I'm really struggling - sensory symptoms

[pAULspybeef]

I have been struggling for about a year and 3 months now with a whole host of sensory symptoms, which up until now have been diagnosed as somatic anxiety. They all came about after a particularly stressful time in my life, family bereavement, becoming a father for the first time, promotion at work etc etc. To cut a long story short, I've been to my GP on several occasions, a neurologist, consultant physchologists, my local CAT team, had CBT etc etc. - they all seem to think health anxiety with somatic features. My symptoms include, odd/week/foreign/strange feeling on left side (feels like body is cut down middle), sporadic burning skin mainly in legs, numbness sometimes in face, muscle twitches, sore/tired eyes, sometimes feels like vision is a bit snowy (flashy lights etc) but had eye test since symptoms began and nothing of conern was raised & I wouldn't say my vision is blurred. I was prescribed Venlafaxine/Effexor and went to 225mg on a theraputic dose. Symptoms tend to wax and wane but never disappear completely, particularly the left sided thing. I recently reduced my medication to 150mg after making some progress but this last week I've felt the symptoms hit a bit harder again. I have always had anxiety based around MS since this first started. I keep hoping that these feelings will one day pass. I've been told that anxiety can impart influence on our nervous system which can throw up all sorts of odd feelings. I'm really worried that I'll never get better and that there may be something wrong with me which has been overlooked.....has anyone suffered similar experiences & if so how long does it take to achieve full recovery??? I would really appreciate comments!

[Laurenita]

I have been suffering with anxiety for around 3 months now and I have every single symptom you've described ( plus more.) especially the sore tired eyes! I always seem to get terrified of ms too, but if you've been tested an everything, I really wouldn't worry ( easier said than done, I know!) my symptoms seem to die down when I keep myself busy and when I try and forget about my anxiety it's a process that takes time I suppose and we just have to remain positive. Try and think about before all the anxiety and think, 'did I have these feelings/ symptoms then?' that seems to really help me we make all these pains mentally and sometimes they're expressed physically. I wouldn't worry about them missing something, like you've said, because these are all symptom of anxiety xx

[pAULspybeef]

hi laurenita thanks for your reply. what effective coping strategies do you use to get through tougher days? its very true what you say regarding the fact recovery takes time and acceptance.

[Melisssa]

Yes I'm suffering from this now. Burning prickly skin, starts with pins am needles, numbness in my face an leaves me feeling sunburnt for days.. I've a feeling of what I describe as feeling lopsided.. It's weird, at my wits end. So over myself

[LindsayD]

Hi, I suffered what my GP termed a 'nervous breakdown' four years ago following the death of a very close family member. I felt I was coping with the grief and just carried on, trying to balance family, work, and Christmas with two small children who I felt I had to be strong for. Over time I started to develop lots of the symptoms you speak of. As well I kept getting a horrendous throbbing on the top of my head and muscle spasms and I soon convinced myself I had MS. I was in such a state of constant anxiety about the symptoms I was having that I was in a constant state of panic. I was admitted to hospital for all the physical tests (which came back clear) but looking back now, not one doctor said to me that any of my symptoms could be caused by the anxiety itself. I could be watching telly or looking directly at something and my vision would just 'switch' to the side. Sometimes I could be sat in a chair and it was as if the whole lower half of my body was swinging from side to side. My doctor prescribed eventually presecribed diazapam (for a 3 week period reducing dosage each week) and beta-blockers which I stayed on for four months. The beta-blockers stopped the panic attacks so although it was still there in my head at the start of my recovery, the medication allowed my nervous system a rest from the constant attack I was putting it under. the first few weeks were awful but the key for me in the end was to stop thinking 'how much longer can I live like this?' and 'What will I do if I still feel like this next week?' - I had to think 'Right, what do i need to do to get through the next hour?', then 'what do i need to do to get through this evening to bedtime?' and before you know it you've got through a day, two days, a week and you will feel better! And get up and move! I used to write this on a note next to my bed lol! If its the middle of the night and you wake up and feel panicky, get out of bed and read, put TV on, anything! I used to think 'why can't I just be a normal person with a normal routine?' but hey, if it works, do it! You will find no peace laid in bed worrying.
I just want you to know that you will get over this and you will find a peace! It might not be a peace that you had before, I always say I will never be the same person I was before my anxieties began but thats just like any illness and the effect it has on you and your life. I've not been anxiety free for four years but I do know that I was in a very dark place and I got out of it. Once you can do that, you know that you will never be in that place of uncertainty again, even if the anxiety and all its symptoms come raging back again.
I know its easy for me now to sit hear and say but I want you to know that you are not alone, your symptoms are very real and very physical. Its good that your doctors have done the checks even if it is still hard to believe their results at times. the nervous system and the brain together can cause our bodies to do so many weird things and so many of these things are not talked about or put forward by medical staff initially as they are looking for what they consider 'dangerous health issues'. I hope this helps and if you need advice please message xxx

[ElectricAlice]

I could have written this post myself.

Check out my new post Paul.

I feel your pain!

We should email.

[Anxious_gal]

have you had your B12 tested, not iron but B12.
It can cause all of those symptoms.
It's very common but doctors often under diagnose it.
Taking b12 tablets, and you can also get injections, will help.
if you have a diet high in vitamin C or you take things to reduce acid in your tummy it can prevent the b12 from absorbing.

[ElectricAlice]

I will share what the neurologist on this site told me. It really helped!!


This is a simple case of hemiplegic migraine. It's quite common and contrary to what you were told, is not an increased risk for cerebrovascular insult (stroke).

The vigilance to your ptosis, or drooping eyelid, is quite normal as well and has only drawn your attention to a factor that has likely been the case all along. Mild ptosis is a normal variant and persons with health anxiety tend to create distinction out of concern and apprehension. You should also realize that ptosis is not a sign of hemiplegic stroke.

The paresthesias are also merely a sensory disturbance associated with generalized anxiety. It's important to understand that at certain levels of stress and anxiety, somatic characteristics often manifest and patients universally mistake the features for symptoms of disease or disorder. These "symptoms" occur due to overt and inappropriate stimulation of the central nervous system, nothing more.

Lastly, you have not suffered any type of permanent damage and this is very often the perspective by patients who experience such circumstances. Because the "symptoms" seem to persist, it reinforces a false belief that some type of injury has occurred. The chronicity of somatic anxiety induces the belief that irreversible change has taken place. This is simply an irrational perspective based entirely upon subjective reasoning.

You're going to be just fine and as I had mentioned to some of my own patients during my years in practice, it's critical for you to maintain the role of patient rather than physician. Understand that clinical diagnosis is not as simplistic as researching the internet and matching descriptions with features similar to those you believe you are experiencing. If such a premise were actually plausible, the need for thousands of physicians to endure more than a decade of school and training would be nothing more than a waste of time. Logic dictates otherwise.

Take a breath and relax. You are not physically ill and certainly are not suffering from anything such as a space-occupying mass like a tumor of all things. It doesn't work like that.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[pAULspybeef]

Yep this guy is great! He has sent me some really useful things. It is unfortunately somatic anxiety - feelings caused by anxiety or the way we think. I know that one day I'll be better, I sometimes doubt this, but generally there has been a SLOW improvement over the past 9 months. I now understand why they call it a "nervous illness"!!!

[Melisssa]

I was hoping he would reply! I'm so relieved. I had an appointment with a MRI but then I questioned it.. I thought if my worst symtom is parathesia, I'd rather not know. I don't need anything more to worry about.. I've suffered this dreaded illness long enough.

---------- Post added at 19:31 ---------- Previous post was at 19:28 ----------

Or it addressed my concern about parathesia.. I was convinced I had MS