Didn't take my Klonopin last night because I'm too worried. CT scan?

[haunted68]

As I said in a different post, I went to my doctor about my anxiety yesterday and discussed my DP fear, which he said I did not have.  However, he did not do any type of neuro test, so I'm wondering how he could even know.    I also said then maybe it's MS, which he didn't even respond to just nodded his head and looked at me... and that makes me think that his silence could mean that this is a possibility.  He gave me Klonopin, but I was afraid to take it last night because I started feeling like I wasn't swallowing very often and had difficulty doing so and this weird 'shrinking' feeling.  The shrinking feeling is a totally new thing and has never happened before.

My ongoing symptoms:

Tremors in fingers (worse when I wake up and go away as the day progresses).
Shoulder, neck, and upper arm pain on the left side daily (I forgot to tell him this!!)
Jaw pain mostly on left but sometimes both sides.
Crunchy/popping sound in my neck sometimes when I turn it.
Head jerks when I turn my head sometimes.
Feeling weird and tired in general.
Now I feel like I'm having swallowing issues.
Twitching everywhere.
Numbness/pulling sensation in my face.
Feel like I have a harder time doing things with my left hand.
Develop blurry vision when I read or am on laptop without my glasses... and then I get twitches in my eyelids when I rub them.

I have never had a brain scan, so maybe I need one.  Even in 2007 when I twitched for 6 months they didn't send me for a scan.  I've had abdom/pelvic scans twice for weird pelvic pain that ended up being nothing and going away and every blood test my doctor could think of and even ones that I suggested.  My doctor said I didn't need any testing when I saw him yesterday, so he's going to be mad if I call and say maybe I need some type of brain scan.  I didn't take my Klonopin because I read how addictive it is and I was feeling so weird last night.

I don't know if he will give me a referral, but maybe it's MS and is presenting in an add way.  He's also going to be mad if I call after not even taking the anxiety meds he prescribed.  What do you guys think?  Would you request a scan?  Then I worry about the radiation doses since I had two scans about 2 years apart already.  I thought about taking just a quarter of one of the Klonopin, but I'm getting my hair done today and I'm afraid it will cause some reaction with the hair color.  Could I get any crazier?    What would you do?
 

[haunted68]

Oh yeah... and numbness in two smallest fingers on left side when I wake up, and tingling numbness in left toes after sitting for a while.     Help!!

[MrMoleHill]

I have become so fed up with the neurological anxiety symptoms, that I have decided to just ignore them until I'm balled up in a fetal position, convulsing and drooling.  Someone will have to drag me to the doctor.  The symptoms are too many, too varied, and too ubiquitous.  Until then, they haven't stopped me from living. And I believe therein lies the fact that it truly is due to anxiety.

Regarding Klonopin, I have Klonopin also. It's .25 mg dissolvable tablets.  I do not like medication, and I am a true lightweight when it comes to feeling side effects. This is one drug that works for me, however. I only take it on an as needed basis.  That's only when I can't seem to snap out of a severe episode, and I am in a situation where I absolutely have to be "normal" and cannot wait it out any longer. A 30 day prescription will last me two years. At that dose and that amount, it's probably just a placebo effect anyway.

Best of health to you 

[oregoncoastlady]

You're lumping your symptoms all together and making them into something crazy. Right off the bat I can pick out things that are being caused by tension in your body because I get the same thing. Neck, shoulder issues, trouble swallowing, jaw pain, etc., are probably from all the tension you are holding in that area. I have that on a daily basis. Numb finger...carpal tunnel or pinched nerve. Twitching  body = body tension. Tired and weird feeling is easily caused by anxiety/stress/panic. Blurry vision when you don't wear your glasses? Really? That's kind of a duh...no offense...WEAR YOUR GLASSES! Twitch eyelides = tired eyes. By the way, are you left or right handed? If you are right handed, you will have less strength and coordination in your left hand. Your doctor would have ordered a CT scan if he thought you needed it. Take the klonopin. It will help you. AND, it will NOT interact with going to get your hair done!

[haunted68]

Thank you guys.  You are right.. I'm lumping them all together, but they are happening all together.   I am going to take a Klonopin now... I'm also calling around trying to get a massage scheduled for my shoulder.  The muscles on the left side of my neck were so tight when she was washing my hair that the sink was killing my neck on that side.

I will *try* to pull it together. 

[floridaguy65]

I have become so fed up with the neurological anxiety symptoms, that I have decided to just ignore them until I'm balled up in a fetal position, convulsing and drooling.  Someone will have to drag me to the doctor.  The symptoms are too many, too varied, and too ubiquitous.  Until then, they haven't stopped me from living. And I believe therein lies the fact that it truly is due to anxiety.

HA! Love it:) I came to the conclusion many years ago that I would disdain medical intervention (except yearly checkups / physicals) unless I was incapacitated....or if I was peeing on myself in bed. Why? Because I lived a life, too long, that was steered into fear driven reaction to physical manifestations or body symptoms and pain and niggling aches. I was steered into bad actions and habits by my anxiety / panic / health anxiety challenges. It takes a leap of faith to move away from medical intervention, as we have HA / ADs and we are scared to do so. There likely will NOT come a time where we are feeling no fear and we can, then, make these type decisions. Decisions, likely, will have to be made (and adhered to) WHILE we are still struggling....and THEN we have the bst opportunity to get some firmer footing on a more viable LASTING healin path, eventually:)

I will *try* to pull it together. 

I feel ya'. It is more than tough, at times, interacting with our trials. What's going on in your anxiety help and self-help?

We can help ourselves better "pull it together" when we have some longterm commitments that can move us towards our own healing path. And, then we have to embrace all the actions and habits that can help us achieve those LT commitments:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[wegngis]

Oh yeah... and numbness in two smallest fingers on left side when I wake up, and tingling numbness in left toes after sitting for a while.     Help!!

These sound like nerve issues that I share as well.  This is simple pinching, for lack of a better term.  Simple stretching exercises have helped me minimize their impact.

[floridaguy65]

Oh yeah... and numbness in two smallest fingers on left side when I wake up, and tingling numbness in left toes after sitting for a while.     Help!!

These sound like nerve issues that I share as well.  This is simple pinching, for lack of a better term.  Simple stretching exercises have helped me minimize their impact.

Yes indeed. Stretching and exercising and working on flexibility and spinal strength and maintaining good posture, perhaps, and getting blood flowing to body parts, etc. Our muscles and tendons and joints and ligaments need to be active and pliable. Very often, lots of our aches and niggling pains and bothersome tingling can be attributed to 'mechanical' type issues, so to speak, and do not have their genesis in a sinister organic disease or illness. But, when we are struggling, most bodily sensations and things feeling "off" will be attributed to something serious as its root cause, often. Being in the best shape we can be is important. It can really help an HA mind if we are active and embrace physical movements and stretching each and everyday:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[oregoncoastlady]

Haunted, I understand what you're going through. Sometimes our anxiety takes on a life of its own and all the weird things our bodies do  suddenly become symptoms of something sinister. When life is good and our anxiety is low, we might have a blip but it almost goes unnoticed. This HA stuff is a pain to deal with.

[haunted68]

Thank you guys so much for all of the support.  I coast along just peachy for a while and then I hit a wall and *everything* is a symptom of a disease... Nothing even happens to get me going, I just start freaking out over everything.  It is certainly a pain to deal with though.  The only good thing I know about it is that my mind can't keep up that level of anxiety, and eventually I get tired and say 'it is what it is'.  So far, my symptoms have disappeared when I reach that point.  Waiting for that to happen again.. hopefully the meds will shorten this episode. 

[Hunniedeww24]

I have like the exact same symptoms as you Haunted

[Hunniedeww24]

OH and take the klonapin...im a sissy baby with any kinds of meds and have intense reactions to even the smallest dose...and kloonapin is a life saver..i love it!! i'll be in the middle of a huge panic attack i dont think i'll ever get out of (and truly believe that) FORCE myself to take a klonapin because once your that deep in panic you don't want to take anything for fear it'll make it worse..and within 30mins im like "what was i panicing about?? oh thats right".....its amazing stuff..i only use it when neeeded

[hypomom]

Ok, I've had EVERY symptom you have. ALL stress/anxiety/ha related. The doctor shook his head and didn't respond because people that don't have HA, no matter how well trained either A) don't understand it or B) lose patience with us.
He gave you the klonapin because he knew it's all stress. You don't need a brain scan. IF they did one guess what would happen? You'd start having heart worries or swear they missed something or worry about the radiation from the scan.

[trainwreck]

Oh yeah... and numbness in two smallest fingers on left side when I wake up, and tingling numbness in left toes after sitting for a while.     Help!!

These sound like nerve issues that I share as well.  This is simple pinching, for lack of a better term.  Simple stretching exercises have helped me minimize their impact.

It is definitely a nerve issue. It is a nerve compression in your elbow.  I had it in my left hand for months.  Mine always happened when I just woke up.  But sometimes, if I had inflammation, it would do that for days.  Strangely, I never worried about it.