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Post by newmom on Sept 18, 2016 16:29:24 GMT
I just read Veritee's story. She says it took her 6 years (!) to recover without treatment I'm horrified
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Post by monica on Sept 18, 2016 16:45:52 GMT
Don't panic! Everyone is different! Some chose meds others don't; some people carry emotional baggage with them from the past others don't. I've know ladies on here who have been quite unwell but have recovered quite quickly after finding techniques that work for them.
In Veritees case I know she was alone for much of the time without support as her husband worked away. She had a terrible experience as a teenager with Drs due to what was probably teenage angst but was treated by a psych with unsanctiined methods as a consequence I imagine it was a factor why she shied away from Drs and meds when ill.
In my experience I had PNI for about 2 yrs. saying that it wasn't all bad by any means. Once I started recovering there were many good times however I had the up and down moods characteristic of PNI .
I would say try out techniques that help you manage the anxiety , try different therapies and maybe get more advice re meds - maybe there is an alternative out there. Above all don't give up. It feels desperate atm but have hope x
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Post by newmom on Sept 18, 2016 17:04:58 GMT
I don't have any prior mental issues .. I'm hopimg to start homeopahic treatment soon. It worked for me in the past for other things. The homeopathic doctor said I need to balance my hormons first because they are causing my increased sensitivity to daily stress which causes physicall symptons to rise and then anxiety... Vicious cycle . I'm 6.5 months postpartum and got my first period 9 weeks postpartum. My periods in the last 5 months have been regular although the flow is still a bit heavy at times which makes me think my hormons are still not 100% balanced
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Post by monica on Sept 18, 2016 17:34:35 GMT
Do let us know how you get on with the homeopathic dr - I find alternative therapies very interesting. Over the past year I had reiki - I was quite cynical but found it very good both times for different reasons .
The vicious circle you described is very easy to get stuck in. Try some cbt techniques - I was shown a couple which helped me and I'm happy to share them with you if you like.
Have you ever tried any relaxation techniques? I recently tried some mindfulness where you focus on the here and now (it's actually quite hard!) but quite good and took the edge off the anxiety I was feeling at the time x
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Post by newmom on Sept 18, 2016 17:42:54 GMT
Hi Monica, If you can share some of the CBT techniques that you've found to be helpful I'll really appreciate it, if it's not too much hassle for you. I tried the tapping technique which works for me only at times , and lasts for a few minutes at best...
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Post by Jay on Sept 19, 2016 3:55:00 GMT
Just saying Hi and sending my love. Anxiety was my worse part. The inner tremors use to torture me. It's awful to be frightened and it all gets itself into a circle of..panic...fear of panic...panic..etc. I watched lots of tv as a distraction, Antidepressants helped me sleep and certainly took away or at least lowered the anxiety which made life better for me, it helped me cope better. It's a bit scary trying meds as Drs say that you feel worse before you feel better..persist with trying to find the ones which suit you, and with trying any techniques you learn. Don't go worrying now about getting addicted to the meds, when you are really well again you can do a slow reduction over a period of time with the help of GP, for now it's a case of trying to feel better and lowering the panic so that you can live better than you are now. I feel so so sorry for you with the dreadful time you are having. Keep strong Lynne x
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Post by newmom on Sept 19, 2016 18:02:54 GMT
Thank you Jay. I'm just so hopeless , this diziness /floating sensation is 24/7 making me insane . I look at my baby girl and cry. I love her so much but cannot fully enjoy her because of my condition. I'm so frustrated , beyond words. 5 months dealing with this ...what will happen to me ? I'm consumed by this
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Post by monica on Sept 19, 2016 20:38:15 GMT
Hi how has today been?
As well as anxiety (or in conjunction with it) I suffered from obsessive thoughts about illnesses and dying. So a thought would pop into my head - eg I have a cold and I would catastrophise so I would dwell on it and it would lead to thoughts of look at all these symptoms I'm dying when in fact all I had was a cold.
One cbt technique would involve writing down the thought then having two columns - one for evidence of this happening and one for evidence this won't happen. So the first column I'd write I feel so ill all the time , I've googled my symptoms I have brain tumour , my sore throat must be serious as I've had it for s week etc. In the other is write I have cold symptoms , I've seen loads of Drs if it were something serious someone would have noticed, whole family has cold .
I found that in black and white I could see how I was catastrophising which helped me rationalise.
Another technique is when a thought pops into your head like ' I'm so ill I'm dying' to try and nip it in the bud before it escalates, clap to shock you out of it it say stop aloud or wear elastic band and flick it.
With anxiety you can get incredibly tense. Deep , slow breathing through the stomach was v good . Also tensing muscles for 5 secs then slowly relaxing was something else that helped x
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Post by monica on Sept 19, 2016 20:38:20 GMT
Hi how has today been?
As well as anxiety (or in conjunction with it) I suffered from obsessive thoughts about illnesses and dying. So a thought would pop into my head - eg I have a cold and I would catastrophise so I would dwell on it and it would lead to thoughts of look at all these symptoms I'm dying when in fact all I had was a cold.
One cbt technique would involve writing down the thought then having two columns - one for evidence of this happening and one for evidence this won't happen. So the first column I'd write I feel so ill all the time , I've googled my symptoms I have brain tumour , my sore throat must be serious as I've had it for s week etc. In the other is write I have cold symptoms , I've seen loads of Drs if it were something serious someone would have noticed, whole family has cold .
I found that in black and white I could see how I was catastrophising which helped me rationalise.
Another technique is when a thought pops into your head like ' I'm so ill I'm dying' to try and nip it in the bud before it escalates, clap to shock you out of it it say stop aloud or wear elastic band and flick it.
With anxiety you can get incredibly tense. Deep , slow breathing through the stomach was v good . Also tensing muscles for 5 secs then slowly relaxing was something else that helped x
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Post by newmom on Sept 20, 2016 15:33:08 GMT
Monica, Sorry to hear you struggled so much. Glad to know you fully recovered and this horrible experience is behind you. I don't have any obsessive thoughts . My only thought or should I say fear , is that I won't recover and this will never go away. So I guess this is considerd an obsessive thought? It just the fear thst I have more than a thought .. Everybody says I should start working out and I need to find the strength within myself to do it. Thank you for sharing some of the CBT techniques with me I will give these a try and let you know . I already tried the breathing technique as my therapist explained it to me but in the muddy of 24/7 anxiety and the physical symptoms I was having real difficulty practicing the breathing
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Post by monica on Sept 20, 2016 20:29:58 GMT
Hi
If you're feeling wiped out its hard to find the energy to do anything let alone taxing exercise. Perhaps try a short walk every day, a bit of yoga (you can get short videos on you tube).
I understand your fear completely that this is it forever. Recovering is hard - many ups and downs (this is normal) , but have hope. I recovered and I was in that dark place toox
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Post by newmom on Sept 21, 2016 23:26:02 GMT
Today was horrific . I got so frustrated with the physical symptoms mostly the dizziness not going away for weeks, and started screaming at my husband and breaking things around the house. This happens at least twice a week , when I can't contain the frustration within me any longer. It builds up and up and then erupts . I broke so many things in the house during the last 5 months during these frustration attacks. I'm so misrable, we're miserable , no quality of life , nothing . One big nothingness.
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Post by monica on Sept 22, 2016 14:35:31 GMT
Oh hugs! What an awful day for you. How are you today ? I'm not surprised the frustration gets to you. Feeling crap all the time is so horrible . Have you got a good dr? They must have ideas.
Can I ask , with you did the anxiety trigger the physical symptoms do you think? Re the outbursts could you tell dr about this?
I had dizziness . For me it was not the kind when u fall over - it was more of a sensation of being on a boat and v uncomfortable. I'm sorry I can't remember - have you had your ears/sinuses checked out just I case it's that ?
I know I keep harping on about exercise but that really helped some of the symptoms incl foggiheadedness and depression which seemed to follow the anxiety. Keep talking X
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Post by newmom on Sept 22, 2016 15:00:11 GMT
Yes, I feel the same sensation as you had: like being on a boat. I do not feel like I'm going to fall over, just feeling like I’m on a boat. When I take the anxiety med, the off-balance feeling, pressure in the head and the blurry vision all go away, so this means it's anxiety related, right?
When my physical symptoms started I went to 3 ENT doctors because one of my first symptoms was blocked ears. The one ENT said I needed anxiety medication. He had me go through hearing test and other various tests that lasted for almost 2 hours and did not find anything. The second ENT said I had ear tube dysfunction because I complained about the blocked ears. He said I must have had allergies or cold that caused this. I said I never suffered allergies and had no cold in years., never had ear infections. He just gave me nasal spray to clear my sinuses and ears, which of course did not work. My sinuses were completely clear. He just couldn’t really explain why my ears feel blocked . He stared at me and did not say anything.
Then I realized that each time anxiety hits me I have this stuffed ear feeling, this has nothing to do with ear problems. The feeling of fully blocked painful ears lasted for about a month and then went away. The dizzy off-balance spells started when my anxiety kicked in when they took me of the blood pressure medication (if you remember my story in my first post). In my case the anxiety let to the physical symptoms which have been coming and going for 5 months now. The dizzy spells disappeared 2 months ago but came back with a vengeance early August when we had to take our baby to the hospital because she had a fever. I started getting dizzy again at the hospital and my ears became blocked again. This is driving me insane, I have no quality of life. Every time my baby calls me Mama, I want o to die. I can’t stand it anymore.
I can't tell my doctor about the outburst I'm afraid he's going to send me to the hospital. I already spent 5 days in May in the psych ward where they pushed all kind of drugs on me, I was hospitalized there "thanks" to my husband because I was becoming suicidal. Of course it did not help and I stopped taking the med as soon as I was released from the hospital because it was causing me horrific side effects of electric shock in the body. This was absolutely horrific. I've been through so many doctors already , they only treat with medication, and those of us who cannot use these meds are meant to suffer. They all say it will go away with time but without medication it will last longer and I will struggle and be more miserable.
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Post by monica on Sept 22, 2016 16:41:42 GMT
Apologies if you'd mentioned the ent stuff before.
Prior to recovering I was convinced that if my physical symptoms went away so would the anxiety - of course that is correct but I didn't necessarily link the two together that with me they went hand in hand. I guess some people like you and I are susceptible to physical symptoms when extremely anxious perhaps more so post partum?
I imagine tackling the anxiety should be the focus. I know my obsessional anxiety provoking thoughts were different however I found that very quickly my thought patterns became ingrained and an automatic response which would trigger this physical response.
You said the talking therapies didn't work for you. Perhaps finding things that help you relax would do? Pre baby what did you enjoy? What would relax you? Massages , reading a book, swimming? Can you list some things?
There's an article in yesterday's The Times about men and anxiety and they talk about what to do as well as recommending books. Will post a link later.
I hope the above doesn't sound patronising - I don't mean it to. I'm just think out aloud . Look back 12 yrs ago when I got pmt at the time someone saying you will recover doesn't feel inspiring as when in the midst of living hell it doesn't help. But try to have that hope that it will X
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