Dont know what to say.

[Rob1970]

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[PokerFace]

Oh dear, sounds like you're having an EXTREMELY rough time of it at the moment. :hugs:You'll find a lot of people here that understand.

It's hard to type you're sad because you probably don't want to admit that you are. When was the last time you actually let yourself cry it out? I do it when I really need to, if you hold it all in it makes you feel worse. You're still a man if you cry! You don't sound very "ME ME ME" to me, you've got to deal with two very horrible things happening to two people you love unconditionally, Christ I'd be a nervous wreck! You feel like you can cry very easily because you're emotionally exhausted. Having something like anxiety is like a constant battle with yourself which sometimes can leave us feeling burnt out and you NEED good cry. If you don't want anyone to know just wait til everyones out or sneak upstairs, just let it all out it's ok to do it!

When people hear the word "Anxiety" they really don't understand. I'll admit before I started to suffer with it I was like "Well why don't they just get over it?" It's only now I see how hard it is. Seems to me you havn't really let yourself get that much support for you're anxiety and maybe depression over the years, you've closed it away because of the stigma attached to it. It's been lurking around just waiting to pounce and now it has you feeling at a total loss. You've come to the right place, you get loads of support here and nearly everyone will know exactly how you're feeling.

All those symtoms definatley sound anxiety related to me! Have you been to the doctors about your vertigo if it's giving you these chain of symptoms? Better to get it fixed and start on the road to recovery again! :)

I'm sorry to hear about your father and son and I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so bad. I'll be sending good thoughts to you and your family and hope everything starts to look up for you, I really do. Oh, and welcome to No More Panic! x

[PokerFace]

OH, almost forgot. Please don't feel ashamed, everybody here has problems, your post isn't whiny at all! I have Health Anxiety and I really do make whiny threads! :D x

[Rob1970]

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[blueangel]

Hi Rob

I think that we all need a good whine every now and then - I suppose the trick it to have a whine, then try and draw a line under it so that it helps to get it out of our systems, rather than just ruminating (going round and round in circles) about it.

One of the things I've learnt to do is to ration myself; I'll try my best to set myself a time limit for whining or worrying (say, an hour) and then stick to it. After that, it all gets put back into the box for next time and I have to be "normal". Don't know whether it will help you, but I was told this technique by a counsellor some years ago and it seems to work for me.

Hang on in there. Nothing of what you're experiencing at the moment is in any way abnormal; you're not defective or inadequate.

[happycamper]

Hey Rob,

You're not at all weak, just a human being, chuck.

I'm not really confident at offering advice as still trying to understand all this anxiety lark myself, but having my parents have 3 different cancers over the last 6 years, become a mum to 2 boys all around the same time, I went from happy and confident to gradually having all that chipped away and by the end of it all felt like I'd lost all my coping abilities. I completely understand what you said about when things begin to go good, something comes and kicks you back down again, with you there 100%.

I began feeling physical symptoms of anxiety, dizziness, palpitations, stomach in knots and indigestion and a constant sense that something terrible was about to happen to myself or my family and I can remember that starting when I moved house 3 and a half years ago, so for over 3 years I lived with all that horrible anxiety and only I knew.

Anyway in June I finally went to the GP in a bit of a state, she prescribed citalopram which took me 2 or 3 weeks to have the courage to take them, which is how I found this brilliant web site and has been a huge help, since then things are getting better and actually admitting my anxiety problem to a small number of trusty peeps had been a massive turning point, it's amazing at how caring people seem to be when you tell them, I think they respect honest and the fact I trust them enough to tell them, I certainly don't think they me as weak.

There is nothing weak about admitting you're a human being with a huge amount on your plate, ok. In fact it takes a lot of strength, took me over 3 years and now I can start trying to work on being that happy capable mum, my boys need that from me.

Hope you get the support you need Rob and you start feeling better soon. X

[JaneC]

Hi Rob :welcome:

Absolutely no wonder you are feeling the way you are and you're not whining or being me me me, you're telling your story just as they rest of us do.

You've got a lot of stuff going on and on top of that the possible lab. I had a couple of bouts of it a couple of years ago and it is one of the worst things I've ever gone through, brought back anxiety and panic attacks with a vengeance.

Keep posting and hope you feel better soon.

[tracey c]

Rob, I really sympathise with you. I started with anxiety/panic attacks after being diagnosed with labyrinthitis in April. I am still suffering now and have not yet recovered. I can honestly say I too thought I was dying, I still can't believe that something in your inner ear can make you feel so ill. PA/anxiety are a common side effect of labs as your brain can't comprehend whats happening with the dizziness. It may be worth your while having a look at the website www.labyrinthitis.org (http://www.labyrinthitis.org) - it will make you realise that there are lots of others suffering this nasty illness and it's not life-threatening. I found it some comfort and I hope you will to. Take care:hugs:

[Rob1970]

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[blueangel]

It's actually good that you're getting angry about the anxiety. A counsellor I saw about 7 years ago said that getting angry with anxiety will help you have the will to defeat it, so keep that kick-ass feeling! :yesyes: