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Post by anna5683 on Feb 25, 2007 17:56:09 GMT
Hi everyone, reading these pages has made me come to terms with the fact that i am most definately suffering pnd and not a brain tumour! My daughter is now 9 months and for months i have had a constant dread that something is going to happen to me. At the moment i feel like its a brain tumour as i have constant headaches and really strange sensations in my head that last a few seconds and then stops. the worry and fear is really taking over me now. I dread going to sleep as i feel i will die in my sleep so i am so tired all the time too. I get int bad panics then my heart starts racing and i feel its going to stop. So awful, i really want to feel normal again. Nice to know im not alone. xxx
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Post by monica on Feb 25, 2007 19:53:55 GMT
Dear Anna
This illness is like a vicious circle - you feel shit, nobody knows why, you think you must be dying, this causes anxiety/panic attacks, you get more horrible symptoms etc etc. That was the pattern for me until I started antids then after a couple of weeks of feeling ultra shit things started to improve. Reading other people's post helped me hugely as for the first time it became possible that I wasn't dying only suffering from PNI, which can have very physical symptoms. I'm so pleased it's helped you too.
Are you getting any help? Have you seen your dr? Are you on meds? dont' have to answer. It's just that with support you'll recover quicker. Relaxation technques helped me eg. breathing exercises, and I think having a bit of time to myself.
Take care
Monica
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Post by anna5683 on Feb 25, 2007 21:54:43 GMT
Hi monica, thanks for your reply. I only told my partner how i was feeling the other day and he was shocked that id been feeling like this but it helped him to understand why i was getting so annoyed over silly things and losing my temper so quickly. So my next step is now to see the doctor and try to do something about it. Does medication really work? I dont want to have a bad reaction to it! Sounds silly but i also worry that medication will kill me. Its so awful thinking this way. Just having another strange brain numbness, its crazy that it causes so many physical symptoms.
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Post by francoise on Feb 26, 2007 12:38:32 GMT
hi anna
just thinking about your post and how i was like that with my two and a half year old from just after the birth for ages on and off and just as i think it may of been going i have had another baby and i have it back again , spent another fortune on private medical appointments for near enough the same reasons as before , anyway just wanted to say anxiety over these symptoms which i have right now the same as you by the sounds really does exasperate the mind to a point where it doesnt know whether its coming or going and plus to the mind is a very strong weapon against you as its just as strong as fighting your corner to , does that make sense , anyway good luck and my advice is day at a time and as soon as reassurance sets in you will feel marginally better and if you can reinforcing it will help heaps regularly though and the worst thing is to not suffer in silence as thats when your mind can get well away from logic
take care
francoise xx
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Post by anna5683 on Feb 26, 2007 18:38:18 GMT
Hi francoise. Your message made alot of sense to me especially about the mind and how powerful it really is. Last night i woke up in such an awful state. My head felt like it was crushing in around me and i couldnt find my breath. I thought, this is it, im going to die. I finally calmed down but it was awful and has made me feel worse today. Now im thinking, there must be something more, like a brain tumour because how can depression make me feel this way? The physical symptoms are awful. I'm going to see my GP on friday finally! Is St Johns Wort effective?
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Post by helenr on Feb 26, 2007 20:49:12 GMT
Hi Anna,
How are you now?
I'm glad you're seeing your gp about things. With regards st john wort, I personnally wouldn't start it just now as it can interact quite badly with any other meds you may be taking. Even if not on any other meds, it may not be the best form of treatment, you may be manic, or maybe your symptoms are feeling very down, and these need different kinds of treatment to help.
At the start of my illness i was manic all the time and then when things got too much, would have horrendous panic attacks, and its the most frightened i've ever been in my life!
With treatment i'm slowly getting better, and so will you. You've made the first important (and hardest) step in admitting somethings wrong and seeking help.
love and hugs x.
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Post by francoise on Feb 27, 2007 8:51:54 GMT
hi anna
i agree with helen about the st john wort , glad ure seeing your gp
i just wanted to say though that my aunty has a brain tumour , gone past how long they gave her now bless her , lovely woman , anyway her symptoms were nothing like anyones on here that i have read , im not going to say what they were because the power of the mind and all that can possibly take these onboard to vulnerable states of being , but anyway they werent like yours or mine , totally different ,
got to take one day at a time , i had a massive blip and it lasted forever well still in it to be honest , you know one of the only things that is keeping me going is that i got better before , ok not one hundred per cent but well enough to function much better , thats the fact of it and thats what im hanging onto , the times where i didnt focus on that i did go down , but they all say you get better and you do , and what doesnt kill you makes you stronger anfd this doesnt kill you , i know what can go through the mind at times and its scary eh , post natal illness is unique for sure , i am sure its not life threatening just sanity risking temporarily,
hang in there
francoise xxx
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Post by Veritee on Feb 27, 2007 14:35:03 GMT
Hi Francoise
I was thinking of you yesterday and was wondering how you were doing - its great to hear from you, it really is.
I am glad that you are managing to see your way through PNi this time around - Do you still have the physical symptoms though?
how is little Melody? and Leon?
Love Veritee
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Post by Ash on Mar 1, 2007 21:45:14 GMT
Hi, I have a 3 month old baby and since the day she was born I have not felt fit or healthy. I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy with no complications, infact I'd love to feel that well again! I suffer headches daily & often convince myself that I am seriously ill. I suffer from joint pain; aching knees, hands & fingers. I also suffer lower abdominal pain, sharp stabbing pains in what feels like my uterus, pains in my stomach and sometimes even sharp pains in my arms & legs. It's the headaches that worry me most, sometimes I feel lightheaded, almost as though I could fall over, then there are times when I feel like someone is pulling my hair, only a few hairs at a time so my head tingles. I don't feel depressed, sometimes I get a bit down but not very often. (My baby is so good, she sleeps well & is very happy, but sometimes I really miss the life I had before she was born). When I saw my GP at my 6 week check he said I was suffering from stress & the headaches would go, he put the other pains down to hormones. I know I should go back to see him explaining how I feel but am worried that he'll think I'm a hypochondriac. I feel better after visiting this site & reading your posts. Will any of these complaints ever go away? What should I do? I'm scared that it's something more serious. I never expected to feel like this after giving birth. Please help.
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Post by anna5683 on Mar 1, 2007 22:03:40 GMT
Hi ash, i just wantes to say to you that your definately not alone. I too suffer daily from headaches and am constantly convincing myself that im ill. I have a 9 month old and have felt this way since she was about 4 months. Its so hard and i know u must feel awful but the important thing to remember is that u are not alone in how u feel. Have u told anyone close to u how u feel? Talking does help. xxx
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Post by helenr on Mar 1, 2007 23:05:08 GMT
Hi ash,
I would definately go back to your gp. It takes the body quite a while to recover after giving birth, everything is still settling down, but it never does any harm to let gp know how your feeling. Or what about telling your hv?
It never ceases to amaze me that there are hundreds, if not thousands of books out there on pregancy and what to expect, but no-one really tells you what it can be like afterwards! love and hugs x.
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Post by Ash on Mar 6, 2007 11:07:09 GMT
Thanks for your replies. We were away for the weekend & that made for the perfect opportunity to explain all this to my fiance. He was very understanding & encouraged me to see my gp again. I have an appointment later this week. I enjoyed our weekend away (we had Seren with us, it was nice for the 3 of us to be out of the home environment for a bit). Still had the usual complaints though, but I really do feel much better knowing that I'm not alone! I'll let you know how I get on with the gp & will sign up as a proper member when I'm next online. Thanks xxxxxx
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Post by monica on Mar 6, 2007 14:38:25 GMT
Hi Ash/Anna
Please see your GP - for me my physcial symtpms largely preceeded any emotional ones (not completely though), so for me at least not all of them were anxiety related.
Ash you mentioned joint problems. I had these definately - had bloodtest for arthritis which came back ok. A few women complain of this - don't know why. I tried codliver oil and primrose oil supplements (in one tab) and this seemed to help. Best get advice from dr if this is ok for you. Also got this badly after came off antids. It settled down eventually.
These physical symptoms are so distressing. I couldn't workthem out. I too was convinced it was something sinister. For the first time in my life I had headaches, shooting pains in my head, pressure round my right eye, nnumb patches, probs with eyes. Horrible and scary. My gp said she didn't think it was anything serious but did blood testsm, also had CT scan of sinuses - all came back ok. I'm sure it'sll be the same for you.
All the best with dr.
Monica
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Post by helenr on Mar 6, 2007 20:08:33 GMT
Hi Ash,
so glad you had lovely family time, and more importantl that you told OH how you've been feeling.
Let us know how you get on
love and hugs x.
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Post by hayley31 on Mar 28, 2007 14:23:02 GMT
Hi there. im new here. my name is hayley. i had my daughter 4 and a half months ago and have felt absolutely awful since...well felt awful since i got pregnant but worse now...my eyesight is absolutely awful..everything is blurred and my head feels all fuzzy constantly and i just dont feel well. thought it was just me til i found your site..thanks for all the advice guys..i now dont think im dying all the time..now its just some of the time!!!xx
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