Let's talk about PAIN!!

I guess this is the Leap of Faith to actually believe All this PAIN(& I want to be specific about that... PAIN!! Everyday constant in some form or other)is actually Anxiety based & not a impending terminal demise! Because we all know the classic Anxiety symptoms..but PAIN specifically is not so often talked about from anxiety & believe you me I have Googled A-Z to try & relate my pain to anxiety so I can gladly jump that Leap of Faith!!

2yrs+suffering started more or less around the loss of my Mother.My story is a little complex but to micro size it...My symptoms followed one on top of each other over that period & with each one I meticulously went to the Doctor's with each! ...they are Abdominal pain,Chest & back pain,Rib pain,Neck pain & tight/sore throat issues & yes they are constant EVERYDAY.One being the particular focus of that day depending which gives the most pain.It is fair to say I have had the medical M.O.T supreme over these two years,Every test,Every procedure & Every scan you can think of! I've paid private seen countless consultants/Doctors & the only thing thrown for all these tests was a Sliding hiatus hernia & GERD! Not to be dismissive of that but I mean at the age of 49 it's a fairly common issue & most don't even have pain with this condition/some do(leap of faith again!!)

Every Doctor/Consultant I have seen has kind of pointed to the Anxiety or Depressed state being the fuelling foundation behind all this pain & more importantly keeping it going.But pain makes you believe there is Something very wrong! This is the most basic human instinct so when you have a scan & they tell you it's clear,no abnormalities for you're pain then you're mind is not only coping with Pain it's trying to cope with the insanity of How can that be possible? & Round & around we go then you're in the Fear Cycle but if ANY of this hits home with anyone the medical practitioners so far have been right! No life isn't easy & yes it's painful,challenging & there are really bad days BUT! I'm Still here with No Red Flags of any terminal illness has much as the pain would want me to believe otherwise!

Through meditation & therapy I'm Trying to calm this body down! Do I believe this is All anxiety??? That question itself my mind asks of me thousands of time a day is part of THE PROBLEM I guess & honestly Right Now I still struggle with that concept.But more importantly If just ONE person can relate to this & take some however small amount of comfort from my experience then this comment has been worth it.Likewise if anyone can relate I inturn can take positivity from that likewise.Stay Strong Everyone.Support welcome.

Sorry to nitpick, but could you please add some paragraphs?

I think you might have some information to share, but it's very hard to read such a long unbroken chunk of text.

Point taken & adjustments made.Go easy it's all new to me but thanks for the advice.Appreciated.

Oh gosh yes, starting from the top I have a whole list of pain caused by anxiety. Mine too is every day.

Here goes the list: head (the front and very back at the top of my neck) ears, jaw, even into my sinuses (gets worse with allergies but it’s always there)

Neck, shoulders and back, quite often tracks down into my wrists.

Then internally stomach and bowels, plus heartburn/reflux/indigestion (although partially my diet is to blame, it’s far worse when the anxiety is high) also IBS That is wicked painful, again triggered by emotional state as well as food.

Hips, knees and feet, this is a physical condition that’s far more aggravated by the tension in my body.

Pain is actually really common, as is being hyper focused on every twinge in the body making it far more obvious to the mind. Bodies hurt sometimes, especially with all the tension and poor habits/posture anxiety promotes in us.

Positive vibes,

Mouse


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Thanks for that, 3monkeys!

Funny you mention rib pain; when I'm tense I sometimes get it badly enough that it leaves me barely able to move.

I then also get bowel problems, headaches, occasional breathlessness, back pain... you name it, really.

It's horrible, but I've been living with it since my teens and I'm in my 40s now. These days I'm finding antidepressants helpful, but the best way I've found to handle it is (as far as possible) to treat it like a small yappy dog rather than a big scary monster; you don't need to run or hide, just acknowledge that it's annoying and carry on trying to go about your business.

I could have written this thread! I ache/have pain all over from head to toe. Headaches, face ache, neck and shoulders. Then on to chest /ribs, stomach and back also nausea and wind! They’re always there it’s just what hurts more that particular day! I too have been to the doctors and had many many tests and scans etc. I’ve even gone private. I also only have hiatus hernia and GERD with mild Barrett’s. I long for the day I
wake up and feel well but I’m starting to think it’ll never happen as it’s been 3 years now. My struggle is believing anxiety can do all this. I live in fear of having something awful wrong that has been missed and I enjoy very little in life at times due to this fear! I’m sorry you suffer like this but your thread will go some way in helping people realise that we can feel like total crap and actually have nothing wrong

Totally relate to this thread. It's so hard to accept that the mind can create pain when there is no physical tissue damage but it is very much a common thing. It's such a massive complex issue that I don't fully understand but there's been loads written about it. Try googling Dr Sarno mind body connection if you fancy looking into it more.

3monkeys, which did you have first, pain or anxiety
I had pain first, which makes me sure i have a physical illness that the doctors haven 't found :( Had it over 10 years So I think it would have gone by now if its not physical.

Definitely me, for years now. Although I have to say that it's usually triggered by real pain (maybe slight) that my mind somehow changes to huge and long lasting pain.
For instance I might wake up with a stiff neck that another person would recover from within hours. Mine will last and grow steadily worse as it becomes arthritis, a tumour, a stroke..... only a visit to the Dr will convince me that it's a stiff neck due to sleeping skew and in turn cure me of that pain.
But even though I understand this, it doesn't change anything. I'm in (imagined?) pain as I write this.