Newly Anxious :(

[SH412]

Hi there,

Never posted on anything like this so this is a first for me. In March this year I lost my 11 year old sister very suddenly. About a month afterwards I ended up in A+E with my first panic attack and since then have been plagued with health anxiety. I have materialised in my head brain tumours, cervical cancer, heart attacks and most recently leukaemia.

At the moment...everytime my stomach rumbles I am getting pain in my chest/heart area. I have been getting the tingly numb feeling in my head and feeling generally really anxious and getting the anxious 'zaps'. I have been shaking quite often and feel as though Im forcing myself to breathe! This has been for past 3 days and I have basically stayed in bed. Does anyone else suffer these symptoms? I felt I had been getting better and was back at work but now I feel im going downhill again!!
x

[bronte]

Hi kaidensmum you poor thing im not suprised you feel like that losing your sister at 11 years old .What you are feeling is total anxiety its like post traumatic stress and this is how your body is coping with your painful grief i felt exactly like this after i lost my mum who i was very close to and i had to have some councelling go to your gp and ask for some help grief is a physical pain as well as emotional i felt so ill with it i thought i was going to die .you can private message me anytime i wil reassure you as much as i can but what your experiencing now is totally normal
love jayne x

[Gemma T]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

I agree with Bronte. Your symptoms are classic anxiety. I think you will benefit from theraphy so you can work through your sisters death. Your anxiety will get better as you come to terms with your loss. Easier said then done I know but assure you you will be better for it.

Feel free to private message if you need to talk

Love Gemma x x x

[SH412]

Thanks so much for your replies! Its good to hear someone say Im not going mad. Have you guys tried any meds for anxiety? Back when this first started Dr gave me Diazepam 2mg to take the edge off and I found these quite effective. I went back to work...apart from a few 'off' days I was doing fine until Monday when I just suddenly felt really anxious and have spent 3 days in bed. Dr has given me Fluoxetine and I tried them but they made my mind race and I just felt worse !! Im on a waiting list for CBT and have contacted a bereavment counsellor so waiting to hear back! Just want my old self back! xx

[kinnygirl1]

Hi Kaidensmum. Welcome to NMP. Really sorry to hear of your loss. What a horrible thing to happen. I am sure what you are experiencing is anxiety triggered by what happened and so its good that you will get to talk a counsellor. I am also on Fluoxetine - it does take a bit of time to start working - this time its taken me about 6 weeks to start to feel a difference. It's normal to feel a bit out of sorts at first. For some people that may only last a couple of weeks so I would reccomend sticking with it if you can.

K x

[SH412]

Im scared to keep taking it though coz I literally feel like im going mad!! Dont know what to do for the best I have a 3 year old and I need to be able to function x

[kinnygirl1]

Hi again hun

There is a fluoxetine subforum on this side (keep scrolling down on the main forum page and its in the medication section). Lots of people have posted their experiences of side effects etc on there which may help you? For me I think it was worth pushing through the unpleasent side effects but if its not working for you there are other alternatives that your GP can suggest. You don't have to suffer - there will be something that helps.

It's so hard when you have to function normally inspite of your anxiety - you are not alone.

x