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Hi I am new here. I have ptsd and anxiety, and depression. Also get some depersonalization. I have a few major serious illnesses - the most serious of which are a heart problem caused by pneumonia and c****r. I also have sciatica in my neck with 4 herniated discs. And spinal stenosis in my lower back in 4 vertibra. Problems slow me down some, but I never allow them to stop me. I am here to learn and grow - and to receive help and to help others. In my spare time - i go to the gym 4 times a week and play between 2 and 6 hours of piano a day. DO you have any serious illnesses to mention/discuss and how you feel about them and deal with them? hugs

I keep getting this throbbing pain in my right leg on and off. Sometimes its in the same spot, other times it moves up a little bit but not to far up. It's not swollen or hot or anything, It just throbs for about 3 - 6 seconds then stops.

This happened after I just woke up, I leaned up and was on my phone for about 10 mins or so and then I had something that felt like a heart palpation but it was more like a reallt big increase in heart speed for like 8 to 10 seconds and then it went away, which chest pain around my heart area began to surface? I know I got anxiety that's for sure but why did this happen to me? Why now.

I've been building great stress from putting off this important introduction of myself with the lingering fear that my existence along with any activity it could incite will ultimately be ignored and scoffed upon-- all weekend I've craved badly to simply put together a detailed greeting for myself here as well as for anxietysocialnet, and so here we are Sunday evening 7pm and I'm now pushing myself out there.. My name is Ashley, I'm in my late twenties currently residing in NYS. I live with ADHD, Anxiety, Major Depressive, Panic, PTSD, Social Anxiety/Agoraphobia, Body Dismorphic: Bulimia/Anorexia Nervosa, Self Harm: Dermatillomania/(Recovering cutter). Currently, now I'm exploring the diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder as a whole new self born nexus inside me that has been fueled by existing traumatic stresses and events that have gone without emotional self feedback resulting sadly in much more than depersonalization.. Anyway, there's a bit into my mental health diagnostic list, it's been quite fascinating. As for enduring all that has gotten me there is a deeper complexity. If I were reading this it would help me to know that I grew up engulfed in violence and emotional abuse within my family life and I haven't been able to get away from it fully. I'm still being abused and I feel weaker than I felt 15 years ago. I have suffered the trauma of **** and years of unrelated domestic abuse from a former partner, not of which I wish to go into right now though.. However, I cannot seem to let myself trust anyone at all anymore, not anyone new.. If a conversation keeps going with a new potential friend, they message me for a few days and I feel more and more uncomfortable that I wind up feeling fearful of my phone as a whole and it's really a terrible feeling. I want to enjoy new people. I really need people in my life, but of course I question why would someone try so hard with someone whose this damaged? That they'd absolutely be better off and without complication if they found someone off a social media site or something rather than a fellow broken nerdy girl you happen to see at a computer repair store.. I do over analyze motive but I never want to be hurt again by someone I've willingly let into my life. I have never been this alone as I am now. I don't know if I "pushed" or "scared" friends away in the past as I have so many embarrassing gaps in my memory that I cannot seem to unlock, but I can remember manic episodes and a few people just walking away when all I needed was a reminder that my panicking would pass.. The kind of people who walk away instead of fight to keep something worth while even if it might be a risk aren't meant to be. They aren't wired to understand in capacity how to unconditionally care for whatever kind of challenge I am. So I keep anything and anyone as far as possible. Most of the people I grew up with very close to have overdosed or committed s****de. The thoughts that run through my mind about starting over with new is overly perplexing. My home life is inconsistent as I had agreed to live with my mother to avoid being homeless after my mental states were worsening. I didn't know I was signing on to take care of her mothers estate as well as be a literal punching bag when she runs out of pills, or money, and drinks too much cough syrup but how stupid of me to forget what it was like to live with her. I can handle the responsibility of that which she cannot in regards to her own moms affairs, but her hate for me runs so deep for trying to keep this house above water and not give her access to money that isn't hers that she's formed a resentment I've never seen in her before. The alcohol and over medication has made this blindsided jealousy of hers quite malicious. A 230 lb child, brooding at the kitchen table for hours knowing you'll eventually really want to make some coffee. She'll bait you with insults of personal inadequacies and try to incite a hurtful dialogue in which she hopes will lead to violence. I feel so numb I can't play the game any longer and it's really effecting my existing fears and anxieties that involve home. I listen to the painful moaning of my messed up mother throughout every day into the night and I'm almost positive she's ready to die. The mumbling of the insane about the failures of the past echoes in the hallway. I'm noticing a new void that's never been present and I'm not certain if I want to be acquainted with it.. Every moment I'm awake I'm shaky and ready to jump. My medicines don't seem to be working too effectively anymore. When I think I'm going to cry I don't and then I shed a few tears at a random moment. My breathing is erratic and my exercises aren't calming down the discomfort in my chest. I think of packing my backpack and going to the closest park for the night and just sleeping there but I'm still working on taking out the garbage every week and walk to the corner store without breaking into panic.. I used to escape easily in my video games but I'm losing interest in them as if they were awful work that had deadlines with zero enjoyment only bringing upon stress and upsetting me and those I'm working with, I can still try but I'm not certain how to get myself back to where I'm not jumping out of my skin every second like this.. I'm starting to find a small escape in the backyard every evening, spending most of the hours pouring myself into my writing which is actually taking me a noticeably longer time than normal on each piece, usually trailing with my mind spinning, and then I suppose I'm glad to find myself outside amongst the wind.. So thanks for reading a bit of my personal madness, it took effort to let myself put this out here but I'm really at a point where I'm unsure of what to do with absolutely no support and screaming for some form of caring direction.. I'm working on communication and I will return messages.. Thank you to this group for the support as well as the invite to be here Ashley

Hello all. I have had a hellish week. I have had terrible back pain and abdominal pain for a 3 days with no sign of letting up. Went to urgent Care and was given meds for back sprain, but my anxiety is still flying high. The worst part is the pain I feel when I get up after sleeping. I haven't been able to get a full night's rest without waking up in pain. I don't know what I am worried about specifically, but I am worried there is something sinister that I am going to die from. Anyone out there was experience with back pain?

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Hey all, I thought I was past this stage in my life however I am absolutely terrified at the moment. A week ago I went to the doctor for some mild testicular comfort. I'm aware of how out of control my health anxiety can get so I decided to bite the bullet and get checked out by a GP. He had a feel around and found nothing, afterwards deciding to get me to complete a routine urine test. Upon testing the test with the dipstick he told me there seems to be microscopic traces of blood in my urine. I mentioned that I'd had a doctor discover the same thing around four years ago who didn't seem concerned. This doctor said that was negligent and that there is always a cause of blood in my urine. He proceeded to send the test off for further analysis. Since then I have had terrible pain and discomfort in my lower abdomen and back alongside a dramatically increased frequency in urination. This is also accompanied by mild pain. Eventually the results came back to which the nurse said were "clear" although she couldn't elaborate on what clear meant. For example it could mean clear of infection which could further indicate a bladder cancer causing the blood. She was unable to elaborate as the doctor unbeknownst to me has now gone on a six month sabbatical and the clinic wont have a replacement for over a month so I'm absolutely in limbo. Has anyone out there had a similar situation? This is really starting to effect my personal and professional life.

Background Information: for those that don't know a Vericocele is a problem that occurs with a damaged vein in the testicle that becomes inflamed, I was recently diagnosed with one and this question is geared more towards people who also have one and can answer my questions with personal experience, emotional support is of course always welcomed. So I've been researching the condition and I have some questions about it. 1. I had read that they are capable of causing chronic constipation but it was only one source, and I can't find any other information about the the relationship between the 2 conditions, and I've been experiencing chronic constipation lately and I was wondering if anyone else with a testicular vericocele has experienced constipation? 2. It's embarrassing to say but I can't shake the feeling that I'm having difficulties performing sexually, or at least I think I am. My long time girlfriend has told me that everything seems normal but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong, I'm 22 and I shouldn't feel like I'm having a hard time maintaining an erection, now I've considered that maybe knowing that there is some kind of damage to my genitals is causing a mental block but I'm curious if anyone with a vericocele has experienced something similar, and I'm curious as to wether or not there is an actual physical link between sexual performance and this condition. Apologies for the long winded post, thank you in advance to anyone who can offer information.

This is my first time posting here so I apologize in advance if this turns out to be rambly or long.. For about 2 months now I've been feeling a lot of discomfort on my left side. It started with a pain in my chest, then under my left breast, then in the ribs just below my left breast and then across the armpit and on my upper breast. Most times its a dull/heavy sort of feeling. Like I'm constantly aware of anything touching or rubbing against this breast. Sometimes I even feel a sort of twinge or pull in the armpit/upper breast area. I often get back aches as well- mostly between my shoulder blades and I'm convinced I have breast cancer which has gone into the bone. I've been to my family doctor who didn't perform a breast exam (he only pressed on my ribs, back and neck) and said sometimes pain can't be explained. I went to emergency where they did an EKG and said my heart was perfectly fine. I now have an appointment tomorrow with a different doctor to have a full breast exam done. I know I have terrible anxiety and some days I do so well with believing all of this pain is anxiety related but of course I end up on the internet and find articles describing breast cancer and of course I have every single sign and symptom. I'm just really hoping there's someone on here who has dealt with similar symptoms to mine.

I've always gotten canker sores periodically for as long as I can remember, usually along my bottom gum lines and never any other symptoms beside local pain. Woke up Tuesday with one on my soft palate (behind wisdom teeth, not quite back of throat), never had gotten one that far back before, but I also have headache, tender neck, & upper body stiffness to go along with this, not to mention swelling around the sore and painful swallowing. I read some extreme symptoms like fever & diarrhea can accompany canker sores, but I am wondering how some canker sore spells can feel much worse than others? I haven't been sick or had one of these sores in a while. HPV is always a dormant fear of mine since having a 4 yr period of bad pap smears and procedures to remove cervical dysplasia. Been clear of dysplasia and HPV for over a year, so trying not to let my head go there.

Hi I'm new to AC, im 24 and have experienced anxiety intermittently for as long as I remember. However, recently I've been having different issues that my doctor keeps telling me is just anxiety but I'm so paranoid that it's something more, it's driving me crazy. I got back to the US in January after visiting my parents abroad. About 4 hours after landing I felt this hard thud in my chest, I got super dizzy almost collapsed when I stood up, my heart was racing and my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I went to the ER thinking I was having some sort of heart episode, but they did a bunch of blood tests, an ekg, and a chest X-ray which all came back normal. They hooked me up to 2 IV's which brought my heart rate down, they attributed everything to dehydration and sent me home. A few days later I was watching TV when all of a sudden my legs started to shake uncontrollably again, my heart started to race, my chest was incredibly tight, and I honestly thought that I was going to die. I went back to the ER in the morning and they did more tests but couldn't find anything. They told me I most likely experienced a panic attack and to talk to a therapist it's now almost the end of February and nothing has improved. I've had 4 or 5 of these shaking panic attacks when it feels like there is a band across half my chest and fire in my veins in my neck and chest. On a daily basis I feel this weird aching pain in the left side of my chest radiating from my armpit to the Center of my chest and also causes discomfort in the top of my left breast. I've had multiple EKG's and echo tests done because I truly think it's physical. I've never had anxiety manifest itself in this way before, multiple doctors have told me I have a panic disorder and that the baseline for my anxiety is just higher now. I truly feel like this is ruining my life. It's present almost every day, it gets worse with anxiety and strain, and as soon as I feel the pain (which sometimes radiates down the inside of my left arm) I can feel the anxiety start. My neck gets tight and slightly spastic, and as soon as my legs start to seize (best description of what happens) I know there's nothing I can do at that point. Im just wondering if anyone has experienced similar chest/armpit pain? Is this really anxiety or am is it some hidden ailment? I've been in Zoloft for almost a month and haven't seen much improvement. My doctor dismisses this pain and basically just sends me home to deal with it on my own but it's difficult when you don't know what you're dealing with. Sorry for the long rant Any advice/suggestions would be so helpful Thanks!

I've already talked to two people on here who told me not to worry about it, but this pain of the left side of my abdomen has been freaking me out! It started in my lower stomach, I'd feel a sharp pain when I sat down. Now it's moved from my lower stomach to the entire left side of my stomach. It also doesn't help that I have back pain, but I've been having back pain on and off for months now, which believe is due to my job, but I never can be sure. I googled it. Yes, I used doctor google, and I google everything. I'm so scared of what this pain could be, even though in the back of my head I know its probably nothing serious. I don't know where it came from, but it started last week, and I've already had two anxiety attacks because of it. There's too many things that it could be, from kidneys, to ovaries, to bladder, to uterus, to digestive tract...I'm so confused. I'm seeing a urologist on the 31st, but I'm debating on whether or not to go to an ER or an urgent care. Advice!

Hi everybody, i want to share my concerns.It all started one year ago when i suffered a major injury to my neck. I fractured my thyroid cartilage which is a pretty rare condition. 3 CT scans were needed in order to prove that. The doctors couldn't figure out almost, so that was the first time where i lost trust for them.Since then i'm always worried about my health and started looking things up on the internet to figure out what problems could i have. My phisiotherapist recognized that i have a mild scoliosis at my thoracic spine, a more severe scoliosis at my cervical spine and he sent me to the chiropractor to adjust it.Before i went to the chiropractor 2 days before i started to look up things on the internet that are related to spinal adjustments. I've found out some pretty scary things about that which are : stroke, damaged nerves and damaged discs.When i went to the chiropractor i remember that i was pretty much terrified of what could happen if he adjusts my spine. The adjustment went "well" so to speak, in that moment i've felt better my posture was better, my neck was longer.However at my way home 4 hours later after the adjustment was made, my neck started to become really stiff, and on the back of my neck, on the left side it started to burn really hard, and i started to panic , like i thought that im going to have a stroke.Since then i had many symptoms: shortness of breath, dizziness, blurred vision, my ears are ringing, sometimes i loose my balance ,some stomach turbulence, brain fog, and i have headaches ( mostly on the left and right side.)I asked my chiropractor about stroke and he told me that if i was to have a stroke i would got it immeadiately after the adjustment was made, or in that day. I asked my phyisiotherapist and he told me that when the adjustments were made it shocked my whole body and thats why i have these symptoms. I recognize that i'm pretty stressed most of the time mostly after the chiropractic visit.Sometimes i fell asleep and i woke up in the middle of the night, an im tired during the day.It's been already one week after the chiropractic adjustmetns and i still feel dizzy, with a lack of balance, my left ear is still ringing, i can't properly think, i have sometimes shortness of breath, and i have sometimes headaches on the left side and the right side of my head.I researched many things and the one thing that stuck with me besides after neck adjustments is the danger of stroke, and restricted arteries which causes blood insufficiency. I have some questions for you guys because im really confused right now. Am i in danger of getting a stroke? It's been already 1 week after the neck adjustments. How fast a stroke develops? Could it be long ? i mean weeks after the adjustments?Could it be that my arteries got restricted and i get smaller quantity of blood to my brain? Are these symptoms related more to anxiety or more related to chiropractic? After one week i still feel dizzy, unbalanced, blurred vision, brain fog, headache, ear ringing, stomach turbulance.. What should i do , think ? Pls help me out, im feeling hopeless right now..

Hey, I'm Health Anxiety Nut. I'm currently going through some issues with my breast, as the title would imply. A little over a month go I switched PCP's, due to the 3 month long waiting period for a regular appointment as well as a 1 month long urgent appointment. This PCP also canceled appointments on me quite a bit as well. Thus led me to find a new doctor who ran her own practice with other doctors and had a walk in policy. Yay right? So onto the main story, I have been having issue with my left breast (I'm male by the way). My nipple has changed color, texture, sensitivity, and would constantly be hard. Now normally my nipples would be flat, and pink and fine. No... not this one. It's leathery, hard, dark brown, puckered in and just painful. So I took initiative and talked to my new doctor about it, who then so promptly freaked out. She scheduled an urgent ultrasound for the next day in the morning, then goes on that men can get breast "C" too. ban What am I thinking at that moment?! "Omg, this is it." Once I left I preceded to break down in the driver seat of my car for about two hours while Googling at the same time. Such... a bad idea. The next morning I brought my aunt with me to the Ultrasound to have some support. Her kind words were "You're young! I don't think things can happen like this to young people." The ultrasound technician was nice, and did not hold any concern to what was going on. But the gel irritated my breast, and my nipple to the point where no bandage big enough could calm this down. So many different symptoms came after that, itching, burning, hardness, skin changes, my breast was easily bigger then the other, and the skin on the outside was rough as well. The technician told me that my results should be in by the next day, I heard nothing till about a week later. All clear! yay! Why so late? Doctor was on vacation. Today my doctor gave me a call and told me, "Even though everything is clear? I still don't like your symptoms and I don't like what I saw. I wouldn't be too worried." So I asked if this is an urgent matter. She then preceded to tell me, "Yes, because that means you could have "C" in your nipple. I'm sending you to a breast specialist. Come in tomorrow to get your referral." Now with me in such a tizzy I ask her if I should be concerned? She then begins to tell me, "I don't think so, but things do happen to people like yourself." After that I began full panic mode. I haven't touched google, but that call was not a great help either. I know I shouldn't worry since I'm only 22, male and no family history of basically any "C". But then again "C" knows no boundaries. I'm new, and that's what is going on. Any ideas on trying to calm myself would be wonderful. Thanks for reading.

My name is logan, and I suffer from frequent anxiety and panic attacks. It is affecting my quality of life. I am planning on seeking professinal help and medication soon, unless it stops itself. (Though I doubt that.) I would like to hear the oppinions of people who have/are going through this. Please help me choose my next course of action.

I sometimes get real bad neck/throat pain, like in the upper part of my neck/throat it feels like really stressed, almost like the muscle is tight. My jaw isn't aligned correctly, so my dentist said my jaw never stops working and it's always moving and it could cause some discomfort, do you think this is what it is? I've looked at my throat and it doesn't look red or swollen, but I'm in so much discomfort and I'm scared it might trigger a panic attack. I'm drinking some hot tea to try to soothe it, it's worked some but not much. Do you think my neck/throat pain could be caused by my jaw or do you think it's an anxiety symptom? Also does anyone have any suggestions on how to alleviate the discomfort? Thank you

Right, basically I've been suffering with anxiety for 6 months, I got plpitations one night after no sleep I was taking to hospital cause I think I was having a heart attack thought my heart would stop and that I was going to die. Ever since I feel my Pulse like ten times a day, I pinch myself to make sure I'm still alive, I can't sleep, be by myself, or stay over someone's house. It's really affected mine and my bra relationship. I don't know what to do. I'm in constant fear. I don't go out with my mates or drink anymore. Everyday I'm thinking when's it gonna happen again it's so scary. What can I do? I went to a therapist but she only made me upset all the time I feel so hopeless

Hey guys. I just wanted to ask from people who may know... The physical side of my anxiety symptoms are out of control. I have shooting pains all around my chest area, where my heart's at, in the middle of my chest, on the right side as well as the left, etc... I also get them in my wrists, my neck, and occasionally my rib area and my gut. I'm also a chronic pulse-checker, and last night, I swear I felt my heart stop for a few seconds, on multiple occasions, which ended up keeping me awake all night in fear. I've been to the hospital several times, had several EKGs, several chest x-rays, and several blood tests, yet I'm still completely convinced something is horribly wrong with me that the doctors missed, or there's something wrong that the doctors didn't check for. Are these pains normal? Should I try to get another doctor's opinion? I feel like my heart is gonna just stop beating any second and I'm gonna drop dead. Please help, this fear is ruining my life!

I've found one of the probable causes of my pain and I'm trying not to be terrified... If anyone has a kind word, or personal experience, or anything else to share, please do share it. I'm back to extreme anxiety again, even to the point of trembling. This comes after dealing with pressure in my left flank for six weeks, then beginning to feel sharp, intermittent pains in that area, and in my upper left abdomen over the last week. --- --- --- Here's the info I found. One of these must be the condition I'm dealing with, because the doctor ordered spinal x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound, both of which I had today: When people think they're having kidney pain, they're usually talking about flank pain, which is pain in the back between the lowest rib and the buttock. And, while true kidney pain can be experienced in this area, pain in the flank does not necessarily mean it is coming from the kidney. Other causes of flank pain include muscle strain, degenerative disease of the lumbar spine, fracture or infection of the spine, shingles, and problems in the back of the pelvis. The kidney can be painful from infection or injury. Infection of the kidney is known as pyelonephritis. This type of flank pain usually occurs on one side and is dull in character. Fever may be present along with other signs of urinary tract infection (UTI), such as bleeding or pus in the urine. It is also possible to have signs of a UTI without kidney pain in an infection of the lower urinary tract. Flank pain may also be felt when there is traumatic injury to the kidney. Bleeding in the kidney, whether due to trauma or other conditions, is another cause of pain originating in the kidney. In addition to injury, bleeding disorders or blood clots can sometimes cause hemorrhage into the kidney. Other possible, but less common, causes of kidney pain include polycystic kidney disease, horseshoe kidney (a congenital abnormality of the shape of the kidney), kidney c****r, blood clots in the veins from the kidneys (renal veins), and a lack of blood flow due to arteriosclerosis of the arteries to the kidneys (renal arteries). Kidney stones are another common cause of flank pain, but this pain usually does not truly arise in the kidney. Rather, the pain of kidney stones most commonly develops because the stones block a portion of the urinary tract, usually the ureter that connects the kidney to the bladder. The pain from a kidney stone is usually sharp and severe and may come in waves. This is known as renal colic. If you experience flank pain along with fever or blood in the urine, it is important to seek medical attention right away. You should also seek medical care if your flank pain is severe or is persistent or if you have signs of a urinary tract infection without flank pain. Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/kidney_pain_symptoms_and_causes/views.htm

Hello My name is Tiffany and I am a 20 year old from the US. I have lived with anxiety for most of my life and recently it has become pretty severe health anxiety. I have almost constant headaches, neck pains, chest pains and other random pains throughout my body. I also suffer from mild social anxiety, depression and panic disorder. It has consumed my life and made it difficult to even get up in the morning. I recently started law school and i think that is helping but who knows? Anyways I thought it would be good to talk to some people going through the same thing so here I am. If anyone has any advise or personal experiences to share I would love to hear it. Thanks

Looking back, I guess I always had anxiety. I just didn't know what it was. I remember telling my best friend, when we were little kids, that I felt like I could not catch my breath. This would happen quite often. Never gave it much thought.....then I grew up. All throughout my marriage, I always felt like my husband was into someone else. I am JUST now putting this together and realizing it was an anxiety/OCD issue. I just thought I was insecure. He was not real nice to me, but was very friendly to the wives of our friends. Ehhh....okay, no biggy. He became pretty verbally abusive through the years and I was, honestly, the perfect wife. I just wanted to be a mom and wife and live happily ever after. (I know all of this sounds like nothing to do w/ health anxiety, YET!) We had a stable marriage and did well for ourselves financially. Had (I still live in it) a nice home, nice trucks (yes, we are in Texas) and lots of friends and family. Skip forward to 9/11....I had my first emotional breakdown ever! Without getting into too many details, I thought we were all going to die in a nuclear war. This emotion was brought on by a friend whose husband was in the Secret Service and she called me one day to tell me to stay home w/ my family that weekend. FREAKED! ME! OUT! For two weeks....I was a basket case. I could not eat, sleep or function. I cried constantly and had claustrophobia just going up to the 2nd floor of my office building. I snapped out of that two weeks later and went about my life. Six months later I started getting a mild burning sensation on my upper arms. Didn't get upset....but after it continued, I went to the doctor and talked to him about it. He sent me to a rheumatologist thinking it was a connective tissue issue like Lupus or something. I saw the rheumy and he found nothing to be concerned over. All tests were negative. He even did an MRI of my c-spine to check for anything that could cause peripheral neuropathy in my arms. Nothing was found. I ended up at a neuro's office doing EMGs, etc. No answers. I believe this is when I was first told it was probably anxiety. I started reading stuff on the net.... Jump back to 1994 when I was dx w/ Pars Planitis in my left eye. A rare eye disease that CAN be linked to MS, in fairly small percentages...but linked to MS, just the same! I recall being told that in 1994 and it upset me....but we didn't have internet, nor did we have medical literature at our fingertips like we do now. I was clueless as to what MS really was, but that MS seed was planted in my head the day the nurse mentioned it at the eye doctor's office. Well...at this point (in 2002), I'm reading and starting to worry! The husband is NO HELP. He would tell me I was crazy and all that entails. He also was NOT supportive of my emotions when I was scared to death after the 9/11 incident. Which, of course, made it worse. My partner in life was supposed to support me and make me feel safe. Didn't happen. So...basically...anytime I had a concern or worry, I was to suck it up and deal with it. I will have to cut this short, because I'd have to type all day. I went through 2 rough years of hurting all over, not sleeping, skin pain, skin burning (which had started to cover my entire body), depression, etc....until I FINALLY took my doctor's advice and got on Zoloft. The first week was ROUGH. It made it all worse. I remember talking to him on the phone and telling him it was making me worse. He told me to stick with and I would soon feel better. He was RIGHT! A week later, I was my old self again. Pain and burning were GONE! I was sleeping again and felt great. A couple of months into the Zoloft, I would have breakthroughs of the burning, but never called the dr. I think it's cause I was on a low dose and probably needed to be bumped up. I would get off and back on the Zoloft after about 6-8 months and a month or so later, the symptoms would come back. So...I got back on it in 2007 and said I would NEVER get off of it. My husband left me for our next door neighbor in September 2007 and, luckily, I was on the Zoloft at that time. I had breakdowns and was in misery, but I was not hurting physically. I got off of it in November 2007 and felt great, physically, for almost 4 yrs. On Mother's Day 2011, the x husband pulled a nasty stunt that REALLY upset me and had me hysterical....and low and behold two days later, I was waking up in the middle of the night, started hurting...and then the burning came back. I was a WRECK for 3 straight months!!!! A complete WRECK. Even had to miss my 2nd day on a new job because I had attempted to get back on Zoloft and it made me worse. I woke up crying uncontrollably. My story is very spotty, but for the past 2 yrs, I have bouts of fatigue that lasts for weeks (somtimes w/ the burning - sometimes not). When I talk about burning now, it's usually on my face for the most part. My face will feel like it's on fire. No redness....nothing. I had a brain MRI in 1996 due to ringing ears. I had the c-spine MRI in 2002. I had another brain MRI in 2003. Then after taking myself to an MS specialist in 2004 and 2005, he finally ordered a brain MRI in 2005. All of my MRIs were clear and I was sent home w/ the anxiety/depression diagnosis. I went and saw a new neuro in 2011 and again last year in 2012. She said it's anxiety/depression. She did an EMG of my arms due to me waking up w/ numb hands (only during the night) and find something abnormal in my neck, but I never went for my c-spine MRI. This is the basics of my story. I do believe I have PTSD/OCD/depression/anxiety all packed into one nice package. I am now a single mom of a 15 yr old son. I have a great job and make great money...I maintain my house, pool and yard. I function pretty well despite the crap I've been through. ANXIETY SUCKS!