View Full Version : Panic over everything
Hey guys
So today I had an earlier dinner I ate at 5, I had spaghetti, and afterwards I relaxed a bit of the couch then I proceeded to wash the dishes, The counter were I wash the dishes hits me right above the belly button. I had tight band around my waist from the pants I was wearing, and my bra fit fine just with the bloating from eating it was a bit snug. So I had those three things going when all of a sudden I felt like it a tiny porcupine was coming from my left side of the stomach and was traveling up to the diaphragm area. With each breath or movement it felt like something was about to burst. Or hurt like spine with needles was crawling and poking me around in there. I wasn't breathing right. So I don't know if that's what caused a sudden hot flash with severe sweating. I undid my pants. And when I tried to unhook my bra the pain felt like it was tearing open I took a breath and went ahead and unhooked the bra. I started feeling weak. I don't was home alone with 3 of the kids and my husband had stepped out with one of the kids to get dessert. So I freaked out that I was going to die with my kids looking on. :(
Finally I called my mom, my rock during these times. And tell her what's going on and she says it could be gas that gas can feel like the way I described it. As soon as she said that I burped. Could that really been caused by gas??
She then told me I have a tendency to over fear the normal aches and pains I feel. Which I know. And mentioned on herein my last post.
Right now my stomach feels tense awaiting for the pain to return.
Crazy thing of all.... I once saw a documentary were they show what happens when someone suffers internal bleeding. How the stomach inflates and when I felt the pain it's as if my mind made me see that my stomach was inflating which just pushed the anxiety over. Does anyone experience something like this? Or should I just go and check myself in at a psych ward? And no I'm not playing around. Today really just took the cake
MyNameIsTerry
09-06-17, 06:47
When you are sensitised due to anxiety you can react with panic at the slightest of sensations, many of them quite normal or a normal event like you experienced here.
I'm not a HAer but I've always been very symptom focussed. I never doubted it was anything other than anxiety but the symptoms still meant high anxiety. My reaction to normal bodily sensations was anxiety & lots of it.
What I found is that it's a load of hard work and a matter of time to change this so you don't pile more anxiety on top through overreaction. Meds & therapy are also a possibility, which I've used, but not a certainty.
Working on that reaction. Learning to relax more and rebuild self confidence to reduce that higher default anxiety setting we create through these constant anxiety periods. Getting the body to understand how non anxious states feel and giving it breaks to start calming down.
When you are sensitised due to anxiety you can react with panic at the slightest of sensations, many of them quite normal or a normal event like you experienced here.
I'm not a HAer but I've always been very symptom focussed. I never doubted it was anything other than anxiety but the symptoms still meant high anxiety. My reaction to normal bodily sensations was anxiety & lots of it.
What I found is that it's a load of hard work and a matter of time to change this so you don't pile more anxiety on top through overreaction. Meds & therapy are also a possibility, which I've used, but not a certainty.
Working on that reaction. Learning to relax more and rebuild self confidence to reduce that higher default anxiety setting we create through these constant anxiety periods. Getting the body to understand how non anxious states feel and giving it breaks to start calming down.
I had therapy and drugs trying to simultaneously help me over come this main reaction I get with body sensations and I failed miserably. I learned with meditation to see that it was just my tense body causing some symptoms but like these ones that come internally and feel as if something is trying to crawl out of your stomach/diaphragm area. Will that I can't take my mind out of the hole that this sensation is a signal that my body is telling me I'm in trouble.
Right now I've felt it again. And twice 30 minutes apart. I did have a heavy dinner. My mind says it's acid reflux. I took antacid right now. But my HA wins my thoughts over. We were driving home right now from a nice evening out and we drive by what is now our new hospital close to were we live. 15 minute drive. And I felt like telling the hubs to drop me off. But I can't do that to us right now that we don't have insurance.
The pain I notice does come when I slouch or When I have a bit of pressure on my stomach. What can cause this? Idk and I dare not to google cause we know how that goes.... I only go for the things I know from before this thing took over my life.
For once I would like to enjoy having some good time with my family without having me think that "this could be the last time" we had a good time tonight but then the pain started and I just wanted to be home. :( if it weren't for the little ones that actually voiced there need to be home I could of easily ended tonight's night because of my selfishness.
I Don't Get it!
10-06-17, 11:48
But my HA wins my thoughts over.
Out of your whole post, this is the most important and relevant IMHO. Everything you describe (and I mean everything, the physical, mental and emotional symptoms) are classic for anxiety.
You already know this don't you? I really wish I could help, but I don't really know how.
Have you tried any other kinds of therapy?
I don't have HA, just GAD and depression but I found CBT and David Burns "Feeling Good" book to be really helpful. It can be bought cheaply from Amazon or maybe your local library could get it for you if money is tight.
I often get terrible pains when I'm washing up too. It's like a burning type of Pain (burning muscular pain, not heartburn) and it's from my neck right through to my shoulders, chest and back. Sometimes it's so bad I have to go and lie down. It really is just anxiety, though.
Btw, it's not selfishness on your part, you're unwell at the moment. But you can recover and be well again :flowers:
PS
Tight bra's and large meals can make you feel ill too.
WiredIncorrectly
10-06-17, 16:21
I hate days like this! I get them sometimes and I end up worrying over something so stupid.
Very recently my shoe laces were a little too tight once. I didn't notice for a long time so I assumed my foot was hurting, and swelling. I started thinking:
"What if there's too much water in my feet? That's a sign of heart problems and can result in foot swelling. What if I drop dead any moment from a heart attack? Are my lips blue? Do people notice. Oh no I need to get out of this place. People can see I'm about to die. I feel hot and sweaty. I think my chest is hurting and I feel sick. I'm going to pass out, there is definitely something wrong with my heart".
The fear of death and impending doom was as real as you can imagine. I literally thought I was going to die and got to a point of just accepting that death was about to come. Image how it feels to reach down to remove your shoe to notice the laces are too tight and causing a little pressure on the front of my shoe. Thats all it was, and I made something so small a huge problem.
Yeah those days are crappy.
It's worse when I try to talk to people about anxiety. Very few people who have anxiety get those sorts of attacks I described. They say it makes them uncomfortable. I try to explain what I feel is hysterical, and they laugh at me as if I'm blowing it out of proportion.
Hi Yeah I mean the answer was simply just losesen your laces a bit but of course irrational thinking gets in the way it's beating it which can be a problem, Remember feelings aren't always facts!! Advice next something happens like that look at the pratical ways to solve the problem, there is usually a way round the majority of things we face ;) Can I ask are you now back on your meds? Cheers
WiredIncorrectly
10-06-17, 16:35
Hi Yeah I mean the answer was simply just losesen your laces a bit but of course irrational thinking gets in the way it's beating it which can be a problem, Remember feelings aren't always facts!! Advice next something happens like that look at the pratical ways to solve the problem, there is usually a way round the majority of things we face ;) Can I ask are you now back on your meds? Cheers
Sometimes it's hard because during a state of panic thinking tends to be very irrational. And no I haven't started back on the medications. I couldn't deal with the side effects from the Citalopram. I haven't been back to the doctor since because I feel like I'm wasting their time and I also feel like I'm out of options on what they can do to help me. I've already did CBT and they seem very reluctant to try alternative medications and to stick me on Citalopram.
In my reports it's noted that I respond well to them, but I just can't deal with the side effects. I also get paranoid that it's killing my liver and doing other damage to my body in the long run.
Oops. Sorry for crashing your post @OP.
Sometimes it's hard because during a state of panic thinking tends to be very irrational. And no I haven't started back on the medications. I couldn't deal with the side effects from the Citalopram. I haven't been back to the doctor since because I feel like I'm wasting their time and I also feel like I'm out of options on what they can do to help me. I've already did CBT and they seem very reluctant to try alternative medications and to stick me on Citalopram.
In my reports it's noted that I respond well to them, but I just can't deal with the side effects. I also get paranoid that it's killing my liver and doing other damage to my body in the long run.
Oops. Sorry for crashing your post @OP. Of course it is that's the nature of the beast, it's tackling the beast and finding ways to calm it down what ever works for you :) Correct me if I am wrong, but the last time you was on Citalopram you didn't give it that long to get side effect out of your system, So perhaps see if there is another med that can either be combined with the Citalopram or the new med on it's own, Did the leaflet said it can cause liver problems My heart tablets well one of them can cause liver problems but touch wood been on them for over 7 years now have yearly blood tests and no liver problems atall Yeah can see why they want to put you back on Citalopram as they really did help your condition. And no you aren't waisting the drs time you want to get better so it's as long as it takes so I would personally go back and have chat to your dr it's what they are there for, not to go would be futile IMHO, the choice is yours. Cheers
Out of your whole post, this is the most important and relevant IMHO. Everything you describe (and I mean everything, the physical, mental and emotional symptoms) are classic for anxiety.
You already know this don't you? I really wish I could help, but I don't really know how.
Have you tried any other kinds of therapy?
I don't have HA, just GAD and depression but I found CBT and David Burns "Feeling Good" book to be really helpful. It can be bought cheaply from Amazon or maybe your local library could get it for you if money is tight.
I often get terrible pains when I'm washing up too. It's like a burning type of Pain (burning muscular pain, not heartburn) and it's from my neck right through to my shoulders, chest and back. Sometimes it's so bad I have to go and lie down. It really is just anxiety, though.
Btw, it's not selfishness on your part, you're unwell at the moment. But you can recover and be well again :flowers:
PS
Tight bra's and large meals can make you feel ill too.
I did psychologist and psychiatrist, they told me I had a good chance if I did them together so the first 30 mins I would talk to psychiatrist how my meds were going if i needed to tweak them or give the meds time. Then I would go in and see the psychologist who wanted to see me twice a week since my anxiety was through the roof. Her maximum. At 30$ per visit since my insurance at that time did not cover mental health services. With her I worked on the "Anxiety and Phobias Workbook" we did a hardcore session on changing my way of thinking of my random symptoms into positive or less dramatic POV. For a whole month that she kind of got frustrated. At the end I had to stop going since it was getting too much financially. I don't know if that caused me to have a mental block like if I can't be fixed and I don't allow myself to get over this way of thinking. But what else can I do to get better I do start reading over some of those notes and sections on the book. But still, I get an unknown symptom and I act like it's the end of the world. It's frustrating.
---------- Post added at 10:08 ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 ----------
I hate days like this! I get them sometimes and I end up worrying over something so stupid.
Very recently my shoe laces were a little too tight once. I didn't notice for a long time so I assumed my foot was hurting, and swelling. I started thinking:
"What if there's too much water in my feet? That's a sign of heart problems and can result in foot swelling. What if I drop dead any moment from a heart attack? Are my lips blue? Do people notice. Oh no I need to get out of this place. People can see I'm about to die. I feel hot and sweaty. I think my chest is hurting and I feel sick. I'm going to pass out, there is definitely something wrong with my heart".
The fear of death and impending doom was as real as you can imagine. I literally thought I was going to die and got to a point of just accepting that death was about to come. Image how it feels to reach down to remove your shoe to notice the laces are too tight and causing a little pressure on the front of my shoe. Thats all it was, and I made something so small a huge problem.
Yeah those days are crappy.
It's worse when I try to talk to people about anxiety. Very few people who have anxiety get those sorts of attacks I described. They say it makes them uncomfortable. I try to explain what I feel is hysterical, and they laugh at me as if I'm blowing it out of proportion.
Definitely hate days like this.
TBH I couldn't help but giggle not at you but that I've had a similar experience, in the since that it turned out to be something I was wearing.
I had my purse, from shoulder across breasts and ends at the hip. I was going through heart worries and heart palps would send me into major panic attacks. Will I would twist and I would get "palps" I was about to have a meltdown when I went to remove my purse the leather and metal clip would rub and cause "the palps" I laughed it off. And it helped for a while not to jump to conclusions but that security passed and I went back to getting scared again. :( I feel like I can't get fixed.
It's hard to come by people who do understand I've tried. And even the people that have bad anxiety around me can't see my form of anxiety at all they treat it as something impossible.
---------- Post added at 10:11 ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 ----------
Sometimes it's hard because during a state of panic thinking tends to be very irrational. And no I haven't started back on the medications. I couldn't deal with the side effects from the Citalopram. I haven't been back to the doctor since because I feel like I'm wasting their time and I also feel like I'm out of options on what they can do to help me. I've already did CBT and they seem very reluctant to try alternative medications and to stick me on Citalopram.
In my reports it's noted that I respond well to them, but I just can't deal with the side effects. I also get paranoid that it's killing my liver and doing other damage to my body in the long run.
Oops. Sorry for crashing your post @OP.
No worries!
The thing is we overlook the simplest things. In that moment I freak out my thinking becomes erratic and only grasps on to one thing. And doesn't budge from the dreaded fear until. The panic starts to fade or until after doni see the common sense of what to do.
Anxiety can be in many disguises but it's still anxiety at the end of the day, while it may not make sense to some one it makes sense to you :)
Anxiety can be in many disguises but it's still anxiety at the end of the day, while it may not make sense to some one it makes sense to you :)
True. But I sometimes wish people could just hear me out and not make me feel stupid.
I've been laughed at and mocked voicing my symptoms. Or my fears.
True. But I sometimes wish people could just hear me out and not make me feel stupid.
I've been laughed at and mocked voicing my symptoms. Or my fears. Sure! Hey been there got the T shirt (now worn out ha ha) and the DVD been played that many times I know it off by heart! Just rise above it :) Cheers
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