Pain causing anxietyand depression (not the other way around)

Hi Pinks and welcome back! I am sorry that you are in pain. I'm glad that you are taking a day off to rest!

You said that you don't trust dr.s anymore...there must be a story behind that. Have you been ignored or ill-advised in the past? I am sorry that you had a negative experience, but try not to let that keep you from getting the help that you need.

With any new symptoms, it is always wise to get them checked out. Your pain could be nothing more than tension, but could be something that needs to be at least looked into (I'm sure it's fine, but left-sided pain in these areas should be discussed w/ dr.)

Take it easy, make an appointment, and let us know how you're doing soon:)
Scaredy Cat

Pinks - bless ur heart. For me, I have Addisons/gout/fibromyalgia/cervical dystonia and spinal stenosis/ no stomach gallbladder or spleen/pernicious anemia/hypoglycemia/chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic nerve damage/migraines to name a few. Point Im making is for me it works both ways. Some of these are autoimmune disorders or congenital. I have anxiety/ptsd/panic attacks/depression. The anx/panic/dep are symptoms of the others. But the others also make worse the autoimmunes. Its hard 2 separate which is fueling what. They just come and usually together. Nevr stop looking 4 another opinion or tx.!!! Dont get complacent and just let it have u or suffer if u dont have to. KEEP LOOKING! Huggz

Pinks - I heard the same things for years. And I know anxiety can cause your body to do some really strange things so it surely could all come from that. During a big panic attack my whole body goes nuts and I think cld seem like half a dozen different things. I just know I saw a lotttttta doctors b4 they looked past that and found the other culprits. Either way tho, the breathing exercises and daily practices to deal with the anx/panic are great and very helpful. Tough day guys. tough one. PTSD kicking my tail. gotta get thru this day. HUGGZ

Pinks,
i wanted to respond to you, as i too have had cronic pain... in the neck,upper back and shoulders.... its been about 3 years, and i too keep getting the "gastric, pulled muscle, anxiety" diagnosis. i fear somthing elese is really wrong.
ive had chest xrays, MRI's, Ekg's...etc... been given, muscle relaxers, pain killers, anxiety meds.... but, its the pain that triggers the anxiety , i know exactly what you mean. today is a bad day for me... my neck, upper back just aches.... im only 44...a little overweight.. but, gosh.... im just ready to lose my mind.
i just wanted to share my story to let you know, your not alone. ((hugs))

Hey everyone. Just wanted 2 add Ive had over 20 surgeries starting @ age 2. Most as adult. Dr 2 Dr n tests. Yes, in my head, depression, stress, etc. I used 2 take the Drs word as gospel but they r just ppl 2. Have a great neuro now!! Took yrs but I learned my body and I know when its not rite. For me, if I hadnt kept challenging them I wldnt b here. Now they dont look 4 horses but zebras. Dr calls me a med students dream and an enigma. Tests dont tend 2 show up right. Symptoms seem nvr typical or n the rite place. I do have anx/panic/dep. But a host of purely physical disorders. Many times they were just putting out fires by treating symptoms not realizing the root causes. Ive fought w them, refused 2 b discharged told them what was wrong and evn how they needed to treat it @ times. I had 2. At least they now know and are trying to get txs right. Anx does some strange things 2 my body that present as evrythg from bladder, heart, lungs, pain in odd places, bld sugar, muscle spasms even hearing and mouth swells up. I though Id die frm anaphalyctic shock frm an a-biotic 2 Mos ago cuz they were hung up on it being a panic attack. Got chem-paint allergic reaction 7-8 yrs ago nails turning blue n still got must b panic. For me - Id keep looking. Prayers n understanding to u friend. And it WILL be ok.

Thank you so much for your replies everyone.

I've been feeling really down lately. Sometimes I checked your replies on my phone and then I type out a reply but then cancelled it because I didn't know if I was using the right words, if that was how I was really feeling. But I'll try again anyway.

babette66,

I'm sorry you have to go through all that. 3 years, seems like we've been struggling with this for about the same period of time. What was your most current diagnosis? Are you still having pains?

debaser,

Some time in 2009 I did try going to the ENT and they said my right jaw seemed to "click". I know that's what's causing me to have headaches and neck pains on the right side every now and then. But the chest pain seems to be coming from deep inside the sternum.

BluAngel,

I know what you mean by them just "putting out fires by treating symptoms" - without knowing the root cause. I'm glad you now know what's causing your symptoms. I really hope *i* will be ok too.

Raynebow,

Right now I kinda feel that the anxiety has turned into depression. These few days I have been doing nothing but stay at home and sleep so that the pain "goes away". But when I wake up, it's back. Doctors really are giving me the same answers, the same pills, and nothing seems to take the pain away.


Thank you so much everyone for your replies.

I really hope this chest/back/etc pain isn't a precursor to something more serious. I have a family, assignments to complete for school, an exam next week...I wanna feel 'alive' again so I can carry on with my life.

I really, really need my life back.

Pinks,
Isn't it so hard to try to out-guess yourself ? I came up with lots of reasons for why I should have anxiety and depression. I thought I had a brain tumor, hormone imbalance, coffee or diet colas, medications, jet lag, major life changes and a whole lot of other disorders. My physician did labs, EKGs, and many other tests which were always normal. I so wanted the anxiety to have a physical reason and not have it all in my head.
I finally had to accept that I was a person with anxiety/depression and work on how to live each day to the fullest. It has been 29 years now and the last 5 have many one hack of a ride.
Understanding that it is not the the intrusive thoughts that are responsible for your despair is the one of the steps in overcoming Anxiety and panic attacks. It’s the way you react to the thoughts that causes your mind and body to go into panic mode. Anyone who suffers from Anxiety and Panic Attacks know only to well how frightening that panic mode can be. I found it terrifying when I had a panic attack when I was out of the house.
Learning to control your thoughts is another step towards beating Anxiety and Panic attacks. In my case I learned that these attacks couldn’t hurt me, that was the hard part. I then learned that if I faced my thoughts and the things that made me anxious, I could take control again and not be crippled by my Anxiety Disorder. Anxiety can be overcome, sometimes in a very short time, for some people it might be a longer process but it’s one you can overcome with help.
All my adult life people have said I am strong and I have tried to be but inside I am afraid, I want to feel happy not afraid.
"I fell off my pink cloud with a thud." - but then I climbed back on and keep floating toward good days.
Gentle Hugs,
Kitt

Has anyone here with pain and/or anxiety tried magnesium (Mg)? I've found it relieves both. People used to say I was just an anxious hypochondriac. I certainly am not now that I have found--and absolutely love--magnesium malate. It is a muscle relaxer too. I could not imagine a better treatment for anxiety especially with attendant muscle pain because it is a pain killer too. Do yourself a favor and do try Mg for anxiety. It's practically as good as a benzo without any of the side effects--irrational thinking, irritability, tolerance, addiction, etc. In fact, it also treats all those side effects!

Since I've been reading about Mg and all it does, it's struck me that the primary condition that all drugs are prescribed to treat is just Mg deficiency. Here is a short list of diseases/conditions aggravated/caused by low Mg: ADD, aging, anger/aggression, all addiction (especially alcoholism), allergies, ALS, Alzheimer's, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, autism, bipolar disorder, bruxism (and all excessive muscle clenching), cancer, carpel tunnel, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, constipation, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, eclampsia, fibromyalgia, hearing loss, heart disease, hypertension, impatience, insomnia, kidney stones, metabolic syndrome (and perhaps all obesity), migraine headache, mitral valve prolapse, menopause, multiple sclerosis, muscle pain, nail biting, OCD, osteoporosis, pain (all sorts), peripheral vascular disease, PMS, many psychiatric disorders, PTSD, sexual dysfunction (male and female), SIDS, sickle cell disorder, sleep disturbance, stress, stuttering, tinnitus, TMJ, and toxic shock... It's pretty much unbelievable that doctors do not prescribe it more often! If anyone else has had experience with Mg--especially for anxiety--do please share.