Confused on if this is serious of anxiety?

[prisellis]

So this is my first time doing something like this so my apologies if I write a book...

For a little over 9 months I've been having some reoccurring symptoms, but before I get into that a little background on me. I've been very fortunate in my life and thus far haven't had any medical issues.  I'm 33 years old a mommy to one and after having her I am carrying a little extra weight but not overly overweight.   So when I started getting these symptoms at first I brushed them off expecting them to go away, but they didn't.

Towards the end of 3/2016 I started experiencing a sharp pain in my back right shoulder.  Very sharp... I accredited it to having just painted the ceiling of our home due to having just put it on the market.  Over the next few weeks that pain continued but I also began experiencing pain in my arms tingling, numbness aching/pressure in the elbows and occasional pressure in my chest.  Again, I put it off for a few more weeks and then started getting nervous because all those symptoms could potentially be heart related.

So I reached out to a doctor I had went to 10 years prior... yeah I never go to a doctor and have learned that is dumb... but anyhow, I first saw her nurse practitioner listened to me and immediately told me it's anxiety.  I was kind of shocked that she didn't think it could be anything else and she stated I am too young and the symptoms don't add up.  I asked about the shoulder pain and she accredited that to me possibly pinching a nerve or something else.  She prescribed me a steroid which I hesitantly agreed to and scheduled a follow up with the main doctor a month or so out.  I very nervously accepted what she said and hoped the steroid would help... Well it didn't.  I went for a couple weeks hoping things would just ease off and they didn't.  The back pain did come and go but the arm tingling and chest pressure was happening daily.  I tried my best not to but I called and made another appointment to see the doctor.  I ended up seeing the nurse practitioner again and retold my story and I literally teared up.  I explained I'm not someone who normally comes to a doctor... I'm not making these symptoms up and I need to understand what my body is telling me.  I feel like we could be missing something, and that is upsetting me.  She reassured me that she believed I am under a lot of stress (selling a home, building a new home, work and my dog had just passed)... I get all that but I've never experienced anything likes this before and I've been in stressful situations before.  She took some blood and had me push her hands down and a few other things like that and said I was fine.  Offered medication for anxiety which I opted to not do and that was that.

The type of blood test she did showed that I was low on B12 like very very low so they suggested I take a supplement and I get a shot monthly.  To skip ahead I ended up seeing the main doctor did a fasting blood test and found out I had pretty high cholesterol.  I thought this could be part of my issue but the doctor assured me having high cholesterol has no symptoms.  That she agrees with her nurse practitioner it is most likely anxiety.  Since that appointment they gave me 3 months to lower my cholesterol and I did.  I dropped it quite a bit and she was really impressed with my results.  Still have some work to do there but it put me back in a range that she found to be ok so no meds were prescribed, yay!!

Here is the issue... I still have all those symptoms as well as my bm's have changed in size.  I feel pressure in my body quite a bit and my back always aches.  My chest gets tight or I feel pressure in it.  I have gotten use to and at times I am able to ignore it.  I started thinking it could be related to heart burn as I do get that at times and saw a digestive doctor who said some of this could be related to IBS and that mixed with anxiety it can cause some of my symptoms but not all.... like arm, elbow pressure, jaw pressure and back pain she said that is unrelated.  Potentially some of the the chest pressure could be related.  

I guess I am just shocked that diagnosis are handed out with no test.  I think that is what I am struggling with the most.  Today the pain is there like an aching in my left top arm and the pressure in the chest hasn't left much since last night.  I keep saying it's anxiety... though I don't feel anxious actually the opposite.  We close in 5 days on our new house... everything is going really well except this.

Anyone have this happen and the doctors do nothing to confirm it isn't something more serious?  My apologies for the book :)

[Paxiled]

Anxious people feel anxious --they are fearful for no reason.  When there is a reason they get very anxious.  You report not feeling anxious, so I'm wondering why you got a diagnosis of anxiety.  Now, remember, nurse practitioners know virtually nothing about medicine.  They are very lightly trained to deal with very minor things.  Doctors should be better.  It sounds to me like you have both a nurse practitioner and a doctor who, like most medical professionals, are just trying to get you out of the office so they can move on to the next patient -- that's how they make money.  Now, I would ask, you say you're a new mommy -- do you by any chance use a sling or back pack do carry your child around?  That would account for what sounds like a strain and inflammation that is pinching on a nerve.  I got this once from regularly wearing a book-laden back pack and it's a common injury.  Putting you on medication for anxiety when you don't report feeling anxious and without sending you to a therapist first given that you're functioning fine in your life says that you have bad doctors and a really really bad nurse practitioner.  Obviously, nobody can diagnose you over the internet, but you sound like someone who is functioning just fine mentally so unless I have this wrong you don't have anxiety, you tweaked a muscle, it got inflamed, and pinched on a nerve.  By the way, if you did have anxiety, that steroid could have pushed you way over the top, as they are basically adrenaline and not advised for people suffering from strong anxiety.  You need a different medical practice before they really ruin your life, and those drugs for anxiety are very hard to stop taking so if you don't feel you have anxiety you shouldn't get involved with them.  Even if you do, therapy is a first choice when your life isn't severely disrupted.  To me it sounds like an injury given all you're doing, but my main point is that doctors often call it anxiety to avoid the hard work of discovering what it really is.

[prisellis]

Thank you, that is my biggest concern taking a medicine for something that I really do not need.  I just feel like since I've never had these issues before my body is trying to tell me something, and the people I am going to for help are kind of blowing me off.  I hate to demand they give me additional testing because then they'll just tell me that is my anxiety talking.  I will say at the height of all these symptoms I was a bit anxious/fearful/nervous out of fear that something was wrong with me.  I really thought it was my heart, and still wonder if that could be the case.  I really don't know of many doctors to go to so I've been asking friends of mine for referrals to their doctors, but am having a hard time finding ones who are taking in new patients... but I think I need to keep looking.  I'd love it if these issues would disappear, but I guess we all wish that :)  I truly appreciate your time & response.

[AnxiousNoMore]

Below are some alternative thoughts.

"..then started getting nervous because all those symptoms could potentially be heart related. "
Many people with anxiety, which you might have either alone or in conjunction with your ouches that you are sure exist,  start to over-analyze their body and tense up and sweat in fear which just drives their anxiety to push harder at them. No one can in any way diagnose your situation from here, but if you do have this anxiety then not analyzing your body will get rid of any anxiety induced symptoms, so you can try that.
Now I will get to why I quoted you - many people with anxiety end up in ER thinking they have a heart attack but get perfect ECG results, which proves it was just in their head making the symptoms increase. I went once after a week of not believing my heart could be problematic but the symptoms drove me crazy so eventually I got scared enough to be checked. When they told me no problem I immediately accepted it and my "symptoms" disappeared - forever. Doctor told me if I had a heart issue for a week I would be dead, so that was pretty convincing. Have you never had an ECG (as part of your annual or whatever routine you are on) checkup?
Also digestive issues involving pain can be terrifying as well because you wonder if it will ever end so that makes the anxiety strong.