Anxiety New to Group

[ardyce]

I have had anxiety attacks for about 2 years but just really
*accepted* that diagnosis about 6 months ago. My symptoms are so
physical that I just knew it was my heart. But after 5 or 6 trips to
the ER and no other diagnosis Ive had to admit that I have this
problem. I hate it.I have felt such guilt and shame. I am a Christian
so arent we supposed to have faith and not fear?

I am determined to not take drugs and only resort to Xanax about once
every couple months when I have a big attack. I want God to heal me. I
have prayed and beleive He can. I dont understand why this has
happened to me. I tried to go to a Christian counselor about this but
felt such guilt for that. I am just sure that God is my only Counselor
and He is the Great Physician.

I am not depressed although this situation is starting to get me that
way. One time I had shortness of breath for 3 days I went to the ER on
the 1st day and was sent home....But still couldnt breath. I even woke
up in the middle of the night choking and trying to catch my breath.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Has anyone else ever taken a
long time to be diagnosed properly because most of their symptoms were
physical?

Does anyone know what is the *Personality type* that usually suffers
from anxiety/panic attacks? Is there a common thread among all of us?
How exactly does Zoloft work?

Sorry for the multitude of questions..I need Help!!!


Ardyce

Please for give if this is a double post! I am trying to figure out this forum!

[sal]

Hi and welcome to the site and i am so pleased we can help you. It isnt easy how you are feeling but please dont forget that you are not alone at all and we will help all we can.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[Meg]

Ardyce,

Welcome


**Has anyone else ever experienced this? Has anyone else ever taken a
long time to be diagnosed properly because most of their symptoms were
physical?** Yes many people

**Does anyone know what is the *Personality type* that usually suffers
from anxiety/panic attacks? ** There are several ways to get to anxiety.

One is when an already busy person gets overwhelmed by just too much going on - extra stress at work plus a family trauma at once so too much at one time and it hits from one minute to another without obvious warning and then there are those whom creep towards this state for months or years - low self esteem, low confidence do play a big contribution plus having long standing fears started in childhood early adulthood.

Zoloft is one of the SSRI family and works by altering the chemical balance in the brain.

**I want God to heal me. I
have prayed and beleive He can.**

Faith and hope are very helpful beliefs to have during your darkest hours and through which to be able to view a happy future but I wouldn't recommend relying on them for getting healed. It takes hard work on your part.



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[Claireabell]

Hello Ardyce,

Welcome to the site, you will find lots of help and advice here.

Please do not feel like you are alone, we are all here to help.

Take Care

Claireabell

[pinkscrumpy]

Hi

A big warm welcome to you

MANDIE XX

[shona]

Most of my symptons are physical too but now I know what they are I am more aware of having negative thoughts and worries that could lead to anxiety. There is no need to feel guilty because you are ill, people of every faith get every type of illness you have just have to accept it the more guilty you feel the more anxious you will be. Maybe your faith will help you cope better but it will probably be down to you personally to get through this. Unfortunately God dosent tend to intervene in sufferring and illness on an earthly level, I cant comment on a spiritual level. I have looked after very religous people in hospital so I can say this from personal experience. I think you should go for counselling and take all the help you are offerred. Your faith is obviously one of the most important things to you, but there is no harm in taking help from other people. If it makes you feel better seek help through your church but do get help. Remeber you have nothing to be ashamed of. I felt ashamed for a long time for differrent reasons but now I realise there is no shame in having a mental health problem you can no more help it than you could if it had been heart problems. accepting this has helped me to get better. Good luck, shonax

[rmcd1704]

Its been a while since i was on here but i thought5 i would come back on to see what is going on ,i used to have panic attacks on a regular basis this had went on for about 7-8 years and the doctors could not get to the bottom of it .I was told i was suffering from depression and was issued anti-depressants which made me feel worse so i tried what is it called Omega 3 fish oil ind it worked a bit it lessend the attacks .In the end i went for counciling and that did the trick you may find that things that have been going on in your life that has bothered you and playes on your mind has a lot to do with it and i found it helped to talk to a counceller about my life and brought a few things to the surface which i thought did not realy bother me but when you sit down and talk to some-one about it you find out that it does,The other thing i found useful was if you feel yourself starting a panic attack go and do anything wash the dished do the washing and also have some music on give your brain something to focus on ,I found this helped when i went to bed or when i was having a bath you find that your mind starts to wonder and you think about a pain you get and then the pain gets worse then it woves into your chest area and then you start to think its your heart and you are going to die but what you have to remember is that it wont get worse and if you do something to take your mind off of it it goes away,So my advise is if you feel like the start of a panic attack go and do some thing to keep your brain occupied it helped me i have not had a full blown panic attack for 2 years now .I hope this is of use to someone because it worked for me you dont need anti-depressants they make you feel worse in my opinion

bye
Ronnie[^]

[Karen]

Hi Ardyce

Welcome to the forum.


Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Ardyce

Welcome aboard the forum and hope we can be of some help.

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[ardyce]

Well you all are so very nice and kind.I do appreciate the words of advice and help. One thing that has troubled me is the article on *nomorepanic. It says When you start panicking the whole of your body becomes tense and this includes your muscles. This is also true of the heart as after all it is just another (albeit very important) muscle but one you don’t feel very often. Well.....I have heart problems ....pain tightness ect FIRST and then I go into a full blon anxiety attack. Is this typical to have the chest pains first? I have chest pains almost daily and for no apparent reason. I have told my doctor about 3 times and he keeps trying to get me to take Zoloft and Xanax. Are chronic chest pains a part of this?

[nomorepanic]

Maybe you get the chest pains and then start thinking "oh god it is a heartache" and that makes you panic.

I know that I had the chest pains on and off for many years.

Stretching and exercise will really relieve it cos as I said on the site - it is just a muscle that is getting tense so it hurts like when you pull a muscle in your leg for eg.

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[ardyce]

That is exactly what happens first chest pain and then I think it is heart related and then the other symptoms.....just about every one that you mentioned in your Symptoms page all at once. Its torment. I just hate this and am really having a hard time because I feel like no one understands! Of course I know all of you do. But my family and friends wouldnt so I havent told anyone. Of course my husband knows because he is the one that has to rush me to the emergency room when I have one.

Thanks

Ardyce

[shona]

Ardyce I get chest pain quite a lot then I panic about it like you.I think I must tense up when im stressed without being aware of being stressed if that makes sense, then i panic about the pains.I also get palpatations and a pulse of 140. Now I know what causes it I dont tend to worry as much. sometimes indigestion can feel very much like chest pain too, Ive known someone who had acid indigestion so bad even the doctor thought it might be their heart, maybes you should get checked out just in case. Try not to worry if your tests came back negative its definately not your heart, shonax

[Meg]

Ardyce ,

Thats good that you follow the classic anxiety panic route..

When you get anxious your chest muscles tighten , your intercostal muscles between your ribs - not your heart.

Your heart works completely independently from every other muscle group and is exempt from the usual tensing of muscles as it is contructed mainly of smooth muscle tissue and not striated muscle tissue which can extend and contract much much more than smooth muscle.

Also when we're anxious we produce adrenalin which actually dilates the diameter of our coronary arteries making the blood flow easier around the heart than it may have been before and significantly reducing any risk of heart attack.

I think you'll find intime that your thoughts are the key instigators so if there is a next time that you would usually decide to A+E try to divert your attention or if that is still impossible then go but sit outside or take a walk round the hospital - go to the coffee shop instead of registering yourself in and reassure youself that if you were to collapse you woukld still get emergency care but this is extremely unlikely to be needed and its more realistic that you can come home after an hour or so feeling better. Take some thing to read , have some rescue remedy, sniff some lavender oil, do some calming breathing but above all comfort yourself constantly that this episode is not a heart attack but tight rib muscles



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?