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Help with husband's panic attacks?

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Posted 5/28/2011 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
I have had lyme for 5+ years now and started with panic attacks/severe anxiety.  My husband who is usually laid back has been like a different person for a year and a half now.  I swear its lyme.  Now he is having nighttime panic attacks/anxiety/not sleeping at all.  He is incredibly stressed with work which is a tremendous load on him and he's not getting any younger but I know there is something else going on. He has that glassy eye look and something is just not right.  I've had long talks with him and he knows something is wrong.  he agreed to start taking xanax a while ago which is getting him through the days at work but at night, AND MOSTLY ON WEEKENDS, he is just unbearable.  I have tested his sugar (diabetes runs in hsi family) which seems fine, he is now taking bp meds and cholesterol meds but it seems that alcohol could be playing a role. Last night he only had 2 beers though and never has more than 4. 

Anyone have any advice that could help me?  I am trying to get him to the dr. for lyme blood work but haven't been able to get him home from work in time to get there and he won't take a day off.  HELP!!!

Posted 5/28/2011 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
I got medication-induced panic attacks when I was 14. It sucked, because that was when I was supposed to start learning to drive a car, but did not feel I could drive with the panic attacks.

What helped me to overcome the panic attacks was realizing that being afraid of having a panic attack was more of a problem than the panic attacks themselves. I had to learn to just let the panic be, not fight it. This removed the power that the panic attacks had over me, and seemed to make the panic attacks disappear and I haven't had any since. The same trick works pretty well for anxiety attacks also, at least for me.

Something that he could do at home without doctor visits is to make sure he is getting enough B-Complex vitamins. These vitamins support the body's ability to tolerate stress and are critically important for neurological function. A deficiency of B vitamins can actually make panic/anxiety worse, too.

The labs around here (Quest, etc.) are open on Saturday mornings. Maybe you could pick up a lab order form from his doctor during the week and then he could go in on a Saturday for the blood draw? Or can he get out during his lunch break for a quick appointment (btw, it is illegal for the job to prevent him from taking a lunch break)?

I hope this helps - take care,
Posted 5/29/2011 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
As others have said, sleep problems, anxiety..yeah that was me, and yeah, it is Lyme. I can't see any way around the fact that your husband is going to need to pause his "normal" life, at least for a day to get to a doc. If he won't even do that, the herbal route is perhaps one way to get some helpful stuff into him without him needing to see a doc. I don't necessarily think taking any meds/herbs without a plan is a good thing, but he has to do something. I know you know this, so it's preaching to the choir; basically I just want to support your assessment, and I wish you lots of luck.
Posted 5/30/2011 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
So strange, now my husband broke out in a rash on one arm yesterday that resembled scratches but followed his veins. Almost looked like poison ivy as it was in straight lines but some were across and some straight down his arm. They are almost gone today, very faint, so I know they were not scratches as scratches do not heal that quickly. I remember now he had a large swollen gland in his neck for weeks. Anxiety is still raging. I'm thinking bartonella.

Anyone else have this kind of rash with bartonella?
Posted 5/31/2011 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
It is my understanding that a streaky rash is characteristic of Bartonella...and since Bart. lives in red blood cells, it makes sense to me that it could follow blood vessels.
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