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Getting Abdominal Pain And Tingling Sensation All Over Body. Medical Test Normal. What's Wrong?
Question: I have been having some symptoms for about a year now and they are all over the place. About a year ago I used to drink a lot of coffee. A pot to a pot and half a day. Then one night while lying in bed my right arm started to tingle, then from there went to the left. I got scared went to the Doctors and 2 EKG's, 2 Blood works, CAT Scan and Chest ex XXXXXXX everything came back normal. Since then the tingling started going through my whole body along with Neck muscles tightening up. About a month ago I started getting what feels like vein tingling/itching. Now it has turned into vein pain where it feels like I am being poked lightly with needles all over my body. I can always direct the pain to my veins. Then just in the last few days I have discovered that my symptoms come at their worst after I eat. If I have coffee they it hits me hard, sometimes its hard to tell what causes it harder than others, but seems to be related to possibly sugar. Not totally sure. I also will have abdominal pain after I eat. Not always but about 50% of the time. Recently in the last few days the vein pain has gotten to the point of actually hurting. Last night I had pain under my armpit and neck thinking I was going to have a heart attack. I have been tested so many times for the heart and everything is negative so I have ruled that out. Also when I used to drink coffee I remember that I would sometimes get very full sensations for long periods of time after drinking it and what felt like a lump in my throat and hard to breath at times. I also once in a great while will have heartburn with these symptoms. Not very often but it does happen. Any idea what the heck may be wrong with me?
I also forgot to mention that everything tends but not always happen on the left side. I know this screams heart issues but like I mentioned I have tested for that and everything checks back normal.
I also forgot to mention that everything tends but not always happen on the left side. I know this screams heart issues but like I mentioned I have tested for that and everything checks back normal.
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Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.
You have mentioned that you have undergone detailed investigations including blood tests, X XXXXXXX CAT scan and a cardiac evaluation, including ECGs and all tests have so far been normal.
I would suggest that you can have a detailed neurological examination to check if this problem of tingling could be due to a neurological cause. But in your case, this seems unlikely since your CAT scan is normal and since you dont seem to have any specific neurological signs. I also wish to state that there is a likelihood that your symptoms could be anxiety-related also. Now, it is important to remember an anxiety disorder can manifest itself with not only psychological symptoms, but with physical symptoms also. Tingling, sensation of pins and needles, muscle tightness, etc. are symptoms which are commonly seen in anxiety disorders. Now, this does NOT mean that 'everything is in your head' and that you are simply imagining the symptoms. Not at all. It has been found that anxiety disorders are associated with certain neuro-chemical imbalance in the brain and this can cause the person's pain threshold to get lowered and he / she can become 'hypersensitive' to sensory stimuli, and therefore have tingling, burning, etc. The underlying anxiety also causes a person to become more worried as to why his / her problems are undiagnosed after multiple tests, and then this worry / anxiety itself then starts worsening the symptoms more. Soon this becomes a viscious cycle, leaving the person with more symptoms and suffering.
Caffeine is well known to produce or worsen anxiety disorders and this may be the reason why your symptoms are getting worse after coffee intake. Rapid loss of weight is also one of the factors known to anxiety. Your symptoms such as breathing difficulty, choking sensetion in the throat and difficulty in breathing, along with a fear that you may be having a heart attack could also very well be symptoms of panic / anxiety.
So, I would suggest that you first have a first have a neurological examination done to rule out any possible neurological problems. If that too is negative, then it would be a good idea to consult a psychiatrist for a detailed psychological assessment and further management.
Wish you all the best.
- Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
You have mentioned that you have undergone detailed investigations including blood tests, X XXXXXXX CAT scan and a cardiac evaluation, including ECGs and all tests have so far been normal.
I would suggest that you can have a detailed neurological examination to check if this problem of tingling could be due to a neurological cause. But in your case, this seems unlikely since your CAT scan is normal and since you dont seem to have any specific neurological signs. I also wish to state that there is a likelihood that your symptoms could be anxiety-related also. Now, it is important to remember an anxiety disorder can manifest itself with not only psychological symptoms, but with physical symptoms also. Tingling, sensation of pins and needles, muscle tightness, etc. are symptoms which are commonly seen in anxiety disorders. Now, this does NOT mean that 'everything is in your head' and that you are simply imagining the symptoms. Not at all. It has been found that anxiety disorders are associated with certain neuro-chemical imbalance in the brain and this can cause the person's pain threshold to get lowered and he / she can become 'hypersensitive' to sensory stimuli, and therefore have tingling, burning, etc. The underlying anxiety also causes a person to become more worried as to why his / her problems are undiagnosed after multiple tests, and then this worry / anxiety itself then starts worsening the symptoms more. Soon this becomes a viscious cycle, leaving the person with more symptoms and suffering.
Caffeine is well known to produce or worsen anxiety disorders and this may be the reason why your symptoms are getting worse after coffee intake. Rapid loss of weight is also one of the factors known to anxiety. Your symptoms such as breathing difficulty, choking sensetion in the throat and difficulty in breathing, along with a fear that you may be having a heart attack could also very well be symptoms of panic / anxiety.
So, I would suggest that you first have a first have a neurological examination done to rule out any possible neurological problems. If that too is negative, then it would be a good idea to consult a psychiatrist for a detailed psychological assessment and further management.
Wish you all the best.
- Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I also forgot to mention with the xrays that they found that T4 T5 and T6 in my neck are compressed. Could these nerve issues be causing this we well? A few months ago I went to a Chyopractor and after about a week it seemed my symptoms went away, but slowly have returned but even harder. I just went today back to him and plan on going 3 times a week to work on my neck.
Hello again and thanks for writing in.
I guess you mean C4, C5, C6, since those are the spinal vertebrae found in the neck. Well, if this cervical spine problem is causing tingling or sharp pain over the neck and arms (since the C4, 5, 6 nerves supply those areas only). But that cannot account for the tingling sensations over the whole body.
It would be a good idea anyway to work on proper positioning of your spine and body and if it has given you benefits before, there's no harm in trying chiropactic therapy.
Wish you all the best.
- Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
I guess you mean C4, C5, C6, since those are the spinal vertebrae found in the neck. Well, if this cervical spine problem is causing tingling or sharp pain over the neck and arms (since the C4, 5, 6 nerves supply those areas only). But that cannot account for the tingling sensations over the whole body.
It would be a good idea anyway to work on proper positioning of your spine and body and if it has given you benefits before, there's no harm in trying chiropactic therapy.
Wish you all the best.
- Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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