I am new here, and i am experiencing some inner pain that i just need to share. thank you all in advance for reading and any comments are appreciated.
i am 17 years old, entering my senior year this september. i've always been a 'nervous' person - when i was younger i would worry about getting sick and dying. this sort of shut off for awhile as i got a little older. this year was truly one of the most stressful years for me. my grandmother died of brain, lung, and adrenal cancer. in april, one of my close friends died of bone cancer at the age of 16. early this january, i was getting bad headaches constantly, every day. sun up to sun down. i went and got an mri and got it checked out by a neurologist - it turns out that there's nothing really there except a pineal brain cyst, which has no affect on my headaches or anythign like that. it is not harmful.
i have been dealing with my stress of all of this pretty well. unfortunately, i've been having problems dealing with the fact that anything can happen to anyone - like my friend getting cancer and dying. this brought met o the point where i worried, EVERY DAY, about myself getting sick and dying.
but for some reason, this past week has been like a living hell for me. i got a terrible panic attack on sunday. i wasn't even doign anything - i was just sitting in my mother's car. i wasn't really thinking of anything. my face went numb, my legs felt like jello, i felt as if i were about to pass out, and i felt very dizzy. i was very scared by all of this. for the past few days, i sometimes get dizzy and experience shortness of breath.
last night, my legs and arms started hurting and feel weak. of course, being the hypochondriac i am, i go online to look up symptoms and the only things that came up for this muscle pain in my arms and legs were MS and ALS so of course i diagnose myself with it. and i can't help it. the pain is still there, at times worse than others. my calf muscles feel especially weak, and tend to feel like charlie horses from time to time. i'm VERY concerned about this, as it has happened out of nowhere. i have not done any strenuous activities in the past few days, and even if i did, i am an athlete and i usually do not pull muscles/get pains like this.
i went to the doctor today, they did a quick neurological checkup, and said everything seemed fine. but i dont feel fine. my legs feel weak my arms and legs hurt and i just don't feel like me. and that's all i want. i am getting another mri next week and seeing the neurologist. today, my doctor referred me to a pyschologist, which i will definitely be doing.
It sounds like your muscle pain could be caused by tensing up from anxiety. I'm sure your stress has been exacerbated by the death of your grandmother and your friend. You don't often hear about someone dying from cancer at 16, so it's understandable you're freaked that anything can happen to anyone, anytime. Panic attacks come out of nowhere because you are overloaded with anxiety, not really because of anything in particular that you are doing. When it is focused on an activity, it can become a phobia.
Seeing a psychotherapist is a great idea. They may also suggest some medication. I've tried anti-depressants, but they never helped me and I don't recommend them. They do help some people though. What helps me are good breathing techniques, like "hry33" mentioned, and I have a prescription for Xanax when I can't control a panic attack. Worrying and thinking obsessively can bother me a lot, so I also change my activity when I realize I'm doing that, to get my mind onto something more productive. I'm much older than you and I've kind of learned how to deal with this over the years. Remember, you aren't going to die from this. Try to have fun in school this year...get out there and join a club or team and focus on something great. I wish you the best of luck.
It sounds like your muscle pain could be caused by tensing up from anxiety. I'm sure your stress has been exacerbated by the death of your grandmother and your friend. You don't often hear about someone dying from cancer at 16, so it's understandable you're freaked that anything can happen to anyone, anytime. Panic attacks come out of nowhere because you are overloaded with anxiety, not really because of anything in particular that you are doing. When it is focused on an activity, it can become a phobia.
Seeing a psychotherapist is a great idea. They may also suggest some medication. I've tried anti-depressants, but they never helped me and I don't recommend them. They do help some people though. What helps me are good breathing techniques, like "hry33" mentioned, and I have a prescription for Xanax when I can't control a panic attack. Worrying and thinking obsessively can bother me a lot, so I also change my activity when I realize I'm doing that, to get my mind onto something more productive. I'm much older than you and I've kind of learned how to deal with this over the years. Remember, you aren't going to die from this. Try to have fun in school this year...get out there and join a club or team and focus on something great. I wish you the best of luck.
-SRMom
thanks for your support. i'm just very worried about the muscle pains because of course the first things that come to mind are muscle diseases and things like that. i actually am on the school soccer team but with this muscle pain, i don't know what's going to happen if it doesn't go away soon.
The chance you have a muscle disease is very, very slim. It could be hormonal, a vitamin deficiency, dehydration, growing pains or tons of other really benign reasons you have this pain. I'm a worrier too, so I understand your inclination to think it's something serious. You are going back to the doctor, so you are being proactive about getting help. Try to put your mind at rest because it's out of your hands for the time being. Try a warm bath with Epsom salts. Maybe your doctor will prescribe you a muscle relaxer to get you through this problem. I'm sure you'll be fine...please keep us posted.
