jonathan123

Hi. Cog13. Ironman talks of focus. Imagine yourself as a telescope. You focus on the object you want see to the exclusion of all else around you. But focussing in this way blocks any possible help. You have a mindset of pain and imagination. Leave the telescope and look around you at reality. ALL the symptoms you have can be caused by anxiety, Oh yes, I know, supposing IF!! Doubt and Despair are anxiety's companions. We can't ignore them but we can accept them as part of anxiety. By accepting and not fighting we begin to calm ourselves. There are many blogs and messages under 'blogs' on this site. If you have not done so read them. It may give you an insight as to how others have coped.

Hi. WW. Although as man I have no concept of what it's like to have periods, thank God. I can maybe say something from my experience with patients. The menstrual cycle can be very upset by anxiety. It seems that some women stop having periods while for some it becomes erratic and heavy, . At 35 you should be nowhere near the menopause. Once your anxiety dies down things will return to normal. Being constantly stressed can affect every part of our body. Try not to make a big thing of it. It's normal in the circumstances. In some women it can be a very emotional time. If emotions run riot then it just adds to the anxiety. Once again we come back to ACCEPTANCE.

Hi There. FfF. Welcome to AC. 'Where to start' the million dollar question! First of all I will recommend a book by Dr. Claire Weekes, sadly no longer with us. She was regarded by many as a pioneer in the treatment of panic attacks and anxiety, Available from Amazon. 'Essential help for your Nerves'. It's a compilation of all her books first published in the 1980's. It became my Bible in the early days. She also made many recordings. The first thing to realise that any medication will not 'cure' anxiety, but it can give relief from the symptoms. The second thing is it will take time. Letting time pass and having patience is not easy for the anxious person. I have no 'magic wand', neither has anyone. I have always believed that anxiety has it's roots in the past. Childhood experiences etc. But present problems like bereavement or a job loss and suchlike can trigger it off. There is always HOPE! Keep that firmly fixed in you mind. You are doing the right thing in going for counselling. In my view as an ex counsellor there is no better way out of anxiety. But you have to trust your counsellor, and that is essential. You also need to open up fully. Now this again will take time, one session will only prepare the way for the journey you are on. Anxiety can be life changing. Some emerge from it much better people than before. And it is long journey and can be a bumpy ride. But with perseverance and the will to get better it can work. NEVER give up on yourself however tempting it may be. Everyone on this site knows the pain of anxiety, so you are in good company. Be kind to yourself. No self criticism or doubts. No one brings this on deliberately, although with some people it is prolonged by having false advice. Keep well away from Dr. Google. You will be led up manty dark alleys if you go there. Very Best Wishes.

Yes, April, but you are dwelling on it. If you did not have any effects when you were 12 why would you have them now? When we are in an anxiety state reason and logic fly out of the window! But the facts still remain in spite of that. And the fact is that nothing will harm you unless you believe it will. That is what anxiety is all about. The mind!! Chase these foreboding thoughts out of your mind. They are bluffing and fooling you into a false belief.

Hi. Thrufaith. You are terrified! When a soldier goes into battle he too may be terrified or at the least afraid. The adrenaline begins to flow and he goes forward irrespective of how he feels. When the battle is over he calms down and reverts to normal. We sufferers don't do that. When we are fearful we add fuel to the fire by going on feeling anxious and afraid. The viscous circle begins. Fear/anxiety/symptoms/fear!! You are obviously at a very low ebb. Your emotions have taken control and you are so upset and hardly know what to do. I do know, been there!! Your PCR result was negative and so will your covid one be. If you had it you would have more symptoms than you have now. Try, I say try, because it's not easy, but just try to accept what comes without reacting to it. I have just posted another message about this very thing. Reaction to how you feel comes from a tired mind, which is not helped by all you have to do in your life and profession. It's OK for your husband to say relax, but he is not you and may have no idea of the pain of anxiety. Relaxing is damned nigh impossible, but you can accept what comes without reacting, and accepting it all.

Hi. Ironman. How long is a piece of string? It varies so much from person to person and how we react to it. When we get about of anxiety, for whatever reason, it's so important that we don't react. Now this is not easy, and i would not suggest for one moment it is. Reaction is not action! Taking the right steps at the right time is important. When we feel anxiety coming on or a panic attack, let it come. Oh YEAH!!!!! you may say. Yes I do because when you panic or react to it in a negative way it just increases the adrenaline and prolongs the attack This can only be accomplished by the practice of acceptance. When it comes see it for what it is, a reaction to some event or even a tired mind. We sufferers are so easily bluffed and fooled into false beliefs about ourselves, and that in turn affects our self confidence. Hours or even days of an anxiety surge can pull us down again if we let it. Any good ground we may have made is lost if we don't accept what is happening.

Once again it's a chicken and egg situation. Is the jab causing my symptoms or have I worked myself up and the symptoms are anxiety? We all know that anxiety can mimic any disease once it's in the mind. I had both jabs with no side effects at all, and so have many. The chance of any side effects is minimal, unless we think ourselves into it!! The benefits far outweigh the remote possibility of getting any negative response. We, in the West, should be thankful that all the hard work by the drug l companies has paid off. So many in the world do not have the chance to get vaccinated.

Yes Ironman. I would suggest that after fifty scans you would be well spaced out!!!!!🤣🤣 But only having one is no cause for alarm.

And purely as a matter of interest, did you know your luminous watch gives off harmful rays, as do luminous clocks. I hope this puts it all in perspective.

Hi April. Your doctor did not inform you of the risks because they are minimal. Life is a risk. When we cross the street it's a risk. When we take any medication it's a risk. You did nothing wrong because you followed your doctor's advice. You are beating yourself up unnecessarily. One test with a CT scan is going to make no difference to you. When X-rays came in everyone was afraid the rays would cause harm. Nowadays millions of X-rays are done daily. Actually, and this is a fact, there are more harmful rays from the sun that any form of medical treatment. From the ultra violet to the infra red the rays are all harmful if we have too much of them. We all know the results of laying in the sun with no protection. But if we concerned ourselves with this and became anxious, we would only go out on cloudy days!!! Which would make no difference because the harmful rays can penetrate cloud. Nature has given us protection if we are sensible. You say no one seems sure about the effects of CT scans. They do you know, and many medics have given reassurance to many people. You are obviously a sensible person, so just keep to your regular routine.

Hi. jdgate. Your dad sounds a real Job's comforter. He needs to stop being so negative. AriaRen who only posted two lines, made more sense than your dad. I also feel you are coming to the end of it and you will have gained some natural immunity by having it. If you take notice of Facebook then you will be in trouble. Why oh why are people so negative? OK, so covid is not good at all, but we have to keep things in perspective. People die of covid, or so they say on the death certificate, but you will find most of them had some underlying illness that they would have died from anyway. Be sensible, obey the rules and I am sure you will be fine.

It's all a question of trial and error. Some people can take a lot of coffee, others find it intolerable. Anything in moderation is fine. If you think the coffee causes problems then leave it, but don't knock yourself up over it. I still think it's anxiety. Stomach cramps are a symptoms of anxiety, and if you have been checked out then that's all it can be. I suffer from IBS, have done for years. They say the cause is not known, but I know. Anxiety. I am OK until along comes some stress then off I go. I no longer wonder why, just accept it and take the necessary medication. I used to get all uptight many years ago when it began but I knew no different then.

Hi. Nick. I am not an expert on covid, but assuming it is going to act like any other virus then 4 days is not long. The flu, which is a similar virus, can take two weeks to begin to ease. 100.4 is not all that high anyway, and by the sound of it he is beginning to recover. Being exhausted is one of the symptoms of covid, or so I understand. It is also a symptom of any virus disease. Give it time. It may take a while for him to fully recover. You must also look after yourselves and obey all the rules. It's a case of applying common sense. Take care.

Hi April. Welcome to AC. Every day thousands of people have CT scans and do you honestly think that the medics would do that if any real harm could come from it? Of course, having many X-rays and scans over the years may, I emphasis may, have some effect, but it is never a real issue. You have fastened on this idea of harm coming to you and your mind is running away with it. YOU ARE SCARING YOURSELF!! I have had many scans and am still here to tell the tale. If you are concerned about infertility because of scans you can rest your mind. It is very very rare for any effects from scans to affect that. Have you been Googling? Big mistake!!! It just feeds your anxiety. When you open a pack of medication there is a long list of side effects that could occur. Now this puts many people off taking medication. The reason they do this is because they have to ,list any untoward effects, even minor ones. A person with anxiety will look at the list and be so afraid to take the medication. It's like that with scans and Googling. You must be guided by your medical advisors, not Dr. Google!! HE doesn't know you, and in medicine every person is different and will react differently. You will be fine if you accept that you are OK and that any medical procedure carried out by competent people can only be there to help not harm.

Well go for it davide.h. After all, what is there to lose? it may not be for everyone, nothing ever is, but it has it's foundations in the beginning of all the therapies that have proliferated over the years, and from the 1980's. It was just behavioural therapy then. Anything is worth a try. You will be guided through it by an experienced counsellor with the proper credentials and training.