Hello , it's me

[Bezza28]

I have severe emetophobia and PTSD that was caused by a car accident several years ago . I fractured my neck and was put into a spinal board . In the back of the ambulance whilst laying flat and not being able to move I started to feel like I was going to be sick , but I thought it would flood my lungs if I was and as a consequence I experienced my first ever panic attack .

Five years later , I have gone through stages of not touching the post or money Incase I catch a bug . Scrubbing my hands several hundred times a day to now . I have rationalised things out and thankfully am able to lead a relatively normal life . I do however find the ongoing anxiety crippling .

I have panic attacks 2-4 times a day , nausea , dizziness , sweating , palpitations and not being able to sit still . One time I even lost all feeling in my legs and my mind actually managed to paralyse my legs for 24 hours.

I'm 24 years old , I'm lucky to be so healthy but I just can't combat the anxiety .

This is my first ever post so not sure how to end it but I am just hoping to find people that understand me .

Thank you for reading this

X

[Jodieloo]

Hi Bezza28

I'm sorry you have been through such a rough time, anxiety is awful and it sounds like you need some CBT, it will help you with your way of thinking and combat some of the anxiety . It's all in your mind, you have to tell yourself that it's just your brain playing tricks on you. Do your deep breathing when you feel the palpitations, and use something cool on your chest like a cold flannel as that helps a great deal !! Also keep a cold bottle of water at hand a keep sipping it throughout the day .

Are you on any meds for your Anxiety ? I'm on 50mg of sertraline and it helps a great deal. I still have some bad days but I live a more positive and happy life which I'm truly thankful for 😉

Hope this reply helps and keep me updated on you progress 😊

[Angep Star]

Hi Bezza, first of all massive credit to you to have come this far👍 Finding yourself out of control regarding what's happened or happening to you is really scary. The knock on effect of that results in symptoms you have experienced.hopefully in time you will be able to conquer you anxiety and stop the panic attacks. Youl find as you read through people's posts there are so many helpful tips and a true understanding of how you feel and what you experience. I'm sure you'll find lots of help and support on here👍😀

[Damian]

I'm sorry things got so difficult after the accident. I tend to get carsick if I can't look where I'm going, so I can't read a book if I'm a passenger in a car for example. I've sometimes thought that it would be horrible going to hospital in an ambulance and having to lie down. Being anchored to a spinal board must make it worse.

If you get anxiety about your hands not being clean, you could try using hand sanitiser instead of soap and water. You can get ones that are a water-based foam, so they don't dry your skin the way soap would. It's not a cure for your anxiety, but it will at least mean that your hands won't get sore while you work on it.

I hope your panic attacks get less frequent. I've heard of people getting things like paralysis that are generated by the mind—you're definitely not on your own. I hope it doesn't happen again, though, it sounds very unpleasant.

Good luck!