has anyone been cured

[Piglet]

Just on the tail end of this subject and what an interesting one.

My mum has suffered anxiety for 30 years after a spate of panic attacks but has never had another one. She has taken Valium every day since, (which is not my way at all) but she is now 75 and has continued to have a good life working full time until her retirement, go on holiday alone several times FLYING!!! she unbelievably takes anadin everyday (scared about her heart) another thing I would never do and yes occasionally she does get down (who doesn't).

I think the difference between mum and I is that she accepted this might be a part of her life and learned to live alongside it, the same way lots of people have to do, plus she hasn't been ashamed of it either.

My view is that I have become a nicer and more compassionate person and I too am aiming to stop seeing this as me being weak or inferior in some way. Yes I do have a problem with my nerves that occasionally gives me some horrible scary symptoms which limits what I can do but any person worth their salt is seeing me as so much more that. Anxiety is what I have - not whole of me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoa - go girl!!!!! (glad I got that off my chest).

I think in conclusion what I'm trying to say is the cure is in acceptance (been reading way too many books now) and admitting it to people where appropriate and then getting on with things.

I actually could go on and on here as I really think so much of my proud stubborn nature has perpetuated my anxiety, and I think that I am finally making some positively good changes. (Meg you shouldn't have got me onto those books you recommended - I'll be tree hugging next).

Love Piglet the pompous

[mico]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">I think in conclusion what I'm trying to say is the cure is in acceptance (been reading way too many books now) and admitting it to people where appropriate and then getting on with things.
<div align="right">Originally posted by Piglet - 30 April 2005 : 18:10:57</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Claire Weekes's books by any chance?

I've been reading her books lately after being continually recommended them on here, and I have to say they are as good as everyone says they are.

The idea of acceptance is something that isn't at all unfamiliar to me, in fact I have probably preached it to some extent. But the context in which she describes it has put it in a clearer light for me. I may be contradicting myself a little talking about acceptance now after my previous posts in this thread, but, hey, no one's perfect

Thanks for the recomendation Vern

LisaD

If you're struggling with the idea of acceptance, I would reccomend you go and buy one of Claire Weekes's books. In fact, I'm off to write another thread about it now! [^]


mico

[vernon]

Piglet hi, I fully agree with all you say

[Piglet]

Thanks Vern - much appreciated.
Love Piglet

[bethyboo]

hey there vernon, intersting question, unfortunately have to agree that i dont belive there is %100 recovery but i do whole heartedly believe that u can recover from the worst and live a vertually normal life. Ive been on medication 3 times in the last 8 years and while each time i 'fall back' i feel completely destraught i know that with time and patience and undertsanding i will get back on track to leading as normal a life as i did before, there is no cure and there arent all the answers we want but coming to terms with and accepting is the most we can do, look forward and appreciate the good times instead of living our lives in fear of the bad....day by day!!! which leads me onto doddy:

while i appreciate ur view on this subject i do feel however that the majority of people i know are still living with this illness, there lives can be like before but there illness is always with them, the key is to rule the illness , not to let it rule you, which i completely agree with u on. Unfortunately some of us really are not strong enough to pull ourselves back from the brink. sometimes i have managed to overcome things without medication but others as much as i have tried it just isnt possible. you are possibly one of the lucky ones or maybe u just have more willpower, either way it is nice to know that it is possible but i think maybe u should appreciate that to each individual there problems however small to someone else are as bad as them next persons. everyone deals with things differently and i believe that undertsanding and sympathy is what is needed when somone needs a shoulder to cry on or some advice in there ear, sometimes facts just dont count, but advice and help is what makes the difference xxx no offecne meant here to u doddy x

beth xx

[doddy]

bettyboo,

no offense taken.

what i would say is that the majority of people you know how are still suffering is because that people still suffering come to sites like this, the ones who arent disappear of to there normal lifes........and yes they are defintely out there.

you say you have overcome things without medication, so it can be done and you have done it. I fully undersatnd that a shoulder to cry on and sympathy is needed but this isnt what makes the difference in the long term. educating yourself and managing the illness is what counts in my opinion. I agree with the fact that it may remain with you, but when you no longer worry about it then i class that as recovery.

I fully understand how one persons problem may seem insignificant to someone else but to them it is life or death, i know this as ive have been there........i remember that fear being so bad i just wanted to put myself in front of a bus.......but i never did.....i know how low this can make you feel.....as ive felt it......but i also know when you manage this effectively, with help and support that i truly belive it can be beaten.....

i think if you hold the view that this will be with you forever just that thought, which is a worry, it is how you respond to that thought. if you think it will be with me forever as bad as ever then this second worry makes the first worse, if however you think it might be with me forever but then again it might not and if it is then it might ease massively or even go away then i prefer that option., why not think ok its with me now but perhaps it will ease and when it eases the spiral turns the other way and all the opther horrendous symptons ease........accept that it there, let it be there, let it do its worse but still carry on, still do what you want to, still make plans, still try and carry on...........and it eases........well it has for me and im no different from anyone on here, no stronger, just accepted it as it was and got on with my life..........as life is to short to worry about it.

i understand that my reply might of sounded harsh bethyboo, but I am adamant after dealing with people like meg, how know leads a completly normal life, that this can be put into your past.

i would not consider myself one of the lucky ones at all, what i would say is i was one who just refused to allow this to beat me, perhaps this in the beginning was a failing as it made things worse, but i am defiantely one who now just accpets it being there, and when you can just let it be there without worry then you have it beaten......as time passes and it slowly gets easier and easier.

lucky is not a word id associate with what i have been through, lucky perhaps in the sense that i found this site, lucky to of met someone like meg, but not lucky really, just fortuante.

what we perhaps should consider is that we are lucky to have the opportunity to fix this, lucky that our destiny is in our own hands. I wasnt go to raise this, only meg knows about it, but my wife, after and epileptic siezure 2 months ago was diagionsed with a brain tumour last thursday, now she is unlucky as her life is now in the hands of others, she has to see what can be done, whereas we, we can do this ourselves, we can make this right.

no offense intended bethyboo....this topic of recovery is just one that i truly belive in.

doddy

[bethyboo]

hello doddy, am so sorry to hear about ur wife and know that this must be a horrific time. i both admire ur courage and determination it took you to overcome this illness and it DOES give me hope that one day i can live a life without fear. But it is a hard one lol.

Last year i for the first time had been medication free for a year and had for the first time become an lsa with learning difficulty children which i loved. I completely felt free of anxiety and was for the first time in years truly felt that i had overcome it. then out of the blue i had the first panic attack at work, i thought , right u know what this is, dont allow ureself to worry about it, just accept that u had one and take ur rescue remedy, think positive thoughts and u will; be fine. I went back to work and was fine for a week, panic free and felt very positive, then it happened again, and again and again, i sat in my bed and made myself have a good cry, and thought ok, ur dealing with this. but it doeant stop. i have 2 young kids and have no help from there dads, all my family moved to wales last year and while i have freinds that are great, nothing, no amount of positiveity and acceptance of what was going on could change the fact that i had over the space of a week become completely detatched form reality, my children were unfamiliar to me, i couldnt eat, sleep, clean anything at all so i had to go back on medication unless i was prepared for someone to take my kids away and have them put in foster car untill i was better. Im straying off the point here lol, but i do believe and respect ur positivity i just need to make a point of that sometimes it really isnt a choice. my freinds are people whom i have grwon up with not met on the internet, two of whom have been sectioned for various mental problems and one who suffers the same as me. we are all normal people lol, but i was trying to explain, like u said ureself, u accept what u have, i dont let it rule my life but i do undertsand that while some people can have the ability to cope and change, i know it will always be with me and im just awre that it can come at any stage for any reason, it isnt that i live in fear of it, it is a fact. thanku for answering my reply, u sound an inspiration to many people and for that i have complete respect xxxx

beth xx

[doddy]

bethyboo,

I thank you for your reply and kind words.

it was great to read you had a great year, sorry to hear about it coming back. I do belive though that when it does come back, as it has to me at times i just dont get involved with it....i know how hard that is.......but i just let it be there, annoying and as upsaetting as it is...just let it be there and distract myself..........and after is has passed i really dont think to myself well what if it happens again....i just move on......it might never come back again but if it does so what......if you have the ability and resolve to have a great year then i truly belive you have the ability to overcome this permantely........it just proves that this condition isnt permanent if you can have a great year, all it proves is that we are more vunerable than most to panic attacks but on the flip side of that we are more prepared, informed, and ready for it than most....

i have learnt now that im not invincible, that things do there toll on you, that asking for help is no weakness.....more like a strength and that im perhaps never going to be the same person as before but what i feel is that im actually going to be a better person for it......lol....still can be a quick to jump of the mark and dive in....but thats just me...lol

i know that im lucky in the fact that i have clsoe family, close friends, and hate to say it but i could pay for cbt staright away after being diagionsed and im sure all this is a help......but...and this is a big but...the most useful help i ever found was on here, the best support i ever found was on here...and the best advice i ever recieved was on here............and this made the difference.

i truly admire all the people on here as i belive we are amongst the most courageous people on this earth....as we have suffered horrendouly but are still here fighting.....or should i say accepting!!! lol

take care

andy

[Piglet]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">i have learnt now that im not invincible, that things do there toll on you, that asking for help is no weakness.....more like a strength and that im perhaps never going to be the same person as before but what i feel is that im actually going to be a better person for it......lol....still can be a quick to jump of the mark and dive in....but thats just me...lol

i <div align="right">Originally posted by doddy - 03 May 2005 : 23:10:27</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Regarding the above by doddy - this is a lesson I've learnt too (the hard way).

Love Piglet