Will I ever feel "normal" again?

[emc3]

I have had what I have come to the conclusion is anxiety for about two years now. It started out with a few sporadic panic attacks and then I was fine for a while with just small episodes here and there. Just recently, it's gotten incredibly worse. I feel anxious everyday!!! My heart beats irregularly and fast. I tense all my muscles. I have a hard time concentrating. I have a hard time sleeping, which makes me tired all the time. I have a hard time swallowing, to the point where sometimes I actually can't. I feel like I am going to faint. I think I am going to die. I fear something horrible is going to happen. I try to concentrate on my breathing, but it only seems to make it worse!  I use to be able to walk myself out of it, but that just doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I tend to be a fairly social person, but as of late, I am becoming more and more withdrawn. I talk with my friends about it in hopes that they won't think I am crazy. The seem to be supportive, but I don't think that they can really understand the totality of what I am going through. I try to avoid things that trigger panic and live my life at the same time, but it seems as though everything seems to trigger panic at this point! Unfortunately I don't make a ton of money, nor do I have insurance. I would love to see a doctor and therapist, but financially it just seems impossible at this point. It would just be nice to have someone to talk to who understands. I fear that this is my life now forever and it's making me depressed, angry, and embarrassed. I want this to go away!!! I just want to feel "normal" again!!!

[Linziw22]

I am 32yrs old and was diagnosed with GAD shortly before my 30th birthday, I had suffered for approx. 18months with terrible anxiety and panic. Like you all say anything and everything worried or bothered me, I didn't sleep, couldn't eat therefore my weight dropped dramatically, I was an emotional wreck and thought death would be better. However fortunately I live in the UK where we get free medical health care. I seen a lovely male doctor who was very sympathetic. he did prescribe me medication however it had an adverse effect on me and I knew I didn't really want to take them which made me worse! So after numerous visits I decided to do the CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). It worked for me! im not completely free of it but I know how to manage it better and I recognise the warning signs.

for all you suffering, please know, YOU WILL NOT DIE, my doc made that perfectly clear. you have to take time out for you and before you do anything or go anywhere, try to reason with yourself, and ask yourself, whats the worst that can happen??? nothing, take some deep breaths and think, I can do this, this will not control me, you can control this and you can get better.

[Ivycry]

I have anxiety and i can see everything happened with my life it's like a future move

[Lane8085]

Dependence is my BIGGEST fear. I went to my doctor and asked him for help but let him know my husband was an addict and was 2 years clean now. So I asked for a non-narcotic anxiety med. He absolutely refused. So when I went back to him he told me he would need to urine screen me to be taking a narcotic. Number one I tried to get a non-narcotic anyway so that I could keep cost down and not to temp my husband that my doc cared nothing about. Number 2 then you want to charge me more for a **** test because you want to make money and not help me. I work 10 days everyday and cannot just make it to the doc whenever or to find a new one when ever so at this point I am pretty screwed. I just wanna cry.

[Lane8085]

OMG!! You have described my everyday. I cry at work, my kids suffer there are NO support groups or affordable counseling where I live. I went to the doctor for help and he WOULD NOT give me a non narcotic so I stopped going to him. I don't know what to do. I cant breath sometimes. I get no rest at night, I cant be happy, and there is no way to stop this all together. I HATE feeling this way. If you talk to ppl they think you are crazy, and that word alone causes panic. You are not alone.

[DeeNook]

I know what u are going through I am 25 years old with anxiety disorder for 4 years now .. I mostly have them when I am in a car driving or s passagner .. I'm taking hydroxzine 50mg they help a lil take about 30 minutes to start puts u to sleep .. I haven't been to the doctor that much because of funds .. But I have been so lonely dealing with this because we I tell my family how I feel they think I'm crazy and it's all in my head .. The worse part I hate is heart racing depersonalizations and feeling foggy and out of body sometimes if it gets too bad

[colby_easley]

I have GAD for 1 year now and wondering if with too much stressful events going in my mind can lead to psychosis or schizophrenia because of uncontrollable worry and fear.
I was diagnosed panic disorder due to meth overdose then it evolved into GAD after 6 months.
I experienced Depersonalization / Derealization at some point and depression.
I do not take any medication.

[pedro1980]

I have so many similar problems to all you guys and mines actually started 2 years ago and I have had health anxiety since I wake up more times than I can count every night a worry abt everything under the sun I have went from being the most energetic guy alive to having fatigue constantly and I also self medicate and diagnose of the internet which has had me certain I have all different types of illnesses and diseases I have a slightly swollen cerv node on my neck that the doc has checked and said its a shotty node but this started all my worries  in the first place.
I am so worried about all this that I panic about everything from a small lump on m lip to any spot I get I am constantly pawing away at me neck looking for lumps and bumps that it is tender .A sore head and stiff neck and shoulders are my latest gripe and I cant seem to shake this constant worry I am 100% sure I am suffering from anxiety and depression.