Anxiety Sufferers...?

Question

I was wondering..I'm only 17 and my doctor told me that I suffer from anxiety due to recent stress problems such as my dad's death, financial problems, school stress, sleep deprivation, and family problems..within the past year..I started feeling weird things and I was wondering if anyone who has/had anxiety has gone through the same things such as:
muscle spasms, feeling like you're gonna die, fear of a fatal illness, bizarre thoughts that don't make sense when I'm tired, weak/numb/tingling hands and legs, feeling dizzy/wobbly, throbbing head like brain is shaking, difficulty concentrating, blurred/foggy vision, tightness in face

To be honest I don't really believe that this is only anxiety, I feel like I have a brain tumor and that scares me more..I dont' even want to go check it out because I'm so scared but I'm going to this summer...I feel like I'm going insane...so I was wondering if anyone felt the same.. Thanks..

Answer 1

Well, I don't really feel that way anymore, but I did when I was around ur age....no, older.....I was 19, & I was going throught lots of stress & anxiety......at times I would feel knots in my stomach, pounding headaches, extreme nausea, dizziness, inability to concentrate, death feelings, feeling like my thoughts were going out of control........etc, etc, etc.
I got checked out & it turned out that there actually WAS something wrong with me (besides stress), but it was just iron deficiency anemia!! I'm not sure if it was that or the stress which made me feel the way I did.
Anyway, once I started taking the anemia medications & my life started getting into order again & the causes of stress went away, I was normal again.
The fact is, anxiety & stress can cause all that u & I mentioned & plenty more, for that matter,......esp. in teen years.
But just to put ur mind at ease, have urself checked out to be sure. One never can tell. It might even be something not so serious (as in my case) like a vit. or mineral deficiency or something like that. Besides, ur 17.......hormonal changes can add to ur stress too. Hope it's nothing at all. Best of luck.

Answer 2

Yes, unfortunately anxiety can be so severe that it can cause all of those physical symptoms that you describe. Stress can have a tremendous effect on the body. You still need to get checked out as a precaution over the summer to make you feel better and calm things down. I wanted an explanation as to "why" and "how" all of these things could possibly be going on with me when they first started. I had a lot of those symptoms and was finally given the medication Topomax. It has helped tremendously with the numbness and tingling an the feelings in the face that you have described and has helped a lot especially with the concentration difficulties that the other anxiety medications that I have been on have not helped. You may want to ask your Dr. about that. I hope you begin to feel better. All in all therapy has done more good than anything else but the medications have helped until the therapy could really begin to help. I am sorry you have been going through so much. I wish you the best~

Answer 3

Yes, I start thinking something terrible, for example that I'm going crazy and then I start following that idea, almost obsessing over it even though I know it's just anxiety or that it's irrational. I then throw myself into a panic attack. There are some techniques to help you when you're having these problems. Deep breathing, some relaxation techniques and even simply being aware of the anxiety help me. Preventing it is pretty hard if not impossible. I try to just deal with those thoughts as they come. I am able to prevent attacks pretty often these days simply with the techniques above, but sometimes it doesn't work. I still hate going outside and won't go out alone and often get so frustrated with the anxiety because I know it's irrational, that I just find myself rather depressed, but eh. I tried medication, but it just made everything worse and I did see a psychologist for cognitive behavioral therapy, but I stopped going after the first session. The guy wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, so it was pointless.

Answer 4

This is how I explain my anxiety issues to others: I knew I had a problem when I worried all the time. Everyone worries but I'm not able to get over it, and thus I build more worries. It's normal to be feeling what you're feeling; you have a lot of stress in your life which can really take a toll on you. However, I have found that not managing my anxiety sooner has only made things worse. To reduce anxiety, try exercising, or finding something that clams you. If it is a true anxiety disorder, this will only make you feel better for a short while. Talk to your doctor about getting on a medication like Zoloft. Good luck!

Answer 5

Here is a simple method to help possibly solve some of your problems.

Take a good multiple vitamin morning and night to make sure your body is receiving ABSLUTELY EVERY vitamin and mineral it needs. And eat well balanced meals. Your muscles and organs will not work well without vitamins and minerals.

I was a sick and horrible mess until about 10 months ago and this has made a major difference for me. Our bodies require and balance of all of the correct vitamins and minerals to function properly. This is an easy and simple start.

You may not believe this BUT, STRESS CAN MAKE YOU SICK. 8 years ago as I was caring for 3 dying parents, I developed heart palpitations, chest pain etc. But once the stress was over the heart symptoms were gone.

Here is some advice to remember for life and trust me I could be your Grandmother.

I am so sorry about your Dads death, but talk to him every day and know he is there watching over you. Be free to let him go when you feel you can.

It took 14 months for me to OUT LOUD, tell my Mother goodby. Once I told her I loved her (she knew that) But I had to say goodby and relieve myself of the pain I was carrying around. The weight lifted immediately. You can do this and it will help.

For sleep, you can get (from the health food store or the vitamin department at a discount store) MELATONIN. It is a natural hormone to help you sleep. It works great and I have lovely dreams. Not a drugged sleep at all.

Change what you can change and do not dwell on what YOU cannot change. You cannot control everything in life, so you just have to accept that the control of some things belongs to other people, not you.

God Bless and take care.

Answer 6

Oh my God. I've had anxiety but on a totally different level that yours.

You are so young to loose your father, and no matter what age technically that is a VERY traumatic event to go through. You're probably thinking you are next or something, and it's normal.

My husband's father died of lung cancer in July of 2000 at age 52. My husband at the time was only 27, and he is still affected by it. He is currently on meds, which sometimes helps but not always.

I don't think you have anything wrong with you besides your mixed-up emotions, and I am deeply sorry about your dad.

I think you are suffering from major anxiety, and you need to talk to your doctor about it. If I were you, I would definitely get a counselor to talk about the other stuff. I bet you either haven't let yourself or people aren't really allowing you to deal with your father's passing because you don't want to seem "not normal". Look up a hot-line if you need to, because you can either deal now or deal later when you do something to hurt yourself (or someone else).

Email me if you like. I might ramble on here, but if you need someone to just "hear" (metaphorically speaking) you out I can "listen".

Answer 7

You've been through a lot; I'm sorry for the loss of your dad. When did you discuss this with your doctor? Recently? Did he/she have any suggestions, such as medication and/or counseling? If you told him/her your symptoms, as you describe above, I would hope he would 'do' something (suggest, refer you to counseling and/or possible medication; there are lots of good anti-anxiety medications available today) No doubt you have some anxiety issues, but probably some depression issues, too. Both of which, can manifest themselves in physical symptoms.

I suspect you are jumping to conclusions about a 'possible' brain tumor, which will only 'fuel' your anxiety all the more. Try not to 'create' imaginary diagnosis es.

Some other things to consider; have you had your eyes examined recently? Most people don't get their eyes examined enough...which could possibly contribute to some of your symptoms.

Find someone you can discuss your life-issues with; a trusted adult, pastor, school counselor, public health mental health-care professional. Don't try to manage everything that's going on in your life alone.

Take care. Remember to wear your seat-belt when driving.

Answer 8

It sounds like your anxiety attacks are accompanied by panic attacks--by the symptoms you mentioned. There are medications that your doctor can give you for this. Take what he/she gives you for a week or two, and if you're not feeling better--get a thorough exam to check for other problems.

You can go to:

http://www.about.com

and type panic disorder in their search box on the upper right. See how many of your symptoms are listed among the panic disorder symptoms. I hope you feel better really soon--you seem like you've really been through a hard year.

Answer 9

Hang in there.

I recognize The muscle spasm thing. My wife suffers hugely from that due to anxiety.

Dont delay any tests.

I think the meds will fix you, it may take time to find the right one.

You are not alone

God Bless.