horrible. Additionally, I read about the spleen being enlarged and since yesterday have had pain in my spleen/upper abdomen! I really hate all this and just feel sure it’s lymphoma, even though equally I know all this could be caused by the power of my mind, the Citalopram or the ME or a combination of all three. I’ve been told by the doctor I need to accept that I’m really not well and try to focus on how I can feel better, but I’ve never been much good at that! Just wondered if anyone had any similar experiences or advice?
Many thanks :)