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I've had my doctors reassurance so I am I still anxious? Please respond!

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Anxiety & Panic Disorders
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Posted 8/10/2011 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Im a healthy 24 year old with a great life. I have a great husband and I get the privilege of being a stay at home mom to my perfect son. However I have anxiety. It's bad. Its been getting better but I have my very bad days. I've had anxiety my whole life and never taken anything for it and I'm trying not to start. In the month of July I went to ER twice, ive had blood work and a ct scan all of which were normal, but I'm still anxious. Lately I've been getting these sharp shooting pains in my right temple they last mere seconds and are on and off all day. Then this morning I got this tight cramping feeling in the back oft side of my head. Headaches instantly send me into a panic. I'm just terrified that it's something and these are symptoms of something real and I'm ignoring them?...I've been to the doctor I'm fine but I can't shake this anxiety? Anyone have any tips or encouragement? Also when I get the headaches and start panicking I get very disoriented and begin thinking of going to the ER. It's a vicious cycle. I can't run off to the ER every time I get a headache. Thank you and good luck to us all!
Posted 8/10/2011 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning,

I am sorry you are having bad anxiety and I am wondering if you have talked with your Dr. about seeking treatment for you anxiety. Anxiety is a horrible thing to go through but your not alone. Thousands of people worldwide suffer from it at one point in their lives.

IMHO, the best course of action is a combination of therapy and medication. Unfortunately, there are negative stereotypes that go along with either...sometimes people think "therapy" means you're a crazy person who needs a shrink. This is not true. Psychiatrists are just doctors who have received specialized training in behavioral sickness as opposed to just physical illness. Your therapist will want to know more about you, what you do, and what factors contribute to the onset of your anxiety. Based on his/her analysis, they might suggest the best solution are continued visits. They can work with you on strategies to cope with your anxiety and methods to get rid of it. They also, in some cases, might suggest medicine. You should not be afraid of trying a medication. At any age, it is YOUR body and you have a right to not take any medicine if you don't like the effects it has on you.

First step is to see a therapist. Depending on your  insurance, it might be required to see your normal doctor first who can write a referral to go see a specialist/therapist. After that it's between you and your doctors. Also, don't be afraid to admit it if you don't like the therapist you first visit. Therapists are still just people, and not everybody can always get along with each other. Have a great day, and never give up hope :)

 

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 8/10/2011 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks very much kitt. I truly appreciate your responding. I've never taken medication for my anxiety and I'm trying not to now as my husband and I are trying for another baby. I'm not opposed to it and I think its wonderful when it helps and has helped many people. I am thinking of inquiring about medication soon. My problem is the head pains cause the anxiety. When there's no pain I'm fine. Again I thank you kindly for your time.
Posted 8/10/2011 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi lady moo, I suffer from health anxiety which is just like any other anxiety except I tend to focus on my health constantly....I am having therapy and doing cbt which I believe is helping...ok you have been to the drs he ran some tests, he did a ct which shows up everything and it all came back Normal...that is great news...as for the sharp pains in the head they can be caused by tight neck muscles which can also cause headaches which is also caused by anxiety....you see anxiety causes a lot of physical symptoms too....try not to panic when you get the headaches it will only make everything tighten up, cause more pain make you more anxious etc you see it becomes a vicious circle.......try to relax and concentrate on breathing....think calm thoughts....breathe in blue breathe out red works for me......but try and believe what your dr has told you..you are ok...it is anxiety....best wishes to you...and good luckwith your babies...shannon
Posted 8/10/2011 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
I am sorry that you are suffering with anxiety and please take comfort in the fact that you are not alone in this. I someitmes get anxious too in regard to the way I feel physically and stress and worry about what might be wrong with me. As others have posted it is a vicious cycle and the trick is to not allow the cycle to beging in the first place. Remind yourself that the tests came back fine and that the docotr said that you are ok. Practice the deep breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. I visualize the good coming in and the bad going out. I have had a headache off and on for four days but am fairly certain it is related to my allergies and I am not going to make myself anxious over it. For me the one thing that helped me the most with the anxiety was going through the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety program. Hands down that is what really turned things around for me. Persoanlly I would avoid taking medication if you can. I have been taking an Rx for anxiety for abot five years now and I wish I would have never started because now I have to go through the process of weaning myself off of it and dreading that. If you are planning on getting preganant than it is best to stay away from them. That is just my opinion though and while many have found medication helpful I am at the point where I really don't feel it is helping me that much and I want it out of my system for good now. A personal decision for me and everyone is different.
Posted 8/10/2011 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Shabby thank you very much for your response. I hate having the health anxiety! I just prayed today for me to accept and believe that what the doctors said was true andi know that God instilled the knowledge in them. I hope you get over your anxiety it is a terrible thing but I know that were on the road to feeling great! Thank you again and good luck to you.
Dakodie thank you also for your response, I am a huge Lucinda Bassett fan. I love her book from panic to power. It's helped me a number of times. I am still going without the medication and I hope to keep it that way.I'll say a prayer for you. Good luck weaning yourself off,you can do it! You'll be great without it. I hope you continue to get better. Thank you again very much for your response.
Posted 8/11/2011 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
Ladymoo,

Thanks so much for the prayer I really do appreciate it.  I am very hopeful and trying to stay positive about weaing off the zoloft. I need to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. I am working on that.  I have been on it a long time and just don't want to take it anymore. Three years ago I weaned myself off of it slowly which took me about nine months then my husband of twenty three years left me and the panic and anxiety were back again and I went back on it. (really wish I hadn;t though) Overall I feel at this time they really don't help me all that much anyway and I am not willing to increase the dosage. I am on .50 mg now.  I think for me the medication has been kind of like a band aide (a quick fix) and now it's time to rip it off.  I will talk to my doctor and see how she wants me to go about doing this though so that I hopefully will make the transition easily.

My anxiety and panic started about fifteen years ago and at the time I had no idea what was wrong with me.  I finally through a friend figured it out and eventually went through the Midwest program with Lucinda Basettes tapes.  I had been doing very well for many years then whem my husband left the anxiety came back.  It has been a very stressful two years for me and that is one of my triggers for anxiety too much stress starts to make me anxious.  I am not as bad as I was many years ago as I know exactly what is happening and through that program I have the tools to help me cope.  It helps me to journal and talk to friends who understand.

Take Care,

D

Posted 8/11/2011 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
Dakodie I'm so sorry to hear about that with your husband. You're better off without him! My husband was on zoloft (he has seasonal depression) but he just stopped taking it about a month ago and he said he feels better without it. I hope you have the same result! Keep me posted and again good luck to you!
Posted 8/11/2011 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
Oh thanks that is good to hear and helps to encourage me. I was taking it for anxiety not depression but the reason doesn't matter does it? How long had your husband been on it? How much was he taking? Yes I know now that I am better off without him and am happier now than I have been in a very long time. God is good!
-D
Posted 8/11/2011 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not really sure what his dose was a but he was on it for about 6 months. But he had been on other things prior too and stopped them just fine. He seems much better all around!
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