Total despair

[walkerbull]

So I recently went to the doctor who ignored my persistent twitching in my cheek, that then spread to my chin and lip. And now it is all over the place.

The thing that made me fly off the rails was several sources (including mayo clinic) suggesting that a tumour may be the culprit.

What did I do?, flew off the handling again, causing extreme stress to both my mother and family. I went to the doctor. He said it was somatization, offering tests but thought they we'rent necessary. He thereafter asked "How many times do you get it a day?", once or twice I said.

I am now kicking myself as I am actually getting them over ten if not fifteen times a day, and I can clearly see them moving. He is sending me to a psychologist in a few weeks. Considering I have been to the same doctor three times in the space of a few months I am beginning to ask the question, "Is this actually serious?, is he not looking hard enough at my symptoms?".

You may ask "Why am I feeling sorry for myself", well. That is difficult to answer, I have posted probably six if not seven threads now with the same questions and the same answer. This was compounded by the fact a peer in my class whilst throwing rubber at me with no punishment when asked "Why don't you put it in the rubbish bin" promptly replied "He is the rubbish bin".

So, I put a brave face on and continued my day in total anguish and despair. Returning home to answer the question "How was your day". And with a fake smile "Good".

What is the point and getting upset?, no one is listening me.

I feel like a broken wreck with two of its wheels still dragging me everywhere. My economics teacher is just ignoring me, I have a history assessment that I have yet to complete even though its my passion.

I mean, I am 16 this supposedly the best time of my life right?, to be completely honest this has been the toughest and most painful year I have ever experienced, and its getting worse.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel, I feel a total loss of hope, I feel this is no longer rectifiable. Is there any way to make this anguish go away?, I feel there isn't.

[maianixon]

I'm so sorry you feel like that, I wish I could give you some advice but I'm pretty much in the same position right now and I know how terrible it gets. As far as twiching goes it's very normal for anxiety I get it sometimes too, so it could very easily be nothing serious I mean your doctor would by now probably pick up on something if it was? (I feel like a hypocrite saying that though because like i said i'm the same).
i'm really sorry to hear how youre feeling though and i know school assignments can be THE WORST when dealing with something like health anxiety, maybe you could at least ask your doctor for a note that you're dealing with anxiety atm that is preventing you from doing work? idk how that works at your school though

anyway good luck i hope you feel better soon x

[axolotl]

First of all 16 isn't the best time of your life, it's an odd volatile time of change stuck between being a kid and an adult, and I found that time of my life utterly miserable. Don't get hung up on this being "the best days of your life". That's BS.

Secondly the doctor isn't ignoring your symptoms, he's doing exactly what I thought he'd do and focus on mental health. Not sure how many times we can say it, but they scream of anxiety, not nasty stuff, and it looks like the doc agrees.

[countrygirl]

Twitching is the most common symptom of anxiety. I have twitched for 30 years and almost always have somewhere twitching usually my face, I can have eyelid/cheek and lip twitching all at the same time for weeks on end!
I get the muscles in my thigh and calf twitching as well.
Muscle twitching in neuro diseases is almost always one of the later symptoms and you would have much more serious symptoms way before any twitching started.
The more you worry about the twitching the worst it will be and the longer it will last.

[walkerbull]

Twitching is the most common symptom of anxiety. I have twitched for 30 years and almost always have somewhere twitching usually my face, I can have eyelid/cheek and lip twitching all at the same time for weeks on end!
I get the muscles in my thigh and calf twitching as well.
Muscle twitching in neuro diseases is almost always one of the later symptoms and you would have much more serious symptoms way before any twitching started.
The more you worry about the twitching the worst it will be and the longer it will last.

I just had it behind my ear, is this normal!

---------- Post added at 06:11 ---------- Previous post was at 05:57 ----------

And what of the buzzing/tingling in my feet. And the numbness.

---------- Post added at 06:34 ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 ----------

I have also recently found this:

"Hemifacial spasm can be caused by injury to the facial nerve, a tumor or blood vessel compressing the nerve, or Bell’s palsy."

[axolotl]

I just had it behind my ear, is this normal!

---------- Post added at 06:11 ---------- Previous post was at 05:57 ----------

And what of the buzzing/tingling in my feet. And the numbness.

---------- Post added at 06:34 ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 ----------

I have also recently found this:

"Hemifacial spasm can be caused by injury to the facial nerve, a tumor or blood vessel compressing the nerve, or Bell’s palsy."

If you're not believing doctors, and you're not listening to a word of advice on here about reassurance seeking, I'm not sure there's anything further to say. Good luck with the psychologist.

[walkerbull]

If you're not believing doctors, and you're not listening to a word of advice on here about reassurance seeking, I'm not sure there's anything further to say. Good luck with the psychologist.

Did he examine it enough?

[swajj]

This is your pattern:

1. come to NMP and ask for advice about your symptoms
2. go off and Google symptoms
3 come back to NMP and ask for advice about what you read on Google
4. go to the doctor
5. come back to NMP and say you feel much better and have a handle on your anxiety
6. go off and Google symptoms
7. come back to NMP and say you think the doctor missed something
8. go off and Google more symptoms
9. come back to NMP....

See the pretty pattern?

[walkerbull]

This is your pattern:

1. come to NMP and ask for advice about your symptoms
2. go off and Google symptoms
3 come back to NMP and ask for advice about what you read on Google
4. go to the doctor
5. come back to NMP and say you feel much better and have a handle on your anxiety
6. go off and Google symptoms
7. come back to NMP and say you think the doctor missed something
8. go off and Google more symptoms
9. come back to NMP....

See the pretty pattern?

I don't understand what your point is.

[labhaoise]

God no need to be so uncompassionate with a 16 year old

[swajj]

My point is that you are fuelling your anxiety by Googling symptoms.

Simple.

[walkerbull]

My point is that you are fuelling your anxiety by Googling symptoms.

Simple.

Why does everyone say, "Oh its not real", "Its in your head".

No one is ****ing listening to me.

[ServerError]

Why does everyone say, "Oh its not real", "Its in your head".

No one is ****ing listening to me.

This is disrespectful to the doctors with expertise who've advised you, and to the fellow sufferers on here who have been through what you're going through and know what they're talking about.

It's not that nobody is listening to you. It's also not that your symptoms aren't real. They are real. I had all sorts of physical symptoms at my worst. But these symptoms are caused by your nervous system and other biological processes responding to your state of mind. By altering your state of mind, you begin to take the sting out of the symptoms.

[axolotl]

OK...

First of all show some respect for posters on here, we are "****ing listening to you", but what we hear is a very anxious young man with some clear anxiety symptoms. This is what a doctor will have seen too. Unless you think your doctor is an idiot?

You're twitching? Well everyone on here has anxiety symptoms. Bad headaches, numbness and tingling, irritable bowels, chest pains, nausea, palpitations, high heart rate? Yup that's me. One or a combination of those almost every single day. And I'm not even close to being as severe in terms of anxiety as a lot of posters on here. My point is - we have experience of this stuff. And at times it's terrified us. But none of it has come close to turning out to be a serious physical illness.

Saying we're saying "it's not real", "it's all in your head" is insulting to us. We are anxiety sufferers. We hate that attitude. We know how debilitating it is, and how the symptoms are real. They just don't have a physical source - they come from the mind, not the body. That is totally different to saying "it's all in your head". To use a slightly gross example IBS diarrhoea still happens and is still real diarrhoea, despite it having a probable cause in the mind, not a physical problem in the body. The symptoms are real, and no-one is minimising that.

But if we indulge you and encourage you talk about every (to use your phrase) ****ing twitch you have we're actually doing you and your recovery harm.

If you look through every post here no-one is dismissing the fact you have a problem. But thinking you know better than doctors about medical issues, and more about anxiety than people who are experienced sufferers is a very bad place to start all this.

Good luck with the psychologist.

[countrygirl]

Keep reading axolotl's post as its brilliant, not attacking you or disbelieving you just sensible and clear.

I understand the depths of your anxiety and panic, I have been there and done that many times in my life ( as I am now 56 yrs old lots of life to experience:)). Twitching/ pins and needles/tingling plus at least another 100 symptoms are caused by the anxiety hormones in your blood. You are feeling them, you can see them as can others when you twitch but the casue is chemical.

All we can do on here is give you the benefit of our own experiences and outcomes, we are not medically quialified. It is part of health anxiety that we never believe Dr's who have spent a very long time getting qualified.

[walkerbull]

OK...

First of all show some respect for posters on here, we are "****ing listening to you", but what we hear is a very anxious young man with some clear anxiety symptoms. This is what a doctor will have seen too. Unless you think your doctor is an idiot?

You're twitching? Well everyone on here has anxiety symptoms. Bad headaches, numbness and tingling, irritable bowels, chest pains, nausea, palpitations, high heart rate? Yup that's me. One or a combination of those almost every single day. And I'm not even close to being as severe in terms of anxiety as a lot of posters on here. My point is - we have experience of this stuff. And at times it's terrified us. But none of it has come close to turning out to be a serious physical illness.

Saying we're saying "it's not real", "it's all in your head" is insulting to us. We are anxiety sufferers. We hate that attitude. We know how debilitating it is, and how the symptoms are real. They just don't have a physical source - they come from the mind, not the body. That is totally different to saying "it's all in your head". To use a slightly gross example IBS diarrhoea still happens and is still real diarrhoea, despite it having a probable cause in the mind, not a physical problem in the body. The symptoms are real, and no-one is minimising that.

But if we indulge you and encourage you talk about every (to use your phrase) ****ing twitch you have we're actually doing you and your recovery harm.

If you look through every post here no-one is dismissing the fact you have a problem. But thinking you know better than doctors about medical issues, and more about anxiety than people who are experienced sufferers is a very bad place to start all this.

Good luck with the psychologist.

Today was a shit day. Got locked out of my house for four hours.

Anyway, its not that I think my doctor is an idiot. It is because my brain is telling me that he focused too much on the mental health side of it. Without looking further into the twitching, I mentioned it twice and he immediately asked about my issues with anxiety and eventually the conversation devolved into one about "Can you leave your house?, do you go out?". Along with social anxiety.

I really feel like I have been cursed.

[andysa]

Bottom line is that you have anxiety and we too much time on your hands and too much access to the internet and not enough experience in being able to see the difference between possible and probable. Yes a facial twitch could be the result of the things your mentioned in about 1 in every 100,000 facial twitches for the rest of the 99,999 it is just the result of a spontaneous muscle contraction. A good idea with these things is to write down you symptoms at the end of the day how long the occurred for where they were and so on. Then at the end of the month look if there is any symptom which has been present for the whole month, if so see a doctor about that symptom. do not google the symptom at all you are 16 so definitely do not have the required medical knowledge to diagnose yourself with anything. Leave that up to the people who completed 1 years of school 6 years of university and 2 years of internship

[flipp]

I've had an ****ing twitch under my left eye,my nose and lip for days, I know it is anxiety related,don't stress and honestly you gotta listen to your Doc,they ask all kinds of questions.
You are gunna be fine xx.:hugs:

[walkerbull]

My question being, do you think the GP examined my issues enough?

[axolotl]

My question being, do you think the GP examined my issues enough?

We're a bunch of Internet randoms without medical training, and we weren't there. How are we supposed to know? But generally if people come on here and say their doctor isn't worried, I don't see why I should be.

But I'm guessing you'll keep asking until you get the answer you want, huh? EDIT - Actually you'll keep asking until you get the answer your anxiety wants. Which is "OMG yes, he sounds well negligent, doctors are always making mistakes, get a second opinion, and then a third, etc etc etc etc.". That's not going to happen.

[walkerbull]

We're a bunch of Internet randoms without medical training, and we weren't there. How are we supposed to know? But generally if people come on here and say their doctor isn't worried, I don't see why I should be.

But I'm guessing you'll keep asking until you get the answer you want, huh? EDIT - Actually you'll keep asking until you get the answer your anxiety wants. Which is "OMG yes, he sounds well negligent, doctors are always making mistakes, get a second opinion, and then a third, etc etc etc etc.". That's not going to happen.

So there is nothing to worry about?

[axolotl]

So there is nothing to worry about?

You are asking something we can't give you - total 100% certainty. I would certainly bet very good money you're fine physically and everything is "just" anxiety (note the quotation marks). There is nothing you have said that has given anyone any concerns that what you're experiencing is more than that. But my opinion, as Internet random, should be insignificant to you compared to the reassurance that should come from a lack of concern from a medical expert about your physical symptoms.

This is why giving into reassurance-seeking is so harmful, because no-one can ever give you 100% answers to any questions. Your anxiety will just crawl into those corners of doubt and pick away there instead. Even if we said "yes, you 100% categorically have nothing to worry about", that would be the point your anxious mind started saying "yeah, but they're just Internet randoms, what do they know?".

That's why dealing with the anxiety is so important - and well done on sorting that out professionally - as you have to learn to live with doubt. In the meantime these lines of questioning are going to give you no reassurance, and are actually harmful in the long run, keeping you fixated on physical symptoms and fuelling the anxiety.

[walkerbull]

You are asking something we can't give you - total 100% certainty. I would certainly bet very good money you're fine physically and everything is "just" anxiety (note the quotation marks). There is nothing you have said that has given anyone any concerns that what you're experiencing is more than that. But my opinion, as Internet random, should be insignificant to you compared to the reassurance that should come from a lack of concern from a medical expert about your physical symptoms.

This is why giving into reassurance-seeking is so harmful, because no-one can ever give you 100% answers to any questions. Your anxiety will just crawl into those corners of doubt and pick away there instead. Even if we said "yes, you 100% categorically have nothing to worry about", that would be the point your anxious mind started saying "yeah, but they're just Internet randoms, what do they know?".

That's why dealing with the anxiety is so important - and well done on sorting that out professionally - as you have to learn to live with doubt. In the meantime these lines of questioning are going to give you no reassurance, and are actually harmful in the long run, keeping you fixated on physical symptoms and fuelling the anxiety.

Argh, I have been to the doctor. I said to myself "I am so happy we got that done, nothing to worry about...".

Two days later I found myself analyzing the appointment and whether he was correct in making the judgement that somehow this is being created by my mind fixating on it. Explaining attention spans etc.

I find this difficult to believe that my mind can just make these up and fixate on them.

The second time I went for a different issue everything was good until, long behold two days later. Enter muscle twitching.

I go on the internet, and gosh, brain tumour, ALS, MS, MND. A host of horrific neurological diseases.

Ok, I said. Calm myself.

Then, I began furiously messaging doctors, gp's, and others about the twitches. Which (regardless if you believe me or not) nearly resulted in a hefty fine.

They continued for weeks as all the responses I got were "Go to your GP", "Some diseases can cause these, go to your GP".

The twitching in the mean time proliferated and spread to other areas of my body, which I found extremely disturbing. And came with virtually no other symptoms, other than numbness I never really noticed (i.e I am typing now and don't notice it).

I eventually, after a lot of pain and frustration went to my doctor who quized me on my life and anxieties (I felt very uncomfortable). And said blood tests weren't necessary.

I deferred these symptoms to him

>Twitching

>Flashes in vision

>Numbness

He didn't really take these seriously, and focused on mental health. As @axolotl suggested.

I returned home to find within days it did nothing to resolve both my mental and physical problems.

He also said 9/10 of patients who take blood tests with twitches have a deficiency in vitamins.

He suggested this could be a number of problems (including other stuff I'd rather not elaborate on)

> Anxiety disorder.

> OCD

> Autism spectrum disorder.

He forwarded this to the local DHB, who were impressed at how detailed the report was.

He is a brilliant GP, but questioning the opinion of experts just comes with the territory of my currently un-diagnosed mental condition.

I also received the notice that my "screening" appointment is on the 26th. If anyone knows what "screening" means, I'd be thankful if someone could explain.

I went a few years ago (2009 or 2010) to an expert suggesting I was on the "edge" of Aspergers. (High functioning, though I'll have to check this up).

The reason why I wrote this long message was to get your thoughts on it as a whole, and give some insight. I know you may not be interested but I thought I'd share for a little more understanding in both instances.

[swajj]

If you were being totally honest how much time would you say you spend on the Internet looking up symptoms?

If you want to get better then you need to stop doing that. Just trial it. Make a deal with yourself that you won't search for a single symptom for 1 week. If you stick to it then you will probably find that your mind will be clearer and you will be able to think a little more rationally. It won't cure your anxiety but it will allow you to get some perspective. My HA was severe. Of all the things I did, including seeing a psychiatrist for 3 years, it was stopping searching the Internet for symptoms that set me on the road to recovery. It was still a long road but not one full of torturous thoughts 24/7. You have absolutely no chance of gaining any perspective as long as your thinking is being clouded by worst case scenarios you are bound to come across on Google.

Anyway that is the best advice I can give you or anyone else on here who sits on the Internet searching symptoms. It's a hard habit to break but you have to find a way to do it. Take my advice or don't but if you choose not to remember that I am recovered not recovering. 99.9 percent recovered.

[walkerbull]

If you were being totally honest how much time would you say you spend on the Internet looking up symptoms?

I do it every time I come home from school. (Even sneak in some searches in the school library)

[swajj]

You have to stop. I can't even begin to tell you how detrimental it is to your ability to think rationally. Before I recovered I used to try to remember what I used to be like before HA. What did I do differently when I was normal? It is only now that I know what it was. Now if I get a sore shoulder. My thoughts are "I shouldn't have moved that heavy object I knew I would pay for it later". Before I recovered I would think "I shouldn't have moved that heavy object but what if this shoulder pain isn't muscular what if it's cancer? I read somewhere about someone having really bad shoulder pain and it turned out it was cancer. Now I really think about it that object wasn't even that heavy so it can't be muscular, therefore it has to be cancer".

Irrational thinking borne out of all those little tidbits of info I picked up on Google. Stored away only to raise their ugly heads when I got a twinge or a twitch or whatever.

I don't know if you will get the point I am trying to make here so I will r d by saying stop googling it is taking away your ability to think rationally.

---------- Post added at 20:07 ---------- Previous post was at 20:00 ----------

One more thing. I don't know how you can resist the temptation to Google. It is like an addiction for HA sufferers. I was able to do it because my psych told me he was banning me from searching the Internet. He said if I really wanted to get well I had to promise him that I would stop. If I make a promise I usually try to honour it. I was also paying a lot of money to see him so I figured I should take his advice.

How you stop yourself from Googling I do not know. But you have to find a way.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Remember doctors see a lot of people in their lifetimes. They get to compare human behaviour.

How many people do you think worry like this about a possible health problem? And most people are more focused on sorting it than what it is & why. HAers stick out because they don't.

You've got a good doctor there. He quizzed you on other possible anxiety symptoms and referred you to the correct channel for the problem rather than waste time ruling out something they don't believe you have any way.

I'm guessing he had had a headstart on you too with your borderline ASD diagnosis.

A screening meeting will just be what ours call am initial assessment. It's where they make a preliminary diagnosis and decide the treatment, nothing more.

[walkerbull]

Remember doctors see a lot of people in their lifetimes. They get to compare human behaviour.

How many people do you think worry like this about a possible health problem? And most people are more focused on sorting it than what it is & why. HAers stick out because they don't.

You've got a good doctor there. He quizzed you on other possible anxiety symptoms and referred you to the correct channel for the problem rather than waste time ruling out something they don't believe you have any way.

I'm guessing he had had a headstart on you too with your borderline ASD diagnosis.

A screening meeting will just be what ours call am initial assessment. It's where they make a preliminary diagnosis and decide the treatment, nothing more.

Thanks for clarifying, its 11:09 here, so I guess you will be relieved I am going (for the time being).

Night everyone.

:D

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks for clarifying, its 11:09 here, so I guess you will be relieved I am going (for the time being).

Night everyone.

:D

Yes, get outside and do things in the fresh air. Go for a walk.

I was lucky to grow up in a time when consoles were still in their infancy, as was the internet, so I would be out all the time instead.

Oh yeah, forgot your in NZ :doh: But getting out in the day will keep you off the internet. And make it harder to access sites you want to stay clear of. It helps to insert waiting periods when the obsession is picking at you.

[axolotl]

I've got nothing more to add other than what I've said before, and some of the same sentiments as Terry and Swajj, so I'm bowing out of this thread, but as always good luck.

And I see you still lurking in 'Active Users'... get some sleep. ;)

[aslo]

The point they were making is, don't keep googling symptoms, you will come up with things you definitely don't have, drive your fear up and make things worse. Don't do it.

You don't mention how this started. Did you have a trauma of any kind? Physical or emotional?

Did you have bloodwork? I know how terrifying this stuff can be. Believe me. I have burning feet for example. If I google that, ill be diabetic which I'm not. In my case I believe the feet sensations come from my sacrum area. Is it fatal? I don't think so. I think the adrenaline and cortisol etc from panic has stiffened me up like a board. In fact, I went to the chiropractor and he couldn't even adjust one spot on my I'm so stiff. So I figure the stiffness is making my sacrum worse causing sensation in my feet. I can relieve it a little by certain stretches.

I will tell you this. What is going on with me now happened before about 15 years ago, and back then I had burning feet. They were real bad then, like they were roasting in a campfire pretty much all the time. I don't know exactly what cured all my problems but the point is, the burning feet that were there for a year, went away for fifteen years, and now returned after emotional episodes.

If you didn't have anxiety or panic, then you would look for other causes, but since you do, it is highly likely its causing all this. Try a good massage, try exercise, hot tubs, and whatever to distress. Now if I could only follow my own advice.

Feel better, don't google

[Fishmanpa]

One more thing. I don't know how you can resist the temptation to Google. It is like an addiction for HA sufferers. I was able to do it because my psych told me he was banning me from searching the Internet. He said if I really wanted to get well I had to promise him that I would stop. If I make a promise I usually try to honour it. I was also paying a lot of money to see him so I figured I should take his advice.

How you stop yourself from Googling I do not know. But you have to find a way.

Other than self control (which isn't going to happen), the only other way is parental controls. There are add ons for browsers that can stop one from going to certain websites, prevent pop ups and redirection as well as key word blocks. I know... I had to do it to my wife's computer because, due to her cognitive issues, she's been scammed twice and I've had to cancel her credit card and put a limit on her checking account (of which I now control as well).

Get a parent, relative, friend or trusted adult put them on your computer and password protect it. (Hey... not too confident this will happen but it's worth a shot :))

Positive thoughts

[ScaredLizard]

I think you need to step far away from the computer. Have your mom lock it down. We've been over this back and around and around again. Anxiety causes twitching. We've all had some kind of twitching.

I'm dealing with tight muscles and twitching right now because I got nervous before my cardiologist appointment. Your dr listened. He's not worried.

Good luck at your psychologist

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think you need to step far away from the computer. Have your mom lock it down.

With my OCD I've had a lot of compulsions, and the first year they were so strong I just couldn't stop myself.

Aside from reducing overall anxiety levels, which seems to greatly help with ny OCD style behaviours, you do have to make things harder for yourself in terms of access. Parental controls are one method BUT there is a problem with this...you can just turn them straight off in a few clicks, so what does it solve? Unless someone sets the password, it's not much of a boundary. A physical boundary is more effective as it forces a waiting time.

When I was having problems constantly obsessing over time, my therapist had me take my watch off and store it in a pocket that was full of junk. The result was it became a pain to access. Ideally, she wanted me to leave it at home but that wasn't practical due to missing appointments.

With my phone, I made it hard to access. I shoved it in a packed drawer aand shook it all up. I made it as far away in the house as possible.

It sounds simple but with compulsions the ERP method works well. You pass through peaks of anxiety and it settles. Learning to tolerate it and not give in is a way to break this behaviour, not the only one, but it's one of the most important and most used.

[walkerbull]

With my OCD I've had a lot of compulsions, and the first year they were so strong I just couldn't stop myself.

Aside from reducing overall anxiety levels, which seems to greatly help with ny OCD style behaviours, you do have to make things harder for yourself in terms of access. Parental controls are one method BUT there is a problem with this...you can just turn them straight off in a few clicks, so what does it solve? Unless someone sets the password, it's not much of a boundary. A physical boundary is more effective as it forces a waiting time.

When I was having problems constantly obsessing over time, my therapist had me take my watch off and store it in a pocket that was full of junk. The result was it became a pain to access. Ideally, she wanted me to leave it at home but that wasn't practical due to missing appointments.

With my phone, I made it hard to access. I shoved it in a packed drawer aand shook it all up. I made it as far away in the house as possible.

It sounds simple but with compulsions the ERP method works well. You pass through peaks of anxiety and it settles. Learning to tolerate it and not give in is a way to break this behaviour, not the only one, but it's one of the most important and most used.

I wanted my Mum to hide my battery and took it out and handed it to her. She then gave it to my sister and then to me.

---------- Post added at 05:53 ---------- Previous post was at 05:35 ----------

Also, how was everyone's day?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Your sister gave it back to you? I doubt your mum would be happy about that. It's a good thing to do though when you are too stuck inside the cycle. Parental controls, old style! :biggrin:

It's nice over here, WB, it's heading into Summer now. Gettign tricky for me to sleep properly in the heat but I always adjust to it. Are you in Winter?

[walkerbull]

Your sister gave it back to you? I doubt your mum would be happy about that. It's a good thing to do though when you are too stuck inside the cycle. Parental controls, old style! :biggrin:

It's nice over here, WB, it's heading into Summer now. Gettign tricky for me to sleep properly in the heat but I always adjust to it. Are you in Winter?

Yeah, we are in the middle of two days of rain here (typical NZ winter weather). I stayed home today, as Mum wants me to release stress. I am very happy her attitude changed very quickly.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I would imagine the involvement of your doctor and subsequent referral has pressed home to her that this is something that needs to be taken seriouslty & treated, the anxiety disorder that is. If a doctor sees it as something to treat, a parent can't exactly deny that anymore.

On days off, getting away from anything about health (other than anxiety recovery stuff & things to help yourself) is a wise thing to ensure. Do things aimed at distracting you from it. Less sitting & thinking time.

[walkerbull]

I would imagine the involvement of your doctor and subsequent referral has pressed home to her that this is something that needs to be taken seriouslty & treated, the anxiety disorder that is. If a doctor sees it as something to treat, a parent can't exactly deny that anymore.

On days off, getting away from anything about health (other than anxiety recovery stuff & things to help yourself) is a wise thing to ensure. Do things aimed at distracting you from it. Less sitting & thinking time.

Yeah, today was interesting. Instead of searching up twitches when I experienced them I told myself "Remember these are being caused by anxiety"

I still don't understand how they are caused by stress. I'd be very much delighted if someone could explain.

---------- Post added at 07:16 ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 ----------

And yes it is winter but summer Christmas! ;)

[Catherine S]

When people are stressed their adrenal system releases stress hormones...adrenaline you already know about and another one is called cortisol. Stress hormones like these affect the nerves and muscles in every part of your body and can result in all sorts of strange symptoms.

Regular exercise can help to use up the excess of stress hormones, whereas sitting at a computer all day worrying...that's anybody not only you....means that all those stress hormones are racing around with nowhere to go.

Hope that explains it a little.
ISB

[walkerbull]

The point they were making is, don't keep googling symptoms, you will come up with things you definitely don't have, drive your fear up and make things worse. Don't do it.

You don't mention how this started. Did you have a trauma of any kind? Physical or emotional?

Did you have bloodwork? I know how terrifying this stuff can be. Believe me. I have burning feet for example. If I google that, ill be diabetic which I'm not. In my case I believe the feet sensations come from my sacrum area. Is it fatal? I don't think so. I think the adrenaline and cortisol etc from panic has stiffened me up like a board. In fact, I went to the chiropractor and he couldn't even adjust one spot on my I'm so stiff. So I figure the stiffness is making my sacrum worse causing sensation in my feet. I can relieve it a little by certain stretches.

I will tell you this. What is going on with me now happened before about 15 years ago, and back then I had burning feet. They were real bad then, like they were roasting in a campfire pretty much all the time. I don't know exactly what cured all my problems but the point is, the burning feet that were there for a year, went away for fifteen years, and now returned after emotional episodes.

If you didn't have anxiety or panic, then you would look for other causes, but since you do, it is highly likely its causing all this. Try a good massage, try exercise, hot tubs, and whatever to distress. Now if I could only follow my own advice.

Feel better, don't google

No, not traumatic experience.

I have had concerns for other areas of my body i.e. ball sack etc.

I went to my doctor about my mental health as that is what the GP was most concerned about, and he though blood tests weren't necessary and we focused on mental health, to be completely honest the fact he didn't think about my 'symptoms' twice was quite the relief.
So, considering he is trained I might just have to believe him. As everyone pointed out he would notice if something was nasty, its annoying too when I don't have it or don't really bother checking my brain asks "Cool!, they are gone!". And it thereafter returns, even if I'm not worrying.

[walkerbull]

Hello guys, I a very good day in New Zealand, regardless of the cold winter weather. :/

How was your day?