OMG, NBGuy! We are similar! NBGuy! My long-lost brother!

Sorry to hear about your situations, especially the asthma.

All the best to YOU!

All the best to everyone!

OK - Tammy and I are twins. I have her exact list of symptoms.
I also have the bad heartburn that causes me to think I am having a heart attack.
The PMS is unbearable but I have found that if I let myself have a good cry when it happens ( I want to cry for no reason when my hormones act up so it is easy ) it really helps. It is as though I am getting it all out and I feel more relaxed.
My biggest "symptom" if I can call it that is the fact that I always have every muscle in my body tensed. If I could only stop doing that I could sleep and relax. I was on muscle relaxants for years but now that age has caught up and I need the blood pressure and blood sugar meds I had to stop taking the relaxants. Ativan and Prozac are helps but not enough to relax me. I try to pay attention and make myself relax the muscles but when I am doing anything I don't pay attention so I get the terrible tension headache and back/neck aches.
Oh anxiety - ain't it fun

P.S. hey Charlie my old friend. Long time no chat, hope you are doing well.

Hey Rene!

Just checking in before I Zzzz. How are YOU?

My biggest pains are the reflux and work. Looking at the glass half full: there are other diseases much worse than reflux and at least I have a job.

Adidos.

Hey Dragonfly7518,

I had an instantaneous panic attack happen to me this past Sunday night. It started completely out of the blue, didn't feel anxious, was reading a magazine, eating ice cream and blam! Heart racing, blood pressure way up, ibs symptoms, jelly legs, etc. As I cycled, my BP went up and up, and ended up in the e.r., where they gave me benedryl, an anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea i.v., did two ekg's (one when the symptoms returned) and all was o.k. (thank goodness). Went home after a couple of hours-exhausted from the benedryl. I hadn't had any sort of panic attack for over 2 years and before that it had been a long, long time. I had them very often and badly (agoraphobia, too), in my early 20's and then one day they were gone. I had a bunch of heart related tests two years ago, since I have heart disease on both sides of my family, but everything came back fine (which I am very thankful for). I just freaked on Sunday and now in hindsight, wish I would have ridden it out at home, but the spike in BP scared me. The e.r. doc thinks it was all due to having a migraine earlier in the day, but since I've never had a panic attack with the migraine, I'm sure it's just general anxiety/stress that I've been stuffing and it just came out the only way it could. I see my doc on Monday and I may go back on anti-depressants, although I hate the "flat" feeling I had on them. I don't really want to waste any more money on heart related tests, especially when the ekg's were fine... So, I guess to answer your question-yes, they do come out of the blue, no warning sometimes and yes, it really sucks! And...a thank you to everyone-I'm new to this forum and I really appreciate knowing that I'm not alone.

thanks for your response sarymue61....i'm sorry you had a similar issue...

i have been feeling better and better each day as of lately, but I recognize that it takes work and that i now know what i need to do to manage my anxiety better...

i hate that out of the blue attack...it just is so discouraging...are you using the program? one thing i actually did was get lucinda's book 'panic to power' first and that was a huge help...

good luck to you!

I'm glad you're doing better; I have been absolutely fine since Sunday-no recurrence, just like two years ago. I have not tried the program yet, but plan on looking into it more in-depth. I have a friend who is a therapist, and she recommended mind-body deep breathing techniques at least once a day, and so far, they seem to be helping. Good luck to you, too!

This is my first post and I wanted to give my opinion about anxiety and panic and physical symptoms. I had my first panic attack at 23 years old and it came from out of the blue. I was sitting quietly watching tv and my heart started racing and I thought I was having a heart attack. I didn't have another attack for eleven years. But I did experience a downward health spiral that ended with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1987. If you were to visit a CFS message board you would see that anxiety and panic disorders are the norm and a real problem for us. Or course we have many other symptoms like swollen lymph nodes and chronic sore throats, fatigue, heat and sun intolerence, stomach problems, ringing in the ears or as it is called tinnitus, skipped heart beats, many have IBS and acid reflux, balance problems and the list goes on. My big crash happened in 1987 with a bad flu bug and the anxiety and panic problems were horrible. I could hardly drive my car and my whole body seemed to be buzzing and wired all the time. My anxiety problems have lessened with time but I still suffer from anticipatory anxiety like going to the doctors or dentists or talking in public. I am not depressed and I have come to realize that my disease is causing my anxiety. It's the over stimulation of the adrenal gland by enviromental pathogens that has lead me to where I am today. I do know that coping skills will lessen the anxiety and that is why I am looking into the program. Oh and of course I still have CFS. In conclusion years of respiratory illnesses and contact with viruses and bacteria have made me sick and anxiety and a panic disorder are part of my illness.

tabbycat

Hello everybody and to the Cleveland gals (please message me) - the past 10 years I've been dealing with anxiety/depression. I was doing real well for awhile and last summer everything went down-hill. These past few months I've been going through some crazy symptoms - I feel "unbalanced" and dizzy all the time, I stopped driving for the most part
, I feel like I'm having a heart attack at times, spaced out, migraines, tired, dry mouth, I can go on and on. I also have TMJ which I believe is causing alot of these symptoms. My jaw goes numb and I have alot of pain by my ears. I've seen so many doctors and they all believe it's a combo of anxiety/and TMJ. I'm really glad there's this board to communicate with others and who can understand the situation.

Hello to you all. I am new to the forum but I fell like this place is filled with family, ya know the "the anxiety family".

You guys wanted symtoms, then here you got em.

Massssssive Fatigue (both physical and mental)
Burning sensations through out my body.
Eyes twitching
Eyes burning
Eyes hurt to move them
Head aches
Back aches
Arm feel like they weigh 200lbs a piece
Legs feel like they weigh the same as above
Coordination problems
Depersonalization
Cant sit still (some part of my body must move)
Heart palpitations
Heart palpitations
Heart palpitations
Did I mention heart pal....
I feel like Red Foxx from Sanfrod and Son..."I'm coming home Elizibeth, this is the big one"
Hands shaking
Problems with staring, even in mid conversation with some one. It's like I mentall check out for a minute.
Acid Reflux
Loss of Sleep
Extreme weight loss (like 50 pounds in a year)

Not the mention the metal hell the anxiety can cause. It seems as if my body is in a heighted state, I feel every heart beat, every breath, even the temp changes to my skin when the sun hits it, every flash of light, every sound...this drives me nuts. If I can just calm down and turn the switch off and out of turbo, I honestly think I would be just fine.

It feels like I hit the NOS button in my car and then set the cruise control on 200.

Oh by the way, I get tested for MS in two weeks and that has me absolutely freaked out. WHAT IF I HAVE IT!!!

Oh and I second the statement that WEB MD is of the DEVIL. That web site has "helped" me prediagnose myself a 1000 times. I have been and read so much on that site, I will get my doctorate in the mail sometime this week.

All jokes aside, the mental stress this has put my family through just makes me so sick. If I were alone, I dont think the anxiety would be as bad. It seems as if the illness knows what you care about most and it relentlessly attacks your fears.

By the grace of God, I will get through this and I will become better from it.

God bless you all, you posting your problems has helped me so much.

Your message is extremely interesting, because my daughter has had similar symptoms eg. burning sensations, hands, arms, legs, and eyes twitching, feeling like your arms and legs are terribly weak. She also developed a shuffling sort of walking. She had an MS specialist check her out top to bottom and she didn't have MS. Her symptoms come and go so she was hospitalized twice. Neither time did she have worsening symptoms so they assumed it was her home life causing emotional turmoil. She is a wife and a Mother of three - 21y, 15y, 7y. She has had periods of feeling somewhat better, and very bad periods where she walked with a walker (she's 38). She is agoraphobic and has all the symptoms of anxiety and panic. It is a mystery. They have tried all kinds of drugs to no avail.

If you get an answer to some of your symptoms maybe you can pass them on. Any help would be appreciated.

Thx, Jackie

I think the worst part of anxiety for me is that nagging "disgust" feeling. Does anyone else get that? perhaps I just can't explain it well. I drives me nuts

I also experienced muscle twitches and involuntary movements of the limbs. I heard these can also be caused by meds. That what a friend who is a pharmacist told me. That some of these movements can be induced by meds. He said the involuntary movements of limbs can are called myoclonic reactions and can be associated with Medication usage. I also read that muscle twitching can be caused by some Antidepressants.
Is anyone familiar with that?

Hi Everyone! My worst symptoms are skipped heart beats, constant worrying about my heart, and always being afraid of dying and thinking that me feeling this way means something bad is going to happen. I am only 28 and have had every heart test and been told I am fine by 3 Doctors but I still get scared they missed something!

Thank you all for your posts, this is my first time on the site and I'm looking for some help. I feel that disconnect with my family and friends. I'm trying to work through it on my own, but having some days where I just can't do it. I have the tightness in my chest, lump in my throat, and fear of a heart attack every day! YIKES. it is exhausting.Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!!

I have been reading through everyone's experience with anxiety and I must say you all have been quite a reassurance for me. In some cases, like with burning sensations, I felt I was the only one. Here are some of my symptoms:

Burning or cooling sensations (mainly in my back, but also in my head and eyes)
Depersonalization
Dizziness
Falling sensations when I try and go to sleep
Electric shock sensations
Heart palpitations/tachycardia/ racing heart (I have MVP to boot)
Twitching
Exhaustion
Numbness/tingling
Shooting pains in head
Weakness in limbs
Weight loss
Breathing difficulties
Feeling of being overwhelmed
Fear of dying or having a serious illness
TMJ/sore jaw
Obsession about symptoms/sensations
Loss of concentration
Irritability
Feelings of things being unreal or dreamlike
Tight throat/lump in throat
Nausea
Acid reflux
Need to go to the bathroom frequently
Insomnia
Waking up with a panic attack
Foggy or blurred vision
Feeling cold
Shakiness

I feel by the time I am "cured" I will have run the gamut in symptoms. In 4 months (when the severe panic and anxiety occured) I have called 911 once, seen several doctors, and been to the ER twice. I have had blood work, EKGs, an X-ray, heart monitoring (for hours!), and a CT scan of my brain done all come up clean. Yet, I can't help but still be afraid when symptoms crop up, especially out of the blue -- a "Woe, what was that??!" feeling. I empathize with all of you and I am glad you have shared your stories. Thank you.