Physical manifestations of stress

I'm under severe stress, stress to the point of having actual anxiety attacks. Not the kind of attacks that come out of nowhere, I don't have those , but the kind that occur whenever I think of the hellishness I'm experiencing I start to quietly hyperventilate. Ive only had this one other time in my life.

I feel so unwell, I'm so sick that I would swear I have cancer. I currently have a bladder infection and am on antibiotics. My monthly visitor is very very late and my ultrasound shows I have big ovarian cysts. I cannot be pregnant, thats not possible. My migraine is so bad that 2 prescription strength motrins are only just taking the edge off. That is like taking 5 regular ibuprofens. My stomach is in such knots I have to take a muscle relaxant so I can eat. All my muscles hurt from all the lactic acid build up, and the adrenalin. I shake when I try to lift something or hold something. Sometimes i shake trying to walk.

If you look at me, you will think I'm fantastic. Nobody knows this honeysuckle, except you all. I'm scared, because I do have an autoimmune disease. I'm scared the stress is going to trigger it.

I'm in some serious hell, I have full adrenal burnout.

Of course I know all the advice cliches, exercise, take vitamin b's, deep breathing, meditation. I'm just venting really, because I have nobody to explain this to that cares. Maybe nobody here cares either, but I just feel messed and needed to tell someone. I can kind of pretend that somebody is listening.

Sometimes people just need a big ass giant hug. I wish I had parents to hug me. I just want to cry in somebody's arms and have them tell me that whatever bad thats happening, it doesnt matter all that much because they love me and Im not alone and its going to be ok. In reality though, I have nobody and im seriously alone and its so not going to be ok. And the crazy thing is... I cant even cry, I just feel that pain before i am about to cry and the pain stays and the cry never comes.

The worst part is that I'm sort of going insane. I find myself arguing out loud, saying all the things I wish I could say to people who harmed me. I look like a mental patient when I do this. I've caught myself doing this a few times.

I have an old friend who is also in hell, I noticed that she was doing this talking out loud behaviour as well when i ran into her. Its like you are having a conversation saying what you want to say to somebody but instead of it being real, its in your head. And no, I'm not hearing voices, I'ts not like that. Its like Im thinking too aggressively... hard to explain.Does anybody get this? Did it lead to insanity?

I'm sure that this is why people drink or do drugs. I'm not, but this is why. Maybe I'm a masochist because I allow myself to hurt like this. Other people would smoke a joint or get wasted.

So, Any home remedies for headaches, ovarian cysts, stress, boiling blood and burning muscles? Homicide is not an option.

Thanks for listening, I think.

Stress will literally suck the life out of you. The physical symptoms can be hell on Earth.
Saying aloud, what you want to say to others doesn't mean you're going insane either - it's actually a type of stress relief. I doubt very seriously that you're going crazy. People vary widely, as far as how their minds and bodies react to stress.
The anxiety attacks are painful, I'm sure. Some of the symptoms I've felt before are pounding heart, fatigue and feeling like I can't take a deep breath. For me, the physical symptoms were worse than the emotional or mental ones.
Id suggest (and I know its not always possible) that you remove any source of stress possible, even if it's something minuscule. Every little bit can help.
As far as the ovarian cysts, I recommend you seeing an indocrinologist. It sounds like PCOS to me.
Anyway, good luck from someone who has suffered similar conditions.

I'm guessing you're probably not sleeping well since you're feeling so crappy these days. Maybe start there? Easier said than done, though. On the rare occasions I get a good night's sleep, I feel like a miracle has occurred - like a whole new person - happy and better able to handle the stresses of life.
I think it's ok to talk aloud to yourself, even aggressively. You should see me at my desk on a bad day at work - muttering to myself and sometimes I could be mistaken for someone with Tourette's syndrome.
Take care of yourself -

-Teresa

I talk out loud to myself all the time, usually to my father who's been dead for 14 years and good riddance. Actually, it's not me who's talking to him, it's the 8 year old boy I once was.....and the 10 year old, the 14 year old and so on. The 20 year old me got it out in real life.

So if you're going a little insane stork_error, you're not alone in it. I even catch myself mumbling out loud in public.

EveWasFramed said:

Stress will literally suck the life out of you. The physical symptoms can be hell on Earth.
Saying aloud, what you want to say to others doesn't mean you're going insane either - it's actually a type of stress relief. I doubt very seriously that you're going crazy. People vary widely, as far as how their minds and bodies react to stress.
The anxiety attacks are painful, I'm sure. Some of the symptoms I've felt before are pounding heart, fatigue and feeling like I can't take a deep breath. For me, the physical symptoms were worse than the emotional or mental ones.
Id suggest (and I know its not always possible) that you remove any source of stress possible, even if it's something minuscule. Every little bit can help.
As far as the ovarian cysts, I recommend you seeing an indocrinologist. It sounds like PCOS to me.
Anyway, good luck from someone who has suffered similar conditions.

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Thanks for understanding. For me, the physical symptoms are hell. I want to escape my own body. I'm sorry you know this feeling.

SofiasMami said:

I'm guessing you're probably not sleeping well since you're feeling so crappy these days. Maybe start there? Easier said than done, though. On the rare occasions I get a good night's sleep, I feel like a miracle has occurred - like a whole new person - happy and better able to handle the stresses of life.
I think it's ok to talk aloud to yourself, even aggressively. You should see me at my desk on a bad day at work - muttering to myself and sometimes I could be mistaken for someone with Tourette's syndrome.
Take care of yourself -

-Teresa

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I'm actually sleeping ok.. sort of, Thats because I'm so fatigued I have no energy to stay awake. I pass out while I'm eating and then twitch for a bit not being able to actually wake up out of the painful twitching. But eventually I fall asleep and dont wake up till morning. I'ts all stress chemicals and its very painful. I think I'm not getting certain vitamins.

Interesting how you mention the tourettes. I was thinking today that people who see me doing this will hopefully think i have tourettes and not think im a crazy lunatic talking to myself.

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constant stranger said:

I talk out loud to myself all the time, usually to my father who's been dead for 14 years and good riddance. Actually, it's not me who's talking to him, it's the 8 year old boy I once was.....and the 10 year old, the 14 year old and so on. The 20 year old me got it out in real life.

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I'm glad you got it out. I never had that chance with my father because I knew that it would have been wasted air, I just one day walked away and never came back.

So if you're going a little insane stork_error, you're not alone in it. I even catch myself mumbling out loud in public.

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Yes, Im doing this in public too, in malls, on the bus... it worries me. Today i said the words f**king piece of honeysuckle at the health food store and there was a lady right in front of me. I then pretended i was singing.

EveWasFramed said:

Stress will literally suck the life out of you. The physical symptoms can be hell on Earth.
Saying aloud, what you want to say to others doesn't mean you're going insane either - it's actually a type of stress relief. I doubt very seriously that you're going crazy. People vary widely, as far as how their minds and bodies react to stress.
The anxiety attacks are painful, I'm sure. Some of the symptoms I've felt before are pounding heart, fatigue and feeling like I can't take a deep breath. For me, the physical symptoms were worse than the emotional or mental ones.
Id suggest (and I know its not always possible) that you remove any source of stress possible, even if it's something minuscule. Every little bit can help.
As far as the ovarian cysts, I recommend you seeing an indocrinologist. It sounds like PCOS to me.
Anyway, good luck from someone who has suffered similar conditions.

Click to expand...

^ Ditto. Stress is a killer and a leading cause of many ailments. Severe prolonged stress wreaked havoc on my body: Brain damage, heart problems, stomach problems, weight problems, sleep problems (which in turn causes more stress), headaches and backaches (among other aches and pains), nausea, overwhelming chronic fatigue, and more. Not to mention the anxiety, emotional instability, and host of mental health issues. Frankly I'm lucky it didn't end up killing me, and now I attempt to reduce stress wherever possible. It's not easy though, it requires careful prioritizing and awareness, as well as forgiving circumstances and forgiving people. It's a learning process for me and so far I'm rarely successful.

SofiasMami said:

I'm guessing you're probably not sleeping well since you're feeling so crappy these days. Maybe start there? Easier said than done, though. On the rare occasions I get a good night's sleep, I feel like a miracle has occurred - like a whole new person - happy and better able to handle the stresses of life.

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^ So true!

I know what horrible symptoms can stress cause. I'm in a similar situation. Got weakened immunity at the moment and whatever I eat or drink without exception causes stomach ache and nausea. Even prescribed Calcium and vitamin C supplements I solve in water and drink, have the same effects.

I attended a conference yesterday. One of the lecturers, a doctor-psychologist talked about relation of physical chronic health conditions and stress. She said the type of people who suck up everything inside and never talk to others about them are more likely to get such health conditions. I know talking to others about it is important but it doesn't help because not everyone have someone to tell such things to. The alternative option is talking out loud to oneself like a crazy person which I sometimes do too.

Hope you feel better soon.

My boss mentioned about stress yesterday, he felt our front counter guy was getting stressed. He shared this short story with us about a lecturer who held up a glass of water and asked everyone how much it weighed. People took guesses and then someone said it doesn't matter how much it weights, the longer you hold it up the heavier it will seem. The lecturer then said that is the same with stress, the longer you carry something around the heavier it seems, like the glass of water. If you don't put the glass down your body will start to react to the weight until it is too much, just stress.

The point of my boss with this story was just about taking breaks when we get overwhelmed. He'd rather us do that then get stressed out and make mistakes.

Solivagant said:

Frankly I'm lucky it didn't end up killing me.

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I feel this too.

MadeofLove said:

I know what horrible symptoms can stress cause. I'm in a similar situation. Got weakened immunity at the moment and whatever I eat or drink without exception causes stomach ache and nausea. Even prescribed Calcium and vitamin C supplements I solve in water and drink, have the same effects.

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I hope you feel better soon

The alternative option is talking out loud to oneself like a crazy person which I sometimes do too.

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I suppose its sort of like having a punching bag at the gym, except that you are speaking instead of punching.

Sci-Fi said:

if you don't put the glass down your body will start to react to the weight until it is too much, just stress.

The point of my boss with this story was just about taking breaks when we get overwhelmed. He'd rather us do that then get stressed out and make mistakes.

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Very good point and I've been really trying to do this. Its just difficult when life demands you to look after issues and attend to problems, there is no place or time for rest.
I've discovered something useful though: Every time I get the urge to pace with nervous worry, I start cleaning. This is useful because with this adrenal burn out I have no motivation to do laundry, sweep or do dishes.

stork_error said:

I've discovered something useful though: Every time I get the urge to pace with nervous worry, I start cleaning. This is useful because with this adrenal burn out I have no motivation to do laundry, sweep or do dishes.

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I discovered in the past year or two that cleaning and puttering around the house with little tasks helps reduce anxiety and I also get useful things done as a bonus. I still hate cleaning the bathrooms but at least I feel a little calmer after it's done. And yes, sometimes I find myself talking to myself while cleaning but at least it's at home where nobody cares

-Teresa

"And yes, sometimes I find myself talking to myself while cleaning but at least it's at home where nobody cares Big Grin"

LOL...yeah, I know the feeling, but Teresa do you do what I do and answer yourself? That's when I wonder if I have issues

BeautifulLoser, I haven't replied to myself yet but I did catch myself chatting with my cat once a few years ago. She just ignored me of course because that's what cats do. I personally think muttering profanity at a health food store, like stork_error did, is a far better fate than turning into a crazy old cat lady

-Teresa

Been there. It is like you have a switch and if you push too hard the switch gets turned on and you can't get it turned off. I found ativan the only thing that worked for me. It is like you can't just shut it off you have to really get like 10 weeks rest.

When my boss was harassing me I literally felt like I was on a treadmill of just trying to keep up and like I felt winded all the time. I looked like death. Got sick easy.