annie4387
23-09-10, 17:48
Hello everyone, my name is Antoinette. I am very apprehensive about using chat rooms etc but I really find it helps to talk & especially when people are suffering with the same as myself hence I am here & hopefully be able to get some advice and support from other peoples experiences.
I am 26 yrs old now, but about 7yrs ago I lost my grandad to a heart attack :weep: and I have really struggled to overcome our loss as it was so sudden and I never got to say goodbye. Not immediately but a few months after we layed him to rest, I started to experience health anxiety's, I became very ill with it & lost alot of weight and I could not understand what was going on with me (my body). At the time I still lived at home with my parents & sister but I would find myself having bad panic attacks & I would convince myself I could not breathe and was going to die! always checking my pulse. I pleaded with my parents to take me to the hospital, with this becoming a regular occurance for quite a few months just to be told I was fine and it was anxiety but of course as much as I wanted to hear that it was nothing serious I did not believe there was nothing wrong with me. I have been very lucky to have had such supportive parents, sister, boyfriend & family around me but I did end up having to go for councelling. The councelling lasted for just under a year with various doctors but quite early on I was put on an anti-depressent drug called Sertraline. I did have to leave two jobs as a result of my panic attacks and became a hermit in my own home as I was to frightened to do anything incase I died. I even got to the point where I would not go to sleep incase I did not wake up! But I am still taking Sertraline everyday & have tried to come of it now as things have improved slightly and I have managed to stick to my job now for the last three yrs but coming of the anti depressents I have had no luck as my panic attacks seemed to come back shortly after. Although I have come to learn that what I have is a health anxiety & the Sertraline has helped with the dealing of the panic attack symptoms there is not a day that goes by I dont worry that I have something wrong with me and I am gonna die suddenly like my grandad did. I also worry about someone else in my family dying and how I would cope! I would very much appreciate some feedback and help with using this site.
Thank you. Annie x
I am 26 yrs old now, but about 7yrs ago I lost my grandad to a heart attack :weep: and I have really struggled to overcome our loss as it was so sudden and I never got to say goodbye. Not immediately but a few months after we layed him to rest, I started to experience health anxiety's, I became very ill with it & lost alot of weight and I could not understand what was going on with me (my body). At the time I still lived at home with my parents & sister but I would find myself having bad panic attacks & I would convince myself I could not breathe and was going to die! always checking my pulse. I pleaded with my parents to take me to the hospital, with this becoming a regular occurance for quite a few months just to be told I was fine and it was anxiety but of course as much as I wanted to hear that it was nothing serious I did not believe there was nothing wrong with me. I have been very lucky to have had such supportive parents, sister, boyfriend & family around me but I did end up having to go for councelling. The councelling lasted for just under a year with various doctors but quite early on I was put on an anti-depressent drug called Sertraline. I did have to leave two jobs as a result of my panic attacks and became a hermit in my own home as I was to frightened to do anything incase I died. I even got to the point where I would not go to sleep incase I did not wake up! But I am still taking Sertraline everyday & have tried to come of it now as things have improved slightly and I have managed to stick to my job now for the last three yrs but coming of the anti depressents I have had no luck as my panic attacks seemed to come back shortly after. Although I have come to learn that what I have is a health anxiety & the Sertraline has helped with the dealing of the panic attack symptoms there is not a day that goes by I dont worry that I have something wrong with me and I am gonna die suddenly like my grandad did. I also worry about someone else in my family dying and how I would cope! I would very much appreciate some feedback and help with using this site.
Thank you. Annie x