Physical signs of Anxiety for 12 months?

[Bevy1402]

Hi all, I am a new user and really at my wits end with physical problems that I 70% believe to be from anxiety however my anxiety is because of the physical problems and worrying about them...vicious cycle I know.

So ill take you back 12 months ago when I had my beautiful little boy, I was loving having this bundle of joy however when he was 3 weeks old I went to bed one night and my tongue suddenly swelled up, went very dry and rough and I had acid reflux which was stopping me from swallowing my own saliva. It was that bad I thought I was going to choke to death. This sensation stayed with me for 7 months and did not let up at anytime. I was dizzy, my tongue got worse and worse and 12 months on is still bad but not as bad.

I know suffer from terrible anxiety but not mentally as such just physical things like tight chest, stiff muscles, dizziness and I have had a number of panic attacks lately due to starting citalopram as the doctor thinks I should go on it (only been 4 weeks and I feel worse not better.

My main thing is I wish to see if anyone else has suffered anything like this? Also to see if my tongue thing could be deep oral thrush as during labour I was on IV antibiotics for at least 8 hrs, also on IV hormones twice to start labour and to stop me from bleeding after birth.

The main symptoms of my tongue are:

1. Very dry just on top mainly at back
2. Cracks in my tongue
3. Red smooth patches which at time can be sore
4. Swells up sometimes
5. Difficulty swallowing

I have had the following:

1. Endoscopy - slight acid reflux shown but think motility issues which cause spasms
2. Full blood tests twice - all fine
3. I have been given nystatin - didn't do much
4. Was given Flucanozole - did wonders but it came back
5. I'm currently waiting for oral health specialist appointment

I clench my teeth at night and every morning wake up with sore shoulders and wear a splint for this.

I don't drink alcohol and take diazepam now and again for panic attacks but don't like them as a family member was hooked for years on them.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis just anyone who can relate and maybe point out that this can all just stem from anxiety as I'm mentally fine and loving life just the physical affects causing me daily misery.

Thanks for taking the time to read this in advance x

[Tufty]

:welcome: Bevy

I can relate to your story and have had many of your symptoms, firstly suffering from anxiety after the birth of my daughter 16 years ago and problems with my tongue for the past year.

All the physical symptoms you describe can be put down to anxiety and it's a vicious circle of thinking and worrying about the physical symptoms which leads to an increase in the symptoms. Has it been suggested that you have any CBT or talking therapy?

I've read lots about vitamin and mineral deficiency causing oral problems - particularly redness and soreness of the tongue, however the NHS will not routinely test for these as it is believed with our diet deficiencies are unusual. Pregnancy depletes our nutritional reserves so it may be part of the reason for your tongue problems. I take magnesium, vit B and c, zinc and iron and it has improved my tongue. I still have tingling in my tongue - it's often called burning mouth syndrome but as with nearly every imaginable condition, anxiety is thought to be a cause.

So in answer to your question, yes I believe it is possible to have only the physical symptoms of anxiety, you are a strong person and your body is feeling the anxiety but you are not mentally registering it. Relief may be found by recognising and reducing your anxiety, maybe some daily relaxation or meditation, practicing some mindfulness, taking some time out for yourself, you have nothing to lose and it may reduce your symptoms. Maybe just accepting that your body is feeling the symptoms of anxiety and letting those symptoms be, without judging or worrying could help.

Sam x

[clio51]

Hi Bevy:)

just to say I too have been to an oral consultant which was £200 (lucky for me i had private insurance)
He basically ask few questions then had a look inside my mouth. He said my mouth looked fine no palpable abnormality,no cervical lymphadenopathy and no suggestion of dryness of the mouth. saying that these were normal clinical findings.He then went on to say it is liking I have Burning Mouth Syndrome or a variation thereof and that it is related to my generalised anxiety. He then said he assured me I had nothing serious and the only successful form of treatment is a antidepressant such as Nortryptiline but this would also give me a dry mouth.The coating on my tongue he said was dead epithelial cells( I thought I had thrush and was given Nystatin)
I Have also had my teeth checked as I get a taste in my mouth(thinking it was my amalgam fillings) dentist said no leakage.
The roof of my mouth and around my top teeth gums feel sore, also tongue and very recently like a nerve pain/feeling in my front top teeth.
This adds to my anxiety as its horrible and is there 24/7 and i'm constantly looking for something to help with it.
Ive found another thing called treating and beating geographic tongue the symptoms are very much the same have a read.
I to take vit b complex, zinc, starflower oil,magnesium.

If you do manage to get rid please do tell.

[Bevy1402]

Thank you so much for your replies!

I was meant to start therapy tomorrow after waiting 12 weeks but the therapist is sick so I start next week. I'm feeling positive about it and I agree that I may not be mentally registering my feelings so will be great to have someone who knows what they are looking for talk to me.

I strongly believe that 'burning mouth syndrome' and 'geographic tongue' are possibilities and are linked to anxiety as anxiety stops our bodies functioning properly hence why we get dry mouth. I think this dry mouth can create a really good home for unwanted bacteria and maybe this is why the bad tongue thing happens. I get little red spots that are sore that seem to spread into smooth patches. My tongue also bleeds a tiny bit in places if I brush it when it's sore.

I think I may pay to see a good acupuncturist/Chinese medicine practitioner as they do not pay attention to anything other than your tongue.

I think like most people/experts say its the cycle of thinking that creates this awful anxiety but its really hard when no one can give you a straight answer about the health of your tongue.

Also I have been recommended 'mindfulness' as this breaks down your thought and expectations and teaches you to become aware of your surroundings and not on yourself all the time.

Also last but not least magnesium is supposed to help with the physical symptoms of anxiety so I might give that a try.

I will keep posting and if I EVER do get an answer about my tongue you will here me shouting from the rooftops with joy...and Ill post on her ;-) x

[Bevy1402]

So I found the answer to my problems after a long 14 months!!!! After loads of blood tests and still no answers I did lots of research and asked for a specific blood test and my doctor said 'if that was low you would know about it' but gave me the test to shut me up....low and behold I was right and the cause of everything is down to a very low ferritin level. The range is 12 to 200 I believe and I am 6. Symptoms are heart palpitations, anxiety, depression, weakness, dizziness, sore muscles, headaches, irritability etc etc and the biggest one I have being sore and dry tongue. Levels should be around 50+ to feel ok so I would recommend anyone to get this test. Hopefully a long course of iron tablets (ferrous fermerate) and treatment of my heavy periods should finally make me feel better. B xxx

[Emphyrio]

Bevy - is the ferritin test different from a standard blood test where they measure iron? I've had a standard blood test in the past that measured thyroid, iron, coelic etc but everything was fine. I have a number of the symptoms that you have - they seemed to come on around 2 years ago - I was under some stress but not extreme stress at the time.

How did you know that you needed a ferritin test though? There seem to be lots of different possible physical causes for weakness, headaches, anxiety etc.

[Bevy1402]

It's a specific test I believe so not part of the full blood count as I had that done over 5 times which showed nothing wrong so everyone branded me as suffering with anxiety. I've only been on iron tablets 3 days and I'm feeling a little more energy and my tongue is getting pinker after being white and pretty swollen looking. I'm happy I have found this out but angry that this was not picked up earlier as 14 months has been lost and when I say I felt awful with this I'm not exaggerating...if your levels are as low as mine you can lose your hair and be very weak so I wonder how long the doctor would have treated me for anxiety if I hadn't of been so strong with him.

I hope you find out what's causing you to feel so bad...it's a horrible place not knowing xxx

---------- Post added at 01:07 ---------- Previous post was at 00:59 ----------

Forgot to say I knew something was wrong as I felt so weak and fragile which is just not like me. I was sleeping ok, I wasn't drinking alcohol, I was under stress but the physical symptoms were unbearable even with antidepressants and diazepam. My tongue though was the biggest giveaway it has been sore and dry for 14 months solid and my dentist said to me that he thought my immune system was whacked. I have tried everything for 14 months...oral thrush treatments, anxiety and depression treatments, eating healthy, relaxation treatments, the pill and various supplements but nothing stopped any of the symptoms but one thing was my symptoms got worse every month after my period so I just knew it had to be something to do with that and I was right. Xxx

[Emphyrio]

Thanks for that Bevy. I don't have the tongue issues but part of me wonders why my immune system appears so hypersensitive (not to mention the fatigue issues). Although I do think that in my case, some of the symptoms may have been exacerbated somewhat by coming off medication too quickly/excessive alcohol intake at times. Its entirely possible that its anxiety-related of course, but I keep wondering whether there is some underlying physical issue that I haven't picked up yet.

I guess I should ask for the ferritin and B12 tests just for peace of mind really. Dunno whether the Dr will be so accommodating however...

[Jull]

Crack in tongue? Was it geographic tongue?
I remember reading an article about this disease, it really looks terrible!
https://authorityremedies.com/home-remedies-for-geographic-tongue/ yeah here it is! found it again. Perhaps you should take a look.. :( Hope it wasn't like your symtoms!

[Capercrohnj]

Ferritin is separate from CBC though usually if your ferritin is low so is your hemoglobin but I recommend asking about ferritin

---------- Post added at 21:34 ---------- Previous post was at 21:32 ----------

Do you take omeprazole or another proton pump.p inhibitor for your heart burn? They can lower your iron.