confused and scared

Hello fairy. I am new to this forum too, so unfortunately I do not have much advice to share with you. But I did want to say that I am very sorry that you are going through such a difficult time. It seems you have a good "fighting spirit" though -- as you say "i cannot just sit back and let it take over me."

Do you think maybe you could call the new psych and explain that you really need an appointment much sooner than three months, and ask if you could see him/her some time next week? Maybe they could squeeze you in for an appointment. I hope so.

Best wishes, Medved.

I was in your shoes 17 years ago and it's horrible. I strongly advise the book panic to power by Lucinda Bassett. I was agoraphobic also and did get through it. You don't live around st Louis by any chance? That is where my anxiety and phobia doctor is. A lot of the same techniques she talks about in that book is the same my doc used. It's gonna take time and effort but you can do it. I did and so can you. If I lived near you I would teach you and have you out of your house soon. Do you take any meds? I did take Paxil. You will get your life back. Work today on laying on your back and put one hand on your stomach now take a slow deep breath through your nose in your stomach should rise not your chest. If your breathing with your chest you are hyperventilating you have to retrain yourself how to breath now hold this breath in for 3-5 seconds and exhale through your mouth. Do this several times then do it sitting up and then standing but don't change positions until you are doing good with the first try this and let me know how your doing

thank you all for your replies and advise very much apprechiated. for the first time in a long time i do not feel alone and its comforting talking to people that understand. unfortunately i have come across a lot of people who have been very ignorant to my illness including my employers.

i have been looking for the book you have recommended and will hopefully order that as soon as i can find it, and have a look at others to .

In regards to my psych i wont be able to get an early appointment as i only saw him last week and he wasnt helpfull just told me to carry on taking my medication for 3 months and see if it helps. only thing is i have been taking this medication for 7 months and am at the maximum dose that can be taken, and do not feel like it is doing anything and 3 months is a long time to wait and see!! , i have been referred for CBT and mindfullness group therapy but with the waiting lists and hospital move i will not get an appointment until after may.

Thank you Barbz for the advise i will start trying this and see if it makes a difference, i understand it is going to take time to get through this but i desperately want to feel better i am missing out on so much in my childrens lives, have got to rely on others a lot which is hard as i used to be such an independent person. i cant go to work or drive this illness has taken everything

did you guys find that the bad days knocked you back to the start? this is what is happening to me and i dont know how to stop this!

thank you

they changed my meds in august, and since then i been on 100mg sertraline twice a day, domperidone 3 a day as i get bad sickness due to the anxiety and also diasapam for as and when needed when panic attacks occur.

hi sorry its been a while things have not been to good :-( when i think i am getting there something else happens to bring me back down.

Can anyone recomend some good web sites to get some relaxation tips please, i have got an op tomorrow and cant stop panicing about this my anxiety it really bad and my sickness is to i cannot help but worry and i dont know what to do all i wanna do is cry. last time i had an op in september i ended up having a very bad panic attack and am scared of this happening again. i have been using the breathing tips recommended below which do help but i wonder if someone else has advice. what makes it worse is that i am not able to take my medication tomorrow morning and also my diazapan if an attack occurs i know i shouldnt think about the what ifs but my mind is doing overtime.

Thanks

I completely understand where you're coming from. When I was at my lowest (which lasted for over a year), I was incapable of leaving my home unless I had to. This was because my home was my "safe haven" and I felt as if I was most comfortable to have an attack in my HQ as opposed to having one in public.

What helped me was to keep my mind occupied. If you are afraid to leave the home, do things inside of your house that may help you to concentrate on what you're doing rather than the possibility of a panic attack. For instance, cleaning, working out, reading a book, and playing games on my PC were all things that I did in order to occupy my thoughts. And as soon as I felt even the least bit of anxiety or fear of an impending attack, I'd immediately fixate my mind on something else.

Good luck!