Stress Center Peer Support

Hello Everyone,

I hope someone out there can help me with this. I had my first panic attack out of the blue, or so it seemed at the time. I had an intense dizzy and disconnected feeling which progressed to pounding heart, chest pains and a shortness of breath. I went to the ER to get checked out, CT scan, ekg, blood work, etc, all was fine, and I was told I had a panic attack. For me the idea was silly, but what scared me most was it happening again. Fast forward a month or so and 10 or so attacks later, and I am in really really bad physical shape. I do not sleep at night, I am so stressed about my health and continue to think there is something wrong with me physically...It started shortly after the panic attack, I had massive itching sensations all over my body, the Dr. thought perhaps I had picked up scabies and prescribed a cream to knock it out...After a week or so of all systems go, and being back to my normal self, I now have intense burning all over my body, but with NO outward signs of anything being wrong with me. I am going back to the Dr. tomorrow to get tested for a laundry list of things, ALS, MS, Cancers, etc....But I was just in for a physical 2 weeks ago, and passed with flying colors...I do not want to be the kind of person who runs to the Dr. every time I feel a little off, but this burning is pretty intense...enough to wake me up at night, on the rare instances I actually get to sleep. It is also worth noting that I am under a fair amount of stress both personally and professionally, and I am in pretty deep depression over the loss of some friends and family over the past 2 years. I have been told that this sensation can be a product of sleep dep and stress, but I was wondering if anyone else out there has suffered from similar skin crawling or burning skin sensations?

I can relate to some of your symptoms. I also have what i call humming, kind of like eveything in your body is vibrating only you cant see it, can only feel it. It has taken me a long time to realize that anxiety and depression has a huge range of physical symptoms. I have been checked for brain tumors, MS and whatever else I could think of. Lack of sleep makes everything worse. Its really hard to even believe that all these things can be caused by the way we think and react but they really can. I have had a lot of trouble believing that but I do know its true. So I am going to work this program ( Im on day 2) and Im going to be free of this and live the life that I deserve, that we all deserve. If you havent ordered this program I really hope you do. Please let me know how you're doing.

I have not had the burning symtoms you describe. I get all kinds of odd body sensations. And with each one, I am sure I am going to die. But don't feel bad if you need to go and see a doctor, even if you keep repeating it. It is important to rule stuff out. I have my own personal test to see if the odd and uncomfortable feelings are panic or real. My doctor prescribed some ativan which I do NOT take on a regular basis but just for emergencies. When I feel things that are hard to believe are attributed to panic or anxiety, I take a half mg. Works fast, so in about 20 mins if I start feeling better, I know it was just panic. Not that I am saying drugs are the way to go. Personally I hate to take drugs. But they are there when I need them. I have ordered the kit but have not yet recieved it. I am optimistic and hope this works for me. Oh and I can relate to the dying of loved ones too. My dad died, the next year my fiance died, two years after him my mom died. So I feel your pain. But again, if you need to rule out ailments, then do what you need to do. Sometimes the symptoms seem like there is no way it can be panic... But you might be surprised. I have been. Numerous times.

Take care and good luck.

Hi Forest and WELCOME,

I read all your symptoms and if all checks out fine ask to be seen by a Rheumatologist if your family doc is not familiar with fibromyalgia. I have had it since 1991 and it comes with very many symptoms...ie: aburning feeling of the skin, pain all over or it travels around to different body ares as it pleases, insomnia, or sleeping a lot CFS..chronic fatigue syndrome can go along with it, I have both. Also hard to concentrate, sadness, anxiety, flue like aches and shooting stabbing pains, throbbing, sore joints, headaches, vibrating legs and body parts and on and on goes the list. Some have severe cases and others milder. Mine has worsened over the years as most people with it have also experienced. Getting my depression, eating better, sleeping better finally, and using this program have helped a great deal with my fibro symptoms.

Restless leg syndrome is also something I have and it drove me crazy until I was put on a med to control it. I used to vibrate so bad that it actually made the bed vibrate and my husband could feel it.

Good Luck,
Hope some info was usefull to you and pipermarie.

Thanks for the responses. I have ordered the program, and am going through it, but I have not been "doing all I can do" to get through it...I have not ben able to log more than 2 hours at a time of sleep for the past 3 nights and am getting worse and worse. I am really worried what the doctors are going to find, I am also worried that they are going to miss something. Most of the people I have lost to sickness died because their doctors did not find out what was wrong with them in time to save them...It seems the medical profession likes to "explain away" symptoms...I am sure this is a function of our poor insurance system, they wont do tests that are deemed to be frivolous, so I am spending thousands of dollars a year to run tests for piece of mind.

Hi, your symptoms are the same as mine. Uncontrolable burning sensations. I have been sufferring from these sensations for several years and nothing is wrong. I've been checked out several times and everything turns out fine. I have not had the burning sensations for a few months but I had them straigth for about 6/mths at one-time. I know now that it is anxiety and sometimes when I feel it coming on I tell myself it is just anxiety and it goes away. I also had a bought of bad insomnia - 5/mths straight. One week I only slept 5 hours. The last couple of months I've been sleeping better. Don't worry its just severe anxiety and stress in your life. Thats when I usually get the burning sensations. You will get over it. Just let it go. I'm also a new member..received the program 2 months ago and I still have not started it.

Thanks. That is encouraging news. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping for the past month. I tend to fall asleep and then bolt up after about 30 minutes of sleep and I am usually in a state of panic when it happens. Last night I woke up and my mouth was so dry, I could not even swallow, which of course made me panic even further. I am so tired of dealing with this. I NEVER had anything like this before about a month ago, but my life stresses and commitments have never been this high ether before then. It is scary how much power the brain has over us.

It is this constant worry that they are going to find or miss something, which keeps you in a constant state of anxiety and depression. There is a big difference between seeing a doctor and explaining your symptoms to him/her and getting a misdiagnoses, compared to actually having a number of health tests done and all your results coming back negative.

You need to keep the stress levels in your life extremely low, otherwise you are only going to make your symptoms and yourself worst which is completely what you do not want to do.

What about your diet? I use to get muscle and eye twitches, hot and cold body sensations. These symptoms completely disappeared once I started eating a healthy diet low in fat and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Have you tried sleeping pills to help you sleep?