I just don't know...

[FearSucks]

Needless to say I'm quite aware I'm a hypochondriac, and I have been dealing with GAD and Social Phobia ever since I was 5-6 years old (in the gym, the scenery almost seemed like it was rocking back and forth, like I was on a ship).

Partial backstory over, I'm no stranger to anxiety, but for over the past few months I've been getting all sorts of strange symptoms that cause me the flip the freak out (at least in my mind, I don't always go into full meltdown mode out loud). Numbness in patches (reduced sensation, not total numbness, no tingling involved), goose-bump like chills that radiate from my back to legs if I'm lying down trying to relax. a spot on the right side of my right foot that has reduced sensation when compared to the left (numbness), I can tell when I walk too. Trouble sleeping (on top of it all I have chronic insomnia due to my anxiety!) Burning in arms, feelings of weakness in legs, sometimes arms. Sometimes shooting pain when I first stand up after sitting/laying down for awhile. While I've closed my eyes and tried to relax in preparation for sleep, one of my muscles will contract involuntarily causing my arm or leg or hand to finger to flail around for a brief moment (it only happens in moments like those.)

I'm a guy, just turned 26 today, I can't even enjoy my birthday because I'm freaking about all these things that have happened to me these past 6 months, I wish I could have some kind of reassurance its just my anxiety.. my GP thinks that's what it is, but I'm not convinced because I dr. googled. All these things make me feel so vulnerable with fear, and reduce my motivation to want to do anything, even things I previously enjoyed.

Does this strike a chord with anyone else?

 

[Coolkid31]

Hi, I'm 31 been going through health anxiety for about 7 years,currently going through a toe tingling experience right now. Over the years I've had everything you just explained to me at some point,muscles tense up,posture goes down the drain and you start putting pressure on nerves etc. I've never had any health issues at all only had antibiotics once lol .I'd say it's anxiety it can totally convince you something's wrong when it's not,I've spent many of precious moments worrying about nothing when I genuinely thought something major was wrong

 

[FearSucks]

Hi, I'm 31 been going through health anxiety for about 7 years,currently going through a toe tingling experience right now. Over the years I've had everything you just explained to me at some point,muscles tense up,posture goes down the drain and you start putting pressure on nerves etc. I've never had any health issues at all only had antibiotics once lol .I'd say it's anxiety it can totally convince you something's wrong when it's not,I've spent many of precious moments worrying about nothing when I genuinely thought something major was wrong

It is reassuring to hear that someone else has had this laundry list of symptoms. Sometimes it comes and goes, sometimes they're constant for days, weeks, sometimes even a month. Usually it's more than one symptom at a time, it just makes me feel so physically and mentally exhausted.

 

[Fear of fear]

Needless to say I'm quite aware I'm a hypochondriac, and I have been dealing with GAD and Social Phobia ever since I was 5-6 years old (in the gym, the scenery almost seemed like it was rocking back and forth, like I was on a ship).

Partial backstory over, I'm no stranger to anxiety, but for over the past few months I've been getting all sorts of strange symptoms that cause me the flip the freak out (at least in my mind, I don't always go into full meltdown mode out loud). Numbness in patches (reduced sensation, not total numbness, no tingling involved), goose-bump like chills that radiate from my back to legs if I'm lying down trying to relax. a spot on the right side of my right foot that has reduced sensation when compared to the left (numbness), I can tell when I walk too. Trouble sleeping (on top of it all I have chronic insomnia due to my anxiety!) Burning in arms, feelings of weakness in legs, sometimes arms. Sometimes shooting pain when I first stand up after sitting/laying down for awhile. While I've closed my eyes and tried to relax in preparation for sleep, one of my muscles will contract involuntarily causing my arm or leg or hand to finger to flail around for a brief moment (it only happens in moments like those.)

I'm a guy, just turned 26 today, I can't even enjoy my birthday because I'm freaking about all these things that have happened to me these past 6 months, I wish I could have some kind of reassurance its just my anxiety.. my GP thinks that's what it is, but I'm not convinced because I dr. googled. All these things make me feel so vulnerable with fear, and reduce my motivation to want to do anything, even things I previously enjoyed.

Does this strike a chord with anyone else?

It certainly does strike a chord with me, I am going through the exact same thing, one piece of advice I can give is DO NOT GOOGLE any symptoms, I cant count the amount of times the internet has told me im about to drop dead is ridiculous!! But its BS! THERE IS NOTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH YOU!! anxiety causes absolutely no physical damage to you body, I urge you to download the book "hope and help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes, I promise you wont regret it

 

[Izthewiz]

It certainly does strike a chord with me, I am going through the exact same thing, one piece of advice I can give is DO NOT GOOGLE any symptoms, I cant count the amount of times the internet has told me im about to drop dead is ridiculous!! But its BS! THERE IS NOTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH YOU!! anxiety causes absolutely no physical damage to you body, I urge you to download the book "hope and help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes, I promise you wont regret it

I agree self diagnose is gravely wrong.
Speaking with a MD a week ago in ER.
He said that "less then 5 % of the time self diagnose is right!"
Those are bad odds and plus you'll worry your self to no end.

 

[FearSucks]

It's good to hear reassurance that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Sometimes it's really hard to take because you just feel like nobody understands, or you're just complaining about ailments.

 

[Trikay12113]

I go through many physical symptoms from anxiety and I would definitely recommend you go see a psychiatrist or at least for sure a therapist! they can really help you through the anxiety and give you ways to control it!

 

[matisworried]

almost all of what you're experiencing could be caused by your anxiety and your tendency to hyper-focus on even the tiniest of sensations you're experiencing. the real kicker is that because of your heightened anxiety, it's possible that your brain is creating the very things you're worried about.

i've been there. i spent a year getting progressively worse. my symptoms were so glaringly obvious that there was NO WAY i DIDN'T have MS. except i didn't. i'd say 90% of what i was experiencing was mental/anxiety-based. the other 10% was totally normal or explainable body sensations.

googling your medical concerns just fuels your anxiety. it will inevitably cause more issues than it relieves.