Random physical symptoms from anxiety?

[Merlin]

Almost 12 months to the date, I had the unfortune experience of discovering i had a tumor on my kidney when I collapsed in the office due to a massive internal bleed. Thankfully my kidney was removed and 1 year on my scans 12 months have not shown any spread to other organs. The entire experience has been very traumatic and stressful  but I thought I was handling it all ok, until January when I started developing pains in my abdominal area (literally the 1st day of my holiday). Of course I thought the worst and given the time of the year, I had to wait 4 weeks to have further tests, which thankfully showed nothing sinister. The stress of that episode seem to tip me over the edge and it was it was like the weight of the whole experience caught up with me. Since March i have been getting random physical symptoms; in particular  pins and needles in hands and feet, electric nerve sensations, muscle fatigue, aches and pains ,metallic taste in my mouth , jaw tightness etc.  Even my knee joints are clicking all the time which never happened. Unfortunately Dr Google is saying all the worst case scenarios i.e. MS , cancer etc., and I'm now having a brain MRI  this week to rule that out. I have read on multiple websites that anxiety can cause these types physical symptoms but i didn't think they would be this noticeable or this  intense and i thought it would go away after a short period time and not get worse. It feels like a catch 22 , that the more symptoms i experience the more stress and anxiety i feel and im now stuck in a vicious cycle.  The chronic pain issues over this 4 month period has been really getting me down, even though I'm being told its "all in my head" (which is just as annoying).  Of course I'm not looking for some horrible diagnosis, but I would be interested to hear of anyone experience similar symptoms after a high period of trauma related stress? What techniques can you use to get out of this horrible hole i have found myself in?

[Eagle Ray]

Dear Guest_03075987,

Hi and welcome. I'm really sorry you went through the experience of the tumour on the kidney. It would have been quite a shock from the collapse at work to finding out the diagnosis. I'm really glad the 12 month scans showed no spread to other organs.

I think the anxiety you've been experiencing is really normal and understandable in the circumstances. In 2020 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune liver disease and I was initially given what was quite a depressing prognosis. I've since learned a lot more about it and that my situation is not as dire going forward as I was initially led to believe. The diagnosis came after a period of multiple stresses in my personal life as well. I had a whole bunch of symptoms, many of which I know were linked to severe, chronic stress. I am now emerging out of that and learning to allow my body to feel greater ease and peace which it simply could not do before.

When people say the symptoms are "all in your head" I do not agree. There is a strong mind/body dichotomy in the Western medical tradition and society generally. However, I think our body is always central in every experience. For example, if our fight-or-flight response is triggered our nervous system is reacting before our conscious mind has even caught up with what is happening, but anxiety is so often labelled as about the actions of the mind and consciously changing our thoughts. But, in my own experience, I have had to start with the nervous system as a whole rather than just focussing on thoughts, if that makes sense.

A few things have helped me come out of the severe stress response. One has been working with a psychologist who does somatic work. I also have a trauma history going back to childhood, but somatic therapies can be helpful for medical trauma as well. The approach I have most connected with personally is called Somatic Experiencing but there are actually quite a number of body-based approaches that start at a nervous system level now. I am wondering if working with a somatically trained therapist may be of benefit. I learned about Somatic Experiencing reading Peter Levine's book In an Unspoken Voice which includes examples of people carrying medical trauma. In the early part of the book he describes a woman he worked with who had multiple somatic issues and major anxiety. What he learned working with her was she had a medical trauma going back to when she was 4 years old that was still playing out in her nervous system 20 years later. They successfully worked through the trauma and she was released from the chronic anxiety. Other things I have tried and found helpful include a method called TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) and Bowen Therapy. Basically, all these approaches are releasing the autonomic nervous system from a state of hyper vigilance and bringing it back to equilibrium.

But aside from doing such therapies, I have found immersing myself in activities I love doing has really helped. I love photography and I get totally absorbed in the process from when I am out taking the photos to working with them creatively at the post processing stage. I know having this interest has really helped my body and increased things like the brain and body processes that make you feel good rather than the ones that make you feel anxious. I have found the doing of something I love has led to real shifts in how I am feeling. I think good experiences feed back into our nervous system responses and can help transform us out of chronic anxiety states. I am wondering if you can find something you really connect with that absorbs you and gives you that positive, enjoyable focus.

There is an approach called Polyvagal Theory developed by Stephen Porges that explains how these processes work. One of the best examples of him explaining this that I have seen is on YouTube which you should be able to find if you google "Stephen Porges - Polyvagal Theory: how your body makes the decision". Basically what I have learned through these kinds of understandings is that there is a way out of the stuckness we can feel in anxiety states. I just thought that may be helpful and these are the kinds of things that have helped me.

Take care and I hope you can find some relief and peace soon,

Eagle Ray

[Merlin]

Hi Eagle Ray

Thanks for taking the time to share your story, experiences and advice. I will definitely look into the suggestions you have added. 12 months prior to my diagnosis, i also went through a high period stress due to loss which sometimes gets forgotten in the backwash of a cancer diagnosis. Somewhere along the line, i have orientated my life around Dr appointments the next scan results, and realized that all I'm doing is letting life go by and missing out on the joys of life. I'll let you know my feedback on some of your points of suggestion.

Take care and thank you again

Merlin

[Eagle Ray]

Hi Merlin,

Those are the things that have helped me. They may or may not resonate with you but I think the important thing is to find approaches that connect for you personally. Yesterday I was on a walk in forest across the road from me and I met a lovely lady who was telling me she has recently recovered from cancer. She was taking so much joy from everything around her and it's like she has a new lease of life. It's like she is rediscovering the beauty of the world when for a while there it was very worrying for her, from what she was telling me. So I hope maybe there are some ways back into those joys of life for you. I completely understand how those medical worries and appointments get in the way and it is easy to get lost in it all.

Take care and, yes, happy to hear how you go.

Best wishes,

Eagle Ray