Anxiety and physical symptoms

[Cn82]

Hi all,

Not posted on this forum before (have on the IBS one though). I've had anxiety problems all my life. I'm now 44, and still struggling. As a kid I had really bad social phobia about going to the shops and restaurants. I got the usual problems, panic attacks, feeling faint and shaky. But I also used to throw up with nerves. Eventually this stopped and I learnt to deal with it. I've also been diagnosed with OCD, which massively affects my anxiety levels. In recent years, I've had a lot of stress in my life, with OCD and anxiety increasing a lot. I've been to see numerous counsellors and tried medication (I felt ten times more anxious and had a panic attack about the side effects!). This is hard for me, but over the last few years my anxiety and panic has lead to major problems with my bladder and bowels. I started to get bed wetting when going through big stresses at work, and this developed into 'accidents' in the day, due to anxiety/panic. I know anxiety makes you want to go to the bathroom more, and in times of fear (car accidents etc) people can loose control, but I now have problems when ever I have a panic attack. I've been diagnosed with an overactive bladder and also have IBS prolems, but after numerous trips to specialists, they can find nothing physically wrong. I'm so ashamed and embarrassed by this, because I'm 44 with a family to support. I now use incontinence pads when going out, which give me some security, but again don't make me feel great about myself. The medical profession doesn't seem to want to know either. I feel like its just me. Any help really appreciated.