It can get better, and there may be ways to help yourself

[iloverabs]

I am a 33 year old woman, and from the age of 22 to 30 I suferred very badly with depression and anxiety. In particular health anxiety. I still tend to worry about my health too much, and am known for assuming every headache is a brain tumour.

However, I have made some breakthroughs which I would like to share.

the first of which is that I recently discovered I am gluten and dairy intolerant, and when I stopped eating them I saw some huge changes.

Dairy products give me blocked sinuses, which cause headaches, feeling of dizziness, thirst and tiredness. For years I was worried I had diabetes, and it turned out to be something so simple.

Gluten gives me IBS, acid reflux, skin rashes, loose bowel movements, frequent illness and infections, dizziness, feeling of "brain fog" and anxiety. The anxiety is caused by stress of the adrenal glands from consuming something that is toxic to you.

After coming off both these things, I feel SO much better. I have a much stronger immune system and no longer have dizzy spells or days when I feel so exhausted. I used to collapse in tears conviced that I had cancer. No doctor ever spotted this was what was wrong with me.

I am not saying that all people have this, but in the modern world we have reduced immune systems and food intolerances are very common. Many basic and simple things can cause ongoing health problems, which by turn make you feel "crazy".

I would also like to offer a piece of advice in recommending diet and exercise as one of the best ways to treat anxiety. Just walking for 30 minutes a day, and swimming or cycling once a week can give a massive improvement. Make sure you eat well and eat regularly. These things might seem like they are too difficult when you are feeling terrible, but make small steps and it can change everything.

Stay away from Dr Google...it is only filled with doom and gloom and you NEVER seem to turn out to actually have the thing you were worried about. Just go to the doctor.

Buy and read a copy of Dale Carnegie´s book "how to stop worrying and start living". I read this several times and it helped to make me think of worries in a more realistic way.

If you can, get some behavioral therapy. If you get a good therapist, they can really help you to understand your own behavior, and work on ways to "retrain your brain".

That´s all I have to say, except to wish you all the absolute best. Anxiety is a cruel affliction. It makes me very sad to think of the years of my life that have been wasted being afraid of the invisible. What a waste of life, and how tragic for all suferrers. I wonder at all the things I would have done if I had not been so terrified.

I am by no means healed. I am still too scared of a heart attack to get on a rollercoaster. It still takes me 3 days to work up courage to take a new anti-bioitic in case I am allergic to it, and I still get mildly uncomfortable by small changes or aches and pains in my body. But is IS a lot better, and I haven´t had a panic attack for years and I hope for it to get better still!!!

I have found I am a naturally negative minded person, and this I think is the root of it all.

Remember...you can only have a panic attack if you are afraid of having one. Once you are no longer afraid...bring it on! It can´t hurt you. It can´t do anything to you. Face it, scream at it "DO YOUR WORST" and it will cease to have any power left over you.

:hugs:

[Serenitie]

What a wonderful post. Thank you, it made me smile :D Good for you on the breakthroughs you've made. I wish you every success with the progress you are making and look forward to reading more :yesyes:

[flossie]

:yesyes: I enjoyed reading your story.
Good luck for continued progress.

[Tufty]

Thank you for sharing your story. I was particularly interested in the food sensitivity bit - I get a blocked nose within seconds of putting cheese in my mouth, have acne (age 42) and intermittant irritable bowel type symptoms - together with all the 'normal' symptoms of anxiety. I'm going to look at my diet and put some of your advise into action
Thanks again
Sam

[iloverabs]

Hi Samhar...it´s so worth giving it a try and seeing if you feel better by not eating certain things.

I was only ever anxious if I was ill...classic health anxiety, but brought on by real physical symptoms. Doctors kept telling me there was no explanation for my illness except for "stress". The only stress I had was being convinved I had a terrible illness that the doctor was missing!!!

Elliminating these foods made me realise that I hadn´t been imaging things all those years and made me feel so much healthier. Once the frequent illnesses and stomach problems were gone, I started to feel healthy, and that went a great way to helping me realise I was healthy.

I think the body is all interlinked, and one small thing can set of a chain reaction that causes many real symtoms that are very far reaching. It is hard to find the root because modern medicine instead tries to treat the symptoms and does not look for the root cause unless it is life threatening.

I recommend to anyone that has persistent problems with their digestive system or sinuses to try a week off dairy products and see what happens.

I recommend anyone with persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, indigestion, anxiety and depression, diarrhea or constripation, eczema, headaches, IBS etc. to at least try two weeks off gluten completely (check all food labels as it can be hidden). If you feel diferrent after 3 days (worse or better) you are probably intolerant. 10% of people are. It took me 10 days to feel better...at first I felt much worse as the toxins left me at first.

I think trying an exclusion diet for any persistent health problems is a great idea. I think excluding all obvious possibilities is a good idea, and the most obvious explanation for frequent digestive problems is either stress or food intolerance.

Just stick to rice, meat, salad, fruit and veggies for two weeks and if your problem goes away or improves you might be eating something your body doesn´t like.

It´s worth a try!


x

[teez]

hiya just to say i back your post whole hearted ive been on a mainly wheat n gluten free diet for three years now,,i do find if ive had a slip and eaten something with it in ,,i go through a miriad of symptoms,,from severe diarrhoea to migraine,anxiety ,,rashes depressions,,bloated stomach and its my own fault when i dont check what im eating,,but weeks after stopping eating anything thing wheat or gluten based my tummy improves to beyond reconition,,its not for everyone but for me it was a good thing

[iloverabs]

Same as me Teez. It´s a shame when people come in over and over with things like IBS, rashes, migraines, dizziness etc. that GPs don´t consider the most obvious reason for these problems and at least try it out. They want to blame everything on stress.

I do think stress causes IBS, but I also think IBS causes stress!

[teez]

i also have underactive thyroid and hyper mobilty syndrome both things go hand in hand with ceoliacs,,yet the dr wants me to go back to eating wheat for 6 weeks before i have a blood test,,the pain isnt worth it nor the constant trips to the loo ,,i used to have to starve myself before i went out just so i could do something simple,,now im much better i still have ibs when im really stressed ,,but on the whole ive improved no end,,if my friend hadnt mentioned about her hubby having ceoliacs id still be suffering,,i also cant have any citrus ,,tinyist little drop and i have a crippling migraine and loo trouble ,,also typical of ceoliacs im not going to go the test route though because its not worth weeks of agony ,then its months for the flora in your tummy to recover for a piece of paper

[iloverabs]

I also declined the 6 week gluten challenge! you don´t need a blood test to confirm it when it is that obvious!

[nippy70]

Did you know that tesco's own cornflakes are gluten free.. 35p a box have them with soya milk...

i had some ready brek yesterday and a bit this morning,,, the allergy advice on the side nothing about it containing gluten ,, sure oates have gluten, ?? any offers lol

[iloverabs]

Thanks for telling me because I usually spend a fortune on the "Free From" ones! almond milk is really nice too...makes great smoothies with bananas.

Oats don´t contain gluten, but they are often mixed together a little when they are farmed so I usually only buy specifically gluten free oat products just to avoid being made sick. It´s expensive though, so if Ready Brek works for you, then go for it.

[nippy70]

well dont forget tescos own corn flakes , 35 p