Pipkin
11-12-11, 15:34
Hi everyone,
I joined NMP recently and thought I should introduce myself...
I have suffered with anxiety, most often anxiety about my health, for as long as I can remember, certainly since I was a young teenager, and I can honestly say that I haven't felt well for over 25 years. I'm 41, in a great relationship and have a job which I enjoy, albeit extremely high pressured. I should be happy and enjoying life but every day is a real trial and I feel like I am enduring life rather than living it. What makes it hardest for me is that I'm not the sort of person who talks about feelings and I really suffer on my own. I'm actually surprising myself by typing this!
It took me a long time to realise that I had anxiety and was having panic attacks - I always associated these with the hyperventilating you always see on TV, something which doesn't happen to me. I get palpitations (was convinced I had a heart condition), light-headed (and at its worst actually faint), hot and cold, shaky and, worst of all, just feel absolutely terrible for days, sometimes weeks, afterwards. This is on top of a huge range of symptoms affecting all parts of my body. I've had so many tests at the GP's that I can only guess what my medical records must look like and I am constantly diagnosing myself, comvinced that the doctors have missed something or don't know what they're doing.
I have never discussed this with my GP and I would really appreciate some advice as to how I can pluck up the courage to do this. Although I have no grounds to believe it, I just feel like all doctors think I'm wasting their time, preventing them from dealing with people who really are ill.
Reading the posts on here and realising that there are so many people who feel just as I do has been a revelation. Thanks to everyone who participates in this site. For the first time, I don't feel like I'm going it alone.
P
I joined NMP recently and thought I should introduce myself...
I have suffered with anxiety, most often anxiety about my health, for as long as I can remember, certainly since I was a young teenager, and I can honestly say that I haven't felt well for over 25 years. I'm 41, in a great relationship and have a job which I enjoy, albeit extremely high pressured. I should be happy and enjoying life but every day is a real trial and I feel like I am enduring life rather than living it. What makes it hardest for me is that I'm not the sort of person who talks about feelings and I really suffer on my own. I'm actually surprising myself by typing this!
It took me a long time to realise that I had anxiety and was having panic attacks - I always associated these with the hyperventilating you always see on TV, something which doesn't happen to me. I get palpitations (was convinced I had a heart condition), light-headed (and at its worst actually faint), hot and cold, shaky and, worst of all, just feel absolutely terrible for days, sometimes weeks, afterwards. This is on top of a huge range of symptoms affecting all parts of my body. I've had so many tests at the GP's that I can only guess what my medical records must look like and I am constantly diagnosing myself, comvinced that the doctors have missed something or don't know what they're doing.
I have never discussed this with my GP and I would really appreciate some advice as to how I can pluck up the courage to do this. Although I have no grounds to believe it, I just feel like all doctors think I'm wasting their time, preventing them from dealing with people who really are ill.
Reading the posts on here and realising that there are so many people who feel just as I do has been a revelation. Thanks to everyone who participates in this site. For the first time, I don't feel like I'm going it alone.
P