Always afraid and anxious

[EverEvolving]

Hello all! I'm new here and just trying to come to grips with my Fibro symptoms. I am always afraid! Is anyone else experiencing this? I'm always scared something "bigger" is happening and I am in constant state of anxiety. For instance, my right arm has been in different "levels" of pain and uncomfortability for 3 days. Started with the arm feeling like some combo of tingly/numb/sore from the elbow to the wrist and has evolved into a pretty intense sore/insanely tired/overworked feeling. Now to accompany this issue, my back is starting to hurt with shooting pains on and off that feel like they're going from my left shoulder blade into my chest. My left calf is feeling suddenly sore as well. I feel incredibly tired, and my anxiety (from all of the aches and pains cropping up) is outrageous. Google is like a blessing and a curse because it's nice to have such a broad reference for things on a whim, but everything comes back as a heart attack and heightens my anxiety. Is anyone else experiencing these symptoms and the emotional backlash that comes with it? The symptoms themselves are exhausting, but adding on "talking myself down" all day long is just ruining me. It's all too much sometimes and I feel so.. Crazy.. And sad. Thanks for listening and any input is always greatly appreciated.

 

[DK_engineer]

Hi EverEvolving, welcome

You are not crazy... We all have central nervous system sensitization, which means that sensations that would not normally be painful are processed as pain because of changes in how the spinal column and lower brain work.

I also feel sharp pains (and other tingly, itchy or electric shock sensations) that last a few hours or days, then vanish. It took me a while to accept that the sensations are not necessarily connected to my physical health.

Having fibromylgia is kind of like living in a building where the fire alarms are always going off, whether or not there is really a fire.

When my symptoms get bad, I struggle with anxiety too. It is a terrible feeling, just about as bad as the pain.

I find that taking a walk usually takes the edge off both the pain and the anxiety. I know that some people are too bad off to be able to do that, but if you can, even a very short walk might help. I am lucky I live near a pool and can go swimming too.

Distractions work well too - solving a problem, watching and engaging TV show or playing a game can really put me in my mental happy spot. When I'm distracted the pain and anxiety aren't as important.

Hope this helps

 

[EverEvolving]

Hi DK,
Thank you so much for your response. It's so hard sometimes to convince myself that everything I'm feeling is "normal", especially when it goes on for longer periods of time. I hate this.

 

[DK_engineer]

I hear you. It is not normal to be in pain all the time, and it is a very difficult reality to adapt to. I think each of us develops a mindset to get us through the day, but it isn't ever easy.

 

[Shyest]

I'm the master googling fake internet doctor of all my friends. I look up my own symptoms I look up theirs, I tell them what to ask their doctors if they want to hear it. But some symptoms are genuinely scary because some conditions are genuinely terrifying. It makes sense to be nervous by having your body feel weird and painful, usually pain tells our body to "get the heck out of here!" Some people feel fibro is related to the "fight or flight" response, and has some cross over with PTSD.

If it increases your anxiety, maybe it would be better not to google things right when you feel them - you could write them down and come back later if you feel like looking something up would help. Sometimes getting some space from the sensation-panic-research cycle can help. Or maybe not looking at all is more helpful. Some things that help is knowing where to look if you feel you must- in general the more people commenting who aren't doctors the less useful it is. Sometimes doctors are pretty ignorant on a disorder you have though (like cfs and even fibro) so avoiding those sites helps me. I tend to go to forums, I like inspire and healthrising to look through archives.

But here's an example from when I was younger. I had a chewing sensation and noise coming from the top of my head- super strange right? My anxiety told me it a was a brain tumor. Well after some searching I found out this can happen as a weird side effect of dehydration. It only happens when I am really dehydrated I have noticed so I feel good enough letting that weird symptom go unless a tumor appears on my upcoming MRI. ;]

It also helps to remember how certain things can make you feel strange... For example, the one contrast they give you for MRIs can make you feel like you are peeing! What? No it really feels like it!

If you feel your anxiety about this has crossed a line, you might want to investigate help for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) depending on the symptoms you have. Even if you don't have these- some techniques used to treat these can be helpful. There's a good 4 step process in a book called Brain Lock for OCD behavior- the 4 steps are listed on the wikipedia page. There are a lot of anxiety workbooks around the web, some free, some in print that some people find helpful.

 

[wonweekatatime]

This may or may not apply to you, but it sounds like cortisol response just misfiring! It sounds like General Anxiety Disorder, but before delving into the rabbit hole that is mental health treatment, you may be okay taking a walk or doing something regularly (enough) to get your heart rate up in a good way. I have bipolar disorder, fibro, and arthritis. I get this way! If I'm not too distracted by my life, I see the issue and I know a good walk will always reset my cortisol response for a few days. Then I have to exercise or watch a funny movie again. I don't always do what I need to do, but it always works when I do. The days when I can't move around at all, I take a bath. If I remember baths work too. It's a struggle, but keeping a journal of whatever you think might help in this battle helps too! It gives the doctor and yourself a reference. At that point, if you think medicine is the big change needed, do not be afraid to mention it! Good luck, fellow fretter!