Pain and death :(

[louselby]

Living with anxiety really stinks. :( I have not had a panic attack ever until the incident where I became dehyrdated and was shivering in bed for a while. Then felt really sick. I passed out in the bathroom and became confused and disoriented once I woke up. I was taken to the ER and given an IV drip to help with the dehyrdration. After that, I was fine.

Shortly thereafter, I had eye muscle surgery.

One morning after the surgery, my arm was numb likely from sleeping on it, and I had a wave of panic rush over me. I wandered around the bedroom thinking I was dying and was so scared and my heart was racing and felt sick and dizzy. I felt like I was going crazy! It subsided gradually and I was fine.

A few months later, I was sitting on the couch watching TV and a wave of panic came over me for no reason. The same symptoms as before, I thought I was becoming dehyrdated again and drank some water. But nothing helped. I was scared and decided to go to the doctor.

He thought it was likely anxiety and panic and put me on Celexa. Celexa helped right away with the worst symptoms. I have not had a full fledge panic attack since then. But whenever something new that's painful happens (headache, pain in my arms/legs, neck, etc etc) or I read about or see something painful, it makes me anxious. And I stay that way sometimes for a short time, sometimes all day. Then it just makes me really tired and I yawn all day long.

Anxiety is so troublesome... I wish I wasn't worried about my health so much when I know I'm completely healthy. Pain and things that might cause death seem to set me off more. It makes me anxious to think that one day I will be dead. As a not very religious person, it makes me anxious knowing that someday I will not be alive and what happens after death, if anything. Weird, I know. Can I get cryogenically frozen? :D

I just wanted to share and get some support. :)

[wisey78uk]

I have the same problem. But its all about training that part of your thoughts. Yes one day, you will be dead. Unfortunately that's life. And yes it's easy to say live life a day at a time, cause tomorrow you maybe dead, but it's hard to get through the anxiety.

This week I have been going for a jog in the morning before work and having a good breakfast (beans on toast today!) and it's helped me. 3 days and very little anxiety. Still got a long way to go but am keeping my chin up.

If you get an anxiety attack, don't fight it - it will think that there is something wrong, so let it float over you, through you and prove to yourself that there is nothing to be scared of. I bet you used to not be scared of dying (or more appropriately, not being alive)? I was the same, we all were, and its just how our brains have been rewired with being ill and worrying about being ill.

Eat right, exercise right, and just let it happen proving you are not scared.

[Sarlou31]

I am the same Louselby. All i think about is every symptom i have i am going to die from it and then my thoughts just run away with me. I am having CBT now so hopefully that will help because as Wisey said is is how we have trained our brains to think and we have to re-train them. Try and distract yourself when you start having the thoughts or say out loud(if you can) it is just anxiety, it may be unpleasant or intense but i CAN cope i am going to be OK

[Valka]

Yep, it stinks! My experience is quite similar to yours. I get two different kind of panic attacks, one comes totally out of the blue (although I'll have had underlying anxiety for some time when it strikes) and the other is this massive wave of panic which sometimes rolls over me when I suddenly think there's something physically wrong with me. Last night I had a panic attack again after several weeks of being fine; what happened was I woke up shortly after falling asleep and felt quite nauseous. I'm thinking I probably ate something mildly dodgy during the day or evening. Anyway, since I was half-asleep and confused I suddenly thought this could be something serious and in seconds this horrible wave of panic just came rushing throughout my body. Again, because I wasn't fully awake it felt even scarier. My heart pounded like crazy and my arms felt like they were on fire. I took half a sleeping pill and somehow managed to calm down and fall asleep. Really scary though! I'm currently trying not to worry about going to sleep tonight. The thing with anxiety is you always want to run away from the situation where you had a panic attack, but you do need to face it. I'm really glad my psychiatrist taught me this some years ago and I've clung to it.
Anyway, sharing and getting support is what this site's for! :) It's helped me no end and I hope it'll do the same for you.
Hugs from across the ocean!