constant physical anxiety symptoms

[nh_user_1104903]

Since the end of July I've been having such awful symptoms. This includes but is not limited to shifting abdominal pain, sharp back pains, occasional difficulty breathing, chest pains, a lump in my throat, weight loss, and more headaches than normal. They all started right after a bad experience with bowel prep that I honestly consider a traumatic event, and since then I have had a LOT of tests done, including blood and urine tests, EKGs, ultrasounds, x-rays, and an endoscopy. All of them thus far have come up clean. I have a colonoscopy scheduled but I'm going to do a stool sample instead, to make sure it is necessary. 

I don't have any elevated risk of disease. My family is extremely healthy physically, and we're all well-known for very strong immune systems and longevity. Nobody related to me has ever had colon cancer or any other sort of hereditary illness. I did have bad eating habits during childhood, but realistically my chances of having something wrong with my intestines is very very slim. 

So, somewhat reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that these symptoms are anxiety-related. I always tell people that I get symptoms like this even when I'm not worrying, but recently I had an epiphany that perhaps I AM worrying all the time, but I don't realize it because I've had anxiety all my life. I'm not sure on that yet, but basically what I want to know is, is it possible that all of these symptoms are totally in my head? All the stories of anxiety pain I've heard have described them as coming on when worry is present, but my symptoms seem to be constant. They will, however, shift around and change every few days. Could it really be like this 24/7 instead of JUST when I'm panicking?

[nh_user_1065855]

The short answer is yes. I too realized that I’ve been suffering from Anxiety all my life but just now it caught up to me.  I be been having a multitude of daily symptoms such as yours and then some since Feb of last year. I too had tons of blood work, ekgs, heart test, pulmonary test etc, they all came back normal. My fam too is pretty healthy, no major health problems. The symptoms are not in your head they are real but can’t hurt you. If you ve been to the dr and all is clear then it is anxiety. You have to accepted in order to deal with it. I get daily symptoms without being worried. Breathing issues and chest tightness are very common and persistent. Muscle spasms, stomach pains, chest pains, sensation of numbness throughout my entire body, neck stiffness, headaches, dizziness just to name a few.  I have learned to cope with these symptoms. I practice Yoga, meditation, mindfulness. I lower my caffeine intake and sugar intake. Hope you feel better. Just know that you’re not alone, symptoms are not in your head but you can definitively learn how to cope and live with them. 

[nh_user_1136612]

Hi Angel, This all sound similar to what I've had. A weird simple change that helped me a lot was straightening out my posture. When we are anxious we slump to try and protect ourselves. Try straightening out your shoulders and really take note of your posture. If you are slumped you're body might not be getting proper oxygen because you are all hunched over, which can make you and your muscles feel weird and cause back pain which can cause chest pain. Muscle tension can feel really weird and is a part of anxiety. Give the posture thing a try and see if it helps