To think I’m dying? Any doctors around? 🙏

[Garret]

Got worse over a couple of weeks. Tiredness. Squishy tummy and no appetite. Aches and pains. Buzzing sensations all over. Back and neck pain. Joints hurting and clicking. Muscles twitching and hurting. Feeling wobbly. Now struggling to walk because of muscle burning pains. Anxiety and panic.

GP is totally unconcerned. Checked me over and said I haven’t lost muscle strength, range of movement, tone or sensation. Took some blood to test for vitamin deficiencies (I often have these but never felt like this before). Told me to address my anxiety and referred me to the psychiatric nurse.

I’m hysterical. Imagining I have some awful disease. How can the GP not be worried when I have such severe symptoms? Please help me if you can.

@Garret, medichecks do a IGM and IGG parvovirus test. Up to 60% adults have igg antibodies to PV but igm would tell you if recent.

https://www.medichecks.com/products/parvovirus-b19-igg-and-igm-antibodies-blood-test?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm7-kko21gQMVEP53Ch36Fgh5EAAYASAAEgJdDvDBwE

Should you be experiencing post viral symptoms, vital to rest and pace as much as possible at this stage for best chance of full recovery.

I know a friend of a friend who was experiencing similar’buzzing’ in arms and legs, pain etc. generally quite fit. Gp not concerned. Paid private and Turns out he has a trapped nerve in his spine

Go back to your gp please

I would definitely do the slapped cheek antibody test, if it's easy to do, otherwise you'll always wonder.

It really isn't a case of it being anxiety OR something physical, it can be and probably is both. Anxiety causes physical symptoms. Anxiety that's prompted by one lot of physical symptoms can itself cause quite frightening and definite other, or overlapping, physical symptoms. You can get a real vicious circle going on. Trying to argue to a dr that "it can't be anxiety" is also never going to work that well because it implies a complete lack of insight into what anxiety can sometimes do (which is not your fault if you haven't come across that before). You might have better luck with "here's why I don't believe this is only anxiety" and "here are all the things that I'm already doing to make me feel calmer and less stressed, & these are the symptoms I've still got despite doing all that".

That’s so horrid
how are you helping her ?

Anxiety can make you ill and illnesses can make you anxious . Anxiety can be a physical thing and a symptom of a medical disorder - it does not necessarily mean a mental issue. That’s a fact . I am talking from experience .
speak to your gp again . Gps a do not always get it right - there are medical disorders they are not familiar with or don’t recognise as they are not textbook and can’t be diagnosed by tests . Ask for a different gp if necessary . You know your body . Don’t be fobbed off .

The symptoms you have are very similar to those my Dh had when they increased his iron tablets. He has heart problems and type 2 diabetes. during regular blood checks it showed anemia and he was prescribed iron. At first there were only slight side affects but after a few months he had debilatating stomach cramps, sweats, diarrhoea, muscle aches, itching and headaches. GP said body will get used to tablets but so far no improvement. Dh is now taking iron every other day to try and cut out symptoms.

Have you been bitten by a tick? Not sure if all your symptoms fit Lyme, though.

It does sound like you need a second opinion and maybe more tests.
Anxiety can cause very real very painful physical symptoms, I always know my anxiety is getting worse when my ears start hurting and ringing, some days it is almost unbearable with the pain and the sound of crashing waves.
sickness and nausea are also very common symptoms of anxiety.
Hope you get to the bottom of it and feel better soon op.

You could be suffering health anxiety you become super aware of every ache pain felling and symptom and your mind looks for ways to link them to and illness,disease I had a few months a few years ago of thinking I was 1 going crazy and 2 i was definitely gone to die.. your mind can convince you of so much.. I hope you get some relief from your symptoms soon..

The middle aged female doctor was the one who told me that taking HRT when my periods stopped completely out of nowhere at the age of 40 would give me breast cancer "and what will you say to your children when that happens?"

It was 10 years before I finally got to see a gynae who prescribed me HRT and by that time I already had osteoporosis.

There’s definitely real muscle and joint swelling. I’ve developed “trigger finger” where you try to open your hand but it doesn’t open smoothly because of swollen tendons, it sticks and then suddenly pops open like an elastic band. This is very scary.

As for what’s caused this muscle and tendon inflammation, it’s anyone’s guess. The doctor said we might never know, we just need to wait and see if it’s an acute episode.

You don't have symptoms of anything that would make you die. Sounds like most likely and pinched spinal nerve and a bit of anxiety. Try and do some pirates videos or book in with a physio.

If you get a repeat episode, ask to be screened for MS, which can cause those things, but you dont die of it.

Does it matter if it was or wasn't?
If its self revolving why do expensive tests?
Blood tests aren't cheap and shouldn't be done on a whim.

Why is it scary????
You're posting at 3am probably after googling!
Getting a healthy sleep pattern would probably sort out many of your issues.
Anyway you're clearly not dying!

I think it’s disingenuous to assume it’s anxiety related, no matter how well-meaning it is meant.
ataxia (disconnect between brain and muscle control) could be caused by many things from Bells Palsy, Guillain-barre or even something poisonous. And I would Google the symptoms. Doctors do it too ! Keep going back to GP and insist you are feeling these symptoms if they don’t improve. Good luck and hope you are ok.

Have you read Self Help for your Nerves by Claire Weeks?
It's really helping me with my health anxiety.

Being unnecessary nasty to someone in a state of anxiety can do a lot of harm, so being kind in your delivery does indeed help people.

I just met someone who had polymyalgia rheumatica, apparently triggered by a viral infection (COVID):
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polymyalgia-rheumatica/

Responded very quickly to a course of oral corticosteroids.

They’ve checked my magnesium and calcium which are fine. CRP and inflammation markers are normal, bone panel tests look fine, no autoimmune stuff going on. Basically all results are within range so no idea what’s causing it.

I clearly have weakness and pain in joints, muscles and tendons. At least they’re not denying that any more. They said I’m overly anxious about the symptoms but the anxiety isn’t causing the symptoms. So that’s something at least. I’m just worried because they haven’t found anything they can fix, so I still don’t know what’s going on. They’ve told me to rest and wait, see if it goes away. No steroids or anything offered.

Anxiety can make you physically ill.
I’m sorry you feel so rough OP

It's hardly on a whim if her son had it and she has symptoms that could be related. Even if this resolves it's worth knowing what it was.

I clearly have weakness and pain in joints, muscles and tendons. At least they’re not denying that any more. They said I’m overly anxious about the symptoms but the anxiety isn’t causing the symptoms. So that’s something at least. I’m just worried because they haven’t found anything they can fix, so I still don’t know what’s going on. They’ve told me to rest and wait, see if it goes away. No steroids or anything offered

I had the same with my joints and tendons. It started in one knee and then went to the other knee, my feet, joints in my hands and also around my pelvis. I don't know if I've missed this, but how old are you? My doctor sent me for bloods (including a specific test for arthritis), X-ray, ultrasound - all normal. I researched and saw that this was symptomatic of perimenopause. He said I was too young (I'm 44, so not true) and that my periods are still regular, so basically dismissed that. I went to see a female doctor while he was on holiday to get second blood results and she immediately said perimenopause and gave me collagen supplements only available on prescription. They have helped immensely! I only have very mild intermittent pain in the knee where it started. I have an old injury in that knee, so likely that that's actually separate to all of the other pain. Everything else has gone. This went on for nearly a year for me. I have also been doing Pilates and mobility stretching at least three/four times a week which has definitely helped me a lot too.

Look at your diet and start eating foods that help with inflammation and cut out foods that do not help those with inflammation - there's a lot of stuff online about that.

I have trigger finger too. I regard it as a minor nuisance, not "very scary". Have you tried splinting at night?

It’s the fact that it’s come on suddenly, along with tendon and muscular problems throughout the body. I probably wouldn’t find it scary in isolation. But in my case it has a (unidentified) systemic cause which is also making it hard for me to walk and use my arms and hands.

I’m trying to remain calm. The tests are all clear. I’ve been told to rest. But it’s incredibly hard not to worry about what’s causing it.