I had an account here years back when I went through my first bout of anxiety, in my early twenties. It was a great resource to have, and though I went on my way as I came to cope with the trilogy of GAD, Panic, and Social anxiety disorders, I've recently found myself having fallen back into a bit of a hole, and thought I'd come back, if only for simple reassurance. Hell, maybe I can even offer a bit of advice to others. I have two questions that I'd be curious to have answered by likeminded people:
My first question: What are your experiences in relation to real physiological pain that, in the end, you were only able to rid yourself of, and attribute to, anxiety (or other psychological disorders)?
My second question: In your experiences, is any symptom, or part of the body, out of bounds when it comes to suffering under the weight of chronic anxiety?
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If you wish not to be bothered with a bunch of text, simply answering the questions above would be of great help to me!
For further context: years ago I experienced my first panic attack, palpitations, two E.R. visits, heightened levels of constant anxiety (GAD), feelings of impending doom, and so on. This all lead to agoraphobic tendencies, and having to drop out of school for a while. I started an SSRI, only for a year, and during that time I found yoga, and meditation. I also, slowly, expanded my interests/hobbies, and thankfully was able to crawl my way back to a functioning life. For years, anxiety did not play a role in my day to day life.
Lately, I've travelled around the country, and recently graduated college. I've had minor spells of anxiety in past months, but hadn't had a true panic attack in years ... until several weeks ago. Since then, it's been palpitations, sweats, lightheadedness, agoraphobic tendencies, etc., etc.. I can deal with those symptoms, and know that I can get past them with time, and effort.
However, what's getting me right now is pain in my right calf. A dull ache, not caused by any physical activity, that comes and goes, and at times is unbearable. Three weeks in, and I made the BIGGEST mistake ... I went to Dr. Google for advise. DVT ... Pulmonary Embolism ... death ... BOOM! That's all it took to push me back into one of my deepest periods of anxiety, and fear. In the world of fight, or flight, I was (have been) engaged in flight.
I went to my GP today. After a "casual" panic attack in the waiting room, he said that while he couldn't absolutely rule out DVT without further testing, I had none of the signs that would indicate such a condition. No redness, no heat, no swelling, no inability to flex the ankle, and a satisfactory pulse in the ankle, suggesting blood flow was sufficient.
I left with no answers, other than some minor reassurances that my life isn't likely in immediate danger, and with a script
of Lorazepam (an old friend I only meet with on rare occasion). And, thus, here I am ... wondering ... how many people suffer from unexplainable, chronic, pain from their bouts of anxiety? Without a doubt, I've been experiencing high levels of anxiety daily, and focussed, at times, on that leg. It's just hard, even though I know the nervous system is a tricky thing, to accept that this pain has no cause beyond my mind working against me. And yet, it seems that as I take my first 1mg lorazepam pill, the pain is reduced. And I'm left realizing that my mind, and my CNS, are likely capable of playing some real cruel tricks.
Sorry for the bit of a rant here. I feel better having written it all out. If one thing is certain, it's that I made a big mistake, a year or so ago, reverting back to the lifestyle that had lead to my first bout with anxiety, in the first place. Live, and learn, I suppose. Still, I wonder ...
How many people have experienced random, chronic, pain in their body that is only attributed to severe anxiety, and panic attacks? Is this common amongst users of this site? Let's leave out chest pain, as I think just about
everybody gets bouts of chest pain with anxiety.
Post Edited (TICHWA) : 3/28/2017 5:15:23 PM (GMT-6)