Has anyone dealt with anxiety and panic attacks?

[Serlo92]

I’ve been experiencing a lot of that lately. I don’t know if my tiredness and pain is caused by the anxiety and stress or the illness is causing all that anxiety. Please share your experience with me and what did you do to treat it?

[oceansplash]

Hi Serlo92, I know how you feel. I went to a therapist and felt better. She told me to stop googling everything about ckd and live life. I did better, but lately I've been back to trying to self diagnose my self and feel terrible.

[Serlo92 in reply to oceansplash]

Thank you Oceansplash. That’s me too! I’m googling everything and starting to believe I have all the diseases and symptoms out there 😅 it’s so frustrating. Did the therapist prescribe you any anti depressant medications? Because I don’t like to get into this bubble of anti depressants

[drmind in reply to Serlo92]

Sorry about the anxiety and panic attacks. Most mental health professionals who do talking therapy do not prescribe medication. Its psychiatrists who are medical doctors that do that. But, please consider getting some counseling. Not having control of situations when we want control can easily cause anxiety to develop. It makes us feel helpless when attempts to control fail.

There are so many things in life that we cannot control, but we can control our thoughts about these issues. We own our thoughts and can change how we view these problems. Instead of thinking we can cure them because many cant be, look at ways to manage them as well as you can. Get control by doing that.

It sounds as if you have some very complicated medical problems and are not getting the professional assistance and support to deal with them. Is it possible to change doctors or get a medical team together to offer more help? And, I think most of us could also .use a counselor on our team where we can vent some days and some days learn to deal better with our lives.

My best to you. Keep us posted about how things are going . There's a lot of us who care.

[Serlo92 in reply to drmind]

Thank you Drmind. Yes apparently I am experiencing lot of mental and physical issues lately. I’ve seen a lot of medical doctors and all they say is that it’s anxiety. I love life and I love to enjoy food and hangouts I don’t know why would I get anxiety out of nothing! 😅 but I’m seeing a functional medicine doctor hoping she will figure out what’s going on. I think I should take the counselor into consideration because I really need it. My family are my number one support but still I feel it’s too much pressure on them I don’t want to pressure them more.

[Serlo92 in reply to drmind]

And thank you for your support really! This community makes it easier on everyone 🙏🏻

[oceansplash in reply to Serlo92]

I don't like anti-depressants either, had a bad experience long ago. Caution against xanax as I became dependent on the lowest dose (.25 mg) once a day. I weened off and was taking a sliver for awhile. No panic attacks now but lots of tension in my muscles. Stretching, walking etc. is the best medicine. I'm on two bp meds and I think that keeps my mind quieter probably because they make me so tired though which I hate. Take a google vacation and see a counselor for a month and see how you do. I would still check this sight, but maybe a few times a week instead of 3 times a day!!

[Dru0328]

I can relate. For me it was a combination of everything contributing to my anxiety. I’m stage 5. I’m currently working with a therapist doing therapy once a week looking to do 2 days. I also pray daily and try to find the silver lining. I go for walks the most to relieve my anxiety.

[Serlo92 in reply to Dru0328]

How do you find the therapy? Is it benefiting you? I do pray and meditate but I feel like I need someone to talk to

[drmind in reply to Serlo92]

to find a therapist who deals with medical issues, try going to your State Psychological Association and asking for names of those working with medical problems. Hopefully, they will have some from which you can choose. Good luck. And, you got a lot of good advice from these recent posts. I hope you can use some of it. As always, my best and keep us posted.

[Serlo92 in reply to drmind]

Thank you so much I appreciate it drmind 🙏🏻

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Serlo,Yes, I think everyone suffers from anxiety when diagnose with a life altering condition. And it does not help that the world right now is making everyone anxious. Do not feel guilty about being worried.

I agree with not Googling info. There is a lot of garbage out there. No one should diagnose off of the internet. It is good to get educated, which means you have to judicious in the materials you read. Yes, there is no cure. Yes, there are many things you can do to slow or stop the progression. Knowing what is the truth is important. Go to reliable sources like the National Kidney Foundation for basic knowledge.

I too was very anxious and actually, furious when I received my stage 4 diagnosis. I talked with a peer mentor for a while and that helped. Then, I took action to become even more educated and then started advocating. There is some real benefit for being a patient advocate and there are many organizations looking for that support. NFK and AAKP are two of the biggest and are always looking for support in advocacy. Turning anxiety and anger into positive energy is the best medicine. Also... talking with other patients is a big plus. You will discover you are not the worst off nor is all hopeless.

Last piece of advice: Turn off the news, stay off of the Internet search. It seems to me lately that the media is amping up everyone's nerves. The world is a powder keg waiting for the match. There is NOTHING we can do to change what is going on. We can change what is being fed to us by turning off the source. No one watching stops the ads and that will change everything. If you gobble up all the "stuff" being fed out there, it will affect you. Even without a health condition.

Spend some time out in nature. Go for walks. Talk with friends and family (if they are not toxic). Create boundaries that will protect you from all the misinformation, doom and gloom. They are energy vampires. Spending time creating joy in your life will, I promise, make the hard stuff you have to deal with so much easier.

Best to you.

[Serlo92 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Wow thanks for the advice 🙏🏻 You’re right out life is full of negative energy it’s taking over the healthy and ill people. It’s too much to handle. Honestly I’m keeping myself away from all the chaos out there 😅 I can’t take it anymore especially after losing my father because of covid. Even going to doctor’s appointments make me feel anxious and not comfortable, I can’t take it anymore. But I always say I’m grateful that I can afford that.

[Jamok]

Hi Serlo 92,Sorry you’re going through this!

I agree with Bassetmommer. I think it’s normal to feel a bit of anxiety all the more now with the way things are going, not only in your personal life but also in the world around you. But anxiety and worry changes nothing. I’m a firm believer that your thoughts control your destiny. When I feel anxious, I turn to God and my spirituality. One of my favorite mantras when I’m anxious is “be still and know that I am God, fear not for all is well!” If spirituality is not your thing, perhaps you can find peace in nature and through meditation. Sometimes, I search on YouTube for ocean or beach on my smart TV and play that, and it really helps. I try to focus on the positive and stop my thoughts dead in their tracks when they go to the other side with all the what if’s. I do everything I can in my power to feel as good as I can like eating healthy and drinking water etc. and I have some sense of control. I’ve never gone to therapy but I know many who have and it has really helped. Hoping you find calm and peace.

[Serlo92 in reply to Jamok]

Thank you Jamok this is really helpful 🙏🏻 i ak a spiritual person and I always pray and meditate but sometimes I feel weak I lose control trying to find answers everywhere I go! Hope you have find calm and peace too 🙏🏻

[barbara55109]

Here are some tips I previously shared about finding a therapist in the US.

In addition to the often seen plea of “how do I find a renal dietician” I’ve noticed some seeking help finding a therapist. Talking through our thoughts and feelings as we learn to accept/acknowledge/manage our situations can help ease the depression and anxiety that often accompany chronic health conditions. While EVERY therapist says they can help patients with depression and anxiety, there are therapists that specialize in helping people cope with medical illnesses. In the US, most health insurance plans cover mental health treatment. Your first stop should be your insurance plan to find out what therapists are in and out of your network. Get the entire list, not just the first person the member help desk gives you. There are several online search engines that can help narrow your search. Psychology Today and Good Therapy let you search by different keywords. There are many different types of therapy. I suggest you look for therapists that specialize in Acceptance and Commitment (ACT), Mindfulness-Based, Solutions Based therapy. I personally did not find Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helpful, but many others do. There are also professional organizations for different types of therapy. Since I knew I wanted an ACT therapist I searched the member list of their professional organization for local therapists. Look for therapists who facilitate group programs for people with chronic pain or cancer. Read the descriptions provided on provider profiles. Look for keywords like chronic illness, chronic pain and health psychology. If you find a few options, then make appointments to see 2 or 3 to find a person who is a good fit. Frankly, I’ll suffer through appointments with a surgeon who has terrible bedside manner if they are the best cutter in town, but therapy is different. Therapy isn’t helpful if you don’t find a therapist you can connect with. Hmm, drafting this I realize there is a need for a more in depth article to help CKD people find a therapist... Best wishes

[Serlo92 in reply to barbara55109]

This is really helpful thank you 🙏🏻