anxiety, panic attacks

[leah900]

My name is Leah I'm 25 years old. I have been suffering with anxiety and panic attacks sine 2007
i also suffer with post traumatic stress disorder but i've had that since i was about 7 years of age my question is
can anxiety make you think your dying because its on my mind everyday 24/7 and its ruining my life i wake up in
a morning and there it is and it doesn't leave me i've got that bad that when i go out my legs feel weak and i'm not aneamic because i had a full blood count about 2 weeks ago and everything came back normal the only thing i had
was my iron was abit high and i have high platelets but i had twins 6 weeks ago. i keep thinking i'm losing it i'm extremely irritable i snap at people very easily. ive also got that bad that i bought a blood pressure monitor and i'm checking it everyday at least 5 or 6 times a day. i've tried counciling but that didn't work for me i'm terrified of dying i just want the anxiety,panic attacks and all the symtoms to leave me alone and let me get on with my life please help if you can. also can anxiety make your legs go weak and can it cause you to have pains in your chest as i've had my heart and chest checked and there's nothing wrong? Thanks

[leah900]

hi i cant say much because i'm half asleep as its 1.51am and i need sleep! but thank you for your support thank you for everyones support its nice to nkwo someone is willing to give advice. but i wanted to say that today i was in town buying a few things and i saw this woman having a bad anxiety attack she had someone with her it must have been a carer or a friend but her friend or whatever was having a go at her telling her to (STOP BEING STUPID) i could hear everything she was saying i could tell it was anxiety because i suffer from it myself so when i saw that i got mad and i walked upto the woman that was having a go at her friend and told her to pack it in having a go and calling the woman stupid for being scared of the anxiety as its not her fault i also said to the woman that if she had anxiety she would understand it but because you don't have it then shut up. the woman having the anxiety attack was in floods of tears so i took her to one side told her i suffer too and that she isn't alone i gave her a few tips for anxiety and panic she was loads better after talking to me. but it winds me up that people who don't understand it  can get mad with someone for having it its not like people can help having it no one wants anxiety but oh well people judge what they dont know about anyway thanx and good night

[softlight]

Hi Leah,
You mentioned having PTSD since age seven - you need to address this therapeutically as it can be a a driving force for your "Panic Attacks".
Also, it is not uncommon for sufferers to fear having "panic attacks" when they are out - so they can begin to avoid going out, which if allowed to continue can develop into Agorahphobia. Learning to understand your "panic attacks" can reduce your fear of them - you won't die from them.

You also need to know that there is a difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling is largely about sorting your life into a perspective that you can understand and work with, while psychotherapy is about making emotional/psychological changes in yourself which typically require an exploration and understanding of significant past events in your life.

People who usually do psychotherapy are psychologists and psychiatrists. It is now possible to successfully do your own therapy on "panic attacks" and anxiety with a revolutionary new concept in psychotherapy at www.mypersonalities.com, but this takes the same commitment as if you were visiting a psychotherapist.
So take heart, you have options - you are not trapped.

[becca494]

Hi,  You certainly have your hands full with twins and anxiety. You would benefit from seeing a Psychiatrist (not psychologist) because your symptoms are affecting your life and you should be evaluated for some type of antidepressant/antianxiety medication. I don't know if you are breast feeding? some medicines pass through the breast milk to the baby so  the doctor needs to know. It sounds like you probally have inherited some tendency for anxiety since your mom has it. That's why I thought you should see a Psychiatrist because if you do need medicine they can prescribe (a psychologist cant, they just do talk therapy) You do not need to suffer like this!  Also, excercise  helps and if you drink coffee maybe cut down.Good luck

[leah900]

hi its leah thank you for your support but its not getting any easier for me at all one minute i think its gone and then i do something like take my dog for a walk an it comes back. like yesterday for example i took the dog for a walk and i was on the phone to my boyfriend but i still went light headed which started me off thinking bout death and things again. why am i so scared of death i think its the unknown that scares people but i'm 25 years old i shouldn't be thinking about death let alone being scared of it. i am just so fed up of living my life like this like i said previously i check my blood pressure 5 times a day and sometimes its abit high but thats abit high because of the panick of anxiety. i'm taking my dog out again today see if it happens again my boyfriend tells me not to think about it but again thats easier said than done. but i have to keep going out other wise i get scared of going out but as soon as a put my coat on i can feel my body getting anxious its like its leaking adrenaline. i don't understand the fight or flight thing that your body does when it thinks there's danger because my body just goes weak and it feels horrible. have you got any great tips on how to help myself?

[Brooksmomma]

I havent been on in a couple of days. How are you feeling? I understand the looking online thing. Girl, I have never googled so much bs in my life. It can be our worst enemies. I had to make myself stop looking online. Every time I thought I was dying (80 times a day) I promised I wouldnt look online. So i didnt. Honestly that alone helped out. That is part of the disorder. It tricks you and then you are stuck in the cycle-Something hurts, look it up online, freak out even more which that will cause it to hurt more, and then do it all over again in an hour. Counsiling wasnt my thing either, the only reason I see one now is so I can vent to them instead of my friends and family. I have exhausted them completely. You are gonna get there. By the way, I dont think I'm completely out of it, I can now minimize it and live my life. I pray one day this will be a memory.

[leah900]

Hi it's Leah yeah i only tried councilling once it was for about 3 weeks thats when i realised it wasn't working for me. how did you get throgh it and come out the other end? The amount of times I've tried to tell myself i'm not dying is unbelieveable but then i get a pain in my chest or i go dizzy and it makes me think i'm dying and then i check my bp. If i get a headache I think ive got a brain tumour like i said previously i go out and i get weak legs and i think have i got muscle weakness or are my muscles fading away omg i'm going to end up in a wheel chair. I force myself to go out everyday because if i dont I'll end up being scared and a recluse. I'm always looking on google for symtoms i knoe i shouldn't because it makes it worse because some of the same symtoms are to something else. My mum had a bad panick attack 4 weeks ago in the middle of the night and she hasn't gotten over the symtoms she thinks she's dying now so i understand where she's coming from but no matter what i do its in my mind

[MOMMYTROUBLE]

Yes, that can be symptoms of anxiety. I am 24 year old mother of two and has been suffering from anxiety for year now. The past 8 months have been the worst ever, I was on 1mg of zanax twice a day but, now I am on .50mg twice a day.  I have been feeling some withdraw symptoms for the past week- it *****. It is life changing but, i keep reminding myself that people like us need to fight it and treat it because we have our children who need us most...we can do it some day that day will come.

[mooksmom]

YES, those ARE symptoms of anxiety. You can't wish the symptoms away. If your OB-GYN doesn't know about this tell HER/HIM...and get some help. Your twins need you and will more down the road. I hope you have help at home during this trying time.

[cj29]

Anxiety can manifest itself in so many ways in my opinion.  It can seem like a never ending cycle of panic, worry, panic and it can make us feel exhausted and not want to confront it.  Worrying about death and health are quite common in my opinion.  You said that you gave therapy a try....how many different people did you try to talk to before you decided that it didn't help?  I only ask this because one, sometimes it can take a few tries to find the right person, and two, it may take a little while with that person to actually see your progress.  In my experience, it took me months to see that the therapy was working...patience is really hard when we worry 24/7.  But the good thing is that so many people have gone through this experience and has come out on the other end much more well rounded.  For example, it has made me enjoy the simple points of life, a more patient person, a better father and husband.  If you would have asked me while I was going through it that I believed that I would be able to confront and deal with it I would have thought you were absolutely wrong, but you can and will get through it....keep us posted!

[Brooksmomma]

Yes, anxiety and panick trick you into think your dying everyday. That is part of the disorder. For an example, my leg was hurting yesterday, my mind went from omg its a clot, omg im gonna have a stroke, omg how much longer do I have to live. It happened in about 2seconds. My best way to cope with it is to tell myself "You are not dying" Its the disorder not you. Legs being weak is def a symptom of anxiety. You are stressed about your anxiety and you have panick attacks so (as you know) your body goes to flight or fight mode, so does your blood. It goes to the areas your body needs it the most and that is not your legs. So lots of times your legs can get weak because of that. Anxiety hurts girl believe me I know. I have not had the disorder as long as you but I struggle every hour with it. It has gotten better for me if that gives you hope. Anxiety takes everything out of you so you are alway exhausted but you will figure it out for yourself one day. I know you are probably tired of hearing that but one day it will happen. People always try to give me advise but their methods didnt help. Once I understood the disorder better, it has helped a lot.