please help me!!

[monkeybabe]

ok, this might be a bit of a long post, am new to this site, am desperate for some help, so will give brief outline of my history.

I have suffered from stomach pains, intermittently for a couple of months... then about a month ago, i had 3 or 4 'episodes'... where my stomach hurt really badly, i got hot all over, my head felt so strange, cant really describe it... i paced round the house, opening doors, windows, panicked that i was about to die! felt so awful.... anyway, happened one day, lasted for hours... i ended up going to emergency doctors, and was admitted to hospital. They thought i had an infection somewhere, so pumped me full of anti biotics on a drip for 3 days, then sent me home with few more days of anti biotics to take. While in hospital i had bloods taken regularly, only thing they showed up was sign of infection somewhere, but nothing too serious they said. I had chest xray too, that was clear, also had low abdominal ultra sound, which found a cyst on my ovary, again un related and nothing too serious they said.

So they sent me home, i felt tiny bit better while at hospital, but after coming home deteriorated day by day, had doctors out to visit 3 times, they gave me even more anti biotics, thought i might have sinus infection, because my head hurts so much!! and pressure feeling in my head. So i took those for a week, no change though. Have pains all over my body, muscle aches, shooting pains, can hardly sit down or stand up, i am shaking all over, trembling, sometimes gets worse but never actually goes all together. My eyes hurt like i havent slept for a month. Although i actually havent slept much at all, am lucky if i get 1 hours sleep a night. Also stopped eating, have lost extreme amount of weight.... 2 stone in 4 weeks. No appetite at all, just dont want to eat, have to force myself occasionally. My nose feels blocked at times.... but just kinda weird, my jaw hurts, my nose...i have popping sensations in my head, behind my nose... and i feel awful when that happens!! really dizzy. Am lightheaded and dizzy all the time anyway... feel so spaced out.

Last visit to the doctor was a week ago, he said he thinks i have a serious anxiety disorder and has put me on prozac. That was a week ago, and if anything i feel worse! panic symptoms all the time! i cant be left alone.. have become so totally dependent on my loved ones.

I know the root of this is....i dont believe him...i think i have serious illness... something badly wrong with me... and no matter what i do, i cant shake it. Is why i cant sleep... i'm too scared to fall asleep in case i dont wake up.

I guess i just need someone to tell me that all these feelings can be as a result of anxiety.... i am struggling so much to accept that this much physical pain and debilitation can be caused by anxiety!! someone please help me

[Glasgow_guy]

First off, hello :)

Second, anxiety can create very real pain and discomfort. I get a pain in my neck, chest, arm, and back because I worry about having a heart attack. I get the pain there because my muscles are so tense. Sometimes it is quite painful. So yes, anxiety can create very bad pain.

I also get those shooting pains, muscular irritations and occasionally feel like there is severe pressure in my head. Normally I would say go and get checked out by your doctor just to put your mind at ease, but it sounds like you have already done that extensively. So the real problem is in your anxiety.

The feelings in your head (light headed etc) are probably from depersonalisation. It's a frightening feeling, but it is completely natural. It's your brain's way of defending you from higher anxiety levels. You feel detached from reality, dizzy, faint, like you're going mad, and real discomfort in your head. These feelings will pass once you have been calmed down.

The best thing for that is distraction. Do things and interact with people to keep your mind active. Listen to music or a dvd as you try to sleep, something to try and take your mind off of it.

If there was one thing I would suggest to anyone who suffers from anxiety the way we do it would be : Exercise!!!! Exercising releases endorphins which make you feel good. Also, if you are constantly anxious, the tiredness after exercise and that nice feeling you can get gives you a little relief from thinking about it, even if it is just for 30 minutes or an hour, it makes a difference!

I've also started doing Tai Chi. May sound lame but it really calms me down, and I'm just learning it from tutor videos online so I can do it on my own.It really makes me feel good before I go to sleep. I've also noticed that I feel much better just by upping my fruit intake. I eat a few pieces of fruit a day and I feel it has really helped.

I would also recommend using the chatroom on this page. Most of the people here suffer from anxiety so we can help you through it by talking about it.

Please, post back here and we can talk you through it.

Also, if a medication isn't working after a few weeks, especially if you feel worse, I'd ask your Doctor to be taken off of it. Everyone reacts differently to meds. Has he tried giving you any beta blockers like propanalol?

Important thing here is that you've been checked out thoroughly, so you don't have anything wrong with you. All of your symptoms are probably anxiety related and those will disappear if you just hang in there and seek advice.

[viremarthius]

Hey there!! First off let me say, you're fine! Anxiety is a terrible thing to have, but managible and you can cure yourself. Don't worry. Five years ago, my life was almost impossible, pacing, dry heaving, stomach problems, Nausea every minue, constant state of nervousness, hot flashes, no sleep, no appetite...I thought I was dying. After a few years of dealing with this, I decided this was enough. I went to my doctor and he gave me some little pills....these first little pills made me WORSE....they just seemed to increase everything bad that was happening...the second little pills made it even worse...but the third little pills made me fee, well, normal again. It was amazing. Try to get the right meds. Talk to your doctor. EVERYBODY is different when it comes to this stuff. Hope this helps. Keep your chin up, you will be fine.

[anxious_88]

I have suffered from nearly all the symptoms you describe! Anxiety does some really messed up things to you.

I am sorry you feel so low. I know you must be in agony now bt Glasgow guy is right, try to relax, listen to music, watch films, get exercise and don't let yourself start thinking those thoughts. When you feel the panic spiralling in your head you can't let it control you.

Also about eating I know exactly how you feel, panic can really make you lose your appetite, the thing is it is a viscious circle: the less you eat the more panicky you get from low blood sugar and the less you want tlo eat because of the panic! Maybe you could try drinking something high in sugar when you get panicky, like Lucozade or fruit juice (fruit definitely helps believe it or not!). Or try having a piece of chocolate when you are panicky. Also if you lose your appetite soup is a good meal because it's easy to digest and doesn't feel so stodgy when you're eating.

Prozac can help but it takes a few weeks to kick in, and sometimes makes you feel quite detached and disorientated, if you don't like it ask for something milder. I took citalopram and amytriptyline and they did help on a short term basis.

really hope you feel better! remember that the doctors have done all those tests, so if there was anything wrong there's like a 99.999% chance they would have found it.

lots of hugs
xxxx

[monkeybabe]

Thankyou so much for your replies, i really do appreciate the time taken. I know i have to calm down over this, but i just feel soooo flipping ill.
I have just had the worst night ever!!! I feel cheated... because yesterday, i actually had a good day! i started to feel kinda normal for the first time in weeks.... and i was thinking to myself... wooohooo the meds may have started to kick in finally! Only symptom i still had was a bad headache... bad pressure in my head, thats there all the time! anyway, at about 12 midnight, i was sat in bed watching telly.... rubbing my temples wishing the headache would go away... when all of a sudden it did! but....it was replaced immediatey with this sick to the pit of my stomach... hot feeling... that feels even worse than the headache...and ive laid here all night with that feeling, unable to sleep... afraid i wont wake up if i do. I feel so shaky again now... i hurt all over....... i am beside myself with knowing what to do

[Wee-Mee]

Hello sweety.

I'm Amy,22 and a fellow anxiety sufferer.

Prozac made me suicidal and nuts.And very sick.
So If you feel it's not helping def go back.

But you had a day feeling better and I bet you hadn't been thinking about your health or anything for a wee whiley yeah?

I swear that I tested myself in that I could make myself have a sore arm and I started getting pains..serisouly. But I knew I had did it so it was my anxiety.

Us humans are a weird sort :)

i hope you feel better and feel free to msg or whatever..I will happily listen

xxx