nerves firing all over body and head

[tamo]

Dear all Ive been in and out of the site for years now and had long spells of wellness but right now I am struggling . I have felt like this since about sep last year . I went through some difficult job changes and one of them was in security during nov dec and part of jan . this was the most horrible job ive ever had , it was cold and very demanding , searching staff etc then I took the worst cold virus ive ever had but worked through it doing days and nights . I feel ive never came down from the high level of stress which was constant with that job .
I am now in a much better job but cant seem to shake this anxiety off . I am drinking quite heavy on my 4 days off and the next day my nerves are on fire , actually this is nearly constant with random sharp nerve type pain all over body but the most distressing area is in my abdomen which causes me to flash panic and run to the loo . My fingers ache then scalp can hurt and feel creeping sensations and tingling . Front of thighs are hot and week , arm muscles feel hot and week sometimes sore . Now im wondering if I have alcoholic neuropathy . I read claire weeks books and audio to help me understand the panic state and I do understand it but feel trapped in this cycle of strange sensations and worry . I know if i take a drink to calm these feelings I will be much worse when it wears off . I am not on any medications but wonder if I should be . I,m 56 and feel im too old for all this crap , had it for so long its getting me down .
I read lots of your posts and understand how you feel and pray regularly that we can all find peace from this condition .

Bless

[skoosh1]

Hi Tamo, I've had the same feeling for 6 weeks now & today I'm totally exhausted with them. I've had the tingling, crawling & burning sensations all over every day. Its in my thighs alot & head and face. I'm also reading claire weeks book & trying to accept what she is saying. I'm trying to accept the feelings & go with them but they're not going away as I've been stressed with going back to work. It's so exhausting having these symptoms & having to cope without any meds as I'm not on them either. I'm just hoping and praying that eventually in time (let it pass) that these will leave me and I can carry on with my life. The more stress and worry only exaggerates these sensations we are getting but its a vicious circle:hugs:

[tamo]

Thanks skoosh1 , at least you and I share some of these debilitating symptoms ,i dont want anyone to have them but its good to see we are not alone . I used to attend AA and it was important for new members to understand this.
I am so looking forward to the better weather in the hope that when i start my gardening i will improve , ive never hated a winter as much as this one , even the snow of 2010 was better for me .
You know !! I sometimes wonder if when we let ( subconsciously) our anxiety levels get too high they/it gets stuck , as if the nerves are so triggered ALL THE TIME they react to the least bit of stimulus , for example watching a thriller on tv , they get confused and dont know its not real but just tv .
Yes ! i like you try hard to put Claire Weekes stuff into action, she talks sense ,it makes sense but harder than it sounds .

good luck

[skoosh1]

I agree Tamo with the bit that our anxiety levels are so high that they will never come down as the least thing seems to set them off again!! Looking forward to the summer also as long as I don't have this burning in the heat lol

[Charlie11]

Hi tamo. Sorry to here you are struggling. You should make an appt with your doc. There are so many ads out there now which could help you. Re the alcohol I too would drink wine at night to take away the anxiety and you do feel great at the time but like you the next day my anxiety was off the scale. I decided not to drink any more and I can also say the anxiety has got better ( not away by manageable). :)

[tamo]

Thanks Charlie ,

been to docs and got bloods done and all is fine except a slightly sluggish thyroid which doesnt require treatment . Ive looked into foods that help this and went a bought some such as coconut oil , almonds , flaxseed . Cut out anything with aspartame such as diet coke . Our GPs do not know how to treat anxiety they simply aren,t trained ,they are trying to give me diazepam but im not interested ( i was addicted to them 20 years ago ) .

The thing is and i guess i,m lucky but i can sometimes have spells of normality for example if im cosy watching a favorite tv show , love docs about trains and railways .

Any of you kind people tried with success any otc herbal things but not rescue remedy or calms .

thanks again

[blingkasa]

Hi, drinking does help at the time but the next day it gets worse. I do that when i feel stressed, get a bottle of wine and enjoy the sensation of being oblivious. But the next day is awful so cutting down on alcohol is the best way. All those nerve sensation are part of anxiety, i have anxiety and ocd so it is a nice mixture of crappy feelings right there :) Herbal teas can help, chamomile, honey and ginger, and claire weekes books are great, we need more Claire weekes kind of people on the planet. Hope you start to feel better, i know what its like, but it can get better.

[tamo]

Panic and constant anxiety through the roof today ,had 5 beauties since I got up . I saw in another post a guy was going to stay off alcohol for a while to see if things settle down ( i cant find his post) . I am going to attempt the same as I feel my drinking is keeping this alive . I drank 8 x 675ml bottles of lager @ 4.8% on Thurs night yes I know thats alot but i used to do that no bother years ago but it half kills me now .
Its just gon 7pm and i feel the best ive felt all day . Work tomorro and trying not to think of how i was today .

[HypoCanuck]

I used to drink a 10-12 beers every single night for years and years to get rid of anxiety. recall one day thinking I also had alcohol neuropathy but after quitting drinking allot of the symptoms went away. You can always go to the doctor and find out..

Are all these neurological symptoms related to anxiety? I always wonder that. I get the tingling in my hands and arms and also burning sensation - they last all day and night.

Can panic attacks or panic disorder last all day and night?

[stonecutter76]

I know alcohol can "help" but the problem is the subsequent day, and it compounds. Start tapering off the beer and set specific goals to get down to none. It's a vicious cycle, but I know you can do it!

I've been down your road but getting out of the alcohol cycle made vast improvements for me.

When I drink too much (nothing like I used to be able to), the next day panic is terrible.

[SLjimbo]

Same here! Alcohol makes us feel good temporarily when we're out partying with friends, but the next day all hell breaks loose and you're more anxious and jittery than usual. My big thing was having "impending doom" thoughts and I thought something bad or catastrophic will happen after a night of heavy drinking and I need to rush to the hospital.

I strongly would not recommend drinking alcohol just to cope with your anxiety, that's a big no-no.

There's just two things you need to do: moderate or quit altogether.