Stress Center Peer Support

I guess that is just the way it is. I see in here where folks have had blurred vision issues like I do, but based on anxiety, meds, neck problems, (which I have) so I guess you just throw your hands up in the air, and see what happens. I have so much tingling and pins and needles, and burning in my arms and legs/feet, 24/7, that I can't hardly relax, so I am wound tight all the time. Just started therapy on Monday, to try and get some more help. He said to stay on the meds also. I can't really afford all of this, so I guess I will just have to live with all the tingling burning in my calves and arms. I live with the fear of MS / ALS/ Tumor, like lots of good people in here. But I cant really afford all the testing to get the good news that I don't have it. So I just have to live with it I guess. Sure wears me down. Over a month now for me. No Diabeties, blood work all ok. Just never stops. Sometimes, stronger then others, but always there, no matter how destracted I try and make myself. Has anyone had 24/7 tingling for a long time?

Cinny - Oh my gosh, I was you a year ago. I truly feared MS/ALS with the tingling in my body. Yes, as you go through counseling (which I am still doing) and the program (which I use daily), it goes away.

I also started using a guided meditation by Mary and Richard Maddux, which has you relax and pay attention to the sensations in your body. After awhile they lost their grip on me and I am free from those scary "what if" thoughts about MS and ALS.

Good luck to you. I can tell you that if I got through it anybody can.
LisaLisa

Cinny,

My god, reading your post is like I wrote it myself!!! It is true that the sensations get better as relaxation takes over, but like you, i've had a lot of the tension in the neck, mostly my left arm, and the burning sensations with numbness in the hands that never seem to totally go away.

I went to a neurologist yesterday, and he determined that I have minor carpal tunnel in my left arm, muscle spasms in my back...BUT...he can't explain the burning...

The fact that i've come to terms with though is that i'm a semi-pro musician going on 10+ years now, i've worked at computers most of my working life (12 years), and i've had anxiety probably my whole life without treating it until the last year or so.

This website is a tremendous help for folks like us and we can overcome this! We really can!!!!

Wow, thanks guys.. There is safety in numbers? I have searched this forum, because I won't search the web. That is a terrifing experience, that I just will not do. I am too sensitive to that. What prompted the question here, was that there are tons of people with tingling, pins and needles, burning, ect. But, most people never come back, and say, "it went away",or "yea, I had it for months. Some are in the forum, from 2004, or older. Did they ever get better? Lots of folks getting tests, but then you never hear about the sypmtom anymore from those people.

You guys are reassuring, since I can't really go to the doc again yet. Mine is still there, today, same as yesterday, and the day before and before that. I am trying to be positive.

I'm sorry that you are going through this. My brother who has NEVER had anxiety, started having tingling/numbness in his feet, legs and hands. Had 2 MRI's, neg for MS. Blood work up looks pretty good. He started getting these feelings of panic well up just sitting in his house.

So naturally the doc said he just has anxiety or depression.

I went through the same thing in 1997, decline in health, then panic attacks started, felt foggy, couldn't remember things, running into walls, bladder issues (I was 18 year old, a virgin). JUST found out I have Lyme Disease. Course doctors chalked it up to anxiety.

He's in the process of getting tested.

I get tired of everyone saying, 'it's just anxiety, it will go away." If it's not going away, you need to keep looking.

Lyme Disease causes Panic attacks and anxiety. Big difference between Panic with regular panic disorder and Lyme is that Lyme Panic attacks almost always last longer than 15 mins. You know how Lucinda says, "it will be over in 10-15 mins"?

I never understood what she meant because I had panic attacks for hours and DAYS!

It was because I had a medical problem undiganosed for 12 years!

Bad thing for you is that you are in OR, it's hard to find Lyme Literate Medical doctors there, there are some in California though.

I'm so glad I found out because my anxiety is getting so much better with proper treatment.

I just found someone who had 'anxiety and panic' for 18 years and he just found out he too has Lyme Disase.

It's not as rare as people think and it's a disease that makes you feel mentally terrible.

By the way, I had no joint pain from my Lyme save for 2 episodes 11 years into it. I always thought that was the classic symptom. Not so!

Please see this gov't site for a better explanation.

<A HREF="http://www.ilads.org/PsychiatristBrochure.pdf" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ilads.org/PsychiatristBrochure.pdf</A>

I hate to see others going through the pitfalls of panic disorder when I KNOW there are others with an undiganosed disease like I had.


Ocean

You said you have neck problems so the tingling should be checked out by your doctor first just to rule out any physical issues that could be causing it.
If it isn't physically related then you know that is is just anxiety causing these unpleasant symptoms. Use the relaxation cd, and journal all of your negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

Hi Deb. Yes, I have some issues with my neck. I have cervical spondylosis, and I also have spondylosis, lower in my back, lumbar area. I didn't have any tingling, before I fell out of my attic, on Dec. 27. I fell about 10 feet. But what happened on the way down is what my doc was interested in. About 1/2 way out of the hole, I hit my underside of my left arm, which smashed into my head, which banked it off the opening of the door on my way out. I had a huge, huge bruse on the underside of my left arm the size of a softball. Then, I fell the rest of the way out (this all happens at once), and again, my left arm hangs up in the hole, because my watch band hung up in the hole, and snapped my arm straight. I hung my 280 pounds off of my wrist for a few seconds, until I finally fell to the floor. Lots of black and blue wrist, thumb ect. Nothing seemed to bother me, for about 1.5 days, and then my left LEG really started to tingle. I called the E-doc line that we have at work, and they freaked me out, saying that I needed to get to the hospital ER within the hour! I had a blood clot or something!! Of course I freaked out and went.. nothing... good circulation, by feel anyway, and sent me home. Follow up with FNP, my doc, when my arm and my legs/ankles tingling got bad enough to drive me into panic attacks. She ordered xrays, and can see the areas where the narrowing is, and it is in the right areas for the tinglgings that I have. This is where things go wrong. She knows that I have alot of medical anxiety. so she said that we will just watch it for 30 days, and if it doesn't get better, then we would consault with a neurologist.
Then she asked if I had any vision changes, and of course, now I do. Ativan I think. My wife said that I have been noticing off and on for a year, thinking that at 42, maybe it is time to get some glasses. But, I don't remember that, and fear that it is a new symptom. I also had some face at the jawbone and lips numbness, scalp tingling. She said that wouldn't be caused by my neck. That was really the last straw. That sent me spiraling into this fear based depression... Now, I am seeing a therapist, and still have the tingling, burning, and back on the wellbutrin and ativan. So, I DO have an injury, I guess, that I have never had before, mixed with tons of anxiety that I have had before. I know that it is irrational to be this afraid, but the burning in my calves has me ready to pop. I work myself into these scary though loops and can't seem to break out. Looking around in these forums, I see that lots of folks have the similar feelings, and I was looking for some solice in that. I guess I shouldn't be so scared to go to the neurologist, but I can't afford the MRI's and all that stuff right now.. And, I am afraid of what he will find. My FNP stated when she saw my "deer in the headlights look" that if she thought that it was anything serious, that she would send me down town right then, to see a specialist. I need to remember that, and be rational. Thanks to you all for your support! It is very important to me... When I did searches for spondylosis and its effects, I didn't find much in these forums, and I refuse to look online.

Good Luck Cinny with your neck issues. don't be afraid to go to the neurologist perhaps they can
address the tingling/pain you are feeling so you
can feel less anxious. Good Luck!

Thanks Deb. Pins and needles today too. I guess that you are probably right, but I will have to build up to see the neurologist. I fear what the results will be. I see my counselor on Monday, and somewhere need to find the courage to get it done. It "seems" to me that is seems to be getting less, but I have never had a nerve injury. Anyone ever had a nerve/joint injury? How long did it take to heal? This has been 6 weeks now. I only ask, as I would wait some time, if it saves me the expense of the neurologist. You guys are great in here, and any help is appreciated!

Hi Cinny,

I have had the tingling and burning sensation, mostly in my legs now for almost 5 months now! As soon as I wake up in the morning, I feel the tingling in the arms, my rib cage, my legs and my back. I then do the relaxation tape and it helps a little. I also take an anti-anxiety medicine, but it is a very low dose and really does not help much, but I take it anyway. I have the tingling and burning sensation through out the day. It is nothing more than anxiety. I go see a psychiatrist and was told that it's anxiety. He said that I should increase the anti-anxiety medicine to a good dose and it should take it away. I decided to work through the program and see if I can take away the anxiety on my own without increasing the medicine. I am determined to do it. I know the anxiety is really annoying and that is what I mostly focus on during the day. I am on session 7 now and I have to admit that the severity of the anxiety is better. I exercise three times a week. I feel much better and do not have the anxiety after my workout. But around 2 hours later it returns but not as bad as I have it through the day. So, Cinny, the bottom line is, it’s just anxiety. It cannot harm you and hurt you. Stick with the program, as I am, and I truly believe this will one day be just a memory. Hoped I helped you. You certainly helped me because I thought I was going crazy there for awhile. Please keep in touch and I will keep in touch and tell you how I am progressing. Take care. Leopolda.