my situation

[joe112]

Hi everyone,

Ive been having panic attacks since september- at the beginning of the school year for me, they started out infrequent but have steadily got worse and more numerous, from giving me just heart palpatations to nausea/sweating/numbness the whole works basically.

I'm a very anxious person becuase of this, and its especially bad in situations such as classrooms where i feel uncomfortable and concious ill embarrass myself, ill start getting horrible crazy thoughts of me throwing up in class and then ill actually start to feel nausious along with the panic attack and eventually i sometimes have to run out. Its even got so bad i cant bear to eat in the dining room at school, ive rtecieved help from a councellor and my GP- so far neither have really helped. i dont know what to do anymore about it- i feel like despairing and accepting this to be my life from know on as i dont know how to fight them anymore.

[tanya 1]

hi joe,do any of your friends in school know about your situation ?
tanya 1 x

[the power kendrick]

hi joe i feel u need to talk to some of ur friends at school or a teacher u no and feel confortable to speak to.hope this helps

[joe112]

yeh i few do, but its difficult as not so many of them are in my classes
its difficult to talk about and its so strange because ive never had this problem before and i dont think people would understand

[Lu]

Hi Joe, i'm really sorry to hear about the troubles you're having.
I suffered with exactly the same thing through secondary school i'm now 24 so i promise you will survive feeling like this even though it doesn't feel like it now!

I used to find that if i sat near the door of the class room this sometimes helped as it made me feel i was near an escape route.
I know i also felt that the teacher of the lesson being aware of my difficulties made me feel more comfortable, i used to carry around a note written by a teacher i trusted explaining my problems, so if for example there was a new teacher or a supply teacher i could show them the note and they would be aware that i may need to leave the classroom.

I have really found that it is amazing how many people suffer with anxiety issues, some of my teachers at school were wonderfully understanding and confided in me that they also had similar problems and found being in a classroom themselves was difficult!

I think it's wonderful that you are talking to your GP and a therapist as they will be able to explain the different options and coping mechanisms available to you to help deal with the attacks and find the right solution for you. (everyone is different and different things help different people!)

Its important for you to remember you are not on your own, please don't suffer in silence.

Take Care.

[ana]

Hi Joe!

I know exactly how you feel. I've been having anxiety for over 7 years now and I still remeber how bad I used to feel while in school. I would feel dizzy, spaced out and so horribly panicky every single day in school. Sitting through my classes was almost unbearable. I couldn't focus on anything, my panic was so strong.
I will never forget one particularly embarrassing situation when I was 15. I have just statred High school (in Croatia elementary school has 8 grades, high school 4), it was my first week in the new class and I didn't know anybody, which made me even more anxious. At one point, I started panicking so badly that I knew I had to leave the classroom or otherwise I might pass out or "lose it", so I raised my hand and asked my teacher a permission to go out. She looked at me and asked me if I was feeling all right as I was extremely pale. Suddenly the whole class was staring at me and I felt so exposed and even more scared. I told her I was a bit feverish. She then insisted that I went home, but not alone, as I could pass out on my way there. A girl whose name I didn't know walked me home and she insisted I hold onto her in case I get dizzy or ill.
The next day the teacher asked me if I felt any better and the pople in my class kept giving me the "are you ok" stares all the time. What's worse, the teacher remembered me as "that poor girl who nearly fainted during the lesson" and I was stuck with that reputation for the following 3 years.:doh:

Please see your GP and try opening up to some of your class mates about how you feel. Anxiety is not embarrassing and you should ask for help if you feel like you can't cope.

I hope you are feeling better. Hang in there! :yesyes:

Ana xxxxxx

[joe112]

thanks for your helpful replies- ill try to talk to my teachers about it- today at school wasnt too bad- i did have a PA but it wasnt so bad i had to leave which is nice- but nevertheless its a hassle, good news is im seeing a psychiatrist over next week so hopefully thatll help,

[ana]

Talking to your teachers is a good thing because then they will be able to help you.
Therapy worked quite well with me. Good luck tomorrow! :flowers:

Btw, good to hear your day wasn't so bad. There will always be good and bad days and the key is to keep pushing yourself to do things that scare you. A panic attack won't kill you, that's for sure. So, hang in there, stay positive and keep on fighting! :yesyes:

Ana

xxxxx

[joe112]

cheers for the support- im quite nervous about an interview for college tommorow but its a relief to miss some lessons- i tend to worry more when i am around people i know- for me part of it is the fear of embarrasing myself such as passing out or vomiting in class, crazy thoughts i realise especially when i know im fine, but the PA feel so real. its really affected my work and im so behind in everything.

[tanya 1]

hey joe,i think your doing brilliant,feeling panicky and still fighting the fear and doing it anyway,keep it up and i promise it will get easier and easier,youve just got to keep positive and really praise yourself when youve done something that you were a bit scared of,i hope your interview goes well tomorrow at the college,and if you feel a bit panicky just say oh im a bit nervous because every1 gets nervous at interviews and they wont blink an eyelid,im sure your going to do really well,let us know how you get on.
good luck
tanya 1 x:) :) :) :) :)

[joe112]

the interview went really well thanks, although i felt quite sick and still do- really worried about school tommorow...

[tanya 1]

hey joe,im glad your interview went well good for you,i know it sounds daft but you need to really praise yourself for how good it went,you were worried about it but done it anyway,im really happy for you,do you feel proud of yourself now ?because you should.
tanya 1 x:yesyes:

[joe112]

thanks, though i cant shake off this feeling of sickness in my stomach, hopefully the beetablockers the doctor gave me will help...

[ana]

Glad your interview went well! :yesyes:

Don't worry about the nausea, it should go away. The medication should help as well.

Best of luck! :flowers:

Ana xxxx