Anxiety + muscle tension = 'cancer' symptoms (etc)

[Pigeon]

Hi everyone

This year has been my worst ever for HA. I've 'had' one life-threatening illness after another. Of course, they have all turned out to be nothing (thankfully).

Today, after giving myself a good talking-to about my current worry - throat/oesophageal cancer (again :blush:) - I have come to the conclusion that most of them are in fact caused by a combination of tense muscles due to anxiety plus poor posture, and lack of excercise leading to various aches and pains, which leads to anxiety and causes further muscle tension.....and so it goes on. I thought I would write some of it down on here in case it helps anyone else try to rationalise it all.

These are some my various symptoms/diagnosesand reasons for coming to this conclusion:

Lump-in-throat/strangulation feeling, pain in neck, throat, mucous/constant throat clearing, burning sensation on tongue/throat, cramping sensation in tongue, sore ears.

My diagnosis - Oesophageal/throat cancer

Most likely explanation - I am an anxious person so often find myself tensed-up. I also use a pc regualarly and have a sedentary job and my posture is poor. I also have a habit of clenching my jaw. All this leads to muscular back and neck pain which in turn affects my jaw, neck, throat and ears and causes pain/lump-in-the throat feeling and affects my swallowing a little. I also suffer from mild reflux which gives me a bit of a burning feeling on my tongue/throat and makes me do the throat-clearing thing.

Palpitations/chest pains/tight chest/breathlessness/lightheadedness

My diagnosis - Heart attack/angina etc

Most likely explanation - Again, anxiety/posture causing muscle tension in chest and shoulders leading to pain and tightness. I aslo read somewhere that this can impact on the vagus nerve whcih can trigger palpitations. Not sure if it's medically proven but seems plausible to me.

Groin pain/urinary symptoms

My diagnosis - Ovarian/Bladder cancer

Most likely explanation - pelvic floor/sacro-illiac muscles tensing up and affecting pelvic organs. I've had pelvic pain on and off for years and although I did have a bladder infection at one point, I kept having symptoms after it cleared up. I read that UTIs can trigger a response in the pelvic floor which mimics the UTI symptoms long after the infection is gone. I've always had lower back problems but never knew till recently that this can affect groin area.

Digestive problems, indigestion/acid, trapped wind/belching (sorry!)/ stomach pain, IBS type symptoms,

My diagnosis - bowel/liver/stomach/pancreatic cancer

Most likely explanation -I'm not sure if this is a popular theory, but as I experience muscular back pain with all this, I'm pretty sure there's a connection. Maybe I tense my muscles so much my digestive system reacts?

I may not be saying anything new here, but I was hoping it may prompt a response/discussion and offer some reassurance to others.

I just want to add that I have had any sinister causes for all of the above ruled out by my GP

Anyone got any comments/views?

xx

[Mindknot]

Yes, quite probably all of that.

I now visit an osteopath regularly because I have terrible posture and spend a lot of the day sitting + was getting all these aches.... and... yup basically it's quite a lot of what you say. I would recommend seeing an osteopath or chiropractor as they can help you improve your posture - it takes time, in fact it's a constant process of making improvements, but if you focus on that then your anxiety about cancer will be less.

---

Other things that may help - yoga (I'm planning to start doing classes again in the new year), exercise - in fact just general movement - getting up and adjusting your posture during the day + stretches etc. There's a lot going on in that central core part of your body, and you're squishing it all up! - making it unhappy...

My brain en't working too well at the mo (Friday arvo....), but I have a lot of thoughts/learned knowledge from the osteo on this, so PM me if you like.

[almamatters]

Really good post and it reiterates what I have been told.by countless GP's physio 's and a consultant. Clenching my jaw is a big problem for me and it's really hard to stop doing it. Bad posture apparently can cause.loads of problems including breathlessness , a physio I see tells me to walk like I am balancing a book on my head to see if it helps .

[AFin26]

Man I'm going through the IBS/Stomach Cancer/Colon Cancer routine now and its truly awful. As I write this, I feel like I have been filled full of helium and feel generally achy in my entire abdomen region..

I keep trying to tell myself I have nothing wrong with me and posts like this help! So thank you...

I would love to be able to just see inside my body with Xray eyes to know I'm being stupid!

[Libra]

I can tick the boxes on many of those symptoms too.. 15 years ago I think every muscle I had was tensed..I couldn't even raise my arms above waist level at one point... I had physio for 6 weeks to free things up and gradually I improved..all anxiety ..

[tamo]

I live a very sedentary lazy lifestyle . slouching on a big recliner sofa for hours and work in security sitting for nearly 12 hours . i have tummy ache ,lots of gas , tight sore groin lower abdomen . I worry about the C word . My recent blood tests all normal and GP says to lose weight and get more active so thats my plan .

[Pigeon]

Thanks for replying - seems like we're all in the same boat!
Really like the idea of physio/chiropractic and yoga classes. A much more positive approach than constant visits to the GP and sitting around worrying
To those of you who said my post helped - thanks! It's a great feeling to think someone feels better just from a few words.
:yesyes::hugs:
Xx

[Mindknot]

I'd just like to reiterate that this is definitely something to think about if you want to be less health anxious! I know it's tricky to accept because when we think of tense muscles, we tend to think "oh, tight shoulders" but that's absolutely not true. Everything in your body is surrounded by and operated by muscles, and when the cortisol is flowing everything can (and will) tense up.

I urge you all to think about it like Pigeon has, because it can explain a lot of your symptoms - especially if you can relate to anything posted above & have been cleared by doctor after doctor. The best cure is to MOVE, use your muscles regularly and they won't be as tight.

This realisation has made such a big difference to me, truly. I really encourage everyone who experiences HA to think about muscle tension as a possible cause for a symptom. :)

[Pigeon]

I've bumped this to add that I'm still having the throat symptoms I described in my original post. If they had been due to sinister causes. I'd be in serious trouble six months on.
Further proof, if anyone needs it that anxiety can bring on various awful symptoms.