Can't stop worrying and self diagnosing

[ShortyW84]

Hi all, wondered if anyone else experienced the same as me.
It started about 4 months ago I started worrying about every little pain. Then whilst at work I got a random tingling feeling in my thighs and arms. It came and went for about a month I wasn't really worried. Then I started noticing especially in my thighs when sitting at work. Anxiety got the better of me and I googled it day and night convincing myself I had ms or a brain tumour.
Fast forward a few months I have seen 5 doctors who have put it down to anxiety. I've had all the relevant blood tests and they all came back fine. The latest doctor said my bloods show I'm far to healthy for anything to be wrong.
I started on citalopram 3.5 weeks ago they don't seem to of helped just made things worse. Muscle twitches, more tingling especially in my foot which seems constant.
I totally lost my appetite when all this started and that's worrying me more.
It's just a vicious circle! I just wondered if anyone else had the tingling and could reassure me it is normal and it can be anxiety! Sorry for the long post.

[Jonesle]

Unfortunately I haven't experienced tinglling, but I have experiences intense health anxiety, self diagnosing and self scrutiny. I had a bit of an episode last night where I broke down in tears because of it. Mine started with literally just looking at a mole that has been there for ages, literally "oh there's my mole" nothing unusual, then I kept noticing it more, wondering if it's cancerous, the. I started noticing lots of other ones, I'm fairly young so I'm going to get new ones which I've been noticing all the more, then it just spiralled out of control.
Been to doctors and dermatologists who are not conned but I am. I'm on tablets but there's no provision for cbt round he (in the welsh valleys where unemployment is high so people more likely to be depressed, go figure)
Google is your worse enemy. Started having stomach pains which tbh is normal for me as I think I have ibs, now wondering if it's more serious. Any lump bump or pain is a massive red flag to me. It's horrendous
Remember you're not alone and we can get through this, that homework for all post is good I've been reading through that stuff

[Fishmanpa]

This is from the "symptoms" link here on the page....

Numbness or tingling in hands and feet

What you feel:

You feel pins and needles in your hands and feet, or other parts of your body. Sometimes you get a feeling like a particular area of your body is numb or frozen. Other times you may feel a burning sensation in your arms, legs or face.

What causes this:

Since the nervous system conveys touch sensations to the brain, when the nervous system is over stimulated, it can sometimes send impaired information which will often be felt as a numbness, tingling or pins and needles. For example, when an individual pinches a nerve they usually feel the results of this as numbness or tingling in a certain part of the body.

Because the entire skin area of the body is touch sensitive (nerves cells connected to the brain through the nervous system network), any part of the skin or body can feel numb, tingly or as pins and needles.

Typically this sensation comes and goes, and will affect a wide range of body areas off and on. It's nothing to be concerned with and will subside once the nervous system gets sufficient rest.

[ShortyW84]

Wow thank you all for your responses. Fish man - thanks for the post it sounds spot on! Unfortunately whilst I'm worrying constantly my nervous system ain't gunna get a rest but I'm really going to try. When this all started I had a week off work to plan my birthday and don't remember feelin tingling as I was so relaxed but after that thigs have spiralled out of control.
Thank you for sharing your story jonesle it's always reassuring that we are not alone
Jayl - your post has reassured me, you have repeated what the doctor said to me too but it always seems better coming from someone else in the same sort of situation. I've jut turned 30 by the way which I think may have helped towards my anxiety! With that a stressful job and two young children (as lovely as they are). My Muscle twitches are weird like when you eye lid twitches for no reason, had them in my eye lid, feet and thighs, te doctor said it was prob my medication. Keep getting odd prickly feeling too these also started when I started on the meds so I'm blaming the meds or the fact the mess have made my anxiety worse (which I've been warne they will do). I worry about my muscles aching as I've heard that can be a sign of bad things but I run a lot an think I'm just picking up on everything and anything now!!!
I'm still worried about my appitite, I lost a fair bit of weight last year on a weight loss challenge at work (that I won along with £80 result!) but not I'm not eating I'm losing more and really don't have anymore to lose. But the more I worry the less I can eat!!!
Any way sorry essay over! Guess the key is to try to chill, relax and stop worrying! If only it was that easy :-)
Thanks again everyone and I hope u all start to feel tip top soon :-)

[krystal1982]

I get the tingling a lot more when I'm worried - I have my concerns about a lump in my throat at the moment which gives me tingles in my head.
It's awful that we should suffer the way we do.
But, it is anxiety and we have to try and control it ourselves.

[dac0273]

I've had a constant vibration in my legs for months now and I get tingling in my legs also . Today I've had headache staring at the back and top of neck I just keep thinking I'm going to drop down dead of a brain hemorrhage or something like that , it's terrible I'm really suffering at the moment I'm hoping it's just tension headache but not sure !! My health anxiety seems to be worse when I've had a few wines . So think I will stop drinking and hopefully get better as it's pretty constant worrying all day long xx

[ShortyW84]

I had the pain exactly where u described yesterday sent me into panic mood until my mum practically slapped me around the head and said u have been whittling all day what do u expect! It went with in an hour and I'm sure I found something else to panic about then! So she made me rearrange my kids bedroom!! Not a task I would normally enjoy but after I had I felt 100% better as I wasn't thinking to much and analysing every ache and pain! I always find wine make me relax and suddenly I can eat again but due to the meds I'm on I can't really drink :-( doctor said half a glass now and again won't hurt so I save it for days I'm really bad :-/

[ShortyW84]

So I think my pills must be working in the sense I'm not getting so worked up, I'm not having daily panick attacks but I'm still concern! This tingling is driving me mad! I can only feel it when my clothes are close to my skin mainly when I'm sitting down! Since being on citalopram my right foot has been tingling but only when I walk on it! Not sure if it's the drugs or another symptom of what ever is wrong! My appetite hasn't come back although I'm eating more now but I just never feel hungry! This sends me into panic mode as I have always been someone who says 'I'm starving' more times a day than normal! Everyone around me says they are hungry all the time which drives me crazy!! Please guys anyone out there reassure me this is the anxiety talking as I'm convinced it some kind of cancer or something!!!