Hi

Mental health
1

Just wanted to say hello I am new to the forum

Have been suffering with anxiety on & off for over 30 years

I hope as well as asking for some support I will be able to offer some to razz

X

2

Hi and welcome,

Well I've suffered from anxiety for fifty years now,not all the time but you know how it is! At the moment I've had a good run,seem to be on a constant euphoria,with the occasional blip or two,maybe now I'm 64 I am making it to Ga Ga land,I am so forgetful though,and have managed to get lost in areas I know,but I don't let it dter me,I also have Barretts Esophagus but even that has quitened down.

Guess you know all the various guises anxiety takes by now,I am amazed at how many people are suffering and young ones too,although of course I suffered a lot through my youth so not surprised really.

I take 400mg of Pregabilin per day to keep me under control and have found it very helpful,although there are days when even they fail to help,but I've accepted the fact that I live life on the edge so i kinda know how to deal with it,will be interesting to hear of your experiences.

Regards Malc

3

Hi Malc

Thank you for your reply

I understand the on & of bit over the years , I think I could say I am somewhere in the middle at the moment !

Love now you are 64 your feel you are going Ga Ga made me laugh & maybe as you are forgetting so much it could be that you are forgetting to be anxious ( only joking )

I have had to try & keep a sense of humor over the years , for me it has helped me through at times !

Yes I was very young when I realized I was anxious & as I grew older the anxiety grew with me !

I get so sad to see so many young people suffering but unlike when I was young I am pleased this is now spoken about & there is so much help out there for them , so hopefully they wont have to suffer & keep it in & try & manage to cope like I & maybe you did

Thank you again for the warm welcome , I look forward to talking to you more

Take Care & have a lovely evening

xxx

4

Seems like you and me are sufferers from the 60`s malc! Wish i knew back then what i know now re anxiety and different ways it takes you. Of course when you are in throes of really bad time, you cant think straight at all. At least i couldnt. Would litererally be climbing wall at times a not know what else to do. (I know it dont make sense but thats how i felt) Iwas so afraid something bad wa going to happen to me (die, faint, illness) etc. Been on Valium since 16yrs when it all took off - -40mg th stuff! Now whittled it down to 0.5mg daily after severe withdrawal. Took 25yrs for me to get decent pychologist to talk about how i rally felt and he listened. He followed through my fears and gave sensible reasons for things happening. I was agoraphobic for 25yrs and he managed to talk me through it. Couldnt work cos of it. Just stayed at home all day. Virtually wrecked marriage and life for my 1 son.

Yes there are lot young people on here. Surprising. On a positive note, i am through the worst and now work full time though not completely cured agoraphobia and suppoe will always be on anxious side but i am better at dealing with things. I could write a book on my experience. Take care all - YOU ARE NOT ALONE BUT AT THE TIME YOU FEEL YOU ARE

5

Hi brummiebabe

I can relate to a lot of what you have said

I am the very early 60's and you would keep how you were feeling to yourself , to afraid of what might happen if you didn't

Well done on with coming of the Valium 40 mg wow that was a lot but down to 0.5mg is brilliant !

I do take an odd 2mg when I am feeling really bad but because of the addiction side to them I do try & only take them when I really have to

I to suffer with agoraphobia & have been waiting to see a psychologist for the last 16 months & still waiting but hopefully it will be a huge help when I do

Hope you have a lovely evening

xxx

6

Hi

Today I went to see the doctors , after receiving your email yesterday there was 100% truth in it . I had an appointment for the cing Friday but I cancelled that and went and sat in as an emergency and got seen .

My doctor said it's not psychosis it's only depression , anxiety , about my past etc. She then gave me some counselling numbers and gave me 50mg of sertraline 28 tablets and she insisted without the tablets I'll get nowhere.

I fully explained to her I was seeing things after me, can't sleep , can't eat , I hear voices constantly, I'm always in the house , do not go out , lost interest in going to my regular gym, weekly shopping , I feel angry and have negative thoughts running wild in my head .

She reassured me it's not psychosis, and said she'll put me on a waiting list for counselling , it's a 8 month wait ! And if I want to go on a cognitive behavioural therapist list it's 18month .

I clearly told her I could hold my thoughts and not let it run wild but I'm feeling I'm loosing grip and the negativatuy thoughts but I'm finding harder day by day to calm myself down and it's taking longer to ca my heart beat down both these processes are taking longer and longer to tame and it's scaring me that I'm slowly but surely I can see/feel I'm loosing grip of my thoughts mind and body and I do to know what else to do .

Today it's the kids eater holidays and we all went swimming and I didn't enjoy that at all I don't know why I love swimming I , thought if I go out with the kids then it'll get my mind off it and I'll feel better but I felt miserable I felt it was sooo hard to smile and FEEL happy and ENJOY it . It wasn't coming naturally at all , whereas a human can smile automatically but it's gone and I felt very very distant from where I was , where I was I don't know either !

I now vividly remember in my childhood times we watched movies where pea pole with mental issues were in a room by themselves and just looking out the window or the wall and not talk so much eat when told and go to toilet when needed or else they've switched off from the real world (I feel I could end up like this , and I honestly feel I'm maybe not far off (

Please can you help

7

Hi to all,

I share your long term experience with anxiety.

As you probably know, each episode seems like the end, you hang on long enough and then it subsides. Eventually you recover and optimistically think 'ah, I'm better'.

My experiences of this go back over 25-30 years. Tried everything; but yep, it has a nasty habit of jumping out of the woodwork when you think you're living the dream again.

As I've got older I find it harder to recover. Am also on 400mg Pregagablin maintenance dose which is the first drug that gives some relief without feeling someone dropped me a micky-fin!

What constantly amazes me is how few health carers really do appreciate what it can be like.

Sadly I read so often people on the forum new to this asking for a cure to get their life back on track. Hopefully most can do just that. We don't appear to have done it. I don't want to hear anymore from well meaning souls telling me it's all about possetive thinking, or humming OM while drinking camomile tea! In my opinion if that works for you, then there probably wasn't a lot wrong to start with.

I'm nearly 60 and have had several goes at starting a new life full of hope only to have this spectre rear its ugly head time and time.

So now I'm getting old, flatter myself that I have maybe 2 friends, but otherwise am on my own. It's finally dawned on me that things really aren't going to get any better. Finding this forum helps to express my feelings and sometimes offer a little support or advice.

I now honestly feel the sooner one accepts how things are and how it's changed things, then the pain is a little less.

Amazingly I manage to retain a warped sense of humour in my more lucid moments. When that's gone then it's time to go! LOL

So for now, I'm gone man,

Alex

8

Hi anna

Sorry you are not feeling so good

I know when my anxiety has been at it's worse I have had all these thoughts & feeling & really found it hard to believe or trust anxiety can make me feel this way , but it can !

If you are not happy with what the GP has told you then maybe go & see a different GP & ask for a second opinion , can be in the same surgery you see one

The medication may help , it maybe worth giving it a try , even though these can take 4 to 6 weeks to start taking effect but good be worth it

Let us know how you get on

Take care

xxx

9

Hi alex

Nice to meet you

I am pleased to read that you have managed to keep your sense of humor , I know I would be lost without mine to !

I hope you have had a good day & have a relaxing evening

xxx

10

Dear whywhy28 So sorry to read that you have been waiting so long to see a psychologist. Do you live in

the UK? Is this long waiting period due to your national health care system? I hope you get to see a

psychologist soon. Here in the States psychologists are usually not MD's and can't prescribe medications. Only psychiatrists who are MD's may do so. Good wishes to you for a full recovery.

11

Hi Vicky

Nice to meet you :-)

Yes I am in the UK

It is a long wait , some areas have shorter waiting lists than others but our area seems to be a long wait !

Thank you for your lovely message

I hope you have a great day

xxx

12

Hi there. Nice to meet you. Hope your all well. Can I ask for some advice please? I think what I'm going through is physical. I'm always searching the internet about my symptoms and always thinking the worst. I'm so scared. I have pain in my left breast a lot and been checked by the doctor who said I'm fine and had ECG. Now I'm focussing on my right breast and keep thinking the worst. This all started after I gave birth to my second child. Now I keep thinking I have a serious illness 😟 I'm 25 years old with 2 young children and this is ruining my life. Appreciate any advice. Thanks x

13

Nicola, I'm so sorry to read of the agony you are going through. I'm assuming you have had

mammograms and breast sonograms and that they revealed no lesions. If this is true you probably have nothing to worry about. If you have doubts about the competence of your doctor do see another one for

confirmation. When I was younger than you I had all sorts of phobias about contracting some disease.

I did discover an underlying cause. When I addressed that issue (for me it was grave doubts about

marrying my fiance). After I broke off my engagement the fears gradually disappeared. Years later I

married another man and we were together for 43 years until he passed away 2 years ago.It's true that

when I have suspicious symptoms I do worry about them but after I've seen a doctor and had the

necessary tests to out any illness I feel reborn. Don't use Google. It will lure you into believing you have some fatal malady. This happens to many of us only to discover that we're fine after checking with the

medical people. Think positive thoughts, not always easy to do, but for your children's sake you must

concentrate on your WELLNESS. It takes practice but it will happen for you. As one great man (Franklin Roosevelt, the US president at the beginning of World War 2) once said, "there is nothing to fear but fear itself". Good luck.

14

Hi nicola

When I had my kids years ago now , my health anxiety got worse

I always felt something was wrong with me I think I had a fear I would not be about to take care of them , maybe my anxiety was telling me I didn't deserve to have such wonderful children so therefore something would happen , I spent years & wasted & missed out on so much enjoying them growing up because of this

Have you been & spoken to your GP about how you feel , they have heard it all before as it is quite common & maybe even if you don't want meds some counselling will help you

Also I use to go on Google so much & when ever I did no matter what illness I would look up I could relate to one symptom if not more & I stopped myself doing it , when I felt the urge I distracted myself by doing something else till it passed

Google will always throw out the worse scenario & because we suffer with anxiety we will straight away take that information & believe that is what must be wrong !

Tell your GP & if they say they have no concerns , it is not easy but try & trust them because it would be more than their job was worth to say you were ok if they had any concerns

I hope you will get that help & enjoy those lovely children that you have been blessed with

Take Care

xxx

15

Thank you Vicky and why why for the kind words or advice. I've had my breasts checked by 2 doctors, had an ECG, chest X-ray and now waiting to see a breast specialist in may (I told my doctor I needed further reassurance) he didn't think I needed this and made me feel like I was wasting their time. I know this should be enough reassurance but it's like my mind won't stop me thinking negative thoughts all the time. I hate living with the fear, it's probably just as hard as living with the actual illness at least then there would be a reason for the way I feel at present.

I had no idea this could ever happen to me and never came accross health anxiety till now.

Also not sure if feelin hot and sweaty and sometimes light headed are also signs of health anxiety.

I know I'm strong and I will pass this horrible stage in my life but for now I'm struggling to cope. I love my children more than words and don't want them to grow up without me.

Thanks again xxx

16

Hi why why

Welcome to this forum.hope you like it

17

Hi Joan

Thank you so much for your welcome !

I think it is great to be able to ask for support as well as give some where we can !

Just wished the forum had an option of keeping posts if wished private rather than been publicly visible

Hope you have had a lovely day

Take Care

xxx

18

Hi why why

Its good to talk to someone else with anxiety, it destroys so much, I hate it i have all sorts of horrible thoughts day in day out. I can't believe how many people suffer. anyway take comfort from this site speak again soon xx

19

Hi whywhy,

once you are logged in you can private message your choice of member by clicking the orange 'Message' button under their icon.

Have fun'

Alex

20

Hi Claire

It is good to talk to others that know how this feels as unless you are or have suffered with anxiety because this is something that only when you do you can feel , no one else can really understand !

Take Care

xxx