don't believe these pains are caused by anxiety!!

[farley1109]

Hi all, im new to this forum :) sorry if I waffle on but here's my story!..

I've always suffered from bad periods but just to be on he safe side the doc put me in for a laparoscopy to check for endo ect.. that was in October!.. so I recovered from that and 2 weeks later I was really poorly chest pains, stomach pains, throwing up a lot, pains in arms and legs which I was sent for a endoscopy and colonoscopy which showed I had gastritis so that explains the chest/stomach pains and throwing up!.. now i'm not sure if that's where this all started having those pains panicking and then developing the rest from being anxious!.. I've also had blood tests for thyroid, CBC, Calcium, Vit D, Cortisol, celiac and probably more (as ive had so many) but can't remember the only one which was low was my Vit d but I have raised it back up now!.. now my physical symptoms are: (even when I'm not feeling anxious)

Headaches
Sore Scalp
constant blurred/off vision
pains in arms/legs almost feels like bone pain????
throbbing pain in arms/legs
skin feels bruised when pressed
shoulder, neck pain
joint pain
fast heartbeat

I am a stay at home mum in a village who doesn't drive and my partner works long hours so I am at home a lot with my 2 year old since being like this haven't been seeing my friends much. so is this anxiety/depression? I don't feel depressed but certainly feel anxious about my health all the time!!.. i'm on citalopram only 10mg maybe I need a higher dose?!..

to top all this off I have found a lump in my left breast been to have it checked out and have been referred to have an ultrasound on it (only waited 2 months for the app to come through :/ its in 2 weeks time) last week I found out my auntie has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and it has spread to her organs she only has a few months to live! :( my health anxiety has gone through the roof since then.. I constantly feel sick and feel my lump! breast cancer doesn't run in the family my auntie is the first and she's 65 im 26!.. but I can't help fear the worst.. im soooo scared!! :( :( as having bone pain I fear that I have breast cancer and its spread to my bones!!

I would love to have someone to talk to who is going through similar???

thanks for reading I know its long and boring lol.. :) :) :)

[joelhall]

It is virtually impossible to give you a definite cause of these symptoms given your past and present health, and that they are such general symptoms. I would recommend you wait for your test results and follow up so this can be properly assessed. If you check your breasts regularly and this lump is new and does turn out to be malignant, metastasis so early is unlikely.

[farley1109]

Hi Joelhall thanks for the reply!.. well when I had my app at the hosp before being referred for an ultrasound she did say what she felt wasn't really a lump and she wasn't to worried and said 'on clinical examination both breasts and axillae was remarkable' which eased my mind abit but then the health anxiety kicks in again!.. why cant I just accept that shes the expert and not worried why am I???. grrrrrr.!!... lol..

[NeilSimpson]

Hi and welcome :)

I too suffer with some symptoms I don't believe can be due to anxiety but 9/10 times they are...

In regards to your shoulder/neck/arm pain and the bruising feeling... ask your doctor to see into your trapezius muscle... I injured mine before and it played absolute hell with the nerves in my neck and back which also affected my arms.

You will find help and support here so don't be like me and afraid to ask anything :)

NEIL xxx

[farley1109]

Hi Neil, thanks for replying! :) so nice to have found this forum as I don't like to talk to my partner to much about my fears as he gets fed up sometimes!.. :/ what are your symptoms? if you don't mind me asking?.. always good to hear other peoples stories!.. I went to a physio (for my tension headaches) who didn't mention anything about my trapezius muscle I assume she would of checked my whole back.. xxx

[NeilSimpson]

LOL im always badgering my partner about my problems and yeah same thing,

Well I had health anxiety about 6 years back because I thought I was having a heart attack (pains in arm, tight chest), turned out to be a common problem called costochoritis, inflammation of the rib cartilage.

About 3 months ago I had intensive abdominal pains, made the HHHUUUGGGEEE mistake of looking on google and it threw up about 4 different cancers at me, cue major panic, fears and whatever... but when my health anxiety kicked off I got the lump in the throat (globus), again googled, upper oesophagus cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer... you name it I had it... now my anxiety is so bad I have constant bad bowel issues but the dr checked, all is well, and my muscle tension is so evil that one side of my throat feels closed although I have a tooth infection which hasn't helped lol

NEIL xxx

---------- Post added at 23:54 ---------- Previous post was at 23:44 ----------

Oh forgot to say LOL, the abdominal pains were 2 strained abdominal muscles and my throats fine...I asked about the trapezius because when it hurts, it can affect most of your upper body

NEIL xxx

[Marni]

Stress can affect your period 100%
My period went from 5 days long too 12, would always be late ect.
I had to see another dr besides my own and he was so mean. I'd told him about my anxiety and he had to go throw cancer out there!
I returned too see my dr the next day who put on a complaint about the other and gave me a scan to ease my mind. It was just cysts and he also thinks the stress was doing it.

In march I had an gastroscopy and was too told I had gastritis, it definetly can cause all the pain, including chest pain and vomiting.

I can relate to your first 5 symptoms you're experiencing.
The bone pain could be from the low vitamin d which I also suffer from and bone pain is a known symptom.
Anxiety is such a horrible and scary thing. It's so hard too believe that it can cause physical symptoms but when you're tense all the time of course it's going too cause havoc through your body.
Good luck with your ultrasound, it's probably just a cyst, I have some that go up and down around my period. Good thing you're getting it checked either way :)