Is anybody else suffering with anxiety and does anyone have any techniques that will work?
Still I’m recovery. I have been meningitis FREE for 2 months today. I still feel run down but slowly but surely I am getting stronger every day. However the anxiety is really bad.
Thanks
Chloe
2 months is a great achievement well done every day will get easier, I also suffer with anxiety it's not nice at all it's just something I have learned to live with as well as I can. I hope your anxiety starts to get better with time stay strong
Thankyou, I will try my best to stay strong like you have 
Hi Chloe, I had pneumococcal meningitis two and a half years ago. I returned to full time work after four months but was soon finding anxiety creeping up. My GP prescribed some SSRI tablets and told me that I could take over year until I felt well again. A friend, who is a Psychiatric Nurse, put this into perspective for me in a really straightforward way that I instantly understood - overnight I went from being healthy to being in hospital with a life threatening condition. I realised that it was hardly surprising that I was feeling anxious and having difficulty regulating my emotions.
What helped? Talking to family about how I was feeling was key and I was surprised at their understanding (I don't know this surprised me really, but imagine that this was part of the illness). The tablets helped me feel more settled and in control - but medication is not the right thing for everyone, so think carefully and talk with your health care professionals. Mindfulness meditations - I was so sceptical about this but it is now part of my daily life. I don't always mediate daily but I call upon the principles of self compassion and self awareness when I need them.
I hope that this is helpful for you and although I didn't use this myself I suggest that talking to someone on the Meningitis Now helpline would help and I wish I had done this.
Take care, Carole
Thankyou so much. I hope your anxiety is getting better day by day x
Hi Chloe, I think its quite normal to have an anxious phase after such a trauma. I developed it after mine and started having panic attacks on my return to work so bad that I had to stop work again.
I found counselling, cbt and pregabalin all helpful in coping. Breathing exercises, meditation, apps like headspace or think up, exercise like yoga or gentle tai chi are also helpful, as was diet.
Thankyou. My work wouldn’t even give me a phased return I had to go straight back to full time!
Thankyou s
Hi Chloe...
The anxiety that creeps in certainly has been the most unpleasant after effect of my December bout with meningitis.
All of the advice above is great input. I take Cymbalta to tamp it down, talked with a therapist a few times, when it was a bit overwhelmibg, and hope that time and excercise will also help. Something seems to turn on the cortisol faucet after things like this...hopefully there will be better answers in the not so distant future.
Hi Chloe,
I had meningitis W back in january and i suffered terribly with anxiety after getting out of hospital, I was extremely worried about getting ill again and was having panic attacks daily, I spoke with my health care professionals and was diagnosed with ptsd.
I've learned some great ways to cope and I've returned to work part time, speaking about it helped me, I hope you find a way to cope soon
Take care x
I am glad you are coping better now. Thankyou x
Yes CBD oil has helped tremendously.. look it up and read about it. You will be happy you did. It helps to repair and rebuild your brain and nervous system as well as relieve symptoms immediately.
I had BM+ last September, I still suffer from anxiety, I had hypnotherapy and craniosacral massage, different things help you cope with the various stages of recovery. We've been through a traumatic experience, it's a slow and difficult recovery but we will get better.
Thankyouxx
Hello, You can find my 28 year old daughter, Rosie S' Story, via the link on the forum stories from the home page.
We found that cranial massage worked wonders for her. Her job is working with horses on pretty much a daily basis and is very physically demanding.
It is rare for a story to be so positive and we have tried to let people know that this amazing complementary therapy worked for her. It helps release the spinal fluid which VM leaves a blockage for. Rosie is pretty much cured after around 10 sessions coupled with actupuncture, although found awesome relief after only one appointment. She is now free of all pain killers and antidepressants and feels right back to her old self.
We can only let you know what worked for her. It's not for all, but has now given amazing relief for many. It seems the success could be to do with the skill of the cranial osteopath you use. So it is important to find out the osteopaths credentials and experience in this specialised field particularly dealing with VM sufferers, if you can. (Not all osteopaths realise that this helps VM sufferers, it is often carried out on young babies with birthing problems). You need an osteopath and not a therapist who mearly has some training in cranial massage.
If you find you are getting the violent headaches and feeling lethargic and depressed after a few weeks, give this complementary therapy a go, it really could be worth it and save you being on prescribed drugs, along with months, years, of unnecessary suffering.
Kind wishes and best of luck
Over a year and still can't overcome some of these issues!!
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