[littleyellowspider]

Today i was looking around this site and I took a couple quizes. one of them was a "do you have an anxiety or panic disorder?" quiz. Now I know I have this because my doctor and therapist and psychiatrist have all told me that I do, but I took the test anyway. I was amazed at how many of the questions were physical things, lightheadedness, dizziness, numbness, feeling shaky. I have all these symptoms and in fact they MAKE me anxious. I convince myself they mean I have a terrible disease. Does anyone else have experience with this? are these really a result of anxiety?

[Cyran0]

Yup, I get that big time. From heart attacks to lung cancer, I've taken the smallest symptom and imagined every worst case scenario imaginable, vaulting myself to an 11 on the panic attack scale. Sometimes I can't tell if the fear of death and disease is causing the anxiety or if the anxiety is causing the thoughts of disease but either way, it gets out of hand pretty fast.

Here's the interesting part. The ER doc I spoke to when this landed me in the ER, and my therapist in ensuing sessions, have both told me that this is a pretty common reaction to anxiety. Anxiety causes very physical symptoms and I can't tell you how much I hate that.

I hope this helps.

Cyran0

[embracinglife]

I have also had some physical symptoms...I think from when I was quite young. Lately my physical symptoms have been horrible headaches, but I definitely think the headaches are related to stress.

Are you seeing a therapist? If your physical symptoms are related to anxiety or emotions then I think working with a therapist might help.

[sundog]

Originally Posted by littleyellowspider

I have all these symptoms and in fact they MAKE me anxious.

I have the exact same experience. It's my physical symptoms which make me anxious. And, like you, I worry a lot about my health. After doing some tests, my doc assures me that my physical symptoms are anxiety-related. If only that would make them go away!!! But it doesn't, and I feel unwell quite a lot of the time.

I still have a hard time believing that it's all "just" anxiety because the symptoms are so physical. And they occur even when I'm not worrying about anything (that's the point when they make me start worrying!!!)

Anyhow, yes, anxiety really can cause very physical symptoms! If you haven't already, I would still recommend having some tests run though, just to rule out other causes that might be behind your symptoms.

Good luck to you!

[lavieenrose]

I saw myself doing this a few days ago, convinced that a lower GI problem that began 4 months ago must be some horrible terminal condition. I'll see a doctor this week, and I'm trying to not leap to dire conclusions. It's easy to slip into panic mode, with physical symptoms.

[lxegirl]

Definitely, i get headaches all the time when i'm anxious, which is pretty much all day everyday. And i do get panic attacks where i just feel terrible, i can barely stand or breathe. At least for me, anxiety brings it on. But maybe it can go both ways, like you are suggesting?

[loopydude]

The headaches, the shaking hands, the heart that feels like it is beating so fast that it is crushing your lungs and wont let you take your next breath....the fear that this is it! Even the side effects of meds can spin me into a world of unrest because of the possiblities are endless as to what disease could be causing this...