How to deal?

[Vance2335]

So I have posted here before about some heighten anxiety that has recently happened and I just started therapy on Monday and it was the 1st session and we just started to talk about anxiety and other issues so it was not very deep to start.
Well over the weekend a good friend died. So I am dealing with my normal anxiety and now the anxiety from his death. I feel anxious when I wake up and normally it gets better as the day goes on but i can feel how stressed I am. I catch myself clenching my jaw a lot more. I find myself shaking at times, not because I am cold just from the anxiety.
I am scheduled to see my PCP tomorrow who when I last spoke to anxiety about several years ago kind of blew it off. So I guess I am wondering...how do I deal with this? How can I lessen my anxiety? How do I make it though a wake and funeral?

[Vance2335]

Thanks nursegirl.

Did you get my PM about some HIV questions? If so when you get time if you could write back I am trying to do a journal article that takes your article and just narrows it down to the oral part and give all the info I can find.

Yeah I have been dealing with anxiety for a long time and I think most of the time is situational. It has effected my life but it is a direct result of something I have done. But overall I do have some just overall anxiety issues also. Nothing that would effect day to day but enough to make me aware of a problem.

I'll keep what doing what I am doing with the Dr for now and see about a transition over.

Thanks for the advice and the words on the loss of my friend.

[nursegirl6572]

Hiya Vance!  Nice to see you over on this side, buddy!!  :0)

First, my deepest sympathies on the loss of your friend.

There are different kinds of anxiety.  Most commonly, there is situational anxiety, in which a situation causes stress and triggers anxiety.  Like, a death of a loved one!  Other examples, financial concerns, moving, marriage/divorce, chldbirth (stress can be good or bad life event), job loss....you name it.  Situational anxiety causes purposeful angst, and is understandable.  Anxiety DISORDERS are when anxiety becomes problematic and life altering (where a person ceases functioning in their normal capacity) and many times is not due to an obviously identifiable trigger.  This kind of anxiety more typically seems to present "out of the blue".

The best way to sort this out is to see a psychiatrist.  He/she is a medical doctor who can properly assess and diagnose you.  If it is determined that you have an anxiety disorder (IE GAD, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, etc), then he/she can discuss treatment options with you, which could include meds and/or therapy.

In the meantime, definitely keep up with the psychologist.  While he/she cannot Rx meds, they can help you through this difficult time, help you to explore your feelings about this and anything else causing you anxiety, and can teach you some coping mechanisms to utilize in times of heightened anxiety.

No doubt it will be rough...losing someone close to you is hard and will certainly cause a good deal of anxiety.  It's supposed to.  If you feel you are having more than normal trouble coping, again, speak with your therapist, who could actually refer you to a good p-doc for an evaluation of your anxiety....which I think is probably a good idea since you seem to have a history of anxiety anyway!

Hang in there, and again, so sorry for your loss!  Let us know how you're doing!

[Vance2335]

Thanks.
I actually cancelled my PCP appointment based on the blow off last time. I have little confidence she would give me something and would want to refer me to someone else. I guess I will have to deal with it for this week because I know it will be better after the closure of the funeral.

[mammo]

No. Psychologists cannot prescribe medication. Your PCP is able to prescribe you something, and hopefully he won't blow you off again. It's a personal choice as to who you have prescribe your medication.  If you feel you need something right away then ask your PCP about this, it can take awhile to get in to see a psychiatrist.  I'm so sorry about your friend.

[Vance2335]

I thought that my PCP might be able to give me some medication to get me through the week? I don't have another session until Monday and to start I am seeing a Psychologist, she does not prescribe medication.

[mammo]

The first thing you need to do is not address this with your PCP.  You want to be working with a psychiatrist when it comes to your anxiety.  If medication is needed along with your therapy, a psychiatrist is most knowlegable.  Be patient with your therapy, it can be a long process and medication may be needed in the meantime, so you want a psychiatrist on board. Daily exercise is great for anxiety, deep breathing exercisies, and avoid caffeine which is very stimulating.  Try to stay busy doing things that keep you mentally and physically busy so you have little room for worry.  I wish you all the best and take care.