scared worried and anxious about my holiday

[mummy4]

on wed 17 march me hubby our 4 daughters and my mum are driving 4 hours away to a travel lodge to stay the night then in the morning on the thursday we are going to disney land paris by eurostar.

i have not been out the country for 6 years and never been with the children and i am very excited for them in fact i cant wait to see their faces!

my biggest worry is the fact we are going with mum and that sounds awful bless her as shes paid for us all to go and i love her dearly. the main prop is she knows nothing about my panic/anxiety what so ever and i guess that makes me feel more on edge but theres no way i would tell her either so i feel in a no win situation. i have been this way for 10 years now (im 27) and i take 5mg cipralex a night. i have felt better than this during the last 10 years but have also felt worse.

i know theres going to be lots of walking when we are away and this its self i am dreading because i will have no 'safe place' to go to.

i have read dr claire weekes book and found it very helpful but i cant put it into practice when i am on this holiday!

my problem is i get a lot of dizzy/off balance spells then that makes me feel panicky and its a big vicious circle :weep:

please if anyone has any kind words or advice i would be very grateful xx

[andrea thompson]

hi mummy4

you are going to have a fantastic time at disney... i went with my little boy and it was fantastic... when you get there you will have so much to see and do. there will be so much to distract you that your anxiety will be in the back of your mind...

if you get that horrible wobbly feeling then just keep reminding yourself that nothing is going to happen, its panic and it will pass. tell yourself aswell that anxiety is not going to stop you from doing anything!!!! you are here for your family and your kids are going to have such an amazing time. keep thinking i am doing this and nothing is going to stop me!!!!!! be strong.... for yourself and your kids!!!!

can i ask why dont you tell your mum? i know everyones circumstances are differerent - but there is no point pretending to be someone who doesnt suffer from anxiety... i get lots of reassurance from knowing that people know how edgy i can be and they know what it is... then i sort of dont have to worry about freaking out... and in turn that relieves my anxiety... did that make any sense.. i hope so!!!

remember you are strong and disney is going to be brilliant!!!!!

take care

andrea x x let us knw how it goes at disney.. i would to hear you had a fab time... x x

[ZoJo]

You can do it, you managed to take your cipralex every night in the end, so I have every faith in you that you will have a brilliant time!!

If you do start to have a wobble, you will find a way of beating it, as Andrea says its only panic. Take deep breaths and go for it xx

[margaret jones]

Have a super time there is so much to see and do i am sure you will be caught up in the moment , but if you do feel a little panicky thing of a way to distract yourself and you will be fine Have a lovely time and take loads of pics thats a distraction take pics +++++ and let us no how it was
Take Care Maggie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Idstain]

Hi,

have you thought about seeing your GP and explaining the situation? He/she could prescribe a small amount of diazepam to help you cope.

[mummy4]

thanks for your replies. i am kind of excited but more so not!

andrea, that to me totally makes sense about you telling people relieves your anxiety and i would love to be like that! the reason i dont tell mum is because i think she will feel embarrassed of me and slightly ashamed and she will say 'its silly'. i was 18 when i was first put on anit ds and i told her about it and she said i should not take them and it would be silly of me to do so. she thinks i only ever took 1 and stopped them but i have been on and off them ever since (currently i have been on them for 4 years)
my bro knows i get 'dizzy spells' and he said he too used to get them and he said he thinks his were a lot to do with his head and i guess in a way this for him could of been anxiety. i always remember being in asda with mum about 7 years ago and i came over sooooo dizzy i told her i had to get out the shop and i got the feeling she was embarrassed and i ruined her day. with money i cant fault her in any way but where things like this are concerned i just cant talk to her.

idstain, my doc did prescribe 2mg diazepam to take up to 3 times a day but have never took one as am far to scared because of the side effects it may cause (i have a massive fear of taking meds) i read on the leaflet it can cause you to be drowsy and dizzy and those are just the feeling im scared of xx

[smudger]

Hi. I am anxious about my holiday abroad in 19 days but for different reasons. Everybody knows about my situation and I am hoping I'm well for the whole time because I don't want to spoil it for them or me. I think I am going to be okay. Lets me n you take things as they come. Go with no expectations and not think about the what ifs..we may find we are too distracted to worry about anything! Have a fab time...I really mean that.xx

[andrea thompson]

hi hon...

i am sorry you cant talk to your mum about this. you will be fine though. go and have a fantastic time and let us know how it goes.
my mum died four years ago and my dad is not very sympathetic to my funny turns so i sort of know where you are coming from. he said that anti ds are bad and not really dealing with my probs.. but i think he just doesnt understand... but i think the older generation think this is a taboo subject...

i have waffled enough!!! lol

please have a fab time... you go and see mickey and minnie and enjoy!!!!!!!

take care

andrea x x

[mummy4]

thanks for your kind words andrea xx

smudger i hope you have a great holiday :) xx

[mummy4]

am so worried i even had a bad dream last night!!

was on line before i went to bed looking at the park maps and it looks sooooooooo huge there i just dont know how im going to cope with all the walking because of my anxiety.

my mum text yday morning asking if i wanted to go to an asda superstore and i said no and made up some excuse not to go because i just know as soon as i walk through the door my head will start to spin and then i will panic :(

[mandie]

awww poor u.

I honestly didnt think it was as big as i thought it would be and i prefered walking through there rather than be enclosed like in the supermarket!!

i wish i could could suggest something to stop you being so worried.

love mandie x

[smudger]

Hi. You really are getting stressed over this aren't you. I really feel for you.

Do you think it would take the worry off your shoulders if you told your Mum before she notices for herself? You can explain as much or as little as possible, whatever you are comfortable with.What about this..."Mum, Ive been suffering with a bit of stress lately and I don't know why, and because of this sometimes I feel a bit panicky if I'm outside or in a crowd or in enclosed spaces. If i do a runner or get dizzy, don't panic, it's how I'm feeling at the moment and I'm trying to sort it out". Thats it, she doesn't need to know anything else about drugs or anything. It sort of opens the dialogue enough to tell her without going into more detail if you don't want to.

I hope my suggestion doesn't sound patronising. I really hope you can find a way to get through this.

[mummy4]

smudger thank you sooooo much for your advice on what to say to mum. sounds good what you said but i honestly dont think she will understand and yes your right i am getting stressed about this!! when it was first mentioned 4 years ago i remember thinking its ok ill have myself sorted by then but here i am now and no better!!

thanks mandie and yes i would rather be outside than in a super market! xx

im also worried about the whole eating in a restruant thing grrrrrrrrrrr

[Maj]

The one thing I would say to you is that it won't be like how you imagine it at the moment. Away from home, in a new place, makes you feel different. There are different faces and places and you just feel different in yourself. Your mood will be better because you are in a happy holiday place! At the moment you are at home in your own surroundings imagining how you are going to feel. It will all be different when you get there. Yes, it is just a pity you can't tell your mum. Whether or not she understands it may be a weight off your mind to tell her you are a bit stressed - and there's no shame in that!! You just go and enjoy your holiday and have a lovely time. Yes, it will be tiring, and walking will exhaust you all, but remember too that this will be a distraction and that walking, no matter where it is, is good for you. It lifts the spirits. Have a lovely holiday and just try and take each day as it comes.
Myra:hugs:

[lizzie29]

Hi!

I went to Disneyland Paris last weekend. We drove for about 5 hours down to the Eurostar, then got the train (the one you drive on) then drove to Paris. I too was very, very anxious about it. But I survived and had a great time! I'm not saying I wasn't worried, because I was, but I didn't have a panic attack, wasn't as worried as I thought I'd be and slept really well. The parks really aren't that big, so don't worry about walking around too much. Also, it was quite quiet when we went, so you've picked a good time of year. The queues were only around 5 minutes, some even less. I also find eating hard when I'm anxious, and didn't eat much in restaurants. I made sure I took some stuff with me - crackers, crisps, cereal bars - that I knew I could nibble on throughout the day, as I personally find that when my blood sugar drops, my anxiety gets worse.
I'm sure you'll find that you get caught up in the magic of Disney, as I certainly did and there's no time to worry! Whereabouts are you staying? Are you getting the Eurostar to Calais or the one straight to Paris?

[mummy4]

ikenny, i have pm'd you

myra thanks for your king post.

yesterday i was chatting to mum and explained i wont be going on any rides that go round and round as it will leave me feeling dizzy and i get worried and then i will panic and i left it at that! she said not to worry and she will try to brave those rides.

i am looking forward to it and the kids are very very excited its just this crap anxiety x

[mummy4]

1 week today! argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smudger]

Glad you said that to your Mum. Well done you!xx:)