Health Anxiety

[Lisa Robinson]

Anyone suffer with this?

Right now im so nervous with pins and needles sometimes in my legs and arms, face and lip numb sensation and crawling skin. People say its common with anxiety which i suffer with badly. I am always googling symptoms and freaking me out. Ms and brain tumour and all sorts come up

Dont think had this before anxiety kicked in 3 months ago. Always had health anxiety.

Not on any meds about 5 weeks now off Zoloft. Had a tmj steriod injection 3 months ago.

 

[Tenna]

I've had bad pain in my arms/shoulders for quite a few years, tingling, pins and odd sensations, as well as anxiety that resembles yours.
The worst thing you can do is to google, aids, ebola, been through it all.

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Horrible isant it?

Dont understand how anxiety can do so much?

 

[VaR]

Done it all Lisa, and still do. Wish I could get better.

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Done it all Lisa, and still do. Wish I could get better.

Hope you feel better

Do you get simular symptoms then?

 

[RaZaH]

Simple, stop googling symptoms

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Not really that simple is it? Im sure everyone is guilty of doing it.

 

[VaR]

Yes, twitching all over, pins and needles, lump on arm, etc. Done it all. An obsessive hypochondriac is what I have become since tinnitus.

 

[LadyDi]

Health anxiety is a very real disorder and I have realized I have dealt with it, too. It can be largely helped by what @RaZaH suggests: stop constantly consulting Dr Goggle. Sure it's not easy. But I would suggest its a lot easier than reversing other habits that affect our health, like smoking. Give it a try, enlist others you can talk to when you are tempted to look for answers on the Internet instead. Or seek help from a good therapist, if you feel the problem is impacting your quality of life.

 

[Amelia]

I always joke I have health anxiety, but deep down I know it's pretty true, I'm the google queen and I'm constantly being asked by new doctors/specialists where I practice or how long I've been in the health profession (I'm not) because I know so much about what's being discussed. It's the control freak in me.

I get the brain tumor and MS results @Lisa Robinson - usually come up when I google!

 

[RaZaH]

It is that simple. I dont do it so , No , not everyone does it.
Didnt say easy , simple.

Actually it is easy , just stop it.

 

[Lisa Robinson]

I went to doctors today for a check up. She asked me why i think i have ms? I said anxiety symptons are a lot like ms so its hard to tell. She said anxiety is more common than ms though.

 

[tinnitussufferer]

dont worry mate you will be alright.

 

[VaR]

@Lisa Robinson I too have wondered many a times that I might have MS or ALS with the constant body twitching, my carpel tunnel issues due to excessive typing and brain fog at times. It's just the worse. Medical tests and things are so expensive, even doctor visits that it's frustrating.

 

[jovionabedofrose]

I really think most
symptoms are anxiety which can affect every part of you in and out..

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Even shakes? Ive got those today been on my new tablets prozac for few days.

 

[S.withnell]

Hi Lisa, I suffer terribly with anxiety and I mean full blow works. I get so nervous I can't sit still, I have bad tremors and panic attacks and I get the worst feelings in the world like I'm going to die, I have suffered this all my life and I'm getting help via cbt that has helped me keep some of it under control from helping me working out why I feel the way I do and what to do to help. E not feel that way.

But I still gets very bad episodes and today I had one from having a mri scan and still feel very on edge. But it's all my head and it makes everything worst.
But it's all normal perfectly normal to have these feelings.

I get pins and needles , numbness. Feeling sick , dizzy spells and to the point I almost faint. But the more I worry the worst it gets, so for me I go out for a walk or try and do something to help relax and take your mind off things, it easy said than done but honestly it does help. Even if it's just some thing small like drawing or just going out for a walk. It does get better and when you have health issues like tinnitus anxiety does make it all spiral out of control but honestly it's just a circle that needs breaking and little things help.

If you ever want to talk I'm here as your not alone. Hope you feel better soon and go ask your doctor for help. They will get you to the right people.

 

[LadyDi]

I feel for everyone here who has anxiety. As my psychiatrist once told me, it's probably the closest thing out there to feeling like you are dying. And it feeds on itself; the more anxious you get, the worse your symptoms, which then makes you MORE anxious! It really helps to learn tricks, like @S.withnell suggests, to shut down that spiral before it gets started.

 

[S.withnell]

It does and thanks @LadyDi Ive been up and down for the last few months with t and my anixty hasn't helped at all, but even now I've been for a mri scan ive been I. Tears today and scare stiff of having it done, but I did it and my anxiety has gone down, and it will as now I'm just doing other things I went for a walk. I've watched a good program I like and just little things like that do really help even when it's been something traumatic , you will be surprise how strong you actaully are

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Thank you for the replies. Just feel awful lately and anxious as hell i hate all these sensations

 

[conbsgc]

pins, needles, TINNITUS, dizziness, pressure, headaches, feelings like you're passing out etc. are all anxiety!!!

MS is rare

when you're anxious you feel an IMMENSE AMOUNT OF SYMPTOMS that quickly go away once u relax!!!

my suggestion is avoid google

I can tell you've been googling stuff..... google is horrible (you search splinter in finger and it tells you have brain cancer!

I had a huge issue in the past because I had an ear infection, I went to my GP and he couldn't find anything, I went to google and it convinced me I had a rare form of cancer in the ear... it comes out my GP couldn't find anything because the infection was just starting to happen and it needed a few days to progress so it could be treated with some over the counter medication!!! (I HATE GOOGLE!)

see a doctor over the health issue u have and relax

 

[Lisa Robinson]

I try relax but sensations are always there. Can they still be there when relaxed and not anxious? i have GAD so im a worrier.

 

[conbsgc]

I try relax but sensations are always there. Can they still be there when relaxed and not anxious? i have GAD so im a worrier.

you don't have to be panicking right this minute to feel anxiety symptoms, you are still in that anxious mood overall, its only after you get rid of the anxiety and your mood changes for a few days that you body slowly recovers.

 

[Lisa Robinson]

you don't have to be panicking right this minute to feel anxiety symptoms, you are still in that anxious mood overall, its only after you get rid of the anxiety and your mood changes for a few days that you body slowly recovers.

Oh, i am never not anxious hoping the prozac ive been given a week ago help.

 

[LadyDi]

@Lisa Robinson: Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)? It can be very helpful for some people. It was for me. It helps you shut down that terrible spiral of anxious, negative thinking that leads to panic. Dr. Hubbard, who is in Doctors Corner on our board, has CBT experience and tinnitus.

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Ive had cbt before with anxiety and helped so being referred again. I am mainly anxious about my restless legs and crawling and pins and needles on my legs and sometimes back.

 

[conbsgc]

Ive had cbt before with anxiety and helped so being referred again. I am mainly anxious about my restless legs and crawling and pins and needles on my legs and sometimes back.

have you ever had a doctor look at your legs and back? what you feel is very common with anxiety (pins needles crawling).... does your anxiety make you feel sort of dizzy?

relax, honestly!! I honestly doubt you have anything serious or worth worrying about

 

[Lisa Robinson]

Dr has looked but nurse checked my leg and arms to see if she could tell any weakness because worried of MS and yeah sometimes rarely i get dizzy spell.

 

[conbsgc]

I honestly think you're stressing yourself out without reason

 

[LadyDi]

I do agree that @Lisa Robinson probably is stressing out about her symptoms unnecessarily. But health anxiety isn't about being rational. It's easy to say, "hey, don't worry about it," when your automatic limbic system is screaming to your body, "worry, worry! You could be dying!" This is why CBT is so helpful. It puts rational thought back in control.

Oh, and maybe this already has been said: People with health anxiety really, really need to stay away from Googling their symptoms. It can send you into an anxiety spiral in a snap.