Hi,
My name is Jon and have just signed up to this site, where do I begin . . .?
Ok, so this time last year I felt a million dollars, never been ill or been to the doctors with anything serious. I was just plodding through life without a care in the world. This all changed in February this year, I started getting headaches and felt that my eyes where playing up.
This went on for a few weeks and I became a hypochondriac without knowing it. I convinced myself I had a brain tuma or brain aneurysm. This now seems stupid but at the time was serious. During this time a friend of mine died through an aneurysm, he just dropped dead after weeks of complaining of headaches. This person was not a close friend but when I heard what happened then my mind was in overdrive.
My head aches and and eye problems lasted a few weeks, I was living with my partner at the time and was still at work full time. I started having horrible thoughts and thought I was going to dye, I came home from work everyday around 5pm and went straight to bed, my mind was in overdrive.
I finally went to the doctors to seek advise, they recommended my for an eye test as I didnt wear glasses. I did this and found out I needed reading glasses, since I had a job in an office this was the cause of the eye strain and the doctor reassured my that I didnt have a tuma etc.
Reading back at this it seems logical but at the time it was the worst time of my life.
After getting the glasses I started to feel a bit better but then it hit ou the blue . . ANXIETY !!!
I thought i was going to dye, it was just a constant lack of breathe and fighting for life, it is hard to explain. I was just un able to breathe and felt that i was fighting for my life.
I finally cracked a few days later in work, I was just sitting at my desk fighting for breath all day long, I rang up sick the next day.
Im not sure how anxiety links in with depression but i was off work for 3 months. I signed myself off the 1sr week convinced I was going to die, I spent the whole day in bed and just wanted it all to end.
After the 1st week ended I went to the doctors, they sent me for some tests which all came back clear, they then diagnosed me with anxiety, I didnt believe this at the time as I was convinced I was going to die.
They gave me a course of anti depressants called citalopram. This drug took around 6 weeks to kick in.
I spent this time as a total loner, the doctors signed me off every 2 weeks and I spent my time indoors doing absolutely nothing, it put a huge strain on my realtionship. i didnt think I was depressed i honestly thought I had a fatal illness.
Basically I was off work for around 3 months, the drugs kicked in and to this day i am still on them.
I managed to fight this illness so far and have even gone on holiday, the drugs take the edge off but I know I still have a long way to go.
The shortness of breath at 1sr lasted all day every day but it does get better and If i am active then I tend to fight it even more.
Sorry for the long intro,this is my story and I feel for everyone suffering like me, I am here to make friends and swap tips to fight this !!!
Love Jon
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