Newcomer looking for support - General H/A

[OGNinjaDon]

Hi there,

So the reason I am here is that I have spent the last few weeks in a state of immense anxiety and i'm getting to the point where I need some kind of guidance/reassurance and to believe others are experiencing what I am experiencing and that it can all be related to anxiety and nothing else.

So, apologies for the lengthy story, but here goes.

About 5 weeks ago I had a panic attack, I was a prolific cannabis user (every day) for about the past 4 years without fail. I always had anxieties/nervousness from when I was younger but nothing as bad as what I have recently experienced. I was getting high one night and had the P/A, i was so freaked out by thinking the cannabis was the cause without realising I had been more and more on edge over the course of a year. I actually spent about 4 hours in my bathroom attempting to make myself be sick to rid my body of anything it wasn't supposed to have, had pounding heart beat that I could feel everywhere and I don't have to go into detail about a P/A - you all know what it includes.

I spent the next week in a really fearful state of thinking it could happen again, could barely eat food, smoke cigarettes, drink caffeine, i thought everything was the absolute wrong thing to do - even though I had done all of them for years. The following weekend I had another P/A as my worries were a little bit out of control through the week. Following that, I saw my GP and got some answers that were much needed.

Since then, I haven't had another P/A and the worries have subsided somewhat for the mass that they were in the start. After this intense week I started to develop eye floaters, small at the start, then more and more gradually, had my eyes checked by the opticians and actually went to A&E because of them and was referred to an ophthalmologist shortly after. After around 4 people had checked my eyes nobody could find anything, and the very helpful eye specialist told me that anxiety can cause all kinds of symptoms and you are probably just seeing your own Vitreous. I believed him for a short while which eased some more anxieties.

Now, more recently, I have been experiencing generalized health anxiety, in all forms. Obviously this has been heightened by the fact I no longer have the cannabis as a tool to help me calm down (I quit after the first P/A). Here is a basic list of the various things I have been anxious about:

- Eye floaters (getting worse? vitreous/retina detachment?)
- Eye pain (around backs of eyes)
- Light sensitivity (can barely be outside without sunglasses, even when it is not that sunny)
- Vibrating feelings in the same place (small area) on the top of my head and other places (forearm)
- Had a fungal infection down below for around 9 weeks which has not helped my anxiety one bit (may have even brought it on)
- Diabetes? (eye floaters, fungal infections staying, buzzing sensations) all could point to this (according to Dr. Google!)
- Heart problems (had occasional flutters/skipped beats/ racing heart/pounding blood sensation around my body)
- Chest pains (not so much but still i worry over them)
- Dry Skin (skin has seemed to have changed slightly and getting more and more dry/itchy skin)
- IBS (Constantly farting/burping all the time) had this for a while though so may just be my diet, which is actually not that bad
- Fear of dying (from anything from infections to cancer to stroke) all come across my mind and have fretted over them
- Electric sensations around the face, when something scares me or i think about something (even before i realize i have thought about it) i get an electrical sensation all over my face

Basically, as you can see, I worry about pretty much everything that I can worry about at the time.

During the first week of this I was worrying over everything simultaneously, which is why I think the P/As were brought on. Now, I only worry about one thing at a time usually (unless I write it all down like I have here).

One day I will worry about the eye floaters (if i see a slight change to what i am used to), the next day I may feel a slight jitter of my heart when I reach the climax of my inward breath, then I will worry about my heart for that day. Then an infection I currently have may get slightly worse/change, and i worry that that is something more than it is.

Now I am quite a realistic person, and usually I can say to myself, this is ridiculous, why are you worrying about these things (after seeing multiple doctors etc.) but as we all know, if you experience a bout of anxiety/panic or even paranoia might be a factor in this case, you will worry about everything. I have also worried about going a little crazy, as smoking a lot of weed can do that to people. So the list really is endless.

Just looking/hoping to find somebody in a similar situation who can essentially say that these are a fairly common instance of anxiety. This may allow me to stop worrying that I have a big problem/disease etc. as i currently try and link everything I am experiencing together into one big thing and try to make an end result out of it.

It is also worth mentioning that I do meditate, and I am VERY aware person anyway, so the combination of meditation/cutting cannabis/health anxiety means I am super aware of absolutely everything, yet sometimes I am able to meditate into those feelings and not worry too much about them.

Hope you didn't find this too long or boring, and I hope others experiencing similar things can discuss them together in here.

[Gary A]

All of your eye symptoms are almost certainly anxiety related. Anxiety causes an increase in pupil dilation, it's a big part of the so called "fight or flight" response. Your body reacts in all kinds of ways during fight or flight, and in fact, a panic attack is simply an over exaggeration of this.

With your increased pupil dilation, you'll become more light sensitive, spot more floaters, and of course your eyes will hurt from stressing and straining them. You're not having a vitreous detachment, that would cause a sudden increase in floaters and rapid flashing lights in your field of vision. The vitreous of your eye actually becomes less fluid like with ageing and it these strands of fluid you see as floaters. They cast a shadow over your retina. They're of no concern and are very very common.

As for any other symptom, they could all easily be caused by anxiety, but I think it would be worth having a diabetes check, not because I'm suspicious of it, more to put your mind at ease.

[Sam123]

Hey thanks for posting.

I thought i would reply as a lot of what you have said is very very similar to what i have experienced, i've suffered with health anxiety for a long time now but am at a much better place now than i was 4 years ago.

Firstly let me say regarding the weed, someone very close to me has been through the same thing, they used to smoke it daily and developed panic attacks, spent a lot of time in A&E and became very anxious about their heart. Thankfully this person is much better now and hopefully you will be too.

Secondly i would like to say that the fear of dying is very common, i think most people have thought about it from time to time, difference is people with healthy anxiety don't just fear it they fully believe it is going to happen! I still have thoughts very often that i can't get out of my mind, the other day i was convinced i had a brain tumor(this happens once a month for 3 years) :D

Last but not least the symptoms you have listed, i will list my main anxiety symptoms i've had over the years

Eye floaters - Came from no where, always had good vision. Was convinced i had eye cancer or a brain tumor. Had many tests done(all fine)

Vibrating feelings - Yup had that too and still do actually, i think that's quite common with high levels of anxiety in your body.

Heart problems - The MAIN one! Flutters, palpitations ect not so bad anymore as i cut out a lot of bad drinks and caffeine.

Chest Pains - Well i get them a lot and every single time i may aswell write out my will because i'm obviously dying of a heart attack. Still here 8 years later :roflmao:

IBS - Yes suffered with problems for years thinking i had cancer, glad to say i'm a lot better now with this.

I've had many more symptoms but just wanted you to see that what we have had is quite similar and you're not alone. I too am a realistic person and that's why i find it very hard to understand how i suffer from anxiety and irrational thoughts! I over think every little thing. It really does affect your life,

Just a few things here that have helped me with my symptoms, firstly looking at your diet if you already eat healthy and intake enough fluids then that's great, for me the biggest difference i noticed in terms of how bad my anxiety was, was when i changed my diet.
By including a lot more fruits/vegetables and foods high in the nutrients my body was craving i managed to stop a lot of the symptoms i was experiencing. For someone who is obviously so health conscious and worrying about dying, you'd think i would have ensured my diet was up to scratch all along!

Increasing your in take of water this helped me dramatically as i very rarely drank any water which can cause a lot of strange symptoms.
Finally being more active where possible and talking about your anxiety like you have done here.

P.S i am also a very alert person which does not help, i completely feel what you have said and always wonder why i can't practise what i preach! :D

Hope you get some help and advise from this forum

---------- Post added at 19:55 ---------- Previous post was at 19:31 ----------


Hi there,

So the reason I am here is that I have spent the last few weeks in a state of immense anxiety and i'm getting to the point where I need some kind of guidance/reassurance and to believe others are experiencing what I am experiencing and that it can all be related to anxiety and nothing else.

So, apologies for the lengthy story, but here goes.

About 5 weeks ago I had a panic attack, I was a prolific cannabis user (every day) for about the past 4 years without fail. I always had anxieties/nervousness from when I was younger but nothing as bad as what I have recently experienced. I was getting high one night and had the P/A, i was so freaked out by thinking the cannabis was the cause without realising I had been more and more on edge over the course of a year. I actually spent about 4 hours in my bathroom attempting to make myself be sick to rid my body of anything it wasn't supposed to have, had pounding heart beat that I could feel everywhere and I don't have to go into detail about a P/A - you all know what it includes.

I spent the next week in a really fearful state of thinking it could happen again, could barely eat food, smoke cigarettes, drink caffeine, i thought everything was the absolute wrong thing to do - even though I had done all of them for years. The following weekend I had another P/A as my worries were a little bit out of control through the week. Following that, I saw my GP and got some answers that were much needed.

Since then, I haven't had another P/A and the worries have subsided somewhat for the mass that they were in the start. After this intense week I started to develop eye floaters, small at the start, then more and more gradually, had my eyes checked by the opticians and actually went to A&E because of them and was referred to an ophthalmologist shortly after. After around 4 people had checked my eyes nobody could find anything, and the very helpful eye specialist told me that anxiety can cause all kinds of symptoms and you are probably just seeing your own Vitreous. I believed him for a short while which eased some more anxieties.

Now, more recently, I have been experiencing generalized health anxiety, in all forms. Obviously this has been heightened by the fact I no longer have the cannabis as a tool to help me calm down (I quit after the first P/A). Here is a basic list of the various things I have been anxious about:

- Eye floaters (getting worse? vitreous/retina detachment?)
- Eye pain (around backs of eyes)
- Light sensitivity (can barely be outside without sunglasses, even when it is not that sunny)
- Vibrating feelings in the same place (small area) on the top of my head and other places (forearm)
- Had a fungal infection down below for around 9 weeks which has not helped my anxiety one bit (may have even brought it on)
- Diabetes? (eye floaters, fungal infections staying, buzzing sensations) all could point to this (according to Dr. Google!)
- Heart problems (had occasional flutters/skipped beats/ racing heart/pounding blood sensation around my body)
- Chest pains (not so much but still i worry over them)
- Dry Skin (skin has seemed to have changed slightly and getting more and more dry/itchy skin)
- IBS (Constantly farting/burping all the time) had this for a while though so may just be my diet, which is actually not that bad
- Fear of dying (from anything from infections to cancer to stroke) all come across my mind and have fretted over them
- Electric sensations around the face, when something scares me or i think about something (even before i realize i have thought about it) i get an electrical sensation all over my face

Basically, as you can see, I worry about pretty much everything that I can worry about at the time.

During the first week of this I was worrying over everything simultaneously, which is why I think the P/As were brought on. Now, I only worry about one thing at a time usually (unless I write it all down like I have here).

One day I will worry about the eye floaters (if i see a slight change to what i am used to), the next day I may feel a slight jitter of my heart when I reach the climax of my inward breath, then I will worry about my heart for that day. Then an infection I currently have may get slightly worse/change, and i worry that that is something more than it is.

Now I am quite a realistic person, and usually I can say to myself, this is ridiculous, why are you worrying about these things (after seeing multiple doctors etc.) but as we all know, if you experience a bout of anxiety/panic or even paranoia might be a factor in this case, you will worry about everything. I have also worried about going a little crazy, as smoking a lot of weed can do that to people. So the list really is endless.

Just looking/hoping to find somebody in a similar situation who can essentially say that these are a fairly common instance of anxiety. This may allow me to stop worrying that I have a big problem/disease etc. as i currently try and link everything I am experiencing together into one big thing and try to make an end result out of it.

It is also worth mentioning that I do meditate, and I am VERY aware person anyway, so the combination of meditation/cutting cannabis/health anxiety means I am super aware of absolutely everything, yet sometimes I am able to meditate into those feelings and not worry too much about them.

Hope you didn't find this too long or boring, and I hope others experiencing similar things can discuss them together in here.
Just wanted to add here also where you stated you mainly worry about one thing at a time, and it can be a different thing everyday that's exactly the same as me.

My advice would be instead of saying 'Right i need to ignore it and stop thinking about it'.. which would be great but for me was impossible as first, instead of that I would suggest maybe keeping a little notepad, so when you have a symptom you're not 'ignoring it' you will just jot it down for later and carry on with your day.
By writing down the symptom you are currently experiencing/worrying over - and jot down what you think it is and why, do this as often as you like and then every week or so sit down and take a look at what you have put, ask yourself are you still experiencing this? or did it pass? Keep doing practices like this

I found that i would go through a number of different symptoms and fears in two weeks, from heart issue's to a brain tumor to a motor neuron disease.
The thing is with me i always want answers to everything and to understand 'why' something is happening, and we have to accept that sometimes things just do. I had the thought pattern that a healthy person with no problems never experiences any pain, twinges and odd feelings.. that's just not true. The mind is a powerful thing and when we are so worked up all the time are nerves are all over the place causing a whole host of symptoms.

I would always say to myself 'But i'm not anxious or stressed i've been fine and i'm still having these symptoms so it must be something bad'

The thing is with anxiety levels, say we go through a really bad day/week of stress and worry, this can affect our body for a long while afterwards, so yes we may be happy and not anxious and still feel symptoms.

Hope some of this helped sorry for rambling on :wacko:

[OGNinjaDon]

Hey thanks for posting.

I thought i would reply as a lot of what you have said is very very similar to what i have experienced, i've suffered with health anxiety for a long time now but am at a much better place now than i was 4 years ago.

Firstly let me say regarding the weed, someone very close to me has been through the same thing, they used to smoke it daily and developed panic attacks, spent a lot of time in A&E and became very anxious about their heart. Thankfully this person is much better now and hopefully you will be too.

Secondly i would like to say that the fear of dying is very common, i think most people have thought about it from time to time, difference is people with healthy anxiety don't just fear it they fully believe it is going to happen! I still have thoughts very often that i can't get out of my mind, the other day i was convinced i had a brain tumor(this happens once a month for 3 years) :D

Last but not least the symptoms you have listed, i will list my main anxiety symptoms i've had over the years

Eye floaters - Came from no where, always had good vision. Was convinced i had eye cancer or a brain tumor. Had many tests done(all fine)

Vibrating feelings - Yup had that too and still do actually, i think that's quite common with high levels of anxiety in your body.

Heart problems - The MAIN one! Flutters, palpitations ect not so bad anymore as i cut out a lot of bad drinks and caffeine.

Chest Pains - Well i get them a lot and every single time i may aswell write out my will because i'm obviously dying of a heart attack. Still here 8 years later :roflmao:

IBS - Yes suffered with problems for years thinking i had cancer, glad to say i'm a lot better now with this.

I've had many more symptoms but just wanted you to see that what we have had is quite similar and you're not alone. I too am a realistic person and that's why i find it very hard to understand how i suffer from anxiety and irrational thoughts! I over think every little thing. It really does affect your life,

Just a few things here that have helped me with my symptoms, firstly looking at your diet if you already eat healthy and intake enough fluids then that's great, for me the biggest difference i noticed in terms of how bad my anxiety was, was when i changed my diet.
By including a lot more fruits/vegetables and foods high in the nutrients my body was craving i managed to stop a lot of the symptoms i was experiencing. For someone who is obviously so health conscious and worrying about dying, you'd think i would have ensured my diet was up to scratch all along!

Increasing your in take of water this helped me dramatically as i very rarely drank any water which can cause a lot of strange symptoms.
Finally being more active where possible and talking about your anxiety like you have done here.

P.S i am also a very alert person which does not help, i completely feel what you have said and always wonder why i can't practise what i preach! :D

Hope you get some help and advise from this forum

---------- Post added at 19:55 ---------- Previous post was at 19:31 ----------


Just wanted to add here also where you stated you mainly worry about one thing at a time, and it can be a different thing everyday that's exactly the same as me.

My advice would be instead of saying 'Right i need to ignore it and stop thinking about it'.. which would be great but for me was impossible as first, instead of that I would suggest maybe keeping a little notepad, so when you have a symptom you're not 'ignoring it' you will just jot it down for later and carry on with your day.
By writing down the symptom you are currently experiencing/worrying over - and jot down what you think it is and why, do this as often as you like and then every week or so sit down and take a look at what you have put, ask yourself are you still experiencing this? or did it pass? Keep doing practices like this

I found that i would go through a number of different symptoms and fears in two weeks, from heart issue's to a brain tumor to a motor neuron disease.
The thing is with me i always want answers to everything and to understand 'why' something is happening, and we have to accept that sometimes things just do. I had the thought pattern that a healthy person with no problems never experiences any pain, twinges and odd feelings.. that's just not true. The mind is a powerful thing and when we are so worked up all the time are nerves are all over the place causing a whole host of symptoms.

I would always say to myself 'But i'm not anxious or stressed i've been fine and i'm still having these symptoms so it must be something bad'

The thing is with anxiety levels, say we go through a really bad day/week of stress and worry, this can affect our body for a long while afterwards, so yes we may be happy and not anxious and still feel symptoms.

Hope some of this helped sorry for rambling on :wacko:


This was very interesting, thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail.

It's very reassuring to know that others in a similar situation can go through some of these symptoms and in a very similar way.

Today was dreadful, don't know why, just woke up and thought (shit.. i can see more 'cloud' like floaters than i did before) started to worry more and more about that, was put on a callback service from my local GP and stressed over it maybe getting worse. Then later in the day as I realized i'm still the same person I always was and managed to calm myself down. I then started to experience chest pains and an overall 'weakness' on my upper left side (chest/arms etc.) and obviously because it's on the left side you think it's related to something with your heart or a stroke or something. So now here I am, still a bit shaky and nervous about stuff.

Though I will say it was really nice to read something that shows I am not alone in my situation and it can be alright in time :)

Thank you.

---------- Post added at 18:57 ---------- Previous post was at 18:55 ----------


All of your eye symptoms are almost certainly anxiety related. Anxiety causes an increase in pupil dilation, it's a big part of the so called "fight or flight" response. Your body reacts in all kinds of ways during fight or flight, and in fact, a panic attack is simply an over exaggeration of this.

With your increased pupil dilation, you'll become more light sensitive, spot more floaters, and of course your eyes will hurt from stressing and straining them. You're not having a vitreous detachment, that would cause a sudden increase in floaters and rapid flashing lights in your field of vision. The vitreous of your eye actually becomes less fluid like with ageing and it these strands of fluid you see as floaters. They cast a shadow over your retina. They're of no concern and are very very common.

As for any other symptom, they could all easily be caused by anxiety, but I think it would be worth having a diabetes check, not because I'm suspicious of it, more to put your mind at ease.


Thanks for getting back. This is quite interesting.

I think because of the way my mind is working at the minute, and has always worked to begin with, is that i need answers for everything. I need to know the start and the finish in clear facts. So even though it is comforting to know that these issues can be caused by anxiety, it is still worrying to not know the exact cause of it.

I will take this on board though and try not to worry too much over this issue unless it rapidly gets worse.

Thanks again.

[Sam123]

Not a problem at all, i know i found it reassuring knowing i wasn't alone in thinking this way. I can completely relate to the way you feel when you describe it, just a note though try not do beat yourself up about having bad days from time to time, try not to see it as a step backwards because the truth is you're on this forum and actively looking for help. You're fully aware of your anxiety and i really believe you will beat this in the end. It can be a very long and confusing, it literally drove me to rock bottom and when i look back now i can see it all so clearly.
For me it helped to really understand how the mind and body are connected and how much influence the mind has over the body, anxiety and the true effects.

We're very similar by the sounds of it, i need to know the answers all the time and will constantly jump to the worst possible conclusion :blush:

P.S just re-read your post, when ever i experience anything on the left side my mind immediately goes to 'Heart attack' 'It's my left arm!'

[Emilym80]

Unfortunately, this kind of anxiety is quite common. You only need to go through all the threads I've made/posted on regarding my own HA, for instance...

As for the physical symptoms you're having, they're all consistent with anxiety :) I rushed off to the optometrist last year as I was seeing a lot of floaters and getting flashes of light in my eye. The optometrist said everything was fine and sent me on my way. Then, I was having pelvic pain, so I went for a scan and everything was fine and I was sent on my way. So, basically, anxiety can cause many physical symptoms. I can sympathise with wanting to know the mechanisms behind every symptom and what's causing them. This website in the symptoms list is quite good with that- generally if you google 'anxiety and x symptom' you'll be able to find an explanation of how it can cause a certain feeling.

As for diabetes, I didn't even know that it could cause those things! As far as I know, the main 'classic' symptoms are excessive appetite/urination and fainting. I guess it's worth getting checked out if you're at risk. On that note, it's probably best that you discuss these symptoms with your gp and have some investigations done so that you can be 100% sure that it's just anxiety. They'll probably want to check your heart out, for instance, just to be sure.

I hope this helps. For what it's worth, I get many of those symptoms too. I just visited that same optometrist and I've been having the flashes of light and floaters ever since I saw her last year. Nothing's changed... except that I'm a bit short-sighted and need reading glasses :shades: in her words, "stress can wreak all kinds of havoc on the body", so, while it's challenging, try to accept that it's your worrying that's causing these symptoms.

I hope this helps. Best wishes :)