just realised

[young mum]

hi everyone
i have a 6 month beautiful baby girl that i love to death though since having her i havent been myself. i have only just looked up PNI and realised that i am not insane and that i think i have it. Since having my baby i was different. At first i thought it was the lack of sleep but she started sleeping through the night at about 2 months and although she was sleeping i wasnt and my depression continued. PNI has always crossed my head though i didnt realise how many of the symptoms i had were linked to PNI. i suffer panic and anxiety attacks, inability to sleep and wake up in a panic, chest pains and constantly feeling sick and tired. Before having my baby i was very social and was never at home now i dont enjoy practically anthing. i am in a bit of shock at the moment because of realising i have PNI and am worried about taking medication. i deffinately need something to help but am wondering if there is much else other then medication that can be done about it?
THANKS HEAPS!!!!!!

[yorkslass]

Sorry I have to go of line in a min but maybe have a look on here veritee.proboards7.com/index.cgi?board=meds
as there maybe some helpful bits in the topics in this forum for you.

melx

[Veritee]

Dear Young Mum

Welsome to the forum - I will answer your post but I am not around as much as I normally am as I had a small operation on Thursday and am still recovering!

Yes there is much that can be done about PNI other than medication - but whatever you do it is important to go to your GP or HV and have PNI diagnosed by a health professional even if you are certain yourself that you do have PNI - it is best if it 8is confirmed.

Support and understanding is a big healer for PNI and the benefits of this ie regular and reliable support - should not be underestimated.

As well as support on-line like this forum, you could also contact the APNI www.apni.org/ ( for which I am a volunteer) to request a regular telephone befriend/counselor.

Also your HV once they realize you have PNI can in some areas provide regular visits to support you and if you get yourself referred to your local intervention/mental health team you can have regular visits from a Community Psychiatric Nurse ( don't be put of by the name CPNs visit many women with PNI and some are qualified counselors/listeners)

An organization called Sure Start in some areas run support and groups for women with PNI and Home Start see www.home-start.org.uk/, which is different altogether can offer you a volunteer to talk to and to help with getting you and you baby out and with anything really that would assist you to get well.

I can not also underestimate the benefits of telling your story to those you trust ie your symptoms, when PNI began, the triggers for your anxiety and panics or scary or 'bad; thoughts if you have them.

There are of course alternative therapies which you can try see, veritee.proboards7.com/index.cgi?board=meds&action=display&n=1&thread=4396
and counseling.

Cognitive Behavioral therapy can be got on the NHS through your GP and can be very helpful for PNI.

However while I very much understand your reluctance to take medication ( I chose not to take medication myself) but I think that you have to realize that this is the harder option to take!!

Getting through PNI without medication can be very hard as you have to face the panic attacks and other symptoms with noting to relieve them and I also think - just my opinion based on my experience and other womens - not having medication may make the illness last longer.

Medication given for PNI is these days very effective if not in curing PNI but in making the symptoms while you have it bearable so you are not curled up in anxiety and fear and so you can do other things such as counseling and therapy, get out and about and mix with people, attend a group, sleep better and be more relaxed with your family - and this may help you recover quicker.

But whether to take medication is a personal choice unless your symptoms become overpowering - which they can in some cases.

So we will support you here whatever you decide if you want us to?

But I would encourage you to go to your HV/GP and find out if their is support in your area from Sure Start and also to contact APNI and Home Start to see what they can offer you.

Do you want to tell us a bit more about yourself and your circumstances oe do you have a partner, or other friends and family to support you , what symptoms worry you most etc

All the best

veritee

[young mum]

Veritee,
Firstly i'd just love to say thank you for writing back to me and this web site has already done me wonders!! i have just turned 20 and live in Australia so i was wondering if many of the organisations you have recommended are also here? i do have a partner who is an excellent dad although is ver straight and narrow and doesnt really understand depression so i find it hard to explain everything to him and until recently didnt really discuss it with him. i found that once i had my baby i didnt really have much to do with my friends because unless i made an effort to see them i didnt see or hear from them though i do have a handful of close friends. When i first had my baby i was suffering from feeling like a zombie and low energy but it increased to major panic attacks and anxiety and depression like breaking down to complete strangers. i was trying to do my TEE studies when my baby was just 6 weeks old and have only just given it up due to the added stress. i began paniking about not being able to make it to the toilet when out in public mostly but even when i had visitors at home which began major panic attaks. i then started getting chest pain and even rushed to the hospital because i thought i was having a heart attack. the doctor said i wasnt having a heart attack though they found my heart is having prolonged QT intervals, which i was wondering if that could be a side effect from PNI and if anti depressants could be bad for the heart? i started thinking i was going to die from a stroke or heart attack. some days i'm not so bad though lately i have been increasingly depressed and panicky so i decided to search PNI and couldnt believe that even all my physical symptoms are linked! Sorry for going on for so long!
Thank you
Young mum