Hi Everyone and thankyou Annabay for your excellent thread topic :-)

Hey SilvaLady......Anxiety is part of the 'fear/stress' family and the digestive system is usually the first to 'let us know'....depending on our levels of anxiety

Hey ClearQuartz...That feeling of someone 'standing on your chest' is very common with anxiety sufferers and yes its an awful feeling to have. When we experience anxiety symptoms our supply of adrenaline works overtime and can result in exactly what you mentioned...Even the 'hyperventilation' which is also awful to experience. I understand your symptoms loud and clear....A GP can be a huge help....You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making a double appointment and having a good talk :-)

my kind thoughts

Paul

Hi JillG

Thankyou for helping others by contributing to the discussion

Kudos to you for mentioning 'acceptance' (yes...its hard to do as you mentioned) on another thread relating to stomach problems and anxiety

You are spot on saying that the digestive issues can come back. I used to have chronic anxiety attacks and the digestive system went south. You also mentioned the need to see a counsellor...Ditto here.....Once we have some type of frequent counselling our anxiety will reduce in its intensity and then our digestive problems also become less severe. Thanks again JillG

If anyone reading this thread has any physical symptoms of anxiety you are more than welcome to post too :-)

my kind thoughts

Paul

Hi Everyone (and thanks to Annabay for the great thread topic!)

Hey CS....Thankyou for sharing what you go through with our physical anxiety symptoms....You mentioned "it starts with an overwhelming sensation of pure dread...." This is one of the worst symptoms....the overwhelming feeling of dread...This can be reduced with ongoing therapy...yet I still 'remember' that awful feeling..ugh!

Hey Stubop! Welcome to the forums and good on you for posting your physical anxiety symptoms too! The blushing can be a awful symptom to have.....I understand your anguish as I have done the same for a while...and especially all through my school years and into my 30's too!

Stubop also mentioned "Add to this the palpitations, the sweatiness and the general uneasiness that I have making it an overwhelming and tiring experience" You are definitely not alone stubop....Great to have you as part of the Beyond Blue family too :-)

Hey Eirenuu......Sheer Terror is a good way to describe these awful feeling (symptoms) of anxiety...You mentioned nausea and the the need to urinate as well as having thebad thoughts.....These are all common with this horrible condition....yet it can be reduced in severity. Thankyou for being part of Beyond Blue too :-)

The forums are a safe and non judgemental place for anyone to post!

my kind thoughts

Paul

Hi Kjp1409,

interesting to see someone else say they feeling like they're not really in their body. I had that experience several months ago during a car accident. Thankfully when I told my cardiologist (along with some other crazy symptoms) he knew what I was on about. For me it was the Statins drugs i was on for cholesterol lowering and he recognised the symptoms. 3 percent of males get really weird adverse reactions on statins. 

I've also experienced most of your other symptoms of anxiety including the random stabbing chest pains. I had a heart event last year and the pain was completely different. Everyone has their own "your heart is in trouble pain" as any cardiologist will tell you. If you're over 50 like me getting a heart check is wise.

The symptoms of anxiety seem to be so broad its hard to know if its something else physical wrong or not. I called an ambulance last month and spent a week in hospital. First doctor assumed it was cardiac because of my history. My cardiologist thought it was low sodium and my head. Weeks later GP thinks its a virus a bit like Malaria. Thankfully I've since heard of several others nearby me with exactly the same symptoms suggesting it is a virus.

Get your bloods checks especially for cholesterol levels and maybe sodium. If in any doubt try to organise a stress echo.

I have a lot of the same symptoms as OP minus a few like sweaty palms and night sweating.

but I also get blurry vision

insomnia or to better describe it very unorthodox sleep schedules

And also chest pains and cramps

Hi everyone and thanks Annabay for the great thread topic too!

Hey ITnErd6..Great to have you on Annabays thread and thank you for your post..You mentioned an interesting point "The symptoms of anxiety seem to be so broad its hard to know if its something else physical wrong or not" You are spot on here as anxiety symptoms can also be a sign of a physiological problem...Thus the importance of having a check up done first to rule out any possible physical issues....Good1

Hey Sareus....Really good to see you again on the forums and thank you for your valued input too. You symptoms are the same as what I used to have....the sweaty palms and those awful night sweats...ugh! You are not alone experiencing these horrible symptoms...Just from my experience they do decrease over time especially with a good GP helping us :-)

you are amazing people for having the courage to post your symptoms.....Mine are listed above and if anyone has any questions you are very welcome to ask..The forums are a rock solid private place for everyone to post!

my kind thoughts

Paul

This is a physical symptom of anxiety, and just an interesting thing I have noticed.

When an anxious moment or situation presents itself I instantly sweat under my arms a lot. I normally don't and have never sweated much unless I'm doing physical work in the heat. It happened this morning because of something that came up, which is fine, but it made me think back to when this was really a problem.

The condition really developed while in a previous job for some years which had stressful times but not always. It developed to the extent where I was sweating constantly, pretty much 24/7. At the time I put it down to hormone changes as I was also getting older. I ended up leaving that job due to the pressure becoming too much, and the sweating also eventually stopped. I haven't thought much of it till this morning when the sweaty situation presented itself, and I thought of how much similar it was to when I was at that job, which makes me think that the anxiety effects may be accumulative, in my case to the extent that it was happening to me 24/7, even on weekends and holidays away from that job.

My last job, in a purposefully different line of work, was also full-on but I did not have that problem, which is making me think that I'm going in the right direction in changing to a different line of work, one that I have been hoping would would suit me better. Very reassuring for me at the moment.

It was a really annoying problem back then. I'd be soaking wet before I even got to work and be very self-conscious when I had to be around people. My shirts would be ruined after just a short time, which also became expensive.

Hi Sareus,

OMG, I read your post and Iv'e been getting blurry vision but not linked it !

It mainly happens in the morning when I first wake up and although I have glasses for reading I rarely use them. My glasses prescription is very weak, I really only use them for reading when there isn't much light. I was thinking my eyes must be getting worse but maybe its all linked to anxiety.

I've also just woken up from a terrible nights sleep, your description of an unorthodox sleep is perfect :)

I kept waking with night sweats and restless legs or pins and needles in my legs and hands. I feel short of breath but I'm starting to think thats not real, its just in my head because I walked up and down the stairs just fine to grab my laptop.

Not sure whats making me anxious this week though. Had a great weekend away with just my beautiful supportive wife and I'm not really working at the moment. Surely it can't be the one minor I.T. issue I was trying to solve for a client on and off for the last 2 days. Its just a minor email issue.

Maybe that is enough. Since a drama years ago my brain can't troubleshoot complex I.T. issues like I have been able to in my career. This is sort of what Bonzaroo and Blondguy were discussing above about certain jobs causing huge anxiety. I have been considering totally changing career.

I did briefly try Uber driving as I love cars and driving so I thought it would be a doddle. My first few days I was nervous but it went okay. Then driving through my first transition from daylight to night I got confused, disorientated, anxious. It was a crap 20 minutes. I switched the app off and sat on a beach for a few hours to recover. Eventually I found after a few more weeks driving I could stay focused. The money wasn't great during during the day so I started just driving nights. The money was better, the social interaction with people was great. It did start affecting my home life though being away from my family thursday, friday, saturday and sometimes sunday nights till 1 or 2 am.

These forums are so useful. Sometimes writing the reply is when I have revalations andlink things together.

thanks everyone :)

My anxiety is:

-a tight chest

-I become aware of my breathing and I get lightheaded because it’s not regular.

-having to sigh constantly because I can’t take a full breath. This can go on for days or weeks at a time where something blocks my ability to take a full breath.

-if I can’t leave a place easily I’ll freak out and have an irrational feeling that I’ll be stuck or something will happen to me before I get out. Like for example an exam because ur stuck there before u finish, an appointment.

-vertigo

-visual aura (this one is rare but terrifying, I’ll get this once a year or twice a year)

-flight response where I just need to get out of wherever I am and get home or at least to a safe space like my car

-feeling like something is in my throat

-insomnia

-waking up constantly in the night

-sometimes I’ll become very chatty and fidgety, where I’ll play with my hair or rub my leg or something obsessively

-thinking the worst, worrying about my body failing and obsessive thoughts.

-stuttering

-not thinking clearly

-going into like an auto pilot mode and just doing the actions without thinking

-constantly eating or drinking to try and get rid of the symptoms

-wanting to be isolated and scared to leave

-diarrhoea (only on extreme occasions)

-Racing heart and heart palpitations

-my senses are heightened and I’m on edge like I’ll react to things like shadows thinking it’s something else

Hello ITnErd6 and thankyou to Annabay for writing this great thread topic too!

You mentioned a very interesting point in your great post IT...."Since a drama years ago my brain can't troubleshoot complex I.T. issues like I have been able to in my career" This is very common ITnErd6.....I started to lose my 'edge' in boardrooms where my concentration was concerned...and it surprised me as I have the same dedication as you do

Everyone has varying levels of anxiety issues yet when we experience what you mentioned its our brain letting us know that it needs Time Out and some help (even a GP is a bonus)....I didnt know about this in the 1980's and just kept going....which...(for me) made my anxiety exacerbate..unfortunately ...Great post ITnErd6!

Hi Simonecs89...Thankyou so much for your helpful post and being a part of the discussion :-)

I understand your anxiety symptoms...I used to have chronic anxiety for a few years followed by moderate anxiety issues...ugh!

The breathing can be a pain....It can be scary yet its only our system being so oversensitised our adrenaline makes our muscles tighten which has a direct effect on our breathing....In a nutshell.....Our feelings/symptoms are making our breathing worse for us

You mentioned one particular symptom that has been with me for 37 years Simone..even though I have been doing well with treatment for the other symptoms you mentioned

"flight response where I just need to get out of wherever I am and get home or at least to a safe space like my car"

This is a huge problem that can have a profound effect on our ability to function well on a day to day basis...Ive been seeing my GP every 4-6 weeks for 22 years for a fine tune...and my psychiatrist when required..Great post Simone and I really hope you can stick around the forums...only if and when its convenient for you of course :-)

my kindest

Paul

Thankyou so much for your reply back! You’re response made me feel not so alone, and also hopeful. I also forgot to list sleep hallucinations, I just woke up to what I thought was a spider coming at me. This is on bad days. Also chronic neck pain :( ahh anxiety is the worst right!?!

Hi Simonecs

No worries at all and thankyou for the kind feedback too :-)

The nightmares are awful...I hear you there! They do reduce though when we start to heal....Just on the neck pain...this is also very common as our muscles are all tight by being anxious...

I have learned that the earlier anxiety is treated (yes...that takes patience...time and determination to heal) the better our recovery will be....I wish I knew that when I was in my 20's in the 1980's....doh!

Also....the more frequent we see our doc (even a GP can be GOLD) the better our recovery will be

anxiety is the worst....I was an idiot an tried to self heal for nearly 10 years.....Didnt work....my anxiety only became worse until I started to see my doc as often as I could....then the anxiety started to fade away..slowly

The sleep/nightmares are still only thoughts as when we have a 'tired' mind there will sometimes be these bad days

Great to have you as part of the Beyond Blue forum family Simonecs...You Rock!

Paul

Thank you Simonecs for sharing your anxiety symptoms. Two of your symptoms I share but rarely hear other anxiety sufferers speak of. I am referring to the visual aura symptom and the spider scenario on waking. I experience this also. This is precisely why these forums can be so great in helping us to not feel so isolated in our struggles.

Sending calm vibes to everyone.

CS

Hi Bect and thanks to Annabay for writing this very helpful thread!

Welcome to the forums Bect and thankyou for helping others by being a part of the discussion too :-)

These symptoms are awful....I used to have 'tight' breathing as a result of my adrenaline being in excess with anxiety attacks...

You are stronger than your anxiety is Bect....Do you have a GP that has provided an opinion about your chest pain?

I hope you have some peace in 2020 and Happy New Year!

my kind thoughts

Paul

Thanks Paul,

I have a great GP which is fantastic and huge support around me.
i am truly grateful for all that I have and am able to accomplish. I have a job that I love, work colleagues and friends who I can talk to and support me. There just seems to be a few times where it hits me out of the blue and I was tonight drawn to this site.
I try to be the strong one for my mum and not worry her with my symptoms etc. I have become very good at masking over the last few years. She doesn’t need the added stress of knowing how bad it can get sometimes.
I have been through a while barrage of tests including a heart halter to check for any indication that I have any underlying conditions all at which have come back with fantastic results.
I have always tried to be a grateful person and am someone who does everything for others. I forget to take care of me.
I refuse to let these symptoms and diagnosis define who I am!

Sorry, I guess I just needed to vent earlier.

Hi Bect

You are strong and caring by remaining resilient in the presence of your dear mum despite your symptoms! I am the same as I have always done my best to help others and place myself last...(not proud of that though)

No apologies are necessary Bect...The forums are a safe and non judgemental place for you to post/vent

my kind thoughts

Paul

This is the worst for me:

Cant breathe properly; lots of yawning

Tight chest and stomach

Tight neck and feeling of being unbalanced

Very weak legs, can't walk very well

Heavy sweating

Feeling scared

Every morning and sometimes during the day.

Hi all, this is my first time using forums to discuss my anxiety. I've been suffering with anxiety since the birth of my first daughter, 7 years ago now. I constantly worry that there is something wrong with me whenever I get a pain I think the worst. For 3 weeks now I've been getting on and off pains in my chest, indigestion like feelings, i also suffer from migraines. The little pains in my chest have made my anxiety worse... I'm just so tired of feeling this way. Does anyone else on here get the little pains I'm talking about? They aren't there all the time but probably happens a few times a day. Reading about physical symptoms of anxiety has helped me a little though, now i know how common they are.

Hi Everyone and thanks to Annabay for the very helpful thread topic!

Hi Snelly....Thankyou for being a part of the forums and helping out with sharing your symptoms...Your symptoms are like mine used to be...horrible...yet reducible. This is my 37th year dealing with these symptoms even though they have reduced in intensity. You are not alone....I hope you have a GP that you can talk to as they can help us on the rocky road to recovery

Hi StayStrong85!

Welcome to the forums and thankyou for your helpful contribution too :-)

You are not alone on your feelings of indigestion....I have had the same for a long time as well...Can I ask if you have the burning feeling in your throat?

Subject to your GP's opinion..(diagnosis)....Chest pains can be a common symptom of anxiety...especially any tight breathing. Anxiety can produce an oversupply of adrenaline which can cause tightness in the chest and sometimes chest pain too unfortunately

Migraines are awful to have...especially if we have to close the curtains to avoid light...Can be another common symptom of any level of anxiety

Thankyou for taking the time to read this thread StayStrong....The forums are a safe and non judgmental place for you to post. If you have any questions please ask away :-)

my kind thoughts

Paul

Thank you so much for your reply Paul. I don't have any burning in my throat at all.

Unfortunately I've had migraines since the age of 13, I'm now 34! They are almost always brought on by stress/anxiety.

I'm trying hard really hard not to focus on the pains, when I'm busy i don't really notice them. It's when I'm by myself i focus on them and notice them more...

thank you again

Hi StayStrong85

Thanks for taking the time to post back!

Re the migraines....My brother has them frequently as a result of stress and anxiety as well..You have also had them for a long time too.....ugh!

If your neck and shoulder muscles are like 'concrete' to the touch...(prior to or during a migraine) its usually a red flag that we are undergoing some ongoing stress in our lives....yet you would probably be aware of that anyway

You experiencing these pains when you are by yourself can sometimes mean that you may be overthinking/concerned about various matters which can end up with the neck and shoulder muscles tightening thus opening the gate for the migraines....Just a thought if thats okay

As you have read above in this thread....some posters including myself are affected in the digestive areas which is also awful during times of stress...like a migraine I think

Just my humble opinion StayStrong....These occasional pains in your chest (subject to your doc's opinion) can also be as a result of stress too...When we are stressed our chest muscles do tighten...a lot sometimes and cause us some pain

Can I ask about the 'indigestion like feelings' you mentioned? That would help me understand what you are going through.....You mentioned that you have had these chest pains for about 3 weeks....Have you had any issues in the last few weeks that have been on your mind?

you are an amazing proactive person StayStrong! Your well being is paramount to Beyond Blue and the forums

There are no expectations for you to reply unless you wish to and at your own convenience

my kind thoughts....Have a great New Year too :-)

Paul

The indigestion isn't too bad, my doc has put me on reflux tablets which I think are helping ease that.

I keep trying to tell myself that I'll be ok, yesterday I tried to stay positive and didn't notice the chest pains as much. But as soon as I went to bed in the quiet, the panic started & they increased.

They feel like little sparks, sometimes I feel them in other parts of my body too...

Going to try focus on all the good things again today. My husband has been amazing throughout the past years. Very supportive so I'm very lucky in that department!

Thank you

Hi Everyone...New members are welcome to post too :-)

Hey StayStrong85......Thankyou for being a part of the discussion! You are fortunate to have a super supportive husband! Its only my humble opinion...those little 'spark' feelings could be adrenaline causing the muscles to 'ping'or spasm..especially when you mentioned having mild indigestion and anxiety levels increasing when you are alone

You are strong for focusing on the positives StayStrong85

Paul

The difficulty for me seems to be disentangling what's normal(ish), what's caused by other things, and what's caused by anxiety.

*Tension - I get this upon waking up, or at most shortly thereafter. It's probably a state a mind as much as a physical thing
*Abdominal tension - A '2nd tier' form of anxiety as best I can tell. Abdominal muscles trying to contract? Can last for hours though.
*Chest tension - Variant of the above as best I can tell
*Pressure in head - Not a headache, just a pressure feeling.
*Abdominal distention? Not certain on this one but on occasion it feels like there's a lot of pressure to 'swell out' and I don't think food is the cause.
*Abdominal pain due to tension - The worst physical side effect I've noted, but not one I've had of late.



I think my other physical issues are due to other causes e.g. blurred vision due to tiredness\not paying attention, fatigue due to chronic fatigue etc, but things may overlap and interweave making things ... complicated.