HelloI've suffered anxiety for years but always been in control of it. 4 months ago I was unwell with severe gastritis which I still have but coping with a new diet. After going to hospital for gastritis I came home and was very poorly due to antibiotics etc. My thyroid went out of kilter which is settling down again. I am on the Thyroid forum too.
Anyway my anxiety flared up in a way I've never experienced. I've been on low dose of SSRIs for years so doctor upped it. Then I got onto diazepam as I couldn't control my anxiety. The physical effects of anxiety are crippling. Chest pains, leg arm pains, shakes, nausea you name it and I get it. I've been doing counselling via Zoom. I've lost a lot of weight and am not functioning. I can hardly get out of bed now. I'm not suicidal but I'm not sure how long my body can go on. I force myself to eat and get up and walk around the house. I've tried cutting down on diazepam but the withdrawals are awful so I'm doing it slowly. I get 3 hrs sleep at night if I'm lucky but as soon as my eyes open my chest pain and shaking starts so it's a vicious circle.
Sorry for the long post. My mental health nurse is going to call me tomorrow to change my SSRIs but I'm scared my anxiety will get even worse for a while when I change meds.
Has anyone had anything similar to the point of just laying in bed fighting these feeling s all day. I was hoping for some success stories. I feel my life has ended but I want to fight to enjoy my life again.
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HelenR23
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Sorry for what you are dealing with, you might also make sure your hormones and adrenals are functioning properly, they along with your thyroid can also affect your mood/anxiety.
Here is my answer to a similar posting as yours:
One of the big things that helped me in healing my anxiety was knowledge. When we find out the facts of what something is and what is really going on it can lessen the fear and we can approach it rationally.
What really made a difference for healing my anxiety was finding out that anxiety is a paradox and the more we fight it, resist it or even try to out-think it, it makes it persist and more intense. The key is to learn to surrender and let the panic/anxiety flow through us and remind ourself that it is just adrenalin, it feels intense but it can't harm us. It is also a part of us that was used to protect us but now we no longer need that kind of protections and you have to convince and retrain yourself that you no longer need to be anxious and desensitize yourself. With enough persistence and practice you will desensitize yourself and the anxiety/panic will diminish over time and you will heal. I know it sounds absurd now but the key is to realize that anxiety is a part of us and to make friends with it and start to listen to what it is trying to tell us.
There are a number of good books and info on anxiety/panic, I found the DARE Anxiety book and program very helpful and constructive about how to heal it as well as their youtube videos. Another good book is "At last a life and beyond" by Paul David, he also has a website and the books and youtube videos of Dr. Claire Weekes.
I also found meds, particularly Klonopin, helped reduce my anxiety but didn't eliminate it, it took learning what it really is, determining why I had it and how to constructively deal with it for that to happen. It takes courage and persistence but it is definitely possible to heal and get on with your life.
All I can say is I feel very much the same. I have hypothyroid and unfortunately digestive problems, anxiety and depression can be exacerbated by the condition. Even when our thyroid blood tests say normal limits. I have had the gastritis on and off for a few years. I constantly have nausea. I take nexium when it gets bad. The gastritis makes our anxiety worse and it becomes a viscous circle. When I first had the gastritis I lost 2 stone as I couldn’t eat felt full after a few mouthfuls of food. I went down to 7 stone 2 pounds. I did go gf but have since stopped as found it too restrictive. I went bland foods with chicken natural yogurt etc. Hopefully you will settle more once the gastritis is under control. I like you also felt shakey, arms legs hurt wake at 3am etc. it’s dreadful but it will pass. Your thyroid may have taken a hit and should settle back. If you have lost weight get your levels checked in case your dosage needs adjusting if you are on thyroxine? I know how you feel. I hope you feel better soon
I can tell you a little about my experience with anxiety, I do not have much knowledge on the other gastrointestinal problems you're facing I'm sorry to hear about that.
I have had anxiety symptoms very similar to yours, chills, nausea, upset stomach, even temperature changes. At point I felt my throat closed and I couldn't eat solid food, only liquid food. Also very intense mood swings and depression. When we are in this state it is very hard to feel like it will get better or that we will feel normal again, but please maintain your faith that you will feel better again, it just takes time. I've had anxiety episode lasting about a month before I'm back to normal, and this is without medication.
What has helped me is therapy, Journaling, reading books, yoga, excercise, meditation...
I believe that anxiety starts in the mind and it can end with the mind as well. With proper training, like working out, you need to get mentally fit, and you need to start from scratch, so it will require a lot of self discipline and consistency to do it, but you will be so proud when you start to realize that you can gain control of your mind and body again. You also have to accept the fact that you have to completely change your life style, your mindset, maybe your old self... Into a stronger version of you filled with more tools to overcome this.
I recommend to watch the you tube channel called "Therapy in a Nutshell" very informative and fun to watch!
I also recommend the documentary called "heal" which is also in YouTube.
I hope this helps to give you a little bit of encouragement and hope.
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xx
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