Anxiety or stroke?

[julieG]

Hello all.

On a number of occasions one side of my face has gone tight; not numb or pins & needles, a feeling of as if you have just washed your face. Sometimes my ear rings too It is really freaking me out. It happened this morning big style and I had a real bad panic attack. Doc reckons it is stress related however I havent found any anxiety sufferer who experiences the same thing. DO YOU? I have convinced myself that it is mini strokes I am having and the big nasty one is just round the corner. I am beside myself with worry and am tempted to go private and pay for an MRI.

Any opinions? Thanks

Good day to you all.

Julie G

[Dan21]

Hi Julie.

My Mam suffered with 'mini strokes' or TIA's as they are called. She was knocked off her feet with them. She was temporarily paralised down one side and with all due respect, it was more than a feeling of pins and needles.

I'm starting to realise that stress can result in ALL manner of symptoms, no matter how great or small. I'm sure that your doctor is right, after all, how often do you hear of doctors giving an incorrect diagnosis?? I can imagine they would be strung up if they misdiagnosed a stroke as stress!!!!

-----------------------------
I want to go up to my anxiety, smile, put my arm around it and say to it caringly, 'Hey! How are you? How's your day been?'

Then, just as its about to answer me, I wanna throw a sack over it and give it a hiding within an inch of its life.

That would be nice.

[constantworrier]

Hi Julie,
I've been getting strange facial symptoms as well for the past few days. For me, it feels like there are cobwebs brushing against my skin...especially around my mouth. I had this a while ago and my Doctor told me it due to stress and cause by the completely harmless and temporary effect of overstimulation of the nerves, due to excess adrenaline, brought on by stress. When this first happened, some time ago, i like you, wondered what was happening to me and imagined allsorts. The sensations did stop after a few days though and i certainly did not suffer a stroke or have any lasting physical effects.
Like Dan says, anxiety and stress can cause a whole multitude of somatic sensations. Because your nervous system covers most of your body, if it goes into overdrive, it is possible to get strange sensations almost anywhere. Though such symptoms can be alarming, when we panic about them, this then produces more adrenaline which stimulates the nerves even more and can increase or prolong the sensations. I found that the way to stop this, was to reduce the adrenaline by relaxation...easier said than done i know! Doctors do have to be very careful to make sure they have ruled out physical illness before diagnosing stress.
Hope this helps,

CW :D

"Instead of seeing the rug being pulled from under us, we could learn to dance on a moving carpet." - Anon

[net]

i kno someone who had a series of mini strokes and the symptoms were different to yours.

i have ringing in my ears but doc said thats tinnitus although he said stress makes it worse cos i'm more aware of it

netty


the dreams of the future are better than the history of the past

[julieG]

Thank you for your replies. I really do appreciate them. I think maybe because I have suffered anxiety for 14 years on and off and never ever had this before (until the last 6 months), I find it hard to believe its nothing more sinister. I know a 'tight' face is not a significant factor in a stroke but I just hate and fear it so much. Unfortunately both my parents were misdiagnosed by GP's which has affected my faith in GP's although I know you are right that they have to cover their own backs too!!

Stress and anxiety are hell - how unfair that they do mimic almost everything nasty in the world and usualy moreso the thing you fear most.

Thanks again. Any more hints or stories you may hear, please let me know!!

Much appreciated

Julie x

[leanne1980]

hi

im so glad i found this coz ive got it at the mo, but its also going up in 2 my head, im getting scared thinking ive got a brain tumour, i hope what im getting is the same as what u describe

leanne xx

i just wanna feel normal

[jackie]

i get a similar thing all down my left hand side face and arm, i describe it as if im having a stroke. i was told it was a form of neuralgis caused by anxiety, harmless but really bad

i get this all the time and i hate it

jackie

[julieG]

Hello again and thanks.

Ive been to GP today to ask for a referral for an MRI. My GP again explained about the facial sensations. She mentioned things like taut muscles gripping nerves - she told me it takes pieces of a jigsaw to diagnose something and as far as strokes go - I have no peices at all whereas I have all the pieces of a jigsaw that make up anxiety. Hope it makes sense! P.S i didnt get my referral even though I offered to pay privately. She said I would be wasting my money - now if thats not reassurance i dont know what is!

Thanks for replying.

Good day to all

Julie

[leahbeans]

Hi Julie,
I am not a doctor but it does not sound like a stroke to me. How old are you? The signs of a stroke are: vision changes, weakness (pretty extreme), confusion, loss of consciousness etc. A stroke is actually a blood clot which doesnt allow enough blood and oxygen to reach your brain which actually makes part of your brain die. Which is ahy sometimes you'll see people in a wheelchair after a stroke because part of their motor function is premanently impaired. It just depends where it hits. I'm sure your MRI will give you all the reassurance you need. Try not to worry, and just realx, go for a walk and enjoy what God gave to you!
Take care and God Bless,
Leah

Leah Beans

[julieG]

Hi Leah.

Im 35 and thanks to google and such like, I have kindly been made aware that anyone of any age is susceptible and that some mini strokes are barely noticeable. As I said earlier my fear is that I will have a proper one as you described above. Highly unlikely I know but thats me and my irrational fear!!


Im not actually getting my much wanted MRI but Im hoping that the Doctors reassurance will carry me through this
until my meetings with my psychologist kick in.

Thanks, Julie

Good day to all x