Prickly/ burning face

Hi everybody I’m new here . I was diagnosed with anxiety last November I’m managing it a lot better now although at times I find it hard to accept all the symptoms are just anxiety related . Iv had all my bloods done they where all normal so the doctor tells me it’s all stress related . For the last few months Iv had a burning/ prickly sensation side of my face/head on the left side this happens most days even if I’m not particularly feeling anxious it just comes on. Sometimes I can just brush it off and say this is the anxiety others it really panicks me and I start thinking maybe I have a brain tumour or something else . Does anyone else experience this ? Thank you for reading

[Kkimm]

Hi Annaliegh

It is a very common symptom of anxiety. I used to get it more in my fingers but I believe it can be anywhere. The problem is that it becomes a vicious circle where the more you worry the worse it gets. The key is to just tell yourself it is anxiety, do not focus on it at all and it will gradually go because it has no power over you.

I had a full range of different symptoms and the quicker I stopped worrying about them the sooner they disappeared.

Very best wishes.

Kim

[Hidden in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me . You are definitely right in the more you worry the worse it gets . Did it take a while for your symptoms to go ? Iv had many symptoms too my worst is the dizzyness had this for months but that’s not as bad now and this burning sensation which I have most days .

Hope you are doing well now .

Take care Annaliegh

[Kkimm in reply to Hidden]

Hi Annaliegh

Thanks for your reply and good wishes. I am doing well now. It took around a year for nearly all my symptoms to go.

I will do you a fuller reply tomorrow incase it is helpful as I am a bit pushed for time now. It helps me to feel I might be helping others so am happy to do this.

Best wishes.

Kim

[Hidden in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim glad to hear you are doing well . I look forward to your reply moro have a lovely weekend 😊

[Kkimm in reply to Hidden]

Hi Annaliegh.

You sound as if you have made very good progress if you first became ill in November 2018. You will find your symptoms will all gradually reduce I am sure but do not be put off by bad days and new symptoms developing. It is all part of the recovery process. I will give full details of my illness symptoms and recovery incase it is helpful to you or anyone else but no problem if you do not want to read it all. It helps me to write it and bits of it could help you or someone else.

I developed an anxiety disorder, GAD following a couple of life traumas in June 2017. I went on antidepressants in August 2017, not everyone needs them but in my case I did because my symptoms hit me very suddenly and were very severe. I also became depressed to the extent of starting to feel suicidal before the diagnosis because I could not get to the bottom of what was causing all the terrible symptoms and was really scared it was something physical that was serious. It started out as a difficulty swallowing, then became a stomach upset that just would not go, I felt nauseous all the time had loose stools and completely lost my appetite. I lost 2 stone in weight in around 6 weeks. I wish I could do that now but was frightened by it at the time again as a possible sign of something serious. Like you I had dizziness and also felt very disconnected or outside myself. I could not sleep and had prickly feelings in my fingers. I could feel my heart pounding all the time and felt breathless. This last one is the only symptom now remaining at times. It seems much improved at present but it has played that trick on me before so I am expecting it to come back but will just ignore it completely and carry on doing little challenges each day and not being afraid of any symptoms.

It took around 4 months after starting antidepressants to see a major improvement. I began to feel I had got myself back rather than living in this world of feeling a constant sense of doom that could turn into fear at times. I realised I had improved when instead of scurrying home immediately after shopping for essentials I started to wander around a little and window shop. I felt really ill by the time I got home but also elated because I knew I had made real progress. I had a further set back at around 5 months following a therapy issue and flu which lasted a few weeks then the recovery continued.

I never got into taking Benzodiazapines because of the risk of developing dependency but did use sleeping tablets for around 3 months and got off them easily and do not need them now.

First starting on antidepressants was very frightening because it made me feel alot worse before I felt at all better and I got various new symptoms such as an ache in my stomach that went on for weeks then went as quickly as it started.

The good days for me began to happen only about 2 weeks into taking antidepressants but they were at first very few and far between until perhaps 6 months when there began to be more good days than bad. After about a year I started to feel I had fully recovered in that I find life as rewarding if not more so than when I became ill and I can do everything and more than before I became ill. At my worst I did not want to leave the house but forced myself to do so. I did not feel either happy or safe at home either. I did a long haul camping and trekking wildlife holiday in Sri Lanka in October 2019 and can honestly say I had no nerves about it at all. I serve on a committee for NICE and although terrified when first ill now find it is great and I fully have my confidence back and feel I have something to offer again.

Holidays had always been my thing but at my worst I had to force myself to go even for a short walk with my partner and the prospect of a weekend away was terrifying. I forced myself to do this for the first time to a hotel with my partner to a city around 80 miles away for one night only and was really terrified at first but made myself keep on doing it until none of it holds any fear for me.

To get back to how my illness developed I should explain that as my anxiety symptoms developed I like you began to think I had a life threatening illness.

I had various tests and had to await results. All of this ramped up my anxiety to the extent that I was really terrified alot of the time. I was particularly frightened if the phone rang and told my family and friends not to ring me because I was waiting for biopsy results and became convinced that if the phone rang at all it would be the hospital to tell me I had some sort of terrible diagnosis. I was also scared of post arriving. This meant I was scared 9.00 til 5.00 on weekdays when a letter or phone call from a hospital could come and Saturday am also for post. It was very unlikely I had something serious but I was convinced that I did. None of this was usual behaviour for me, I had been a little anxious around test results before for routine screening etc probably caused as a result of an abnormal smear test at 25 for which I was successfully treated. I had been upset by that but nothing on this scale.

Other traumas in my life which had their origins in childhood and had been triggered by a big fall out with my sister as well as serious work stress and finally the death of my mother brought everything to a head and began to cause a roller coaster of symptoms which I have described which then lead to the fear being made far worse by tests and awaiting results and so starting a vicious downward spiral.

I kept on looking up symptoms on Google because I was both in despair that I had something life threatening but also because I began to realise that if it was not something physical that I may be suffering from anxiety and depression and was really scared that I would get even worse and perhaps never get better. I felt so terrible in the sense of fear and feeling so ill that I could not see how I could go on living with it. My partner found it really difficult to understand and hence was not very supportive or sympathetic but we have got over this with time to have the relationship strengthened in some ways. My adult daughter was always caring and supportive.

I hope you have family or friends to support you as that really helps but I also think you can recover alone if need be.

Do feel free to write again if ever you need to.

My very best wishes.

Kim

[Hidden in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim thank you so much for taking the time out to reply . It has helped me greatly and given me full hope that I will recover and my symptoms will reduce and gradually go.

I have a wonderful family and friends for support sometimes thou they don’t fully understand how I’m feeling as they haven’t experienced anxiety themselves . So I’m grateful for this site and talking to people like yourself who have experienced it themselves .

Thank you again Take care

[Nikakin]

Hi! Oh yes i had my face on fire and ears as well i know it’s horrible but it really is anxiety related xx

[Hidden in reply to Nikakin]

Hi Nikakin thank you for your reply . Hope you are well it’s a relief to know that the burning sensation is anxiety related mine seems to affect just one side of my head very weird . Do u still get yours now ? Xx

[Nikakin]

I have tingiling sensation in one side xx

[Hidden in reply to Nikakin]

It’s horrible isn’t it ! Xx

[Chprje]

Hi there,

How are you feeling now? I'm very happy to find this post as I'm dealing with the same issues. The burning sensations started in my legs and arms and now it's mostly my forehead, ears, scalp...but it travels. I'm 11 months postpartum and dealt with a ton of health anxiety since the birth of my daughter. I've had lots of testing...so far nothing...

Can you describe the sensations you feel? How are you doing now? Any advice....its horrible and a very scary symptom...