Worried I'm suffering from anxiety/PTSD

[Piggy2]

I have an appointment with my go tomorrow to talk over possible PTSD. I have complete congental heart block and a heart murmur which needed a pace maker fitted in 2014, resited in 2015 and have lqt from.which I'm scared to sleep Incase I don't wake up. In 2014 I had to wait 7 months to have the pace maker although I had been told at the start I'd be a 2 year fatality if I never received it. I've had some councling and they have picked up on a few things so the doctor it is in the morning. I'm on a CBT course to try help with my anxiety as it's all over the place. Can anyone shed some light on how to deal with this as I've no one.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

You really have been through it.....I am sure others will write and even some people who know a bit more about exactly what you’ve been going through.

All I know is that it does take time, after such a shock, to get to a new way to live life, and lots of people say it’s a better way!

Also, thank goodness out NHS is beginning to recognise PTSD in some of us.

For me, my HAs were like a shot across my bow. Mortality staring me in the face.

Be kind to yourself.

We are here to listen.

[Sunnie2day]

I had three life-threatening events occur in my life in the late 1990s and early 2000s (the 'triple whammy' of a long-term family crisis in beginning in '97, then a health one beginning in '98, and in 2004 a hurricane and tornado that washed my US Gulf Coast home into the Gulf of Mexico - you can see why I chose to retire home to the relatively weather quiet UK!).

Hurricane Ivan was 'the final straw' and I was diagnosed with PTSD soon after the 'cane.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) focussed on the PTSD worked for me. For me it took several years before I felt back in control and fully able to cope on my own even with the CBT and the 'homework' of workbooks reviewed during sessions with the therapist.

I was prescribed Xanax to help during the first year - took it for about a month and stopped cold (not recommended, actually) as I didn't like the zombie look and feel. The drug did ease the anxiety considerably but walking around in a brain fog so deep I couldn't remember my then brand-new grandson's activities 20 minutes after observing those was not worth the so-called relief.

CBT - lifesaver, can't recommend it highly enough! Medications, not so highly recommended owing to my personal experience but some do find the combination of anti-anxiety/anti-depressants and CBT to be exceptionally helpful.

[Piggy2 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thankyou sunnie2day for your reply. With my heart condition I can't take medication as that's why I ended up with long qt.

I've been to the doctor who's now sending me for psychiatrist report assessing the PTSD level. I broke down in the room today talking to her as it's all building up inside me. Sorry to hear what you've all been through and glad your on your way back up, up where I'd like to be one day too back to my usual self.

[Harrison4]

Good morning understand anxiety and ptsd not nice

I have found breathing either in for 3 and out for 5 or 7 and 11 really works

Do some research it is to do with the para sympathetic nervous system 😊👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[Piggy2 in reply to Harrison4]

Harrison4, I'm on a CBT course at the moment only started a few days ago so I'm really hoping this can help. Thankyou for your reply

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Piggy2]

Hi Piggy2

I was taught CBT techniques to help me manage my angina pain.

Also my fear and anxiety of going into hospital because of the poor management of my acute angina episodes. It really helped me heal my PTSD.

I had the support and still do of a Cardiac psychologist.

Breathing, relaxation, Mindfulness meditation, yoga and self hypnosis all help me manage and turn the volume down on my physical and emotional pain. I respond in a different way to my pain. I feel less anxious.

I use this free app. It has lots of techniques that may help you.

insighttimer.com/

Btw I have learned that emotional pain such as anxiety/ fear 'hurts' just as much as physical pain.

I hope you can find some calm and ease soon.

[Dockdog]

Hi Piggy2, I am sure like me, there will be so many out there who share your problems and really understand what you are going through. It takes a lot of courage to face, Anxiety and PTSD and realise, first that you have something going on in your head and body that needs to be dealt with and secondly, the big step of trying to get something done about it before it eats you up! I had constrictive pericarditis that took several years of failing health to get diagnosed and then to suffer a near heart failure to get a pericardectomy under emergency conditions with AF and some major complications that kept me in hospital for over a month! That was about 19 months back and I was told serious heart procedures can cause emotional turmoil, I little realised how true that is! During the latter part of 2018 I was walking my dog in the dusk and I became aware of footsteps behind me, my reaction was a Fear or Fight panic which is totally abnormal and irrational in my part of rural England! I am long retired and in my extensive time and travel with a US organisation did face some hair raising moments in the course of my work in the Middle East but that was long suppressed. I sought therapeutic help privately from a PTSD specialist who regressed me back to get to the root of the problem and diagnosed me as having a military grade PTSD from facing risk of imminent death in a few situations. Stress plays a big part in releasing the demons and since being diagnosed I faced a really bad flashback a few weeks ago which brought my AF back and great concern from my GP. It has laid me low ever since and I feel shattered, difficulty in sleeping and irrational fears. I am a volunteer for a significant military charity and know only too well how there are many out there who suffer this awful condition, please keep up the treatment and while it may not completely go away the Cognitive therapy will do wonders! I suffered anxiety before I was diagnosed correctly with my heart issues but in the end became resigned and fatalistic until at last the problem was recognised which gave me renewed hope.

Keep strong and take care and don't give up the fight!

[Piggy2 in reply to Dockdog]

Dockdog thankyou for your reply. I've managed to battle on through this until a few months back as this is when I've started my anxiety getting worse. The community worker along with the gp have both wondered PTSD due to not taking in the full extent of how gravely ill I actually was in 2014. I was at the councillor yesterday and had a good talk and as someone pointed out, there's always someone else worse off than yourself which is very true. You yourself due to your line of work have been through scarry times and your health gets effected. I'll never give up this fight just like you but days are hard and that's when I can't stop fearing the worse. Thankyou for taking the time to reply