Can anxiety/stress really cause pins and needles and other very odd symptoms?
Posted on Nov 03, 2008 under anxiety symptoms |I went to see my Dr yesterday who has said she is 99% convinced my health situation is anxiety! I have been ill for 7 weeks, it started with a flu type virus along with abdominal pain, noticiable nodes in my groin area, odd cold running water sensations in my limbs, pins and needles, pressure feelings under my arms, very cold hands and feet, areas of my feet underneath sometimes feel numb. Even though my flu type symptoms have gone I have symptoms left e.g. pins and needles in my hands/arms/feet and legs almost constantly which feel numbish. Constant lightheadedness and the feeling of not being real, reactions to lights either bright or dim. I have been terrified that I am seriously ill with either some sort of cancer or MS!and have started thinking about how I will feel when I am told I have something and how I will manage to cope with it! My doc has done blood tests, CBC, kidney, liver functions, inflammation, diabetes, throid etc and is now sending me to a GP at the hosp!Anxiety?
You are descibing the classic physical symptoms of anxiety. That does not mean that you are making these symptoms up, they are a very real effect of a very real problem. Wether or not you have anything more serious you need to work on your anxiety levels if you want to be as healthy as you can. Try something like a Yoga class or Tai Chi.
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:38 am
You are descibing the classic physical symptoms of anxiety. That does not mean that you are making these symptoms up, they are a very real effect of a very real problem. Wether or not you have anything more serious you need to work on your anxiety levels if you want to be as healthy as you can. Try something like a Yoga class or Tai Chi.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:40 am
I wouldn't say it wasn't stress. I swore blind that stress wasn't causing my headaches and kidney pain - I was wrong.
Get another check up at the hospital if you like but mostly doctors know their stuff, stress does all sorts of wierd stuff to the body.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:42 am
Yes it does, I know from experience. You have to concerntrate on what's causing the anxiety and that is not solved using pills, but therapy.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:46 am
Unless you've had swine flu (campylobacter jejeuni), which people do get, it could well be anxiety. Anxiety can make your heart race, causing the pins-and-needles and numbness due to cardiac overload. The sensation of "not being real" can be the mind's attempt to dissociate itself from the stress ("this isn't really happening to me.") Examine your life and relationships–is there any root cause for anxiety?
The flu symptoms you describe do sound like swine flu, though, which can have knock-on effects of partial paralysis etc. after the flu itself is gone. I would def. get the hosp tests and ask for a second opinion.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:46 am
Sounds about right to me. I have had this for over three years now. I bought a course to help me manage it called the Lindon method. I do not use it as I should, but it has really helped me with anxiety management. It does not cost much and they promise you a full refund if you are still suffering in a year (I haven't done it properly so it's not their fault I still have it) I am a lot better than I was and have not had any time off work with it. I would advise you not to take any anti depressants for it. Doctors seem to prescribe those as they do not really know what else to do. And they do not help.
You would be surprised by how many people suffer from this condition.
I used to feel as if I was going to have a stroke all the time and was losing control. Sometimes felt like bad vertigo. Especially when driving and in shops.
If you accept that you have not got a serious illness, and it's all mental you do start to feel better too.
The lindon method tells you the symptoms and I think everything you say is listed in there.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:54 am
Anxiety can cause symptoms that many people regard as strange. Anxiety responses are mediated by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic part of the nervous system. When you become anxious, adrenalin is secreted and this will cause changes to your heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, gut function and other aspects of your physiology. Basically your body is being made ready for vigorous physical activity such as running away or fighting, needing lots of energy. Humans, however, can't always respond physically and we suffer the consequences particularly if the stress is long-term.
In an anxiety-provoking situation, some people will experience panicky feelings including hyperventilation (breathing too rapidly and shallowly, affecting the relative amounts of blood gases), light-headedness, a feeling that the heart is beating much too fast and very obviously, & sometimes there is a feeling of unreality….etc.
When the worst part of the experience is over, this can leave you feeling shaky, weak, trembly, sometimes with digestive & other disturbances…etc.
Sometimes, things that make you feel very anxious, emotional, scared…. etc. can cause physical symptoms.
If your GP has checked you for physical problems and has found that you are OK, your symptoms could well be related to anxiety. They are very real symptoms.
Seeing a clinical hypnotherapist/psychotherapist could help you to get to grips with the causes of the anxiety and so prevent the symptoms.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 5:55 am
When physical symptoms are caused by mental or emotional stress it is called 'somatization'. For example, many people have occasional headaches caused by mental stress. But, stress and other mental health problems can cause many other physical symptoms such as: chest pains, tiredness, dizziness, back pain, feeling sick, diarrhoea, period problems, etc.
The relationship between the mind and body is complex and not fully understood. When we 'somatize', somehow the mental or emotional problem is expressed partly, or mainly, as one or more physical symptoms. However, the symptoms are real and are not imagined. You feel the pain, have the diarrhoea, etc.
It is very common. Sometimes we can relate the physical symptoms to a recent stress or to a mental health problem. For example, you may realise that a bout of neck pain or headache is due to stress. Anxiety and depression are also common reasons to develop physical symptoms such as palpitations, aches and pains, etc. Often the physical symptoms go when emotional and mental stresses ease. However, often we do not realise the physical symptom is due to a mental stress. We may think we have a physical disease, and may see a doctor about it.
Some doctors prefer to use the term 'functional' when no known physical cause can be found for a physical symptom. A 'functional' symptom means: a function of the body is faulty (for example, there may be pain or diarrhoea), but we dont know the cause. The cause may be due to mental factors (somatization), physical factors not yet discovered, or a combination of both. Another term which is used for such symptoms is 'medically unexplained symptoms.'
The somatoform disorders are the 'extreme' end of the scale of somatization. So, the physical symptoms persist long-term, or are severe, but no physical disease can fully explain the symptoms. They include somatization disorder, hypochondriasis and conversion disorder. These are classed as separate mental health disorders as the cause of the symptoms is thought to be mental factors, but they cannot be fully explained by depression, substance abuse, or other recognised mental health disorders.
People with somatoform disorders usually disagree that their symptoms are due to mental factors, and are convinced the cause of symptoms is a physical problem.
People with this disorder have many physical symptoms from different parts of the body. For example, headaches, feeling sick, abdominal pain, bowel problems, period problems, tiredness, sexual problems. The main symptoms may vary at different times. Affected people tend to be emotional about their symptoms. So they may describe their symptoms as 'terrible', 'unbearable' etc, and symptoms can greatly affect day-to-day life. The disorder persists long-term although the symptoms may 'wax and wane' in severity.
The cause is not known. It may have something to do with an unconscious desire for 'help, attention and care'. It runs in some families. The disorder usually first develops between the ages of 18 and 30. More women than men are affected.
It is difficult for a doctor to diagnose somatization disorder. This is because it is difficult to be sure that there is no physical cause for the symptoms. So, people with this disorder tend to be referred to various specialists, have many tests and investigations, but no physical disease is found to account for the symptoms.
Further information and other peoples experiences of this disorder can be found on the website below. Hope this helps!
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http://www.patient.co.uk/DisplayConcepts.asp?WordId=SOMATISATION&MaxResults=50
February 23rd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Anxiety causes so many symptoms, mostly with the help of adrenaline which runs through when we feel anxious.
There are sites with lots of advice and reassurance, e.g. nomorepanic.co.uk where you can read more about anxiety, and the symptoms, and post questions just like here…
Hope this helps.
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