Marianne, thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I'm very grateful! It's reassuring to know that there are people, like yourself, who understand what i'm talking about. Even though my family and friends have been really supportive over the past 2 years sometimes i do feel like maybe they think i'm being really stupid about things. Especially when it comes to worrying about my health. But i can't help the way i think about things, and it's difficult to stop myself from worrying. Thanks for all the advice. I have now made an appointment, although i didn't manage to get one until next week. And i got one with a different doctor who i've seen a few times before and feel happier with. Everything you say makes sense and i'll try and keep it all in mind. My mum also told me that sometimes if you focus on something, like the numbness i've been feeling, that it can get worse because of this. It's just when i can't control it i assume it must be something really bad. But i guess i have to try and put things into perspective. Anyway, thanks again! :-) I really appreciate your kind words and advice. xx

Hi Seahorse, I'm sorry you're feeling so bad at the moment. You know, things can get better, at any moment in life things are just as likely to take a turn for the better as for the worse. Don't be scared. I think you should definitely get your symptoms checked out, firstly to make sure it isn't anything serious, and secondly because otherwise you'll always have doubts in your mind and think there is something wrong with you, they're just not looking properly. And if you feel your doctor isn't taking you seriously because you're already in their 'hypochondriac' drawer then go to another one. And if that one isn't any good then go to the next one, until you find one you trust and are comfortable with. They get paid to help you, and you have a right to be taken seriously! I'm not a doctor but I think that there may well be some physical problem, but there is absolutely no reason to think that it is something dangerous. It is much more likely to be a cramp or trapped nerve or something to do with your sleeping position. Your body is a living changing thing, and pains and numbnesses do occur, it's quite normal. Bodies are really good at fixing themselves, and it doesn't happen very often that young people just die out of the blue. Someone else who is less anxious may well experience the same symptoms as you but doesn't give it a second thought. But through the panic and anxiety it just gets blown completely out of proportion. Try to separate the physical symptoms that scare you (numbness, pins and needles) from the symptoms the adrenaline is causing (dizzyness, nausea, unreality). Read the first bit of the panic program on this site, it's all explained in there. Here are some facts that are worth keeping in mind: 1. Hypochondriacs always see the most fatal but least likely outcome. 2. What feels like missing heart beats is called extrasystols. Although they feel very scary they are utterly normal and my doc assures me that in all his career he has never ever seen them turn into anything nasty. 3. Just because something feels dangerous doesn't mean that it is. Your symptoms are real and they may be painful and/or scary, but this bears no correlation to how dangerous they are. Sorry this has got so long. I wish you all the best with al

Hi! I'm just wondering if anyone could please give me any advice about something that keeps happening to me that i'm worried about. It's difficult to explain but i'll try my best. Just to say, i'm 18 years old. About 5 days ago when i was trying to get to sleep i noticed my left leg felt tight at the back. I tried to ignore it but then it began feeling numb. Within minutes of this the numbness was in my left arm aswell and my arm was also sore. The numbness then went into the left side of my neck and face/head. I also felt pins and needles. Then my right arm also started to feel numb. My body felt really strange, it was like it wasn't really my body. I got really scared cos i thought something bad was happening, that i was going to die. So i put my light on and got out of bed and paced around my room. I felt really strange and my heart was going fast and i felt sick and a bit dizzy, just didn't feel normal. Once i'd calmed down i tried to go to sleep again. But this kind of experience can happen a few times within one night. It's been happening every night since and i dread having to go to bed. Last night was a pretty bad night but i was even getting paraniod during the day about my heart beat, worried it was going faster than it should be and that it was missing beats, i was also worried about my breathing and i was getting pains in my chest. I even started feeling numness before i went to my bed. Once again it was in my left side. It started in my arm and spread to my neck and head and then i got myself into a state. And when i was trying to get to sleep it happened again. Now today, since i've got up, i've felt numbness again and my left arm is sore but I don't know whether it's just all in my head. It's really scary because it's like i've got no control. It just happens and i don't know how to stop it. And I don't know whether to go to the doctors because i don't know if she'd take me seriously. I should probably say i have a history of getting paranoid that there is something wrong with me. That i am seriously ill and don't know it. I lost someone who i was really close to(to cancer) when i was younger and i think thats maybe why i get paranoid about illness and dying. I was also diagnosed with depression around 2 years ago. I've just been getting