Long time Reader. . .1st time poster. . .One of the crowd?

[lilypad300]

Hi.
I've been reading this forum for a long time and it does help a lot, and I know that this post is like a million others here, but I'm having a rather bad day and would love some feedback. . .is it probably anxiety or something more sinister.

Last year, I had thyroid surgery and ended up back in the hospital with some complications due to low calcium.  That has been completely resolved, but ever since then, I have been hyper-vigiliant about my body symptoms & sensations.

 I have had eye twitching (this has been off and on for months right now on), full body twitching, weird "numb" but "not numb" patches on my arm, thigh and lip area that come and go randomly. Hands and feet that seem to fall asleep easily but wake up just as easily. And a weird feeling between my big and second toe when I wiggle them.

There was a time during the fall when I was convinced I had heart problems, went to the cardiologist and a stress test w/ dye everything normal, and then I moved on from that and am convinced I have something neurological (specifically MS)

My GP says that it's stress and won't even entertain the idea of needing other tests. 
Really, stress?  The only thing that is stressing my out is this fear. . .Which came first the anxiety or the symptoms?

Thanks!

[shrublet]

Hi Lilypad, welcome to Anxiety Zone (officially)!  

I think the trigger of the anxiety/symptom vicious circle is quite individual. For me, at least, the anxiety came first, and then the "symptoms." However, the truth is that the "symptoms" were there all along- they're just the weird little things our bodies do, and pre-anxiety I hardly noticed them. For others, though, a stressful situation or medical condition can bring on the anxiety. It is common for most people to have periods of high stress and even panic after traumatic events. Hypochondria commonly comes into the picture if the event was medical related.

I think being hyper-vigilant post surgery is a healthy and rational thing to do! It's just the other 11 months that are problematic. I can say with certainty that all of the symptoms you listed are directly attributable to anxiety and that the vast majority of us here have had every single one of them (and have made many hundreds of posts on them! ). One of the defining features of anxiety is fear of fear, or stressing over stressing, which is why anxiety is so vicious and often clever.

I highly suggest reading Pan's sticky post on MS, if you haven't already.

[Pan]

Hi.
I've been reading this forum for a long time and it does help a lot, and I know that this post is like a million others here, but I'm having a rather bad day and would love some feedback. . .is it probably anxiety or something more sinister.

Last year, I had thyroid surgery and ended up back in the hospital with some complications due to low calcium.  That has been completely resolved, but ever since then, I have been hyper-vigiliant about my body symptoms & sensations.

 I have had eye twitching (this has been off and on for months right now on), full body twitching, weird "numb" but "not numb" patches on my arm, thigh and lip area that come and go randomly. Hands and feet that seem to fall asleep easily but wake up just as easily. And a weird feeling between my big and second toe when I wiggle them.
There was a time during the fall when I was convinced I had heart problems, went to the cardiologist and a stress test w/ dye everything normal, and then I moved on from that and am convinced I have something neurological (specifically MS)

My GP says that it's stress and won't even entertain the idea of needing other tests. 
Really, stress?  The only thing that is stressing my out is this fear. . .Which came first the anxiety or the symptoms?

Thanks!

These 3 specific things indicate a no brainer physical anxiety issue.  The hands and feet that fall asleep but 'return to life' far quicker than for normal pins and needles is a 100% classic physical anxiety indicator.

You ask what came first the fear or the symptoms?  From reading your post it would appear to be neither really.  You mention that you started to become hyper vigilant regarding your body after a health scare and it is this hyper vigilance that has helped breed both the fear and the symptoms.  The development of health anxiety after a health scare is incredibly common and you are treading a well worn path believe me.

[sixpack]

I think the trigger of the anxiety/symptom vicious circle is quite individual. For me, at least, the anxiety came first, and then the "symptoms." However, the truth is that the "symptoms" were there all along- they're just the weird little things our bodies do, and pre-anxiety I hardly noticed them. For others, though, a stressful situation or medical condition can bring on the anxiety. It is common for most people to have periods of high stress and even panic after traumatic events. Hypochondria commonly comes into the picture if the event was medical related.

I think being hyper-vigilant post surgery is a healthy and rational thing to do!  It's just the other 11 months that are problematic. I can say with certainty that all of the symptoms you listed are directly attributable to anxiety and that the vast majority of us here have had every single one of them (and have made many hundreds of posts on them! ). One of the defining features of anxiety is fear of fear, or stressing over stressing, which is why anxiety is so vicious and often clever.

YEP

These 3 specific things indicate a no brainer physical anxiety issue.  The hands and feet that fall asleep but 'return to life' far quicker than for normal pins and needles is a 100% classic physical anxiety indicator.

You ask what came first the fear or the symptoms?  From reading your post it would appear to be neither really.  You mention that you started to become hyper vigilant regarding your body after a health scare and it is this hyper vigilance that has helped breed both the fear and the symptoms.  The development of health anxiety after a health scare is incredibly common and you are treading a well worn path believe me.

and YEP

I always like to mention that we can be stressed out monkeys often times before we consciously know it.  The last 3 years have been pretty stressful.  My body was giving me weird body symptoms, but I was to busy to pay any mind.  Then last October, while watching TV, my left thigh started buzzing.  Hmmm what's up with that???  In November, I allowed my mind to start putting together all of the oddball things that had been happening over the past year.  Then I started ruminating.  My ruminations arrived at a very logical conclusion.  I have MS.  Tada.  Then all kinds of new freaky, wacky and twisted things started happening to me.  Yep, slipped right down into my BEASTY's lair.




And with that I also welcome to our group.  You'll fit right in here.

[mendeelen]

I would say I am the opposite of Shrublet...I think my symptoms came first, (although I might have been subconsiously anxious), then I really became anxious of all my persistent symptoms.  I have pretty much all the same symptoms of you, but I am not a neuro worrier, so it is rather easy for me to brush those aside.  However, I worry about my heart, lungs, blood clots, and brain aneurysms.  So, when I get a symptoms like palps, shortness of breath, wierd pains in my legs, or headaches, that's when my mind really gets to reeling.  I guess I worry more about the things that kill quickly...makes no sense really.

Welcome to the forum...you ought to type in your symptoms in the forum search bar and you will see just how common your symptoms are...it's crazy how our bodies and minds mess with us!!!  Good luck to you!!!

[lilypad300]

thanks for the warm welcome & the kind feedback.

the posts here are great, and Pan, I've read your MS thread so many times I could probably recite it in my sleep. . .intellectually and rationally it makes perfect sense and I thank you so much for writing it and sharing it, now I just have to get that little nagging voice in the back of my head to believe it.  I do well, and then an odd buzzing or twitch pops up and then I'm a mess all over again.  Not to mention the aches and pains I've given myself standing on one foot, heel walking, jumping up & down steps, testing for babinski reflexes (yea, because I know what I'm doing   ). . .during all of my nutty self-testing.

thanks again!

[marc]

I have been told that as we age, our aches and pains increase with really
no explanation. Over the years I have been to many physicians about various
complaints, sometimes with no answers. I have been told to live in the present
and not think too far in the future as thinking too far ahead brings on stress.
I have been told this by my internal medicine and GI physicians, as this is the
thinking they practice in their daily lives. I have tried to practice this way of thinking
and when I do, it seems to work.

[lilypad300]

I have been told that as we age, our aches and pains increase with really
no explanation. Over the years I have been to many physicians about various
complaints, sometimes with no answers. I have been told to live in the present
and not think too far in the future as thinking too far ahead brings on stress.
I have been told this by my internal medicine and GI physicians, as this is the
thinking they practice in their daily lives. I have tried to practice this way of thinking
and when I do, it seems to work.

thanks, i need to remember this. . .instead of spending the whole day googling "tingling lip" like I did today. 

[Jayavyan]

"thanks, i need to remember this. . .instead of spending the whole day googling "tingling lip" like I did today.  "

Indeed!  Google's results will throw life threatening outcomes  at you for any and every sensation you can come up with.  There's always a "worst case scenario" for everything, and I mean everything.  How many times do our stomachs sink when we read of our symptoms, "...could be a sign of a serious condition" or what have you?

But you've been here a long time, it sounds like, so I doubt I need to remind you!  :)