How much longer will this last?

wiskersonkittens · Post by **wiskersonkittens** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:24 am

After suffering severe anxiety and panic attacks for several months, I feel I am finally at the point where things are starting to get better. Sure, I have intermittent moments of anxiety, but my panic attacks have been few and far between and I thought I was getting a handle on this. BUT, my body seems to feel otherwise. I keep getting aches, pains, strange sensations and so forth and was wondering if anyone knows if after difficult bouts with anxiety and panic, if although the mind seems more at ease, the body still needs its time to heal. I just wonder if some of the problems I am having is my body trying to get itself back to normal. The bad thing is, the aches, pains, sensations cause me to be a little more nervous, so I feel I keep going back to square one as far as that goes. I am frustrated! I just want to stop FEELING this. I was fine before my grandmother died, now I think because of my anxiety and panic after her death my body has just fallen a part. I have had EKGs, blood work, CAT scan of my brain -- everything has been just fine. Lately, now, I have been battling neck pain off and on, primarily on my left side, but it has been on my right as well. I do have a lot of neck and back tension right now so I wonder if there is an association there. Anyway, I was just wondering how long it could take before I actually feel human again . .. if ever. Argh!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:02 am

Hi !! I can definitly relate to the back and neck pains.. I have been having them all week.. To be honest I think that it is our body's way of getting back to normall with out all the turmoil in our minds.. but I do belive it wll get better.. stay strong ..

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:05 am

I have just joined this program. I have no idea how long it takes to get past this panic feeling. However, I joined Curves recently and have found I feel so much better after my 30 min workout. It gets the endorphins flowing and I just feel better all over. It helped with the aches and pains and self esteem. It is empowering, I am much stronger and can do more which gets my mind of my anxiety.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:27 am

I have been going through something similar. I have had anxeity of and on most of my life. Over the last year I have had more physical symptoms. The last two months I have been going to the doctor , tomorrow I go for a blood test because I have been having tingles and numb sensations. Has anyone eles had this? Sometimes I don't know if it's anxeity or not. I just want to feel normal again. I also have aches,pains ,headaches etc. Over the last year I lost about 40 pounds. But find it hard to excercise reguarly. I work alot and find it hard to fit it all in alot of times I am so tierd from work. I wonder often how long this will last as well. How long do your physical symptoms seem to last? Your definately not alone I know Most of us suffer from this kind of thing from one degree to another.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:29 am

Hey Wiskers,
I can relate with the body aches and pains. I have fibromyalgia so I have alot of neck, shoulder, and back pain. I also get alot of other weird sensations in my body as well. I think anxiety wrecks havoc on the body because we tense muscles we have probably never knew we had, making us sore like we have had a major workout.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:36 am

Don't worry, it will pass. Your body is just over loaded with adrenlen. can't spell today. It will take time but your body will calm down and be a peace just as your brain is. Don't worry about the symptoms, just relax, talk soothing to yourself, it will go away. Your muscles have been tensed up for so long and strained for so long, it is just going to take a little longer for them to adjust. You are going to be fine!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:30 pm

I have been dealing with these conditions for years. What you are experiencing is quite common. Your body after being in a prolonged state of Anxiety or Panic is going to exhibit some symptoms and responses to what has been happening. Just imagine that you had been extemely physically active or exercising unusually hard over that same period. Your muscles and joints are going to ache and you would experience some pain as your body recovers. Much like that when you are stressed and in high anxiety and panic mode your body is creating similar a response as it would to exercise. Your muscles are in constant tension, your body is releasing chemicals it would not do in a relaxed state giving the body signals that something is wrong. Even when there is nothing wrong those same signals and stressors are sent out. Eventually your body tires and has to recover. Remember you are O.K. and these are negitive thoughts controlling your mind body connection. Relax, Breathe and remind yourself this exists in your mind and you have the power to change that thinking. My condolences about your Grandmother. Be well.

Just a thought... Peace, M...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:57 am

Nice Martini!

I like that.

I too have had the overall panic attacks stop taking over my life after 5 months of struggle. I am much better now in August than I was in March and April when this started.

I have experienced all of the anxiety symptoms, as my anxiety "rolled" through my body over the course of the past 5 months.

I also have a theory, and if anyone can confirm this or not, that my job was a big engine in my panic. Again, I'm not BLAMING the job (as ultimately it is how I react to the environment that counts), but to have your job be stressful and the environment negative to begin with (sheesh- sounds like I am blaming) and to be threatened with your job every day, eventually it wears ya out.

So, back to my theory. I have read where if you are in extremely stressful circumstances for an extended period of time, your body's stress responses on a biochemical level become habitual- much like Pavlov's Dogs. In other words, even though you may have removed yourself from the environment, and you are conciously aware of that, your body on a chemical level does not know it as it has gotten into the habit of coping with everyday stress for so long it still behaves AS IF you are still in that harmful environment.

If anyone knows if this is true or if it has a name, that would be cool. Because I have begun to notice, that since I left the toxic job, my health has improved, my severity and frequency of panic attacks have subsided drastically and incrementally while getting better with the more time away, and the physical symptoms have slowed.

Any lingering effects (disorientation) seem to fall between the hours of 9am-5 or 6pm. After about 5 or 6pm I begin to feel better (clearer), and stay that way until the next morning around 9am.

I do tend to feel sore in joints, etc lately, and agree with the exhausted physical body idea.

This is 5 months later, and September will be 6 months for me.

I think as far as time to heal is concerned (and more to the question), it is most likely an individual thing. The severity of your disorder, environment, support system, belief system, overall health, etc may all effect your recovery. And let's not forget nature. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, nature has to take its course.

Perhaps the most important thing is your mindset while healing. A healthy, positive attitude (I'm working on mine) goes along way towards healing and dealing.

One thing that works for me...try not to look at how much longer this will last, as you may envision a mountain and since we like to procrastinate and anything that size might be defeating simply by its scope. Rather, look at how far you have come and how much better you feel on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

It does get better!

And since we are not patient people, sometimes time can be our greatest enemy.

But hang in there! Pray, exercise, share your story with whoever will listen (and not judge- and if they judge, who cares?), pray some more, love, seek comfort in friends and family, and KEEP WORKING THE PROGRAM!!

YOU CAN DO IT! YOU ARE WORTH IT!

OpTiMiStIc~OnE · Post by **OpTiMiStIc~OnE** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:05 am

yeah, and to echo 30 somethings note, i too lost 30 pounds within 4-6 weeks when this all first started.

I mentioned this to my Doctor, and he told me to be happy.

I half took that to heart, as I am ok with losing the excess bodyfat, but I certainly don't approve of the method

For better or worse though, I have managed to keep it off for the past 4 months, and feel much healthier at this bodyweight.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:43 am

Thank you all so much for responding and reassurance! I appreciate the support and words of encouragement. You all made so much sense. It is like, as I once heard, our way of thinking is a learned pattern and thus, our neurons are firing along the path we know. Just like physically now, my body is used to feeling uptight and out of sorts and thus still creating all these sensations and symptoms because it learned to do that. However, what has been done can be undone and I can make my neurons learn another route to fire and my body can learn to be at peace once again. I am very impatient. I expect instant gratification with everything and especially with feeling better. I feel that if my mind is ok, my body should be, and that isn't necessarily so. Everything is a process and I just need to be patient with myself, and my body.
And, I, too, lost considerable weight during my heightened anxiety and panic attacks. I am pleased that I am finally gaining that back -- slowly (yes, I am one of those that can't gain weight very well. I have always been under weight, but I was REALLY under weight there for a bit. It was frightening!). It is a start.
Thank you all again for being there for me. All I needed was a "hug" and to hear someone say, "you're going to be ok." I think we all need that.