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Anonybrit
12-01-16, 22:31
Hi guys,

I went a year without HA but it is back and this time related to shooting/stabbing pains that come and go in various parts of the body. Initially they were mainly in my arms eg. elbows, wrists, biceps etc. but now they are in my knees, sometimes buttocks and elsewhere.

They kind of pulse for a few seconds before moving somewhere else.

I saw a physio who thought it was postural, then a doctor who just didn't really think it was anything and probably just anxiety, and now I am starting to think maybe he was right.

The fact that they just seems to come and go with no other symptoms like weakness or numbness, and the fact they can happen anywhere, makes me wonder if it's anxiety related.

The only thing stopping me from believing that is that I do have some solid symptoms such a tender line running down each forearm, and in certain positions I'm getting slight pins and needles in my little fingers/palms/toes.

tl;dr: Are brief shooting pains that move around the body another symptom of anxiety, or is it more likely something physical (or neurological)?
Carnation
12-01-16, 22:43
Hi Anonybrit,

I remember when you first came on the Forum and spoke about the 'muscle twitching'. I know you have a fear of the symptoms meaning something more than Anxiety, but everything you have described, I have too and I have been a sufferer for two years now.
Anonybrit
12-01-16, 23:21
Hi Carnation! Thanks for the reply.

I've definitely learnt that anxiety can cause a lot of real symptoms but thankfully most have resolved in time, although the twitches do seem to be here to stay but thankfully easily ignorable.

But yeah with these pains I am struggling to determine whether they are entirely or just partly anxiety.

Am I right in thinking anxiety will cause shooting pains but unlikely to cause pins and needles, other than the pins and needles you be in your fingertips from hyperventilation? (Which I'm definitely not doing)

I do a lot of full contact sports and I wonder if that is aptly responsible. But ofc I also worry about typical HA stuff like MS :(
Fishmanpa
12-01-16, 23:59
As Carnation said, your post history points solidly at anxiety. The fact that you're here and medical professionals are not concerned affirms this. Perhaps whatever you did to push through this before should be looked into again.

Positive thoughts
Anonybrit
13-01-16, 07:23
As Carnation said, your post history points solidly at anxiety. The fact that you're here and medical professionals are not concerned affirms this. Perhaps whatever you did to push through this before should be looked into again.

Positive thoughts

Thanks for the reply, believe me though, being a doctor makes health anxiety only worse in my case. I am aware of all the various little signs and symptoms that can be red flags and when I get bad I am constantly thinking about or testing for them - and yet all my medical knowledge that tells me not to worry.. My brain rejects :(

There's also the feeling after a few years of somatic symptoms of anxiety that why would new ones crop up now, surely they would have occurred during previous episodes of they were going to, but I guess that's just not how it works.
Fishmanpa
13-01-16, 13:02
There's also the feeling after a few years of somatic symptoms of anxiety that why would new ones crop up now, surely they would have occurred during previous episodes of they were going to, but I guess that's just not how it works.

I can equate that to my recovery from cancer. I've had side effects since treatment ended. The newest is an itchy/burning area on the left side on my neck/back along with the feeling of bugs crawling under my skin. It started three months ago, over two years since treatment ended and OMG!, it's absolutely maddening!! I went to a dermatologist for a general check and he checked it out and all is good. So it's another lovely side effect of treatment/neuropathy.

In the same manner, the stresses on the physical body anxiety causes can take their toll and exhibit new and troubling symptoms. And like I'll be getting a rather interesting cream (it's like topical Gabapentin/pain killer) to hopefully treat my symptoms, one must continue to treat the root cause/anxiety to alleviate the symptoms you're experiencing.

Positive thoughts
Carnation
13-01-16, 18:58
I have found that if you become fearless of an anxiety symptom, it tends to calm down or even go away and then another new symptom will appear.
I am currently going through a bad blip because of the extra pressure/stress/trauma I have been through lately and my new one is a thumping heartbeat; like I have been working out or something?
The pins and needles thing I have too; in the fingers, toes and even in the knees and elbows??? I think that is down to the adrenalin. :hugs:

Bugs? Fishmanpa. Oh yes, I remember those. Under the skin, crawling in their thousands like an army of ants rushing up and down. Scared the hell out of me! :scared15:
I was driving at the time I first experienced this on the M25, so you can imagine how I was feeling. They calmed down gradually over time and now I just get the occasional little flutter once in a while. I believe they come when we are scared. :shrug: