Anxiety really bad need help and advice

chiliphil1 · Sep 2, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
But why does the pain feel so real how can anxiety be that powerful my stomach and pain is so bad also did you learn these things by yourself or with help and how do you stop yourself from getting triggered and telling what is anxiety and what is not

Ok, so for me it was mostly reading about anxiety. Rather than searching for my physical symptoms I started reading about anxiety and what it does. I found a forum, like this one and I got advice and read other peoples experiences and realized that they went through the same thing I was going through and they were ok. I also had to figure the law of averages, meaning, if I’m 24 what are the odds that I’m really having heart problems? If I’ve never had a health issue in my life why would my heart suddenly start to fail? Then, if I started with the heart and it was ok then what were the odds that I suddenly developed cancer or some other disease? If the first one was a fake scare why would the second, third, and so on be real?

As far as anxiety being that powerful? ABSOLUTELY! You can read through this forum and see how many of us deal with pain daily. Pains everywhere from the head down, stomach, back, chest. All of it. It can make you hurt to the point where you’re ready to call an ambulance. I can’t even recall all of the activities and family events that I missed because I knew I was going to die and didn’t want my kids to be around when it happened. I mean, no one could tell me that I wasn’t dying. It was happening and that was that. It took a few trips to the hospital before I started to believe that maybe I was ok, maybe none of it was real. Even then, I didn’t do anything to push myself, I stopped cycling and doing any physical activity because I didn’t want to risk it. At that point I was essentially sitting around and waiting to die but guess what? I didn’t.

As far as being able to tell what’s anxiety and what isn’t, that comes with time and practice. If you can learn to calm yourself down then you will see that when you do that the pain stops or at least lessens. Once that happens you really start to think that maybe it is anxiety causing it all. I used to have this horrible pain in my upper back, it was like being stabbed, it was hard to move, hard to breathe, just miserable. I always thought that I had pulled something but pain medication wouldn’t help. Finally I got worried about it and took some anxiety medication, boom, back pain gone. At that moment I realized that it was just another symptom. A lot of times I will still get something that makes me question whether it’s real or if it’s anxiety but I try to calm myself and think it out. If it’s still there when I’m calm then perhaps it’s just my mind, again, this takes time and you must learn to trust reason and not emotion.

Take a look at this list https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety-guide/symptoms and see what I mean.

Also, that website calm clinic is fantastic. It helped me a lot when I went through it, the people who write for that site are doing God’s work. They explain things that don’t make sense and why they happen. It can really help you to understand what’s happening. I would recommend reading everything you can on that site.

chiliphil1 · Sep 3, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Thank you I’m finding really hard atm to push myself as well as you said with the going out besides the anxiety this whole situation makes me feel so low one minute I’m fine no pain and feeling alright the next I’m in pain as it comes in waves and then start panicking again did u end up going to lots of appointments right now I’m just in so much pain with my lower back never had such bad back pain just sitting in agony and obviously the stomach pain it’s so hard to tell what’s real and what’s not and scary being left in the unknown about pain I don’t have any anxiety medicine atm they were reluctant to give me it if u don’t mind me asking how long did it take you to feel like you were coping better with the anxiety and stuff again thanks for always responding like you said it helps a lot to hear other people’s stories and makes you feel more reassuranced and less alone so thank you for that thanks for the links too and if you have any more tips that helped you or anything else that you found helpful in your experience and are willing to share id appreciate it a lot do you still sometimes have moments where you panic still?

You are absolutely welcome. I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my experiences with you.

It will come in waves, the thing about it is that you build up tension, even when you don’t realize it. Then you start to notice a little something, then your mind goes to that sensation whether it’s a tightness, a stabbing, whatever plays on your mind. Once your mind goes there it just intensifies the pain and off you go.

I can understand the doctor not giving you any meds, they are real jerks about it. So afraid that we will abuse them or become addicted but I wonder, have they ever had to live through this? That’s a sore topic for me because I think that the doctors are wrong about it. Sometimes we need medication like that and they sit there judging us for it. The only real option you have, if they’re not willing to give you a sedative is to take an anti depressant. That, combined with a beta blocker is what really got me through it. That’s what allowed me to turn the corner. Beta blockers are a great alternative to sedatives, they have much the same effect but are not addictive. I would ask for something. The doctor can help decide what may be best for you but I would make sure that they do something to help you, there is no excuse for them not to.

When I first went to the doctor I was not very happy with my care, they just threw different medicines at me and didn’t really listen. I went to a different doctor and he gave me proper treatment and reassured me about things. Within a few days of being on the new medication I felt like my old self again, all of the bad things just went away. Since then I have had off and on anxiety, I haven’t been completely in control of it at all times but I have been much better able to handle it and I have been able to prevent it from taking over like it did in the beginning.

I’m here now for the same reason, it finally overtook me again. I had a situation about 3 months ago which put my anxiety back at extreme levels and it got out of hand again. Since then I’ve been doing the same things, reading, doing worry times, taking medication. All of the things I did the first time. I feel like once you go through this you are changed, you are better able to handle things in life but you are also more sensitive to things. I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely anxiety free but I do feel like I can handle most things. It’s been years since the anxiety got out of hand and I consider that a win. I don’t know how long it will take to get past everything this time but I’m committed to getting through it. I’ll take the medication for as long as I need and I will get back to myself.

chiliphil1 · Sep 3, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Thanks yeah that’s what they said didn’t want me to get addicted to them so were reluctant but I’ve never been told about beta blockers before until you mentioned it never even heard of them r anti depressants used for anxiety then and depression? And yeah sometimes it’s all about finding the right doctor I tend to prefer doctors who are obviously very good at explaining things like how things happen and what exactly different meds are used for because they tend to be really good at listening and to concerns and reassure you really well hopefully I’ll get through this like you did first time round so it helps if there is anothey anxiety blip in the future as I’ve been told before the anxiety is unlikely to ever go away just about managing which I’m trying to do I think the other thing about the meds is im Young not too young to take them obviously but i don’t know they are just it s bit more reluctant so I don’t much about them or even which are best or ones they might suggest do you have any idea on this? I was given some painkillers which actually anti depressants but they didn’t agree with me and since then haven’t anything else like that except muscle relaxers but they can be addictive too apparently so kind of stuck on what would be best and do the beta blockers just deal with anxiety or do they deal also with pain?

Beta blockers are actually used for high blood pressure and heart conditions however, they prevent adrenaline from getting to your heart which reduces the physical symptoms of anxiety. I have read that they are as effective as a benzo like Xanax. I know for me they really worked.

As far as anti depressants it’s hard to say which is best. You can usually start with something like lexapro or Zoloft and go from there. The one that worked for me was called pristiq. Just be aware that they can make anxiety worse for the first couple of weeks and then it starts to get better. That’s where the beta blocker can help.

chiliphil1 · Sep 3, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Ok so beta blockers help straight away also do you have any tips on how to stop panic attacks when you get triggered by pain I keep getting anxiety over that and then my thoughts think of that horrible thought do you think my back pain is anxiety because it really hurts

I just feel so guilty like getting these thoughts under control is so Hard i just keep panicking about the pain and thinking it might something awful like mentioned before I’m honestly so scared I don’t want anything serious to be wrong with me I just want to get better I’m so scared about having the scan I just keep constantly having panic attacks

Hope you don’t mind me asking questions but How can the anxiety cause the pain like does it come out of no where was there any tests you did to tell them apart

Like does it create other sensations other than pain

I don’t mind the questions at all.

Anxiety can cause pain by keeping your muscles tight. Anxiety and panic attacks are a natural reaction to perceived danger. Whether the danger is real or imagined doesn’t matter, the body reacts the same way. It’s called the “fight or flight response” when we sense danger the adrenal glands send a big rush of adrenaline through the body, the heart rate quickens, the muscles are tightened in preparation to run or fight. Blood is diverted from non essential functions like digestion and is sent to survival organs such as the heart and lungs again, in preparation to escape or fight. What this all means to you is that when the muscles are tensed like that and stay that way because you stay anxious they get sore. The soreness causes pain and then when you add more anxiety and cause those already sore muscles to tense again you can get a lot of pain.

Panic attacks, they suck. There are a few ways that you can get through them. The biggest thing to remember is that they will not hurt you. They are a natural response to fear and they are not dangerous. The way that I get through them is to talk myself through. I’ve had enough of them that I can tell when one is coming, they don’t usually sneak up on me. When I feel the first hint that one is coming I’ll start saying things like “oh, an panic attack, wonder why?” Then I’ll keep talking “yep, I can feel it building” as it starts to really kick in something like “ok, here we go, going up the roller coaster” as it peaks “alright, that’s the top of the hill, now we go down” and things like that. Stopping them takes time. The biggest thing is that you have to stop being afraid of the attacks, it’s difficult to do that because it is literally the peak of fear. Once you learn that they won’t hurt you and once you are able to feel when it’s coming before it happens it gets a lot easier. You can keep them from peaking and you can stop them. One other thing that helped me with the attacks before was this. As soon as you feel it coming, in your mind yell stop as loud as you can and immediately start thinking of something good. Saying stop like that will disrupt the thought pattern and stop the building of anxiety. The thinking of happy things will get your mind off of the attack, this technique really worked but it takes practice also.

For me my main issue was chest pain in the beginning so I had several tests, ekg, blood work, chest x-rays, etc. I did everything short of a heart cath and stress test and believe me, I wanted to do those as well but the doctors didn’t want to as they felt that there was no reason.

Anxiety can cause other sensations as well, that’s why I posted that link, the list of things it can do is unbelievable. You obviously have the pain and fear but it can also cause dizziness, stomach problems, depersonalization, heart palpitations, and many many more. The list of symptoms is almost endless.

Don’t be afraid of the tests, I was and I had no reason to be. The test will give you the answers you need. It will tell you if there is something (like the cyst) that can be taken care of or if there is nothing and then you can really start to work on the anxiety knowing that everything else is ok.

chiliphil1 · Sep 3, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Also had a look at the links that you sent and did the test my anxiety is high I really hope i can get through this but do you really think my pain is down To anxiety because it hurts and feels real

I do, being there myself I do believe it’s anxiety. And let me be clear on one thing, the pain IS real. It’s just not caused by what you think it is. However it is very very real. Keep reading through that site, tons of great information.

chiliphil1 · Sep 3, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Thanks so do the muscles tense with both anxiety and panic attacks? And can any muscles be effected also I’m not afraid of the panic attacks it’s just more I don’t know how to stop them like I get triggered by either a thought or sensation and then panic attacks happen like for example today may sound stupid I tried to take a nap and closed my eyes and every now and again my body would like jerk almost as if to wake me up? Which freaked me out and made panic

Another thing I was concerned about was last week I went to a doctor about a small lump under the skin of my neck he said it was because of a viral infection and should go in a few days but has not and now the opposite side of my neck is hurting when breathing and moving

It can make the muscles tense all the tine, even when you don’t feel anxious. I guess when I was saying afraid of the panic attacks I meant more as in “seeing them as a problem” once you get control of that and you learn to keep them from peaking you don’t even think about them anymore and they generally stop, should they happen to come up you can brush them off with no issue.

As far as the neck that could definitely be anxiety related, that’s a common area that people keep tension and it makes sense that it would hurt. If the muscles are sort then anything like moving, talking, eating will cause it to hurt more.

chiliphil1 · Sep 4, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Oh ok thanks I had no idea that anxiety is capable of that I’m just trying not to stress at the moment as my scan is approaching hopefully everything will be ok and will be nothing serious so I can get better when trying to stop the muscle tensing what would be the best way to do that so the pain goes away

Progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and deep breathing. Those will do the most good for you.

chiliphil1 · Sep 4, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
What exactly is the muscle relaxation like what does that entail is like all mentally or physically and how long would you say it could take to get better and with the deep breathing how often would it be and is there Like a certain way to do it also you how i said I get triggered and have a nasty thought pop up and then panic is there any Way you have found successful to stop that also I was given muscle relaxers for tensing of muscle but didn’t do much and they mentioned something about muscle spasms would that be the same thing

Muscle relaxation.

Reduce Your Tension With Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Just 5 Minutes

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a valuable stress management tool incorporating exercises that allow you to reduce overall tension in your body.

www.verywellmind.com

Breathing

8 Breathing Exercises for Anxiety You Can Try Right Now

Breathing exercises are a technique available to anyone trying to manage anxiety, and there are different ones to try. One of these might work for you.

www.healthline.com

As far as how much you need to do it, that’s up to you. You can do them as often as you need to. I would say at least twice a day for maybe 10-15 minutes but if you’re feeling extremely anxious or tense you can do them anytime for as long as you want. I can’t say how long it will take to get better, that’s really up to how much you practice and how well you’re able to stick with it.

On the panic side, as I mentioned before once you can tell when the panic is coming you can stop it before it turns to a full panic attack, you have to redirect your mind and talk yourself through.

Try these.

How to Stop a Panic Attack Before Things Get Really Bad

Don’t panic. That’s a phrase we hear countless times in a day. Why? Because when panic attacks—when we experience an intense sensation of fear or anxiety—we are more likely to lose control. Try these techniques for stopping a panic attack when there’s trouble in mind.

www.psycom.net

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Anxieties.com

Obsessions are repetitive, unproductive thoughts. In the mind of someone with obsessive compulsive disorder, these thoughts are exaggerated.

www.anxieties.com

chiliphil1 · Sep 4, 2019

Grey dolphin333 said:
Thanks I just got told today about a deep breathing excercise with the pain I got told something about pain management do you know much about that and with the anxiety causing pain can it make other sensations appear like and can the pain come and go

Also will it take time for the pain to completey go away

Yes, the pain can come and go, that’s fairly normal. I don’t know anything about breathing for the pain but the anxiety breathing should take care of it.

It will take time to go away, you have to heal and that can take some time. Days to weeks in a worst case but the more you work on it, the more relaxed you can be the quicker it will get better.

Anxiety really bad need help and advice

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