Anxiety or something else???

[April7]

Have I been fooling myself. Is it all anxiety? I linger in the background but rarely post. I have suffered with anxiety and panic for years now over 20. I suddenly developed it after developing colitis c difficile from a botched root canal. Thus the anxiety and stomach issues. I always am searching for a cause. Is it the food I ate, low cortisol, stomach issues (is it caused by ibs). Maybe the issues I have been fighting are all caused by anxiety. Don't get me wrong, I have been diagnosed with hashimotos thyroid, adrenal fatigue, lyme. Two years this July I will have had a surgery to remove my left lower lung which had a mass that was also quite infected. They think this was a birth defect and I was living with it for years. I got feeling better after the surgery and was anxiety free for the most part for a year and then it came back with vengance. Surprising enough I dealt with the diagnoses and surgery quite well. Through the years I have developed several fears around throwing up or having a panic attack, etc. I tried Paxil for a few weeks 20 years ago but it made me hallucinate. Afraid to try something else.

I am just starting into menopause which adds to it all. Tried progesterone which really make the anxiety crazy. So there again led me to believe that there is a cause to it all.

Not sure what to do or believe. I try to follow the Clair Weekes protocol which has helped. But I am now starting to be afraid to go to work. I am a massage therapist and hate being stuck in a room and not being able to leave. I don't want my husband to leave, and much more. So at a loss anymore. Thanks for listening.

[b1b1b1]

Are you currently seeing a doctor for these issues. That might help. Also, a psychiatrist and/or a therapist.

[April7 in reply to b1b1b1]

Hi thanks for the reply. I do have a regular doctor that has been wonderful. He thinks there is an underlying cause to anxiety but it has been so long analyzing it that I now am ok with getting just symptom relief. I am looking into a therapist now. My daughter is encouraging me to.

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

It's time to stop the cycle of anxiety in your life. I beat a SEVERE case of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I'll send you the tips that helped me. No doctor or pills needed.

[April7 in reply to The_Lord_is_with_Us]

Yes please send me your tips. I don’t know if we can post our email here??

[Pugglesworth]

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate.

I have been where you are in the search and, in my experience, you won't find the answers you seek. At least not at the mental health level. I have my own cardiovascular issues that mix with my anxiety and it sucks; however, the search made it worse. It's very difficult to pull apart what is physical and what is mental as they both blend together. Is my chest pain anxiety or an actual problem? Do I ignore it or head to the ER? In my case, I don't have breathing issues, problems thinking or pain in my extremities. So it's anxiety. I've stopped the search.

I too suddenly developed my disorder. Mine happened about six years ago in middle age. Not common. Lots of pain, burning sensations, high blood pressure, you name it. Went to the ER multiple times until the doc said "I think I know what's wrong with you." He gave me an Ativan and for the first time in months I felt better. Since then I see a psychiatrist and am currently doing Somatic Experiencing Therapy. I did ACT on my own. Saw another counselor early on who helped a lot. She taught me tapping, EMDR and some other ways to loosen the grip of anxiety.

It's hard to step back from our symptoms and see them for what they are: an experience. We think the worst and head to the Net to diagnose ourselves. We feed the feeling with more fear, more guilt, more dislike. We do everything we can to get away from it. Make it go away. And, in time it does. It always does. But the second guessing keeps it around much longer than it needs to be.

Mental health is a journey. Not one that we would have chosen, but one that chose us. For whatever reason, here we are. And the best I can do is accept that. The most difficult thing I think I've ever done. And I'm still working on it. I have tension headaches. They're part of my experience. Chest tightness. An experience. Nausea. That too is an experience.

I do take meds. They help. Therapy also helps. Talking about it helps tremendously. Writing helps too. Stop lingering in the background and post away.

We're all here by choice.