# Weakness and Anxiety



## 14611 (Dec 24, 2005)

Weakness is the major symptom of anxiety that continues to cause me great distress. I'm obsessed with having some sort of explanation for it, as I do in the case of my stomach pain, for example. I used to have it with full-blown panic attacks, which makes sense of course, yet I no longer have full-blown panic attacks and I still occasionally suffer from weakness. It also seems to get progressively worse if I don't eat, which leads me to believe I have diabetes, or some other blood sugar condition. I have had my blood sugar checked by a nurse at the college (after a meal that included a sunny Delight, a sandwich, and some other things) and it was like 120, which I believe is reasonable. I feel like if I miss a meal that I will faint. Eating seems to mitigate the weakness and maybe this sounds normal, however, there are times when I can go the whole day without eating and not feel faint. I am 5'11 168lbs and in the best shape of my life, which complicates the situation. If I had a condition where eating relieved anxiety, wouldn't I suffer from weight problems? Is it normal to become weak and disoriented by simply missing one meal? I take vitamins; drink lots of water, protein shakes, and V8 drinks, so it can't be a lack of nutrient. Also, I am reluctant to chalk this symptom up to some disease because, like many anxiety sufferers, Iâ€™ve diagnosed myself with heart disease, various cancers, MS, etcâ€¦ Has anyone else had frightening weakness that comes at non-panic moments (which then brings panic) and was convinced they had something like diabetes? Is it common for people with IBS to become weak if they miss a meal, or is this just an anxiety thing? How do I tell my weakening body that it doesnâ€™t need food as it becomes progressively weaker?


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi CountryDoc - and welcome!I am curious about your "name"







Well in answer to your questions, diabetes is something that can certainly cause you to feel weakness, but if you have been checked out and don't have it, then it could be a factor of anxiety, as certainly can be the link with missing a meal - and this becomes an involuntary "learned" response - and on faction of IBS.IBS has many facets in addition to the more common symptoms, and the way that anxiety is manifested can be different for everyone.Your best bet is to make sure you have ruled out any other possible causes for weakness by a medical doc - if you haven't done so already. If your tests reveal nothing else is going on, besides IBS, then this may be a manifestation of the anxiety connected with the act of eating.Perhaps others will have some thoughts here as well... but the answer may be the need to re-learn what happens or what you are feeling prior to experiencing the involuntary feelings of weakness.Hope you find some answers... all the best to you.


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## 14611 (Dec 24, 2005)

The name is based on an existential writing by Franz Kafka. I suppose it would be more accurate if it said pharmD, as I am studying to become a pharmacist. Thanks for the reply, I happened to successfully endure an episode of weakness the other day at work and am in good spirits.


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