Strange physical symptoms - internal burning sensation

Hi @outlander ,

Thanks so much for your reply, my first on this or any other MH forum.

Sorry if this is a bit of a long reply....

Over many years i have had to have numerous iron infusions. After each infusion i experience what can only be described as EXTREME anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and the sensations i described in my original post. This usually lasts for 5-10 days and somehow i just battled through it. But i have long since believed that its the sodium in the infusion that has caused these issues as i also have the same sorts of issues, though in a more minor way, when i eat sodium containing foods. I have spoken to my gp about this on many occasions and she wont have a bar of it, that its impossible. And yet the correlation is so strong and so real. I have also spoken about my concern about this to treating psychiatrists - they all just outright dismiss it. Well i am on a medication that contains sodium and my symptoms are getting worse and worse. I really want to stay off meds with sodium in them because of my concerns but the psychs just think im an idiot/nuts (sorry i hope thats not an inappropriate term to use on this sight - i apologise if it is. So yes i do believe there is another cause other than anxiety but unfortunately nobody will believe me. Im so scared that im never going to get better if they keep putting me on meds with sodium in it. Very frustrating! And scary to be honest! Anyway, thanks for reading, sorry again it's so long!

Hi @Doglover because you are sure if these symptoms and the correlation between them it might be worth speaking to another gp. A whole new practice where they dobt know all your history. Still tyem them about your medications but i would also write down pretty much your posts here-symptoms and what youve noticed and take it with you. Some fresh eyes might do some good. Let them know you feel upset and brushed away from your current gp.

Sorry about the spelling my phone is playing up 😒 hopefully makes sense though

Thanks @outlander, that is a good suggestion. Complicated by the fact that my gp is currently completing my claim forms for salary continuation with my insurance company so not sure that changing gp's at the moment is feasible. But i appreciate your emcouragement to not let this go. I am seeing a new psych on monday and will go through it with them and stress the importance of any med we try being without sodium. See how we go!

Can i ask, do u suffer from anxiety? If so, severe? I am intetested to hear if people who suffer from severe anxiety can actually recover and go on to live a normal life, work, relationships etc. At the moment, im scared that this is all their is for me, that im never going to get better! Am hoping that im wrong!

Thanks @outlander .

Im really glad to hear that you are in a much better position than you were.

Yes im seeing a psychiatrist on monday, am hoping he will be decent and willing to take on board my concerns. I find the whole mental health thing really challenging and am still trying to come to terms with the fact that this is now part of my life, a huge part of it at the moment, hopefully that wont be the case in the future. I so hope that i can go back to work and live some sort of normal existence in the future.

Thanks for your support!

@Doglover you are definitely not alone with those symptoms I get pretty much identical to what you are saying it’s a weird feeling in the head that you just can’t describe. My anxiety is through the roof at the moment and I don’t know why perhaps stress at work,kids I really don’t know

I’ve recently asked for another blood test to make sure there is nothing wrong with me

I have a really hard time believing all these symptoms could be anxiety but I know they must be as they come and go and some days a great. Hope you get better soon xx

@outlander @Doglover People can recover from severe anxiety I know. I had severe anxiety came out of nowhere with no warnings. Associated with head symptoms,dizziness, stomach aching, legs can’t stop moving. They could last up to four ,five hours.

I initially practiced meditation. Then I recorded my symptoms and analyze them. I worked at my self worth and confidence. Eventually I faced my deep emotional pains and fears head on.

Before that I was anxious almost all the time, not being able to do anything, even simple house work.

Now I haven’t had any anxiety for over three weeks.

Even though, it was massive work, I think it is worth it.

Hi @Jaz5 ,

Thanks for your response. So you have the same sort of physical symptoms, like an internal burning sensation, especially in the head, but i get it in the neck, shoulders, face and arms too. I get other strange head sensations which like u said, are very difficult to describe. I get like a lifting sensation from the top of my head, as well as the feeling that my head is rly busy, not just talking about thoughts, but actual inside my head feels physically busy. So weird! None of the health professionals have really been able to tell me that this is part of anxiety disorder. I have looked on plenty of websites for symptoms of anxiety disorder and these types of symptoms are never included. Hence i, like you, have great difficulty believing that this is all anxiety symptoms, especially when the medicos just kind of go blank and brush over it whenever i bring it up. I have these symptoms 24/7, they dont come and go, but that may be because my anxiety is not at all controlled at present and all the normal anxiety symptoms are 24/7 also.

Im sorry you are going through a difficult time also. This is all pretty new to me and im still very much feeling my way around and trying to come to terms with it all. I hope you are able to come through this difficult patch quickly.

Do you mind me asking if you are on meds for anxiety? If so, what your experience was when you first went down that track, finding the right meds etc.

Thanks so much again for your reply. And thanks @outlander for tagging @Jaz5 in.