Updated: apparently I don't have an anxiety disorder. JUST anxiety!

[TaraF]

Does anyone here have an anxiety disorder or have you known anyone that has?

[VeeVee]

There is plenty of us on SC..me for one

Its scary, mine was what the DR's called Post Traumatic Anxiety Disorder brought on from seeing someone very close to me die...my anxiety was/ still is sometimes focused on me dying or others around me. The slightest pain like a muscle cramp makes me think I am having a heart attack lol I had to go on meds but after 9 months I weened myself off and now am med free for 2 years.
It something that if you don't have it, you don't really fully understand it...
If you have any questions please feel free to pm me or ask any questions!

Hugs

[orv]

Me too, although I have never been to a dr myself,(so im not diagnosed) they say these things can be hereditary, and the list of issues my dad has anxiety wise is pretty long. I have a really hard time speaking in public, or even making a simple phone call. To anyone. I have a huge fear of rejection and extreme fear of sickness/hospitals (Having a baby was definately conquering a BIG fear, I was so scared when I went into labour they had to speed up my contraction because they though i was going to pass out from such a high blood pressure lol) dr's scare me what can I say.(which is why i remain undiagnosed)Everytime I have gone to a Dr, they tell me im crazy and pump me full of valumes to bring down my blood pressure.(even while i was pregnant!!!) I used to go to the library and check out books on different types of anxiety disorders and I "diagnosed" myself with agoraphobia. Which is being nervous in public/talking to strangers. I find since having my daughter I have come along way, I never used to be able to do anything for myself. EVER. But now I dont really have a choice, I HAVE to do it for my daughter, its not about me anymore. But if something is nerve racking enough, it still makes me sick.(headache vomiting etc) its not pretty. I sure hope you manage to talk to somebody about it, I find thats the first step in the right direction, Knowing and admitting something isnt right, and wanting to get help. Good luck to you! Let me know if you find anything that works.

[TaraF]

Thanks Vee, messaged you! And thanks Orv, I actually see my Dr on the 11th and will have a talk with him at that time, I can't carry on with how I'm feeling as the stress piles on I am sure it will just intensify.

[babygonnermann]

I suffer from both anxiety disorder and depression - quite a mix!! Luckily, I take one medication for both, and I feel much better.

It would be any little thing that would set me off on anxiety attacks, where I could hardly breathe, get dizzy and sometimes pass out, and feel super sick to my stomach. When I was diagnosed, my doctor took my licence away for a month because they would happen anytime anywhere, including when I was driving.

I hope you get it figured out because it can really not be fun at all

[curt81]

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder(G.A.D.). I think I might have S.A.D. too, but never diagnosed. I have huge issues with communication and have no friends as a result. I can't go up and talk to people unless I absolutely have to, so finding friends and a girlfriend is just too difficult. I have extremely low confidence too, which surely doesn't help. I don't experience any attacks tho.

[greentires4me]

I have Social Anxiety since I was 17 which makes life a little difficult for me and those around me who some think I am pulling their leg and the other who tell me to just get out there. I have gone through lots of different therapies to lessen the effects but as my environments have changed over the years it seems the therapies become old news bears and fall apart. I used to get large amount of anxiety attacks now i still may have or two but they are small and rare usually. Stress plays a major role on when or if i can cope through-out each day. Some days are better then others I do admit that when you have your ups you are on top the of the world so to speak. As a society we always want others to be those verbal leaders and some days I am that verbal leader but other days i just want to hide in my shell and not come out for anyone even my boss.

I also have PTSD from a very traumatic event that happened when I was 19 that I rather not go into on a public forum. With that flashbacks do occur and the Social Anxiety just makes things overwhelming.

Really if you can find a good support system should be put into place a community worker there for you...a therapist to help ya talk out things...great doctors who know how to prescribe more then just drugs...a massage therapist to help ya reduce the tension in your muscles...some great friends who you can talk to about anything...and a pet to tell you to take it for a walk or play with it...

[TaraF]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences/stories, it takes alot to share something personal about yourself in a public forum. And thank you to those that I have spoke to via PM as your experiences have made me feel like I'm not alone and not crazy.

The past 6 months have been quite stressful and traumatic for me. I went from finding out in September that I had a Brain tumor to having it removed in October to finding out in November that my Husband has a Goiter that needs to be removed and the Drs are worried about it being cancerous due to the size, rapid growth and the fact that he's a heavy smoker. We get the results on the 21st about my Husband and whether it is or not, so it's the waiting game until then.

Stress & Trauma abound in my life at the moment and have for the past 6 months which is why I'm certain that what I'm experiencing at the moment is high anxiety due to, well my life. I do see my Family Dr on the 11th and will explain to him in detail how I've been and see where we go from there. I haven't told my Husband about what I've been experiencing but I think that's due to me always having to be the strong one no matter what's going on.

I'm thankful that I have such a great place here that I can come to and talk to you all and see if anyone has similar experiences to compare or to just write out how I'm feeling if I need to. It's so appreciated and very theraputic. Thank you all.

[StarDancer]

I suffer from both depression and anxiety! Its a horrible thing until you get it under control. Which sometimes is tough!

[TaraF]

I suffer from both depression and anxiety! Its a horrible thing until you get it under control. Which sometimes is tough!

I know I hate the complete and utter irrational fears that I get that grip me at times. I know it's irrational but try telling my body when it happens. Actually since mid November I can NOT stand to be alone, infact I REFUSE to be alone.

It doesn't matter if someone is in a different part of the house as me, I just need someone near me. Infact I would make my Husband stay home with me or go into work late if my Mom wouldn't be around simply because I didn't want to be alone. I didn't tell him why I wanted him there but this all started when I was 2-4 weeks post surgery so to him it didn't seem too odd that I wanted him/needed him with me.

And it's still like that, I do not want to be alone and I'm not: EVER. I'm also on the computer WAY too many hours a day but it's because I have to keep my mind busy because the minute it's not I start with different irrational thoughts and it feels like I'm going crazy.

I've tried to deal with this by myself since mid november and with no luck. It's just getting worse and I think will continue to get worse so I guess I will see what my Dr says.

[bella-mamma]

I understand how you guys feel. I'm really happy that you started this post TaraF.I have had anxiety disorder for about 6 years. The first time a had a panic attack was while I was driving on the highway. I couldn't drive anywhere for about 2 years and it also caused my to have agoraphobia during that time. I couldn't leave the house. It took a long time to get better. I was a stay-at-home mom and it was very difficult. My husband had to do everything. I had to teach myself that it will pass and things slowly got better (with help of meds). Now I have a part-time job which really helped me alot. I'm driving again and try not to go on highways but sometimes I have to. I still have mild anxiety but I can handle it better than I used to. I have cut down on meds and it's very low dose just in case because I never want that to happen to me again.
I think talking about it with other people who suffer from this makes me feel that I am not alone.

[abbasgirl]

Tara, was this something that you struggled with before you got sick? If it's only coming up now, I wouldn't necessarily call it an anxiety disorder. It sounds like a normal reaction to the things that you've been going through. It might help you to find someone you can talk to about the things you are afraid of.

[TaraF]

abbasgirl I've NEVER had anxiety before, it just started about mid November and has progressed worse as the weeks have gone by. I do see my Family Dr on Friday so I will speak to him and see what he says but you are right I could just be experiencing anxiety that may pass and it's not a disorder. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[abbasgirl]

In that case, Tara, when I look at everything you've been through, I think no wonder you're experiencing anxiety! Your whole world was suddenly turned upside down one day. Without warning you went from normal to living with a life-threatening illness and all that that involved. And your recovery has been challenging, to say the least. On top of that, your brain, where all your thoughts and emotions are produced, is still recovering from surgery. You've made it through a lot so far and you're going to make it through this too. Talking to your doctor is a great idea! Hopefully he'll be able to give you some good suggestions.

[TaraF]

So I met with my Dr today and explained everything that I've been experiencing and than I said, "I know there's an app for that so is there a pill for that??" he laughed and said, "yes there is a pill for that, but I don't want to give it to you."

He said that with everything that I've been through it's actually quite normal what I'm experiencing. I'm ahead of the game by recognizing what is going on and trying to deal with it naturally. Apparently with where I am right now with my anxiety the potential side effects of the medication far outweigh the good they would apparently do me. Not only that, I am currently on a drug for Seizures and this particular drug is also prescribed for anxiety as well.

The people around me that are close to me know what I'm experiencing and understand it so I suppose as long as they are aware of what's going on and can work with me on it and work through it with me than I will see how it all goes.

So anxiety is the diagnosis due to stress but it's not a disorder and I'm told that it should pass, just when we don't know. Hrm. I guess I'll just keep doing what I've been doing.