Are these normal anxiety symptoms?

[donn90]

Hello,

I'm just looking for a little more advice on these symptoms. I'm 23, no allergies, no medical conditions in the past, and in good health. This past November I had an anxiety attack - I was laying in bed and felt kind of dizzy and then became conscious of my heartbeat and then started feeling numb in my extremities and the then felst warm in my torso area. I then told my wife I needed to go the the hospital, then I went flush white, mouth went dry, became shaky and cold. I was starting to feel a bit better when we got to the ER. They did bloodwork, EKG, and a couple of simple neurological tests. They said all was normal and that I had an anxiety attack. That was a relief to know I wasn't having a heart attack, but I didn't know about the symptoms to come.

I felt okay for a day or two (besides all of my irrational fears that took about a month to get over), but then the physical symptoms started. On a daily basis I would have any number of these physical symptoms - Nausea, Chest Pains, Foggy Vision (was gone in a couple of days), tension headaches, random muscle pains, fatigue, muscle stiffness in the morning, Numbness in my abdomen, arms, legs, and mildly in my neck and jaw. These symptoms were on and off through December, but as work decreased in busyness, and I was taking time to rest, all of the symptoms began to subside. I was starting to feel normal again (by the end of December).

Then after a few days into the new year I began to relapse a bit. I started feeling the odd muscle twitches and soreness (espacially after working out lightly) and myabe that was due to lack of physical activity and starting back into it. Then I began to monitor my body closely for each odd twinge (the worrying cycle begins). I then start getting nausea, numbness, muscle soreness, headaches, and fatigue back. It did seem to come back during another time of stress. Are these normal reoccurring symptoms of anxiety and should I be looking into something else?

I did have a physical in December and the Doctor said it sounded like anxiety and he also checked my Thyroid (which was normal). I'm not taking any medication. I mainly trying to recover from this through encouragement from friends and family, faith, and some herbal supplements (st. johns wart - for mild deppression, b-vitamins - to strengthen my nervous system, amino acids - for joint pain and soreness, and a multi-vitamin - for general nutrients. Do I just go on as normal and let this improve with rest and time, or do you think it's worth another doctor's visit?

Thank you,
Donn

[YankeeBeckham]

Hi Donn,
Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear you've been dealing with all this, though. While the symptoms you list can be attributed to anxiety, it is impossible to say if that is the case over the internet. Here is some information on anxiety that I hope you'll find helpful: http://mayoclinic.com/health/generalized-anxiety-disorder/DS00502/DSECTION=1
Its obvious that your symptoms are affecting your life, and it may be worth talking to your doctor to see what kind of treatments are available. If nothing else, knowing that there is nothing else wrong may do a great deal to reduce your anxiety. Your doctor may want to try medications or have you try counseling, or other things he may think you'll benefit from. If you find most of your anxiety is caused by stress, you may want to look into ways of managing your stress. Exercising, relaxation techniques, finding an enjoyable activity are all things you can try to alleviate stress. Its great that your family and friends are encouraging you throughout this. Staying close with them will probably make this process a lot easier for you.
Good luck and keep us posted!

[Ryan]

Donn,

I can empathize with your situation. I too am young and have struggled with anxiety in the past. If I had to guess, I would assert that you are probably the young, bright, ambitious, perfectionist, hard-working, “A personality” type… all great personality traits to have, but they can also predispose you to anxiety.

Before I get started, I would like to say that I am not a doctor, and further, I am in no way qualified to diagnose any kind of medical condition. There is no substitute for proper medical evaluation; any time you have new symptoms such as the ones that you described above, it is always prudent to have a full medical examination.

That said, your symptoms sound remarkably like the ones I had during my struggle with anxiety. Anxiety and panic attacks are difficult to cope with and can often be debilitating. Your mind has a tremendous amount of control over your body, and therefore, anxiety can mimic the symptoms of just about any serious illness. Because of this, the first panic attack often causes you to “hyper-focus” on your normal bodily functions and overanalyze/worry about things that are otherwise natural.

My first panic attack had symptoms very similar to yours: I was lightheaded, broke into a cold sweat, and had a pins and needles feeling all over my body. For months after that, any small pain or strange feeling would be enough to get me “worked up.” Sometimes it would start with a chest pain… I would worry I was having a heart attack… the worry over the chest pain would cause me to become nauseous from fear. The nausea only increased my anxiety level (which compounded the symptoms)... then all of the sudden I would be short of breath and hyperventilating, which in turn would cause me to have a “pins and needles” sensation and break out in a cold sweat. You see how the symptoms would snowball? 15 minutes later I would be in a full blown panic attack, convinced I was going to die, and on my way to see the doctor... all along the entire instance had been “self created.” Between panic attacks I would be tired, fatigued, and sore from the tension. Anxiety causes your body to become tense and release adrenalin, which absolutely wears you out.

Your saying that you felt better once you reached the ER also makes me lean toward thinking this is anxiety. A classical sign of anxiety is that the symptoms miraculously disappear once you feel “safe” (i.e. under the care of a good doctor).

The hardest part of getting over anxiety, for me at least, was accepting that the doctors had correctly evaluated my health even though my anxiety symptoms would lead me to believe otherwise. “Breaking the worry cycle” and training your mind not to overanalyze your body is difficult to do once the process is started, but with practice, it can be done.

Anxiety often mirrors and/or follows times of high stress. Consequently, times of high stress are also the times that you would be inclined to neglect taking care of your body. When you are experiencing high-stress levels, take special care to get enough sleep, nutrition and exercise. If your body gets run down, your chances of having another panic attack increase exponentially.

If I was a betting man, I would put my money on this being anxiety related. However, if you are still concerned, get a second opinion. At the very least, the doctors reassurance can help you “talk yourself out” of having health related anxiety.

Ryan

[Purple98Lady]

Very interesting Ryan. I liked your term hyper-focus and over analyze your body.. I'd be interested in knowing how you or other people do break this cycle wether it be talking yourself through, facing fears and worry with or without medications. Also their experiences with their Dr's regarding this topic.

Thank you for your post and welcome.

Purple98Lady

[snugin]

Hi Donn, I too have been suffering from anxiety attacks for the past year and a half. They started after my mother passed away and I must say that it is the worst experience that could happen to anyone. I find that I can be sitting around having a couple drinks with friends and I can feel it coming on for no reason and the more that I try to control it the worse it gets. I now take something called herbal nerve by swiss vitamins and knock on wood I haven't had an attack since starting this.

[donn90]

Hi Everyone,

Thank yuo for the helpful feedback. I appreciate the advice. I thought it would be appropriate to give an update on my condition. I've been going through a whole range of physical symptoms - mid Jan. was headaches and numbness in my right arm, and right ear. I also had extreme muscle tension in my back and neck (which could be the answer to the numbness symptom).

Now, I'm back to chest pains and trouble breathing. Of course, I keep fearing that I'm leading up to a heart attack. Though I know that my worrying and fear keeps progressing these symptoms (even creates the symptoms). When I get that in my head and begin to relax then my symptoms decrease. It's a viscious cycle. Though I'm taking measure to watch my diet (less fat, more fruits and vegetables), and less caffeine (maybe one pop a day). The mental part of this is the biggest battle. Telling yourself that your fine even though you feel actual physical symptoms.

I have to remember that I had an EKG, physical, and bloodwork, and that I was diagnosed with anxiety. Though, to be honest I would love to run to the doctor and have a stress test, ECG, Chest X-Ray, and all of the other heart related tests I could think of. In my more rational moments I realize they'll probably come out fine.

I know that no one online can give me a solid answer to these physical symptoms, but I guess I'm just looking to vent and see if anyone has anything similar. Obviously, the goal is victory over this (anxiety) and I won't stop, well, ever. So, with that said, if anyone has any suggestions for me, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you,
Donn

[Dr. Joshua]

Donn- most of the symptoms you describe can be caused by anxiety alone . It's always important to rule out other causes before the diagnosis of anxiety is made - and from what you describe it looks like your doctor has done this.

Please also see the mental health category for previous answers
http://askdoctorjoshua.com/category/mental-health/

Also keep in mind that there are effective drug treatments for anxiety, please see:
http://askdoctorjoshua.com/2006/02/28/anxiety-or-depression-or-both/