Goldfishyo
05-08-18, 21:42
Hello there,
I hope that I am posting this in the right place. I am a newcomer, so I apologize in advance if this is not where this belongs!
Recently I have had this constant fear that something is wrong with me. I've always dealt with panic attacks and anxiety but have been able to manage them without therapy or medication. However, I've gone through quite a few life changes/stressors in the past 6 months and my panic attacks and anxiety feel like they're at an all-time high. For example, I would occasionally start to feel lightheaded, increased heart rate, and get nervous that I was about to pass out. This happened a few times a week, often when I was driving, and I started to worry I had a heart problem. It has since stopped but happens occasionally out of nowhere. The next big thing is that I've always been super sensitive about symptoms and worried about my health but it usually goes away in a few days. But about 4 weeks ago, my mind got stuck on ALS and I can't seem to get it off.
It all started when I felt like I was tripping more than usual. I noticed it only really happens when I'm at work (we have pretty non-scuff floors) but for whatever reason, I worried it was foot drop and the idea of ALS popped into my head (I'm a health care professional so I know way too much medical information, ugh). I then started thinking about the fact that sometimes I feel like I have trouble swallowing, and started freaking out. I told myself I don't fit the demographic for ALS (under 30, female, no family history, etc.) and even spoke with someone who has done their PhD research in ALS and they weren't concerned. However, they told me to look into CBT and see a specialist to ease my concerns.
That reassurance helped for about a week but I continued to search online for reassurance. The more I read on the internet (yeah I know), the worse I felt. I started feeling muscle twitches all over my body and feeling like I was weak. The weakness was always inconsistent, going from my right leg to my left hand to my trunk and so on. But the twitches were relentless. I scheduled a Drs appt with my PCP and started working on ways to manage my anxiety with the hope that that was the culprit for all of this. I have been trying to exercise more, have cut out caffeine, and been doing guided relaxation and meditation.
The twitching is about 90% gone and I no longer feel like I'm weak all the time. I do now, however, have excessive saliva and swallowing, which has been going on for several days. I keep telling myself its reflux, but I have never been told I have it by my Dr. I have experienced more heartburn, burping, and regurgitation lately so it lines up. But I'm just so worried about this excess saliva. Is it possible that it increases the more I think about it? I seem to really only notice it when I'm inactive and not engaged in work but have noticed it when I'm talking to others. I also tend to feel like I'm having a hard time swallowing but that's also usually only when I fixate on it.
Has anyone else experienced this? How did you present this to your Dr? I'm going to see them tomorrow and hopeful that my concerns aren't dismissed. I am almost positive that a lot of this is caused by anxiety but I want to do my due diligence and make sure my health is in check.
Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thank you.
I hope that I am posting this in the right place. I am a newcomer, so I apologize in advance if this is not where this belongs!
Recently I have had this constant fear that something is wrong with me. I've always dealt with panic attacks and anxiety but have been able to manage them without therapy or medication. However, I've gone through quite a few life changes/stressors in the past 6 months and my panic attacks and anxiety feel like they're at an all-time high. For example, I would occasionally start to feel lightheaded, increased heart rate, and get nervous that I was about to pass out. This happened a few times a week, often when I was driving, and I started to worry I had a heart problem. It has since stopped but happens occasionally out of nowhere. The next big thing is that I've always been super sensitive about symptoms and worried about my health but it usually goes away in a few days. But about 4 weeks ago, my mind got stuck on ALS and I can't seem to get it off.
It all started when I felt like I was tripping more than usual. I noticed it only really happens when I'm at work (we have pretty non-scuff floors) but for whatever reason, I worried it was foot drop and the idea of ALS popped into my head (I'm a health care professional so I know way too much medical information, ugh). I then started thinking about the fact that sometimes I feel like I have trouble swallowing, and started freaking out. I told myself I don't fit the demographic for ALS (under 30, female, no family history, etc.) and even spoke with someone who has done their PhD research in ALS and they weren't concerned. However, they told me to look into CBT and see a specialist to ease my concerns.
That reassurance helped for about a week but I continued to search online for reassurance. The more I read on the internet (yeah I know), the worse I felt. I started feeling muscle twitches all over my body and feeling like I was weak. The weakness was always inconsistent, going from my right leg to my left hand to my trunk and so on. But the twitches were relentless. I scheduled a Drs appt with my PCP and started working on ways to manage my anxiety with the hope that that was the culprit for all of this. I have been trying to exercise more, have cut out caffeine, and been doing guided relaxation and meditation.
The twitching is about 90% gone and I no longer feel like I'm weak all the time. I do now, however, have excessive saliva and swallowing, which has been going on for several days. I keep telling myself its reflux, but I have never been told I have it by my Dr. I have experienced more heartburn, burping, and regurgitation lately so it lines up. But I'm just so worried about this excess saliva. Is it possible that it increases the more I think about it? I seem to really only notice it when I'm inactive and not engaged in work but have noticed it when I'm talking to others. I also tend to feel like I'm having a hard time swallowing but that's also usually only when I fixate on it.
Has anyone else experienced this? How did you present this to your Dr? I'm going to see them tomorrow and hopeful that my concerns aren't dismissed. I am almost positive that a lot of this is caused by anxiety but I want to do my due diligence and make sure my health is in check.
Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thank you.