Physical sensations anxiety or something serious?

[amalee78]

I had been congratulating myself on being so much better the last few months, now here I am again.

I am totally fixated on my armpit at the moment. One day I thought one armpit looked puffier than the other. I couldn’t feel a specific lump, just an overall puffiness type thing. Ever since then, my anxiety has just been out of control.

Now I feel like sometimes I can feel a feeling - like a sore muscle, type ache in my armpit. It is not all the time, but I would feel it every day. I think maybe the feeling moves, though, sometimes it’s at the front crease of my armpit, sometimes towards the back. I don’t think it is ever actually IN my armpit (if you know what I mean)

Sometimes when I can’t feel that funny ache, I look for it and wonder why it’s not there....and the worst part is I’m just not sure if sometimes it’s just in my mind. I do definitely feel it though. It’s getting to the point where I can’t look at myself in the mirror, or touch that part of my body. I’m just not sure that’s normal.

My husband has looked many times and says both armpits look the same to him, and that they don’t feel different to him. Then I think to myself, if it was something fatal he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway...

Surely if it was the C word the pain would be severe and constant, not coming and going? I am fixated on lymph nodes, but I have to honest, I don’t even know where they are in my armpit (are they right up in the top? Or around the edges?? Probably best not to answer anyway, it will just fuel the beast for me).....But, again, how normal is it to worry about something like that if you don’t even know where you should be worried about or what it would feel like? I just need some help.

I’m sorry for the long post, but I just can’t get past this. I also just can’t keep living like this anymore. Of anyone has any words of wisdom for me I would appreciate it.

[Guest_1573]

So sorry you are suffering like this! I too have major anxiety over my health. I too have convinced myself I have cancer of pretty much every kind. I have had every test known to man. All clear. Yet the symptoms remain. The more I focus on them the worse they get. My life has become a nightmare because of this. I am now just accepting that I either don't have something bad or I do.....and I will deal with it. I am my own worst enemy. the stupidest thing is that the more anxiety and fear I feel the more I do stupid things like drinking/smoking/overeating? I am nuts for sure.

I will admit I have severe mental health issues...always have and have had numerous nasty things healthwise so that is probably not helping. However. I too reiterate what all the other helpful people here have said (and I am telling myself this too!) that at the end of the day one's quality of life is what matters. I am seeing numerous professionals to help me with all of my demons. I truly hope you have someone to rely upon. I too just want to be happy and relaxed and not totally stressed about everything. It is no way of living.

Sending hugs

[amalee78]

Every time I think of this reply it makes me laugh. I believe I could be a black belt at that self awareness stuff lol.

Ever since reading this post, every time I get that feeling I try to focus on my other armpit to see if I can make the same feeling happen instead.... So far no luck, but I have noticed when I do it the original armpit stops having any little feelings, which is reassuring in itself. I think it helps a little, so thank you.

[blondguy]

Hi amalee78 and a wave to therising and Panicmerchant 🙂

I just had a look at the post by therising..I thought it was really good as many people on the forums also experience health anxiety as well. Thanks for being a part of Annabays 'What Physical Symptoms of anxiety do you get" thread topic too amalee!

I hope you are doing okay

Paul

[therising]

Hi amalee78

I'm glad I was able to give you laugh 🙂 I think we're definitely fascinating and sometimes amusing creatures, that's for sure.

I wonder if you've ever considered yourself to be a highly sensitive person. The topic 'HSP' is an interesting one, one I can relate to myself and one perhaps worth Googling if you're interested. Being sensitive enough to feel your thoughts, feel the vibe of a room when you walk into it, feel the impact of degradation or inspiration, feel fully charged (highly excited) or almost fully exhausted, feel unusual or not the usual sensations in your body and so on comes with both pros and cons. By the way, there are plenty of ways to manage such high sensitivity when it becomes somewhat challenging.

A highly sensitive person is typically a very intuitive person. I believe, researching ways to help strengthen intuition and better tune into what you're feeling is worth the effort. My own life has changed significantly over the years based on being led to better understanding and practice. Give you a couple of examples

• During my years in depression, I was so easily brought down. Throw a bit of degradation my way and I'd be left beating myself up for days, when it came to what a 'loser' I thought I was. These days, I've mastered feeling degradation from someone. What comes to mind is 'I can feel what you're doing to me. I can feel what you're doing to my mind and my nervous system (raising it to a state of upset/unease/dis-ease). STOP IT RIGHT NOW!' In other words, you gotta shut that person down or emotionally detach from them. I have no interest in feeling graded or degraded
• One of my favourite feelings is inspiration. You know what it's like, you can feel it the second it hits. Makes your eyes widen, gives you an uplifting light hearted feeling, leads you to smile and even may lead to that breath in (that gasp of surprise or revelation). It is energising and brings life to you and you to life. Personally, I'm very sensitive to feeling a lack of it. I believe, a serious lack can become depressing over time if we're not careful. I confess to being an inspiration addict. If I'm not getting enough, I have to seek it out 🙂 Always careful in managing how much media I take in, by the way. They can be an uninspiring depressing fear mongering lot, in general

If it doesn't take much for you to get worked up or brought down, you may have the gift of high sensitivity, a gift that can feel more like a curse at times.

🙂

[therising]

Hi amalee

I thought about you just the other day when I got MRI results back from my GP. Besides radiating pain down my right arm and into my shoulder area, one of the other areas involved is my armpit. Sometimes it aches in the armpit and sometimes behind or in front. Sometimes it only aches when I put my right arm down, resting against my side. Kind of feels like there's something inside my armpit stopping me from doing this with ease.

Turned out to be - Bulging disc with multiple nerve root compression. The nerves impacted will either lead to different levels of pain and/or trigger muscle contractions. The muscles around or into my armpit will make it feel like there's something going on inside that area. Depending on which nerves are compressed, it can feel like it moves from place to place around that area.

Technically, a bulging disc can produce no symptoms but once a nerve is compressed, certain symptoms will appear, either slight or intense.

My intention is not to trigger you to go off in search of an MRI scan, it's simply to lead you to wonder 'Is this all in my mind or is some of it actually in my body and that's what I'm sensing?' Do you think the armpit mystery is more a muscular thing than anything else?

🙂