peterg
02-07-05, 16:19
Hi everyone, I'm Peter.
I was suffering from a great deal of work related stress this time last year after the retirement of an employee and poor performance of another. I had to pick up the work of the retiree as I was told he would not be replaced and I had already picked up significant amounts from the other employee.
Prior to this I had experienced 3 bereavements in 15 months, two of which I had to make the arrangements for and deal with the small estates. I have a 3 year old and a one year old.
This all culminated in me being carted off in an ambulance from work in September 04. My speech had gone, I could not tell a colleague the number to call to let family know, breathing affected, tight chest.....yes you've guessed...my first panic attack....paramedics not sure so I was taken to hospital for an ECG and discharged 3 hours later.
What followed over the following weeks and months could only be described as an absolute nightmare. I thought I was going mad, I was suffering extreme symptoms, I could not do basic DIY or even turn on a computer. I was signed off by the doctor for two weeks and then a further two weeks which then turned in to 4 weeks at a time.
I was put on to Cipramil within 4 weeks, despite my best efforts to avoid tablets. I started basic one to one counselling in November which still continues.
I started a phased return to work in January 05 following pressure from work and OH. It was good to get back to work but I was having problems with the symptoms associated with anxiety. I was short with people without realising this at the time and was continuing a battle with my boss who would not accept work related stress as a reason for being off. This in hindsight had a detrimental effect on my health and I was put on Lustral (sertraline) at the beginning of March and treated for depression.
I have since May continued to recover and am now back at work full time. During June, i took back staff responsibility for one member of staff whilst working within restrictions.
Still feel I am having a battle for survival at work as the tight chest and clamped heart feeling and arm shakings and judders can be a bit debilitating. Mentally, my memory, particularly recall is poor and I have a tendency to go into a downward spiral if anyone annoys or irritates me.
I guess the next phase is to work around this and change the negative thoughts I keep getting. To help this I have worked my way through the Overcoming Anxiety cd set and rely heavily on the relaxation cd (particularly track 6 deep relaxation) when I go into a downward thought spiral.
I start CBT on 1st August...not quite sure what to expect, although I am convinced this will help me.
In summary, I am learning to cope with the symptoms of anxiety although I would dearly like to rid myself of them. I never avoid situations that cause me anxiety and believe this has helped me to make rapid progress over the last 10 months. I am now trying to deal with the constant fatigue, tight chests and general up and down nature of the condition. I would like to know if you ever do rid yourself completely of the symptoms or is this something we have to get used to and live with ?
Sorry this is so long and I really did start by trying to keep it brief....but have found this a useful exercise.
Does anyone now if anxiety disorders have been classed as a disability (per DDA) or perhaps a long term illness by the medical profession ?
Bye for now [Sigh...]
I was suffering from a great deal of work related stress this time last year after the retirement of an employee and poor performance of another. I had to pick up the work of the retiree as I was told he would not be replaced and I had already picked up significant amounts from the other employee.
Prior to this I had experienced 3 bereavements in 15 months, two of which I had to make the arrangements for and deal with the small estates. I have a 3 year old and a one year old.
This all culminated in me being carted off in an ambulance from work in September 04. My speech had gone, I could not tell a colleague the number to call to let family know, breathing affected, tight chest.....yes you've guessed...my first panic attack....paramedics not sure so I was taken to hospital for an ECG and discharged 3 hours later.
What followed over the following weeks and months could only be described as an absolute nightmare. I thought I was going mad, I was suffering extreme symptoms, I could not do basic DIY or even turn on a computer. I was signed off by the doctor for two weeks and then a further two weeks which then turned in to 4 weeks at a time.
I was put on to Cipramil within 4 weeks, despite my best efforts to avoid tablets. I started basic one to one counselling in November which still continues.
I started a phased return to work in January 05 following pressure from work and OH. It was good to get back to work but I was having problems with the symptoms associated with anxiety. I was short with people without realising this at the time and was continuing a battle with my boss who would not accept work related stress as a reason for being off. This in hindsight had a detrimental effect on my health and I was put on Lustral (sertraline) at the beginning of March and treated for depression.
I have since May continued to recover and am now back at work full time. During June, i took back staff responsibility for one member of staff whilst working within restrictions.
Still feel I am having a battle for survival at work as the tight chest and clamped heart feeling and arm shakings and judders can be a bit debilitating. Mentally, my memory, particularly recall is poor and I have a tendency to go into a downward spiral if anyone annoys or irritates me.
I guess the next phase is to work around this and change the negative thoughts I keep getting. To help this I have worked my way through the Overcoming Anxiety cd set and rely heavily on the relaxation cd (particularly track 6 deep relaxation) when I go into a downward thought spiral.
I start CBT on 1st August...not quite sure what to expect, although I am convinced this will help me.
In summary, I am learning to cope with the symptoms of anxiety although I would dearly like to rid myself of them. I never avoid situations that cause me anxiety and believe this has helped me to make rapid progress over the last 10 months. I am now trying to deal with the constant fatigue, tight chests and general up and down nature of the condition. I would like to know if you ever do rid yourself completely of the symptoms or is this something we have to get used to and live with ?
Sorry this is so long and I really did start by trying to keep it brief....but have found this a useful exercise.
Does anyone now if anxiety disorders have been classed as a disability (per DDA) or perhaps a long term illness by the medical profession ?
Bye for now [Sigh...]