New here

[Imni]

As the title says, I am new to this group, but not new to anxiety. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, agoraphobia and panic disorder in 2003. Since then depression and social phobia have been added to the mental health diagnosis's. I have done the therapy, the medication (ssris, benzos mostly) Currently I am on clonazepam .5mg 2x daily, ssris don't treat me well. I have just recently begun therapy again and managed to find one that comes to my house which is very beneficial as it's hard to get out atm.

In feburary though things got a lot tougher on me. I woke up with swollen red/rashy eyes. It took me a few months to see a doctor (recently moved to a new state and had to wait out insurance and to get in for first appointment). My primary diagnosed me with heliotrope rash, I'm still waiting for the rheumatologist to call me for my appointment, though the blood work my primary did showed no sign of autoimmune disease.

This rash has basically been the straw that broke the camels back. Not only does it seem to amplify my anxiety when I have it, but the lack of any confidence any time I look in the mirror is devastating. It's painful, almost like a sunburn some days, my vision gets blurry especially when my eyes swell causing more anxiety. I'm constantly fatigued (not sure from the disease itself of the depression).

I lack a support system, my roommate who's like family to me is the only person I have irl. He has helped me tons, but isn't around much so most days I am alone, sometimes for days at a time so I have 0 socialization outside some online friends. I guess that's what brought me here. How do you guys deal with the isolation and not let it add to your depression/anxiety? Does anyone else here have experience with having an autoimmune disease on top of anxiety? If so, any tips on how to handle it?

Sorry for the long post, there's still tons i'm missing, but I'll cut it here for now. Any support or advice is welcomed.

-Imni-

[b1b1b1]

Have you seen an eye doctor. This could also be helpful. I have found most GPs don't know much about eyes.

[Imni in reply to b1b1b1]

I have not, but from the research I have done, prior to the diagnosis and after, this seems to be a heliotrope rash which would fall under an autoimmune specialist. I do plan on seeing a doctor about my vision for other reasons, and maybe I'll push that up as they might have some info as well and I will take all the info I can get atm, thank you for the suggestion.

[ImNotCrazyJustSad]

I have rheumatoid arthritis. My bones ach a lot and it's hard to get around. I'm only 25 and I have many medical issues. I was diagnosed last year with hereditary hemochromatosis. It's a blood disease that if not treated will cause organ failure. I have chronic fatigue along with my pain. It freaks me out being like this at such a young age. It hurts when my best friend tells me I worry too much and I'm not that sick. I just remind myself that I am the only one that can take care of me the way I want to be taken care of. No one understands like the people who have it too. My twin sister has the same diagnoses so we talk it out with each other. I help her when she's tired and she helps me when I'm unable. Reaching out was your first step to recovery and now it's up to you to help yourself feel better. I understand about not being confident. I'm always tired looking and red faced. I sweat like a pig because of my anxiety and I worry about my body order from it all the time. So I feel your pain. It'll get better though. When your down the only way to go is up.

[Lakewolf]

What medications are you on (besides any psych meds?)

Sometimes a rash can be caused by a drug interaction.

I’ve had connective tissue disorder not otherwise specified, along with narcolepsy, fibromyalgia, and more—way too much to post. I’ve been seeing rheumatologists for 40 years.

Having a good specialist is essential. Unfortunately, the only way to find out if a doctor knows what they’re doing is by experience.

Keep us updated, ok?

[Imni]

No other meds at the moment. I've ruled out any type of allergy over the months since February, just cutting out things here and there and seein how I react. There seems to be no pattern that I see. The last 3 weeks I've had the rash constantly, which is out of the norm from how it has been. Everytime it starts to be almost gone I wake up with swollen red eyes again and it restarts the cycle.

Honestly I'm a little disappointed the rheumatologist hasn't called me yet, it's been 3 weeks since I was referred meanwhile the GI called me only days later. I'm going to reach out to my pcp tomorrow and see what she can do, a different referral or getting the one she found to call me.

Do you see more anxiety when you have flare ups? It's hard to tell if it's the flare or just me, though I have a decent grip on my anxiety and not letting medical issues effect me, so I don't think it's an anxiety thing but since I don't know anyone else in the same situation I'm not 100%.