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Son's anxiety

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Posted 11/27/2015 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I am new to this forum. My son suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, some psychosis, and has had mild depression in the past. All of this is due to an acquired brain injury. He had a hemangioma burst and bleed at 2 1/2 years old, and then another at 16. He has become more socially awkward as he has gotten older( now 25) as his childhood friends have grown and moved on. It's very difficult to make new friends, let alone find a girlfriend. He has tried many groups( epilepsy, brain injury services/march of dimes, mental health association). He started with tummy issues about a year ago, and was diagnosed as have acid reflux...probably partly due to the amount of meds he takes...his anxiety peaked this past August, after a big change in his life. He moved out of our home and got an apartment(three blocks from us) as he wanted his independence. This manifested in stomach pain, continuous vomiting, and an inability to eat. Two trips to emergency to be rehydrated, pantaloc and zofran to stabilize things. Scrip for pantaloc for two months, then back to Zantac. He had an ultrasound and a gastroscopy with a biopsy, both which were negative. Slowly over about a week, he regained his appetite. Things were looking up for a couple of months. Now we are doing a repeat...two emerge trips this week. We pretty much established anxiety was the cause in August, and his psychiatrist concurred. One of the DR's suggested it could be "abdominal migraines"... The are often found in children and are believed to be caused by stress and anxiety. Has anyone experienced anything like this due to anxiety? Thanks
Posted 11/28/2015 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
I'm extremely sorry that you have to go through this. The only advice I can offer is that I know that my anxiety and gerd are heavily linked and when I'm having anxiety and panic attacks my stomach gets so upset I hardly eat and I almost go to the er.

I hope you find some relief.
Posted 11/28/2015 9:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi

Welcome to the forum but sorry to hear your son is dealing with anxiety.

As Jennings mentioned there is a link between anxiety and acid reflux so he needs to do all he can to reduce his anxiety and he should see an improvement in his other symptoms.

Medications play an important part in recovery but they are not a cure all and will only help ease symptoms so I feel it is always best to mix them with talking therapy such as CBT which gets the best results

Keep us posted.


Hibee
Posted 11/28/2015 10:41 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your replies...he is on a waiting list throughout the March of Dimes to start CBT, but that could be upwards of another 8-9 months. We are looking into our benefit plan to see what kind of coverage we can get to find a private counsellor. It is very difficult to watch this happening, as he has had such a struggle with the brain injury for almost his whole life...
Posted 11/28/2015 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome, and I'm so sorry to hear what your son is going through.
My anxiety and acid reflux are very heavily linked,
I never had acid reflux before the anxiety started.

I agree that he should do whatever he can to reduce his anxiety.
I'm sorry he may have to wait that long!
Maybe he could try some mindfullness meditation, or something along those lines.
Posted 11/28/2015 11:39 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so sorry to hear about your son's condition. It's really heart breaking to see your child suffering and I know you are willing to give him everything he needs. Acid reflux can be a symptom of anxiety. Once anxiety attacks, his stomach starts acting up. As what the others mentioned the best way to stop this is to reduce anxiety.

Because of the many mental health issues he has I assume he also have numerous medications. And to add another for the reflux would really be non-beneficial. It's a good thing that you consider therapy, that would really help him. You should also consider some self-help methods, natural remedies, and nutritional supplements. These alternative approaches have little to no side effects which makes them ideal for treatment. Kava tea and endoca hemp oil have great results when it comes to alleviating anxiety.

Meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness programs, and relaxation techniques are just some things your son should consider trying. It would greatly affect the effectiveness of his medications. You should also monitor his diet and make sure he eats only healthy foods, a better lifestyle makes the meds work better and faster. I do hope he gets well soon.

Post Edited (JulesKanter) : 12/2/2015 1:40:25 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/29/2015 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi R.M.,
Sorry, these are surely tough challenges for you both to go through.sad
Excellent advice above, so I will just add my own support, and encouragement to check out our Resources (link below) until you can get into the CBT program.
These coping skill suggestions and materials are great to get started with until then...and beyond!

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=9&m=104206

Take a look, familiarize yourself with them, and then perhaps you can go over the practices together, until he is comfortable with them on his own.
You are a great advocate for your son. Keep up the good work...and post anytime for support!
Scaredy Cat
Posted 11/29/2015 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
If he will listen to you the above mentioned self help will make a big difference in his life. I also had the child hood problem you mentioned it was awful, but by puberty they pretty much were gone,
That link between the stomach and the mind is a real dilly, my father died of a ruptured ulcer and it set me up for the unending acid fight, in my case the generic prilosec from walmart killed it and it probably went a long way during my recovery. Peace

Larry ***
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