Escargotage
17-11-13, 03:58
My name is Josh, and I'm a 23 year old that has suffered from anxiety/panic attacks off and on for the past 5 years. They started when I was in my senior year of high school and it got so bad that I didn't even want to leave the house on some days to avoid having an episode during the school day. After graduation, the anxiety got worse and put a strain on my relationships. This led to cutting ties with my friends from school and an agoraphobic episode that lasted a whole 5 years, preventing me from getting a job or pursuing further education. I was even too afraid to visit a doctor to get help for myself! I was put on an anxiety medication beforehand (citalopram, I think?), but it caused me to become nauseous and that led to me withdrawing even more.
Fortunately, my fear was what eventually lead to me overcoming this cycle. I was so afraid that I would die alone in this house that I bit the bullet and made an appointment with my doctor two weeks ago. The hardest part was getting into the car, believe it or not. Once we had started the ride down, I was completely calm the entire time. My mom told me that she felt like she was more worried about it than I was, which was kinda funny. As it turned out, I was perfectly healthy! The only issue he told me about was that I was underweight which was the biggest relief of my life.
Since then, I've been making strides in getting out more often and controlling my anxiousness when I am out. Unfortunately, I feel like a few days ago I have hit a setback. Chest pains in the middle of the night led to a panic attack that has caused an increased heart rate and trouble sleeping for the past few days. I have posted in the health anxiety forum about this already and am in the process of helping myself to get over it.
Anyway, I apologize for the long story. I am glad to be here, I lurked around for a while before registering and was amazed at how many people seem to suffer from the same problems I have! I look forward to meeting you all and wish you the best!
Fortunately, my fear was what eventually lead to me overcoming this cycle. I was so afraid that I would die alone in this house that I bit the bullet and made an appointment with my doctor two weeks ago. The hardest part was getting into the car, believe it or not. Once we had started the ride down, I was completely calm the entire time. My mom told me that she felt like she was more worried about it than I was, which was kinda funny. As it turned out, I was perfectly healthy! The only issue he told me about was that I was underweight which was the biggest relief of my life.
Since then, I've been making strides in getting out more often and controlling my anxiousness when I am out. Unfortunately, I feel like a few days ago I have hit a setback. Chest pains in the middle of the night led to a panic attack that has caused an increased heart rate and trouble sleeping for the past few days. I have posted in the health anxiety forum about this already and am in the process of helping myself to get over it.
Anyway, I apologize for the long story. I am glad to be here, I lurked around for a while before registering and was amazed at how many people seem to suffer from the same problems I have! I look forward to meeting you all and wish you the best!