AnxiousAva
09-04-12, 17:03
Hi all,
I joined this forum last night, and already it has helped me have one half-decent night's sleep!
After a number of stressful incidents over the last six months I've built myself up to a level of anxiety and depression combined that I'm no longer coping with normal day-to-day things, sometimes even just shopping throws me into the deepest of worries!
I started a new, very stressful job about a year ago, then I had to go into hospital for an operation and was reliant on family for a couple of months even just to go to the loo, then I fell pregnant despite having an IUD in place, which caused a miscarriage, then to top it off I went back to work into a whole load of new stress and that was it, I just plummeted!
My anxiety is health anxiety, specifically about cancer, and my main concerns at the moment are lymph nodes swelling and hurting (neck, groin, armpits), a creeping 'itch' that comes and goes all over but especially on glands, tiredness, weightloss, and yellow patches in my mouth. Of course, if you ask Dr Google he will say I have every dreaded disease under the sun and will die any second now... but that's probably not true!
I've battled with going or not going to the doctors (and have been a few times, had CBC, CRP and thyroid function tests), and am trying to weigh up whether it is worth getting the sicknote my doctor has offered me while I try and combat the anxiety. Problem with that is it makes me feel worse by letting my employers down (they have been unbelievably supportive, I don't want to mess them around at all), but then not getting better isn't doing THEM any good either! I've been referred for CBT, and I'm doing all the homework my psychiatrist sets me to do, and I can see small improvements. But when I'm down, I'm really at rock bottom. When I'm up, I'm great! Usually three-days-up-three-days-down at the moment. I have been diagnosed with moderate post-natal-depression and moderate anxiety. I was initially put on citalopram, but I felt this was making me more anxious, so am going to ask to swap to amitriptyline as I've had that before and not had any massive side-effects.
Anyway, enough rambling, thanks already to those who have been supportive, and I really believe being part of this community will help. I also hope I can be a support to others, that's definitely one way to boost your self-esteem, being a positive influence on others!
AAxx
:)
I joined this forum last night, and already it has helped me have one half-decent night's sleep!
After a number of stressful incidents over the last six months I've built myself up to a level of anxiety and depression combined that I'm no longer coping with normal day-to-day things, sometimes even just shopping throws me into the deepest of worries!
I started a new, very stressful job about a year ago, then I had to go into hospital for an operation and was reliant on family for a couple of months even just to go to the loo, then I fell pregnant despite having an IUD in place, which caused a miscarriage, then to top it off I went back to work into a whole load of new stress and that was it, I just plummeted!
My anxiety is health anxiety, specifically about cancer, and my main concerns at the moment are lymph nodes swelling and hurting (neck, groin, armpits), a creeping 'itch' that comes and goes all over but especially on glands, tiredness, weightloss, and yellow patches in my mouth. Of course, if you ask Dr Google he will say I have every dreaded disease under the sun and will die any second now... but that's probably not true!
I've battled with going or not going to the doctors (and have been a few times, had CBC, CRP and thyroid function tests), and am trying to weigh up whether it is worth getting the sicknote my doctor has offered me while I try and combat the anxiety. Problem with that is it makes me feel worse by letting my employers down (they have been unbelievably supportive, I don't want to mess them around at all), but then not getting better isn't doing THEM any good either! I've been referred for CBT, and I'm doing all the homework my psychiatrist sets me to do, and I can see small improvements. But when I'm down, I'm really at rock bottom. When I'm up, I'm great! Usually three-days-up-three-days-down at the moment. I have been diagnosed with moderate post-natal-depression and moderate anxiety. I was initially put on citalopram, but I felt this was making me more anxious, so am going to ask to swap to amitriptyline as I've had that before and not had any massive side-effects.
Anyway, enough rambling, thanks already to those who have been supportive, and I really believe being part of this community will help. I also hope I can be a support to others, that's definitely one way to boost your self-esteem, being a positive influence on others!
AAxx
:)