Newly diagnosed with anxiety

[Rels]

Hi all,

I'm new here, been to the doctors today and he has diagnosed me with anxiety......

Well it all started back in January i suddenly started with pains in my leg with swollen knee and ankle. For some reason unbeknownst to me i totally freaked out and automatically thought i had a blood clot. With this thought came a tightening in my chest and dizzy & sickness feeling. It took NHS Direct nurse and 2 doctors to convince me it was just tendinitis all on separated occasions.

Even after this when my tendinitis flares up every few weeks i know its not a blood clot but something at the back of my mind keeps telling me it is and i'm forever checking my legs for signs of one, which has lead to me having multiple doctor appointments.

Anyway back in May i started with a viral infection with caused a throbbing pain in my neck and arm (left side) so again for 3 weeks i was convinced i had something seriously wrong with me, even after 3 doctors telling me its just from the viral infection.

Not long after this i was out shopping one day and all of a sudden started with chest pain and i already had an ache in my arm from doing heavy lifting the day before, but even tho logically i knew it was muscular pain i panicked....felt like i couldn't breath with a heavy chest & sweating. i went off to A&E who assured me it was just muscular pain and the ECG, Xray and bloods all came back normal so they sent me on my way with pain killers.

Since this episode where i did panic i was having a heart attack my mind has just constantly been thinking "i'm going to die or I'm going to have a heart attack" I have noticed I've been getting the odd palpitation which then sets me off worse as it makes me constantly think about my chest and every little ache and pain it making my mind constantly tick over that i'm going to die.

This past week i went out shopping and at the till i randomly started thinking that my bank card was going to be declined, even tho i knew there was no reason why it should. So i stood there at the till feeling like i couldn't breathe, sweating and totally feeling like i wanted the ground to swallow me up.

I just don't know why i keep feeling like this and this past week has been the worst as it feels like it has been constant with a heavy chest, palpitations, brain constantly ticking over i'm going to die, sweating, odd dizzy spell, taking me ages to fall asleep and just a lack of concentration.

Don't think it helped I've kept it all in these past few months with the way I've felt and the amount of doctor appointments i have had is unreal since Jan because if i cant get an appointment with my doc i will go and sit in a walk in center till i'm seen :/

So went to the doctors today and basically told him everything I've mentioned here and he diagnosed me with anxiety.

He has refereed me for CBT which he said is done online at our local surgery and should have an appointment by end if August for that. He also prescribed me with a beta blocker (propranolol) 10mg dose and said take as and when i need them.

came out of my doctor appointment and went to my dads and totally broke down told him and my partner everything with the way I've been feeling. My dad went mad saying i shouldn't take the tablets as they are addictive......is this true? also other's that have taken them, how have you found them?

My dads answer to all this is..... your dying from the day your are born stop worrying and if your worrying that much i will send you for a life scan :/ .....like that's going to help!

thanks you so much if you have managed to read this far, its nice to be able to get it all down and out in the open as such with the way i have been feeling these past few months.

xx

[rouri]

Hello Rels, very happy you joined this site, everyone here suffer in a way or another and we keep each other company as we understand what we go through anxiety.

if you have time read some blogs and questions, you will see that you are not alone in here, everyone is nice and you can relate to in a way.

been going through all what you mentioned for some time now, and still, it is all a state of mind, nothing is wrong with you and you are not crazy, i used to think that I am going to drop dead and no one will even notice, but it didn't happen, anxiety is just nothing, it is unpleasent but will not cause you harm. I wish that someone told me that it was anxiety when i started having my problems, i left it for so long that it did get out of hands, now I know more or less everything about it, even though i refused to take tablets for it, don't feel pressured about the tablets, just think befor eyou take them? ask yourself if this will cure it or just put you to sleep for few hours?? it will not resolve the issue, it will just drug you for some time!!! you just need to work on it, you only just strated suffering so if you ignore it, soon will go!!! don't feed your anxiety negative thoughts, just keep positive, and whenever you feel like talking drop a question in here and loads of people can answer

go through some information in the blogs/questions area there are already some good advices and people you can relate too

you are not alone

xx

[milo1]

hi rels we all know the feeling yes propanolol are used for anxiety and no they are not addictive they are not very strong and 10 mg is a low dose i would take one one on waking one lunch time and one evening hope you find them helpfull they are not anti depress drug so dont worry get well soon x

[lonestar]

hi reis from reading what u put i understand it cant b nice 4 u ,but here we all understand ,i suffer from social anxiety ,ive not long joined this site but find it very helpful as everyone on here r really great !! i expect it duznt help with what ur dad said but thats prob because he duznt understand ,where obviously u can c whats happening ! im starting C.B.T soon myself ,biggist thing u did was acknowlege u had a problem and thats one of the hardest steps !! as ive said we r all here 4 each other and i know its hard ,but from here on in its about moving 4ward ,hope things get better ,im always around 4 a chat ,so feel free anytime and as rouri has already said u r def not alone !!!! : )

[Rels]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

I'm not normally one for taking medication but have taken my first propranolol tonight as after getting it all out in the open with family about the way i'm feeling it actually made me feel quite bad and i felt rather stupid with the way i was feeling :/

Thankfully the low dose has helped, its actually nice having a bit of a release from it for the time being.

Does anyone know of any good books that are available to read for anxiety? anything about self help or just generally anything about anxiety.

xx

[lottysunshine]

you are on the first step to recovery... it is a horrible thing we suffer.. and getting it all out in the open is a relief.. look up cbt on the internet and mindfulness they both offer ways of coping .. I too went to a&e.. 3 times thinking I was going to die so I know as the others on here do how awful you feel.. Could you get counselling or talk therapy from your nhs authority ? any time you need a shoulder message me.. xxx

[lonestar]

my GP is lending me a book called taming the black dog if thats any help and i found a web site called Anxietybc yesterday 4 self help take a look and let me know what u think ? good luck : )

[F_Shadow1]

Hi Rels, sorry to hear you've had such a bad time. I'm on atenolol which is another type beta blocker and I've been on 50mg in the past, on 25mg now. Like you I hate taking meds but if it helps get through it then it's worth it. I can assure they are not addictive. I have had CBT for anxiety to do with the heart; also like you I have been convinced on numerous occassions that I have been having a heart attack when in reality it's 'just' a panic attack... but obviously rationalising in such a state is often not possible! It's basically health anxiety mixed with panic disorder, i.e. one can fuel the other. The heart is my biggest preoccupation when it comes to health but other things have also caused me to panic in the past. I've had CBT for it (via Anxiety UK as it goes) which helps a lot after a while, so I hope that works for you - I'm sure it will. In terms of books, 'Overcoming Health Anxiety' by Rob Willson and David Veale is really useful; it challenges you in places though so I'd suggest speaking to your therapist about it before trying any of the more challenging tasks! But it's a handy manual, and contains info about all sorts of stuff beyond health anxiety (including general anxiety and depression etc) too. Also (sorry long post!), don't worry too much about your dad's reaction, i know that's easier said than done but I had a similar reaction; you just have to accept sometimes that they don't understand and so can't relate. I hope you can find support from other family/friends and from this site! Best wishes, Al

[Rels]

thanks lottysunshine, not too sure about the counselling, doctor said the fist thing to do was the medication and CBT. Its defo something i'm willing to look into and will ask about on my next appointment.

off to look up mindfulness and cbt now

[Holisticstress]

Beta blockers are not addictive they will help with your GAD try relaxation and mindfulness have a look on my site there are some helpful tips. I wish you luck

[devon]

Hello Rels and welcome to the site i to am fairly new on here and have found it a big help.After reading your post how much i can identify with you. I to have anxiety i suppose i would be classed as having the health side of it as i always have such horrid physical symptoms and am convinced i have something bad.I have had full blood and urine tests all came back clear have had to be going to my gp quite a bit since January myself she reassures me it is all anxiety i am ok for a bit wth the what i am told but i soon slip back and off the anxiety goes sky high again.I get horrid weird feelings down one side arm and leg have had them in the past and they have gone away but each time i get a bout of this they come back with a vengence. I get the awful sweating fatigue my appetite goes and i just feel ill with it.I have been prescribed the propanalol in the past and yes they do help.

I am so glad i found this site as you can relate to others going through the same sort of things and you dont feel alone.I hope you will soon start to feel a bit better and the tablets are helping you.One good book i can reccomend is Self Help For Your Nerves by Dr Clare Weeks it is a very well known book.

[Hidden]

Hi, i've had exactly the same thoughts as you hun! I went on holiday in June had thoughts of blood clots and it spiralled from there, chest pain, heart palpatations, sleepless nights incase i died in my sleep (most nights i think are my last) and every other symptom anyone could have. I'd never had panic attacks or anxiety EVER before (well not I knew of anyway) so I visited my GP in a state who sent me for bloods and ECG. But while waiting for results i'd had a few too many attacks and took myself to A&E who did blood tests, ECG and Xray which where all clear. So went back to GP who then told me it was anxiety, panic and depression but he wasn't happy to give me tablets (which i didn't want anyway but made me wonder why) but refered me for councilling. Now i have a new GP as the last one left and now she wants to put me on tablets which i'm scared to take because of last GPs comment. so i explained this to my partner and he said roughly the same as your dad!!

So basicly i've been riding the thoughts and feelings over the past few months and seeing councillor once a week! and i'm doing ok! But then I do force myself to carry on as usual and have lazy days when needed/deserved lol.You can get through this with or without meds it just takes time!

Good luck and all the best for bright future xx