A horrible horrible time

[williamandmax]

Hi

Ive just joined thos forum and im not sure whether to put my post in this section or health.

My history - Im 46 and have experienced episodes of panic attacks very occasionally. First time was in my 20s when we moved to a new area and I hated it - I had very bad panic attacks with pvcs and was convinced I was going to die!

These episodes have raised their ugly head when there is something stressful going on...but only very occasionally.

I am very surprised that I have been hit with these again and this time its very bad. Im self employed and have been lucky enough to have been very busy - in fact i havent really stopeed in over a year - working weekends etc etc...great...or so i thought.

I kept telling my wife that i would soon need a break as I was very tired...we dont have children but we did have 2 dogs that we loved very much. In October we lost them both within 3 weeks...we were devastated...we then got a puppy...who became ill very quickly and this stressed me out even more (hes ok now!)..coupled with fact i started a long contract in January...I knew something was going to give...

.....and it has...

I noticed that I was starting to get pannicky when I was going into work. Then one day when we were having a meeting I had a panic attack...I had to pretend I wanted to go to the loo...it was awful....ever since then its got worse...panic attacks going into work...then when in work.

I dont drink (honestly) however its got to the point where im needing to drink before I go into work!...how sad is that?

...I am going to see my gp..but just wanted peoples advice if possible?

Many thanks
Max

[ankietyjoe]

Hey Max

Well firstly, I would advise you cut the drinking out as soon as possible as I can guarantee it'll make things worse.

It sounds like you've already identified the triggers (and you've had many) and you already understand what stress and anxiety are capable of so you've got a head start there too.

The best thing to do is just not react to the attacks. You've had them before and nothing happened so that's the way to deal with it. It's not easy, but it works.

The GP will probably prescribe some medication, but I think that's something to ponder before you go down that route as there's a lot of options that you can look into like meditation, deep breathing and relaxation and simply slowing down with your work.

[Col]

Can understand the drink aspect , don't condoln it , haven't resorted to it but when your desperate and try so hard to get on with life etc can understand why some do have to drink. It's not sad but does need knocking on the head!

I've got 2 kids & a small baby & we lost 2 dwarf hamsters (some may think I'm a saddo) before Xmas weeks between really & I was gutted! So again pets can be just as much a Part of your life as kids can. I love dogs as well, how sad for u!

You need to stop and take stock of this before it inflates beyond your control and you have a breakdown! You say you've had them before so, you'll know what I mean by that, as there comes a point if you keep pushing yourself that you end up completely debilitated.

Sleep & eat better. Stop drinking and instead try tapping exercises or meditation!

Good luck

[Rubicon]

Hi, i totally understand what you're going through.

I also don't think it's sad that you use alcohol like that - when i was really struggling with my panic attacks (i left work by this point and was working from home) i used to have to drink before i could go to someone's house.. If i was visiting friends or family or my boyfriend's family i had to have a drink before, without telling anyone, otherwise i would panic.

Thanks to challenging myself and changing my behaviour and going through therapy i don't need to do that anymore and can go to these places without a second thought.

Hope you start to feel better soon. Sorry to hear about your dogs, losing a pet is really tough xx

[williamandmax]

Thank you for your replies it has helped. With regards to alcohol..it's strange as I really can't be bothered with it at all. I know it doesn't make sense but it's only when I'm going through this ultra high anxious state that I need to use it.

Losing our two boys will haunt me for a long long time..but they both had good long lives but we still miss them so much.

We now have a beautiful puppy but he had health problems and that I think was probably the straw that broke the camels back!

I have posted a second post in health section as I've had a high blood sugar reading recently which I totally forgot about!..not sure if this would contribute to some of the extra horrible symptoms I'm experiencing this time.

Max