Need someone to talk to losing it day by day

[lukeneal26]

Hi I'm luke and I've always suffered with bad HA

anyway for 2 years I took sertraline to help me and everything was going good until 3 months ago I stopped them on my own thinking I was fine! Well since then I've thought I've had everything known to man! But the most worring thing is I started to lose my appetite and lose weight funny stomach ass well no real pain just full quicker ext! Loose stools ext! Well I was working 60+ hours a week and thought my mind was busy until last sat I looked in the mirror and sore how thin I had got! Had a full on break down ended up at the hospital! Been burping alot and had a lot of wind as well they did a full blood test and I meam checked everything and doctor said my bloods were great and it's my HA! Said it was because I stopped my tablets on my own just keep losing it!

[courierdude]

vitamin b12 absorption problem? do you drink tea? make strong cups of tea and the tanins will help with your stool problem. just a starting point.

[lukeneal26]

Never drank tea was drink litres of diet Pepsi though

[SarahH]

So are you back on the meds?.. That would be a start:)

[lukeneal26]

Yes been on sertraline 8 days now and still think im ill just can't seem to eat much without getting full and I use to love food doctor said bloods would show him reasons for concern and I just can't belive that :(

[courierdude]

diet pepsi should have a not for human consumption label on it! aspartame is a neuro toxin and actively makes cells explode!hahah seriously that what it does! i would knock that on the head straight away! there are no end of recorded cases of health issues tied to aspartame consumption.

obvious things you say are that you have no appetite and then that you are losing weight... both go hand in hand.

really need to force some food in you. learn how to make some soups from chopped up veg and a stock cube. very simple and you will get some nutrients in you.

pour your pepsi down the toilet though-leave it for 5 minutes and give it a scrub with the pepsi still there and you'll see what it should really be used for!

[lukeneal26]

That's the thing I use to be addicted to the stuff and then all of sudden I don't want it anymore I've not had it for a week I'm eating good sized meals like omelets and stuff but I'm. Getting full quick and then that males me panic because I use to be a big eater that and Google and I'm a mess

[saab]

Pretty sure that aspartame is a diuretic too - ie. Makes you wee and poo. Soft drinks are just empty calories, they do you no good whatsoever. Also, they make you feel full so you are less lightly to want to eat. Worst of all, colas contain caffeine which is not good for your mental health. Try cutting out caffeine from your diet altogether if you can. If I am already anxious even one coffee or coke can make me very edgy.

[courierdude]

your stomach might well have shrunk a little during a period of not eating and it will fill quickly when you try to put a big meal in you. nothing wrong with eating small meals-just eat more of them?

i have to add, and i said it in another post, but i think learning to handle caffine is a pretty good way to learn how to manage the sensation of say a racing heart or some other panic attack sensation. im on half cups for years and i dont drink the 10 cafe lattes from coffee republic that i used to years ago..

[SarahH]

So only 8 days. Give it some time to work and your appetite will come back.

Sarah

[lukeneal26]

Been trying that I've been breaking down and crying everyday morning waking up at like 5 am stomach feels empty but just not hungry beens doctors 4 times in 5 days and he keeps saying I'm fine and blood tests would show him something and I just keep worrying about my weight loss all the time not lost any in 5 days though bit only passing small loose stools in the morning no blood ext and brown sorry tmi

[saab]

Also, blood tests will usually bring up signs of serious illness so it does sound a lot like stress and anxiety. 60 hours a week is a lot - no wonder you feel anxious, you must be exhausted. Make sure you make time to eat properly, not crappy fast food.

Loss of appetite is a classic symptom of stress, anxiety, and depression. As suggested, try eating small meals or snacks, things like soup and toast. Hope you feel better soon.

[courierdude]

drugs are there to mask your problems not cure you.

i wouldnt focus your hope on them completely or come to rely on them. your body is mostly capable of looking after itself. sometimes your brain goes a bit wonky and puts things out of keel but you can take it all back without subjecting yourself to modern medicine.

[lukeneal26]

Just a mess feel like I've always got something wrong with me and the doctor has told me 4 times this week my bloods would show him something of concern it started today when someone told me bloods don't sshow them much then I went into a massive panic :(

---------- Post added at 18:35 ---------- Previous post was at 18:30 ----------

I'd done so well got a house and a promotion at work and now I feel like I'm losing it all

[Pipkin]

Luke,

My appetite is the first thing to go too when I'm really anxious. I can go for days barely being able to eat anything. When I was last really bad, the only thing I could eat was muesli and I lost loads of weight which isn't good when you're already underweight.

First thing, give the meds time to work. They are completely out of your system from last time and they can take a good few weeks to kick in fully. Meds can be an absolute life saver as long as you plan other things to help yourself. It can be therapy like CBT or it can just be making sure you get plenty of exercise and don't wear yourself out thriugh work. I know that we have to work long hours but you won't be able to work at all if you keep getting worse. What works for me? Meds, two lively dogs and a determination never to let anxiety take my life away from me again. I am always busy and rarely have time to dwell on things.

Stick at it, you'll get there.

Pip

[courierdude]

i think first you should swap your pepsi for soup. go online google a simple soup recipe! make sure youre well fed and rested and reduce your workload because 60 hours is only something you can do for so long before you break down.

forget about whats coming out of the other end for now and focus what you put into you, give your stomach some time to adjust and respond. give yourself a week and promise yourself to not concern yourself for it for a whole week and address the issue if it doesnt change after that.

you should feel some logical relief that your bloodwork is good and for the time being try and accept that eveything that you are experiencing is just a game that your mind is playing on you due to ragged nerves, uncomfortable nights, worry...just accept it for what it is and put the fear out of your head.

we cant feel 100% all of the time and you sound like you have reason to have these nervous responses to your lifestyle. you need to eat and rest(as do i!). i think that that is half the problem with all of us...or too much time and rest on our hands which can have a similar effect.

[lukeneal26]

I really do feel better talking to you all I mean the thing I worry about is I think back and I didn't think I was that anxious so then I worry am I ill or is it in my mind I had times I'd be running round at work and get this feeling of being dizzy and losing my breath I mean I've give up the diet Pepsi and the cogs which worrys me I've smoked for 10 years only 26 now I'm trying to eat health but I get this fear when k eat now that it hurts when it goes down maybe I'm being silly

[saab]

Those all sound like anxiety symptoms to me. There is a great book called Self Help for Your Nerves by Dr Claire Weeks. It was a lifesaver for me as it explains all the physical symptoms of anxiety and suggests a method of dealing with them - which is, simplifying it a bit, to let the feelings wash over you. Don't fight anxiety and panic; accept it and let it wash over you and eventually it subsides on it's own.

[Pipkin]

Luke,

Anxiety can play terrible tricks on your mind and you're not being silly. Just take a moment out and think what you've told us all: you're not eating properly, you're working 60 hours a week, you can't relax so you'll be full of nervous energy and doctors say you're fine after many tests. Surely you'd be surprised if you didn't lose weight.

Having said that, what you're anxious about isn't the main issue - it could be health, finances, friends, open spaces, confined spaces etc. As anxiety sufferers, we all have triggers and no matter how much reassurance we get, it doesn't make a blind bit of difference. The important thing is to recognise it as anxiety and know it will pass. It won't beat you, you won't let it. It can't hurt you so do your best to let it flow over you and get on with enjoying life like you did 3 months ago.

Well done on your promotion btw, you're obviously good at your job and you may find that in a perverse way, being the sort of person who worries about things makes you pay attention to the details that others miss. Sometimes, there's a point to it, other times, it's soul destroying and pointless.

Keep posting on here if it's helping - you can guarantee that we've all been there and know what it's like.

Take care

Pip

[courierdude]

i have a ghost strangling me right now luke-actually its been doing it on and off for about 3 months which is what actually led me here to this site. first episode in well over a year... and i smoke-but i like to enjoy a cigarette every 3 hours if i can drag it out and my carbon monoxide levels are .02-lower than a commuter who walks along a road next to traffic.
nicotine is actually good for the brain if you need some encouraging! heheh so try googling that next time instead of looking for reasons to be sick. ..also the way aspartame passed food administrations is pretty interesting. banned in most of south america..malaysia i think too...

soup is the way forward! if i hadnt said that 10 times already and then eventually you might want to progress on to big boy food with lumps and things : )

you have to laugh luke-your brain trying to torture you! often i am seen in an empty field whacking my head with a long twig...if only they knew

[Juan Inch]

Hi Luke,

Dude - It's like reading my last six weeks!

I have suffered from muscle aches and pains all over (feels like I've been beat up!), weird stomach sensations, my sciatica has gotten worse, lost weight... And I've had a blood test etc too. All fine.

Whilst its true they cant detect EVERYTHING to the EXACT illness in a blood test, blood tests DO show anything that may indicate anything potentially serious. There is ALOT a blood test can tell. Courierdude is spot on...it should be a GOOD thing that your blood work has come back OK. Its a positive. Well, at least thats how I see mine!

My dad was diagnosed with a type of cancer a few weeks back where he described certain back and shoulder pain and stomach upset during/after eating. Now, this type of cancer is actually pretty rare in terms of cancer types but Im convinced im experiencing the same type of symptoms. Im not...I can't be. My doctor even said it would be impossible - especially at my age (34). I've been told my back is tense and that its muscular. Plus all these symptoms started when I heard my dad had cancer...to the day!! So I know its all anxiety. But as far as food goes, I know how you feel dude. I get a little anxious before I eat because I'm worried I'll 'feel' something. And, of course, this just perpetuates the anxiety and I start to 'feel' something thats just all in my mind!

Good luck dude.

[lukeneal26]

Thank you for your reply glad I'm not the only one I been burping alot for the last few months and because I smoke which I've stopped now I worry I'm only 26

[JordanUK]

I'm guna try that myself cut out all the caffeine, as my diet is poor I work 50+ hours a week and rarely cook, I think my HA is exacerbated by my diet, guna try and cut out all artificial rubbish and drink water + natural juices and I'm going to try eat decent food instead of on the go rubbish, also as the New Years in I'm going to try and quit cigarettes, I did so well before like 6 months but then I had a PA and just smoked for no stupid reason.