hello everyone

[Darrenb74]

hi all i'm Darren. i have had panic attacks since i was 16 and agoraphobia since 2004. Obviously like i suppose most the members on here? i get good days (weeks) and i get bad days (weeks). But i had a bad panic attack yesterday morning. So i was looking on online for some help and came across this site. So hopefully i'll get some good advice on what has and hasn't worked for yous and be able to give good advice on whats worked and hasn't worked for me. So come say hello and hopefully have a chat soon. Darren :)

[nomorepanic]

Hi Darrenb74

A huge warm welcome to nmp.

You'll get loads of advice and support here and make some lovely friends along the way.

Best wishes

[Pipkin]

Hi Darren and a warm :welcome:

Pip

[little wren]

Hi Darren, welcome from a fellow newbie ... :welcome:

[Darrenb74]

thank you for your replies pipkin and little wren.
yeah i'm hoping to get good advice and hopefully be able to give advice on my struggles over the years. Be nice to chat sometime hopefully.

Darren

[ShazyA]

Hi Darren im also a newbie, they are a friendly bunch here and have some great tips or even just a friendly ear when you need. Welcome

[Darrenb74]

Thank You Shazy. To be honest i feel better already by being on this site. reading other peoples situations and replying to some threads as made me feel less selfish.

Darren :)

[lee20]

:welcome: 2 nmp...... ive been on the site just under a week and had some fantastic advice and encouragement. im sure u will find this site very helpful :D

lee

[Mountainclimber]

Welcome on board, lots of friends and good advice, have fun, and Good Luck :flowers:

[Darrenb74]

Thank you lee and murphys law. Sure hope so. :)

[Carys]

Welcome Darren, hope you settle in, make yourself at home. :D

[kittikat]

Welcome Darren :)
I also suffer PA's, started about 6yrs ago, this has lead to severe and debilitating bouts of anxiety and a gradual build up to agoraphobia. I function in 'my world' some days better than others and can travel alone within a small distance from home. I also work but it's just a stones throw from where I live so I can handle that. I'd be interested to hear how you cope day to day.

This site and some of the lovely people I've met here have been a real godsend to me through my journey. I hope you get the same thing from joining. :) Kitti x

[Darrenb74]

Hello carys. Thank you for your welcome.

Darren :)

---------- Post added at 23:38 ---------- Previous post was at 23:03 ----------

Hello kittikat. Thank you for your welcome. I think my anxiety & panic are quite self-inflicted and just down to events in my life. When i was 16 i used to smoke cannabis and i had my appendix taken out. After that operation i started getting AAs & PAs. So not sure if it was the cannabis abuse or the op or both or neither just a coincidence. Went through life with and without anx\pan attacks. Then stupidly in my early twenties i started taking cocain. In 2004 i went to spain on holiday the morning after england got knocked out of euro 2004, i was in a pub watching the game and cause i was pee'd off with us losing i took cocain. A few hours later got on the plane had a panic attack. Didn't really enjoy the holiday cause just thinking about the flight home. When i got home with in a couple of weeks i stopped going out. Didn't go out for months and years at a time. Then my gf at the time was really good for helping me get out more. Then i started seeing a psychiatrist which really helped. Now i'm at a stage where i get days where its harder to leave the home. So definitely don't wanna go back to that stage. Just today i got a 6 session with my Dr's surgery who have an in house counsellor. So hopefully he can get me with hard work back on track to a brighter future for myself.

Darren :)

[anxious25]

Hello and welcome to nmp great place for support and information also you can relate to people with simalar issues

[kittikat]

Thanks for the interesting and honest insight into your anx/panic/agoraphobia.
I do hope the counselling helps you get back on track. I've had CBT in the past for the PA's, found it really helpful in dealing with them but it never really went away. I guess the more we understand how our mind & body react, the better equipped we are to cope. I'm on a long waiting list for therapy to help with the agg now. I won't hold my breath lol...I do try to push myself to go further/shop alone etc but I find I am becoming increasingly reliant on my partner to accompany me. I used to be so independant and it's hard to understand why my mind tells me I can't do it and I do feel somewhat 'trapped'. Good luck with your therapy...your brighter future awaits you :)
Kitti x

[Pipkin]

Hi Darren,

How are you doing?

Pip x

[Darrenb74]

Thank you for your reply and encouragement kittikat. I always say to people that "that if i asked you to not remember how to ride a bike they probably couldn't" but we forget how to go out and feel comfortable about doing it. Really hope the counselling will get me on feeling comfortable going out and really lower my anxiety levels.

Darren :)

---------- Post added at 13:05 ---------- Previous post was at 13:02 ----------

Hello pip. Been quite low the last few days. Just gotta get my optimistic and motivation levels really up.

how are you?

Darren :)

---------- Post added at 13:10 ---------- Previous post was at 13:05 ----------

Thank you anixous25. Yeah that's what i'm hoping to get from being on here is support and encouragement and hopefully i can give support and encouragement too.

Darren :)