left arm pain

[Darren76]

hi all

i know its a major anxxiety sign, but ive had bad left arm pain since my ill advised drinking on saturday and been at work yesterday and today and its been awful. ended up takin a diazepam yesterday which calmed me down but meant i got naff all done at work and dont want to do the same again today but kinda running out of options.

arm pain leads to bad heart thoughts leads to panic - this i know but cant seem to break the cycle. anyone got any good non-pill takin coping strategies i could use because asking to go home is NOT an option.

thanks, D

[seeker]

Hello Darren,
Can I assume from your user name that your birthday is in 76, whch means you are a year older than me? only reason I ask is I remember reading somewhere that it is physically impossible for you to have a heart attack under the age of 35, unless it is due to an enlarged heart, which is highly unlikely! I found this very reassuring. Don't everybody else come on and say 'oh, that's not true, I know of....'!! What sort of work do you do? i s it possible your arm is very sore becasue the muscles are tense? This is what happens to me! I find myself clenching my fists wihtout even realising it, which makes my arm muscles sore. Have you tried the beta blockers? these stop the anxiety, without making you woozy, well certainly not as much as diazepam!

[Darren76]

thanks seeker, but used to be quite asthmatic and beta blockers dont agree with any kind of breathing issues, its why i went onto citalopram although im off it now.
i work in an office doing lots of data analysis so could be mouse arm i guess but still you know what the vicious cycle is like.
trying to stick my head down but need to be social with people when id rather be in a dark room.
im my heart of hearts i know it snot heart attack but the mind messes with me more than i want it to.

thanks again seeker :)

[seeker]

Erm, without wanting to sound patronising, if your left arm is your mouse arm and you do data entry, it will most probably be casued by that!! I find using the mouse even for an hour or two a day causes real pain in my right arm and muscles!! However, I know how pants it can be to have to talk to people and do a job when you can't think about anything but how you are feeling. Hope you feel better soon...

[Darren76]

dont worry about sounding patronisiing at all...
my right is my mouse arm, so not quite sure why its so bad. can use mouse for ages at a time without any pain, alothough extensive PS2 pad usage cramps both my hands up big time
hence no PES6 for me until the arm feels better
thanks for thr advide and thanks for listening.
D

[seeker]

ha ha ha Darren - I am building up quite an image of your life- not in a bad way, just reminds me of being a student!! Ah, I remember the good old days of playstationing the day away. My fiancee has a powerball, which is a hand held gyroscope - it is almost as addictive as a playstation, and he has blisters on his fingers!! Any sort of repetitive action can cause sore muscles - if it was heart, you'd have horrible chest pains, pale, clammy sweatiness etc. Alcohol is a depressant as well, rememberm, and it makes my anxiety much much worse for a few days after a heavy session - hardly ever drink loads now as a result. am sure you will feel better after a few days rest and relaxation!

[piglits pal]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote"> Any sort of repetitive action can cause sore muscles - if it was heart, you'd have horrible chest pains, pale, clammy sweatiness etc. </td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Listen to that advice. I get terrible tendonitis in my index finger from the scroll wheel on the computer mouse. And yes a heart problem would display itself in other ways than a painful arm.

Is it possible to twisted your arm or something during your "ill-advised drinking" ?

[sneezy]

Hi Darren76
I have also had left arm pain when I am stressed and then worry about my heart, but have got used to it over time as I have come to realise it is just another wierd symptom of my anxiety. It's easier said than done to just tell yourself your'e OK and not to worry though, isn't it? Although if it is quite bad maybe you have pulled a muscle as some of the others suggest. Just try to relax and have a nice soak in a warm bath when you get home from work at night, that will help relax your muscles.
Take care,
Sneezy

[Toronto007]

Thank you Darren76!

I cannot begin to thank you enough Darren76! Here I am sitting at work with this tingling sensation in my left arm / hands. Thinking it was due to my anxiety, which has resurfaced since a heart attack scare early last year, I Googled "anxiety sore arm" and found this forum.

What you describe is EXACTLY what happened to me. This past Saturday my friend and I went out and had a long drinking session, which is something I have not done in a very, very long time.

Have you tried St. John's Wort (natural herb) to treat your anxiety? I have also read (cannot remember where) that a B12 deficency can also trigger anxiety attacks. as anyone here heard this? I am trying to deal with my anxiety without any type of medication be it natural or otherwise. Back in July and October of last year I had a battery of tests done on my heart here in Toronto at the Sunnybrook Hospital , which has the best cardiology department in Canada, and everything came back okay. For a few weeks my anxiety symptoms subsided, but now they are back.

After reading your post I do not think I will be touching alcohol for a long, long time.


Nick

Nick