Anxiety / Physical Symptoms

[anxiouskitten]

So....my journey began in early March of this year....while on a business trip, I experienced an allergic reaction to a cosmetic product...my eyelids and under-eye area became very red, scaly, inflammed....I took some Benadryl and went to sleep....at about 3:00 in the morning, I woke up and decided to take a look at my eyes to see if they were any better....they weren't...in fact, they seemed a bit worse....so I started Googling "allergic reactions" and, after reading all of the (potential) symptoms, decided I was having a full-on allergic reaction....I suddenly felt as though I couldn't breathe, my throat was tight, I felt light-headed, my heart started racing...I ended up taking a taxi to the local emergency room and was given Prednisone for the allergic reaction and sent back to my hotel....I felt okay that day and the next, but had another panic attack very early Thursday morning and had to phone my boyfriend to "talk me through it"....flew home the next day, felt okay....then Saturday of that week, my boyfriend and I were going shopping when I suddenly felt as though I couldn't breathe....I was flushed and lightheaded and my heart was racing....I made him take me to the emergency room where they did an EKG and told me that it was likely "just" an anxiety attack....gave me an Ativan and sent me home....five days later, I was back in the emergency room with the same symptoms (and the same diagnosis)....since that time, I have been experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety (primarily, dizziness/lightheadedness, achy/trembly muscles in my legs, depersonalization, and fatigue) almost every day....I'm in my fourth week of CBT with a therapist I really like and am in the process of weaning myself off the Ativan (under my doctor's supervision)....so here's the question....does anyone else feel the physical sensations every day? If so, how do you cope with them? I am doing my best to practice what I've learned in therapy, but some days it feels unmanageable.....any success stories out there??? (Please no horror stories....I'm already anxious enough!).

[violet12]

Hi there and welcome to NMP. :welcome:

In answer to your question yes I experience the physical symptoms everyday and mostly its all day everyday. I have the occasional respite but not very much. On the other hand I never experience full blown panic attacks these days, although I used to many years ago...and when you do its usually the fear of the panic attack itself that keeps it coming back. When a person experiences less intense but ongoing anxiety its known as GAD. Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Mine is due to Health Anxiety. Hope this helps clarify things a bit. You will find lots of information, help and support here so if you have any further questions just ask. :)

[anxiouskitten]

Thanks for the words of support...have you discovered any tips for dealing with the physical symptoms? I think that's where I'm struggling the most right now....even knowing that it's anxiety causing my symptoms, they're still very real.

[damianjmcgrath]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'm experiencing symptoms like violet 12. It's all day, every day and its symptom generated anxiety. I'm not anxious about any situations, I only feel anxious when the symptoms turn up. I think it's called somatic anxiety. I don't really have any negative thought patterns and don't actually think the worst, I think an appropriate reaction to the assumption. If someone has chest pain and dizziness, the appropriate response is to be concerned with heart. I'm not particularly scared of dying but I'm obviously worried about a heart problem. No one would reasonably be unconcerned at all by potential heart issues.

If I have no symptoms in a day, I'm absolutely fine. I can socialise, visit shops, do work presentations etc. When I have symptoms, I feel terrible and don't want to do anything. I genuinely am struggling to think anxiety is the cause because I'm not anxious. The symptoms also strike at random unrelated moments and I could be feeling chilled out.

People say real problems would be here all the time - mine are. In an average hour, I'll get symptoms of dizziness and chest aches 2/3 times. Between them, I feel fine and its not getting worse and it doesn't stay continuously but it isn't going away either. It's regular enough to cause concern. Doctors aren't interested though.

My question is always - if there's no anxious situations to avoid, if there's no negative thoughts to correct, how do you get rid of the symptoms?

[white1989]

I feel the same damian, I wish I knew how to get rid of the symptoms. the only thing that makes me feel anxious are my heart symptoms, so when people say anxiety causes the symptoms, I think its the other way round! it is a tricky one. I wish there was an escape route for us all so we could all feel better and get back to enjoying life! Best wishes everyone xx

[Beckybecks]

Hi Anxiouskitten. That's how it started for me (22 years ago) A side effect which caused anxiety and then full blown panic attacks. I wish I'd had somewhere like this to go so I could talk to fellow sufferers because I really thought I was going mad!

In my experience a panic attack is actually just a bad habit learnt by your mind. You have one in a place or situation and your mind tells you to react in exactly the same way each time you are again in that place or situation.

I found what worked best for me was knowledge and understanding which lead to control. And control is what you need. So do some research as to why your body produces all these symptoms. I was amazed at first that my body was capable of this, and all in the name of anxiety! But you'll see that there's a very good reason for each an every physical symptom you suffer during an attack.

Once you understand it, the attack loses its power somewhat and losing its power will reduce your fear of it. Because it's really just the fear of an attack that brings it all on and the more you fear the more intense the symptoms. The mind is really an amazing thing and we understand so little.

Hope this helps you.

[damianjmcgrath]

I think if I felt anxiety, I could control that and rationalise it away, and with my knowledge that it's caused by adrenaline or body chemicals, I'd be fine.

I don't feel anxious though. I feel chest pains and dizziness. I don't know how to control that.

[Beckybecks]

Hi Damianjmcgrath. If you've been for medical tests and they find nothing physically wrong then it's time for you to accept that these chest pains and dizziness ARE anxiety symptoms. It's not just a matter of feeling that emotion of anxiety. It comes in many forms and shapes. Our minds are extremely powerful. We really have no idea how powerful. You don't have to be trembling and chewing your nails all day to be considered as suffering from anxiety. There are so many symptoms. Do some research. I promise you, you'll be surprised. But you'll also be relieved.

[damianjmcgrath]

I think that's fine, and I'm happy to label them under the umbrella of anxiety, but when I don't feel anxious, and there's no obvious trigger, it is difficult to accept anxiety. I know I must accept it but I'm just saying I find it hard.

---------- Post added at 17:35 ---------- Previous post was at 16:56 ----------

Can someone move this back to the health anxiety forum please?