here to help - but also seek advice

hey everyone,

its always great to know that we have an outlet such as the internet to express our feelings and thoughts in dealing with our conditions....

anyway i've been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for the past 8 years...8 years too long, but regardless of that - i will get better. we will get better.

its how badly you want it sometimes....yes its very unsettling and uncomfortable the type of feelings we go through when dealing with this disorder/illness/blessing in disguise or whatever you want to call it, but we have to push through it.

whether from assitance of medication or no medication we can do it.

i believe i have experienced quite a broad spectrum of what anxiety/panic brings to the table - so its not like i am new to this at all, but i still need help at times (we all do).

ive been taking effexor xr for roughly 6 years, tried to ween off of it about 2 or 3 times with no success. i probably stayed off the meds for about 2 weeks before i got back on them again due to anxiety.

fast forward to more recently, i weened off the meds in october and november and finally stopped completely in december 2011 and forward. i felt a lot better actually, as my anxiousness was less involved in my life and i felt like my mind was more clear.

well i've been having a few dull chest pains near the heart area and it somewhat triggered my anxiety to come back........

this past weekend i had PVC (according to the doctor i saw)....heart palpitations, an extra heart beat etc. and the reason i went to the hospital that day was because the PVC would not go away.....its like i had it for over 24 hours straight.

we all get PVC once in a while, and when i did get it in the past it would only last for about a minute or so - which is why it was never that concerning.

honestly it scared the heck out of me. the hospital had me take blood work and a chest xray and according to the results everything seemed fine -no heart attack. my concern was how my arteries were, heart disease etc. and in order to find out, i'd have to see a cardiologist (which i am waiting on seeing sometime soon).

as of Monday my PVC was gone - but it came back last night for a 20 minutes or so. still unsettling but im starting to think all of these feelings are coming from me being off my meds.

is it normal for a body to react this way after being off meds?? (mind you, i have been off them for over a month now after weening off them properly)

do you guys also get bouts of anxiety/panic after an initial attack? i had a panic attack on december 25th 2011 and since then my mind and body has been a bit out of sync...feeling anxious and having a few small attacks here and there (i had 2 more this week, but learned to brush it off successfully after 15 minutes or so)
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im in my early 30s, quite fit, have a full time job and am "normal" in all aspects. i am here today because i need some advice/support and would like to give it back as well.

oh yeah - i notice the left side of my body i.e arm and leg gets tense due to anxiety. the right side of my body never really gets that kind of tension when anxious. scary stuff somtimes.

Oh and to answer your second-part question...yes, I used to get waves of panic attacks, with a big starting one, then little 'after shocks' for the hours/days following.

I am no longer having attacks, but still have the waves of anxiety and islolated symptoms. It does seem to be something that happens in patterns!

S.C.

Hello liveitup and welcome.

Great advice from SC  and I join her in welcoming you to the A & P Forum. 

The body can  go through bouts of periodic numbness and tingling due to certain health issues such as anxiety or the onset of a migraine. During an anxiety attack breathing becomes shallow and sporadic and breathing in this manner can cause periods of numbness and tingling especially in the fingers and around the mouth. as well as  in the extremities.

May I ask if you have ever talked with your Dr. re the arm and leg numbness ?

RE the PVCs - they can scare the heck out of you but remember you checked out fine according to a Dr.  Plan on making an appointment with a Cardiologist to discuss your concerns as I know you will feel better after you have had a good medical screening exam. 

You said you were healthy which is awesome but the anxiety seems to be getting in your way. Do look at our resource thread at the top of the page and if you scroll down you will find many suggestions to help you overcome the anxiety.  

Hope you continue to talk with us here in the forum and please know we care.  We are all about anxiety and panic.

Kindly,

Kitt

Kitt,

Thank You as well for your input.

Yes i have mentioned my left side arm and leg pains. One doctor said that anxiety/panic can mimic issues like angina (heart issue) and other things that cause very similar (if not identical) pains.

Its comforting in a sense that because i have had anxiety and panic for 8 years that i am most likely fine.......

I have bad posture and feel that is contributing to the pains....

I am waiting on my cardiologist to rule everything out.]

Anxiety is something we can all overcome - I think its a matter of how bad we want it. As it said in one of my self help books - you can only ever beat your fear if you face it.