The panic / anxiety cycle

Hi, just wondered whether anyone still on this site and still suffering, I hope not, but your blogs interested me, as I too am suffering the same. I have suffered with anxiety most of my life, but dealt with it fine and I didn't allow it to affect my life, it was just something that came and then went. But having gone through some very traumatic times over the past few years, my autonomic nervous system went into shut down and I am left with disabling anxiety and panic attacks. I wont go into great detail unless you want to know, but I have since had numerous checks, most of which have proved not to be related to my symptoms. I am stuck on a treadmill constantly having to tell myself there is nothing wrong, it is just anxiety.... but this anxiety is different, I have not been able to work for 2 years and although things in my life have improved the symptoms remain. I have since been diagnosed with Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome, which is something which Drs often do not know how to diagnose as although anxiety was at the forefront of it, your brain becomes so used to living in an anxiety mode, that your breathing and your airways become over sensitized whcih messes with your carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange, which sends more messages to your brain to breathe, as your muscles are so tight, it starts a continuous circle of tension, palpitations, acid reflux, over breathing, chronic back, neck and shoulder spasms, more panic attacks, more reflux with the spasms in esophagus, stomach etc, more palpitations, more anxiety and yes, more of the same, until you hit exhaustion. You struggle to breathe, you have to breathe to live, your brain says so !!! So you fight, it's the body's natural fail safe, though flawed because really there is no danger, only the danger your brain and your airways and nerve endings are creating by mistaken messages being sent to the brain to breathe more, to breathe deep, to stay alive, to fight the monster.....somehow, someway, you have to block this ..... is there a pill... no.... Buteyko breathing is an option, but you need to practice with a trained physiotherapist as trying to do it yourself can cause more problems. FLOP, DROP AND MAKE YOUR BODY GO LIMP but keep yourself grounded, that will start to defuse the tension, but dont hold your breath, allow your breathe to come natuarlly after you feel the tension move down. Because of the fast paced stressful lives we all lead now, this is becoming more and more common and Drs are reluctant to push every person they see to a respiratory department, so bundling it all up with the infamous word 'Anxiety' , giving you some pills, which often make this situation even worse if not depressed as firing up the system even more.....omopraxole can make you more bloated, but will settle the acid, so sometimes what will work for one will not work for another. I hope however you are on the mend.... it will get better, you just have to let it go and somehow stop fighting..... something all of us with anxiety only know how to do..... we are fighters, we are survivors, that is our nature.... we have to succeed, we need to succeed, we need to be well.... giving up is not an option..... you can give up, you can give up the fight, but not give up on life.... somewhere there is an off switch that we have lost along the way and dont know where to find anymore..... it is there I promise...... slow your breathing down, use your core muscles as belly dancers do to breath and gradually you will notice that you don't have to keep trying to breathe, your diaphragm will do it for you Can anyone relate to this...? I am waiting for my respiratory session and have only got this far through having worked in the medical profession and learning all I can to try to get myself better..... sometimes knowledge is good, sometimes it is bad, but unfortunately for those of us suffering with anxiety or related symptoms, it is the hardest thing in the world to shut off from these horrifying symptoms.... once we create harmony in our mind and our body, then the two will integrate once again, without the battle, without the fear, without the one telling the other it is not working to our satisfaction !!

[Agora1]

Hi Nutbush, what an enlightening and educational post you wrote. That's what I like about this forum. We learn from each other. What one person doesn't know, the other does. Thank you so much for sharing.