Any advice ... panic attacks / IBS ....

[Smiffy3594]

Well I've decided to try CBT that has been recommended by another user on the forum in the new year Christmas present from me to me and bought some rescue remedies at the weekend to see if they help and just had Claire Weekes book delivered from Amazon - gotta try everything right after 15/20 of panic attacks !!! and IBS on top of that.

I do have a dilemma though I recently returned to work in a new team after 4 months off due to workplace bullying by old boss - I overcame that and see old boss everyday and don't panic ! whilst I was getting through that the doctors prescribed me citalopram small dose (20mg) which I am still on, not sure what it’s doing for me but it’s not helping my panic attacks when I do have them !

Anyway, The new team I work with are great and it would be nice after offsite meetings to go out socially with them (drink/food) have already made excuses twice (once due to panic attack and I think that then set my IBS off or visa versa I really don’t know (and said bad stomach must me something I've eaten !!!) and second cos I think I will panic on a big company conference) - my new boss is a real people manager and looks out for his team - when I went home on the off-site he texted me to say "hope you feel better very quickly - if it passes come back and join us" next day at work the rest of the team said we really missed you last night - there’s only 5 of us in total.

Part of me wants to mention to my new boss about my attacks and that I'm not being anti-social towards team if recovery takes a while or always be seen as being ill but then again am fearful that I'll be judged as being silly & foolish !! Has anyone got advice on what to do in this situation ?

No one would know that I have panic attacks only very close friends know and I believe my immediate family don’t acknowledge that it's panic attacks but just butterflies my mum has said to me before know you get nervous !! about going out everybody gets butterflies !! Perhaps I need to explain to immediate family what happens.

My IBS is also really driving me mad . Everyday I am getting an attack along with heartburn, had lunch earlier - leftovers from dinner last night (I was fine when I ate it last night) but not today at lunchtime - BAM out of nowhere, popped to the ladies (sorry if too much info) and I’m still getting pains in my stomach had lunch 2.5 hours ago I just want to curl up on my sofa under a blanket (might pop a buscopan see if that helps) . Perhaps I need to go back to doctors about IBS and get meds for that now as I’ve never been prescribed anything was diagnose when I was a teenager and can’t figure out what causes it, I can eat one thing one day be fine, the same thing another day and it starts !!
The doctors are gonna think I’m a hypochondriac, in the past 6 months, I’ve been signed off work with workplace stress, got advise about my panic attacks which led me to this site and now I want to go back to them about IBS meds !!!!

Anyway rant over … any advice on tell boss or not your experiences / speaking to family experiences / IBS meds do they work for you ?

[PinkRoxy]

I had that problem at work and even though I have IBS it wasnt over IBS I was having bladder issues which made me keep needing to go like urgently and I couldnt wait and that really peeved off the workers so they said they had to ask me to leave even after I gave them a medical certificate from my doctor.

Workplaces have no understanding at all.

[Plysg]

I would definitely recommend having a word with your boss about what you're going through. Maybe not a full on heart to heart but just a 'hey, well this is where I am at the moment, I just want you to know where I'm coming from when I do things'.

I took my boss aside about 4 months into my IBS and panic issues. He's very much a people bloke too, very much a 'go team' kind of boss! I've always been the quieter more serious type amongst my work colleagues, keeping myself to myself because I'm usually fighting so hard to keep the anxiety under control.

I basically said at the moment I'm not myself because I've not been well, I don't really want any help with it just wanted him to be aware so I wouldn't feel like I was coming across in the wrong way. He told me that neither he or anyone in the team had any idea I was struggling with this and was surprised I'd kept it quiet. It really was a weight off, and although we've not talked about it since (this was 6 months ago) him knowing has made a lot of difference to how I feel in work. I'm now so much better it's beyond belief, and my confidence in work has soared because I haven't felt pressure to do anything (actually I started taking on a lot more responsibility off my own back, because I wanted to). I'm now arranging the team night out - a complete turnaround on me this time last year

Don't keep it to yourself, it just eats away at you. Just be honest and straightforward, I'm sure he'll respect you a lot for doing it.