Hello and nice to meet all of you. I am so glad that this board is offered because it makes me feel less lonely about my condition.

I never wanted to admit to having an anxiety problem because i didn't want to be sick all of the time like my dad is. My mom used to have to take him to the hospital about three times a month in the middle of the night because he thought he was dying or having a heart attack i was little so she would have to take me along . My dad would skip going out to dinner with my mother and I, going out to the movies, going to family events, going to my dance recitals and school plays and wouldn't want to drive in the car except alone or if he was driving. I always thought it was because he didn't want to be involved with my life or with my moms life. But now I know that my dad is just sick with anxiety, like me.

Anxiety was creeping up on me my whole life but it all started seriously about a year ago.

I started to have trouble going out to dinner with my boyfriend and my family, I felt overwhelmed at the amount of food and the pressure to eat. The whole "sitting and waiting" part would make me so so nervous, my throat starts to close up and I would get lightheaded and nauseous. I was NEVER like this before.

I would go to the mall, which before was like therapy to me, and walk half way in and right back out. When I would be brave enough to go all the way in I would end up going into a fitting room and get anxiety and have to hurry my clothing back on just to get out to the open air where i could calm down.

I was in a band for a while, that i loved, but about 5 months into it I couldn't go up on stage anymore and sing. It killed me, and no body could understand, they thought i was just being uninterested and negligent. They decided to find someone else to sing and i left.

I can't drive in a car when someone else is driving and even sometimes when I'm driving. Ill feel this weightlessness and feeling of no control and my throat will start to close up. Ill get hot and dizzy. Its really scary and really sad for me.

Anxiety makes me depressed, it makes me not want to live, it makes me feel like I'm a different person. I'm not confident like i used to be, I can barely go into the grocery store or any store without putting my stuff down on the ground in the middle of shopping and walking swiftly back to my car. I have a wonderful boyfriend and family who support me and that i feel safe with, but many people don't understand . Like my boss at work they think you are being avoidant or rude and that you are disinterested and detached. It hurts me a lot. It hurts that I have to spend a lot of time in the backroom when I get overwhelmed and short of breath.

Doctors used to think that it was just me experiencing GERD/IBS symptoms and they put me on every stomach med in the book. I noticed that the two seemed to be connected so I went to the doctors last week for the first time to talk about my anxiety. She did a lot of tests on me and. She decided to put me on Zoloft 50mg and .25 MG of Xanax for emergencies.

I hope it starts working soon, because i NEED my life back.

Thank you for listening, and I look forward to reading all of your stories and posts in the future.

TGHH

Thanks for posting your story. I can relate to your troubles so I thought I might say a thing or two. I had a similar experience with doctors thinking that I had various gastro-intestinal disorders, because I had such chronic stomach aches. The doctors missed the obvious anxiety diagnosis. I finally was diagnosed when I was 15. I still have some social anxiety which sometimes affects my ability to handle things like dining out and going to the movies. I take medication and see a therapist. I have made a lot of progress. Are you in therapy? You might want to consider it in addition to the Zoloft and Xanax.

i have had the same out to eat feelings.

For me, Zoloft has been helping so much. i also have a just in case xanax script. Since the med kick in it has been wonderful. Most of the time i am ok to go out to eat. And if Im not I take my xanax and by the time the meal comes im good to go

[Hquote name='thegirlshateher' date='May 31 2008, 12:05 AM' post='419835']
Hello and nice to meet all of you. I am so glad that this board is offered because it makes me feel less lonely about my condition.

I never wanted to admit to having an anxiety problem because i didn't want to be sick all of the time like my dad is. My mom used to have to take him to the hospital about three times a month in the middle of the night because he thought he was dying or having a heart attack i was little so she would have to take me along . My dad would skip going out to dinner with my mother and I, going out to the movies, going to family events, going to my dance recitals and school plays and wouldn't want to drive in the car except alone or if he was driving. I always thought it was because he didn't want to be involved with my life or with my moms life. But now I know that my dad is just sick with anxiety, like me.

Anxiety was creeping up on me my whole life but it all started seriously about a year ago.

I started to have trouble going out to dinner with my boyfriend and my family, I felt overwhelmed at the amount of food and the pressure to eat. The whole "sitting and waiting" part would make me so so nervous, my throat starts to close up and I would get lightheaded and nauseous. I was NEVER like this before.

I would go to the mall, which before was like therapy to me, and walk half way in and right back out. When I would be brave enough to go all the way in I would end up going into a fitting room and get anxiety and have to hurry my clothing back on just to get out to the open air where i could calm down.

I was in a band for a while, that i loved, but about 5 months into it I couldn't go up on stage anymore and sing. It killed me, and no body could understand, they thought i was just being uninterested and negligent. They decided to find someone else to sing and i left.

I can't drive in a car when someone else is driving and even sometimes when I'm driving. Ill feel this weightlessness and feeling of no control and my throat will start to close up. Ill get hot and dizzy. Its really scary and really sad for me.

Anxiety makes me depressed, it makes me not want to live, it makes me feel like I'm a different person. I'm not confident like i used to be, I can barely go into the grocery store or any store without putting my stuff down on the ground in the middle of shopping and walking swiftly back to my car. I have a wonderful boyfriend and family who support me and that i feel safe with, but many people don't understand . Like my boss at work they think you are being avoidant or rude and that you are disinterested and detached. It hurts me a lot. It hurts that I have to spend a lot of time in the backroom when I get overwhelmed and short of breath.

Doctors used to think that it was just me experiencing GERD/IBS symptoms and they put me on every stomach med in the book. I noticed that the two seemed to be connected so I went to the doctors last week for the first time to talk about my anxiety. She did a lot of tests on me and. She decided to put me on Zoloft 50mg and .25 MG of Xanax for emergencies.

I hope it starts working soon, because i NEED my life back.

Thank you for listening, and I look forward to reading all of your stories and posts in the future.

TGHH
[/quote]


Hello,

I want you to know your going to be ok. you will not die from having a panic attack. If yours breathing causes you to pass out, you will just start breathing normal again. What you don't want to do avoid your fears!!! That will make your anxiety so much worse. You need to go to dinner with someone you trust, talk about your fears before you go in, plan to just have a drink dont eat much, and do this until you feel comfortable. The more you face the problem, the sooner you will heal. Best wishes to you..

I am going to see a psychiatrist very soon (within the next few days) and I hope he will put me on the right track.

After being mistreated all of these years for stomach problems and feeling depressed that none of the medicines really worked makes it really hard to trust any one who calls themselves a "Specialist". My gastro doctor was so convinced she had nailed my condition. meh.

sweetie it sounds like a repeat of my life. xanax was a miracle worker for me . i was doing just like u are doing. i got to the point that i wouldn't even get out of the house and that was the biggest mistake. i finally added celexa and that helped so much but i still take xanax when i need it. just for a example i couldn't even leave the house for about a year and then started getting better and just this spring i went on vacation and was on the airplane total about 4 hrs and i did great. i was nervous cause i hadn't flew since i had suffered from panic attacks but i did great and i promise u when i was housebound i never seen myself flying ever again but the right meds and i did fine... and loved it. now i am faced with another fear which is having back surgery . but u can start controling it. i promise . xanax again is wonderful don't be scared of it. hope this helps alot. love and god bless tonya

I can understand your feelings completely. It is pretty ridiculous how long doctors were mistreating you for stomach problems. I am sure it was one medicine after the other with each new medicine coming from a doctor who assured you that this will be the one that will work for you finally. I am glad that you went to see your gp who seemed to understand that this was a psych and not gastro issue.

It is very normal after your experience to be nervous about your appointment with the psychiatrist. Do what you can to remember the possible benefits of finally receiving help for the right condition. Ask all the questions that you have. I really hope it goes well, because you are really suffering. Your anxiety has seriously interfered with your ability to enjoy life.

Thing is, they have to send you to these Doctors or they may miss something. I had bloods that revealed a weak positive for Celiacs Disease, its possible all my ailments are anxiety and depression but its also possible its Celiac's, really they have to test before going on.

Then, theres some Doctors who just pin anxiety onto everything, I have had Vestibular Neurtitis since February, thats what brought anxiety and panic out in me and they though it was all anxiety, saw a Neurotologist and he told me I was right, it was something.

Hopefully you find a cure, I hope the same for me too! Good luck.