New to the site.. Trying to get through this

[GMan 4]

Hello, 

I'm new to the site, and like most people here, I suffer from anxiety. I had the first anxiety attack almost a year ago. Very scary, as you all know. It was hard wrapping my mind around the fact that I have some type of anxiety disorder, because I was far from being an anxious person. People usually came to me to get calm. I guess stress over time equals anxiety, whoever you are. I've been battling for the last year, and when I think it's under control, it reminds me that it's still there. Nowadays, I'm feeling some of the worst symptoms I've felt mentally. A few days ago, I was feeling pretty good physically. Then, all of a sudden, I felt like I was fainting. I was just sitting in the car, and it felt like blood started to drain from my head, and my arms and legs felt tingly. This was particularly different because I wasn't feeling anxiety. It just hit me in the middle of feeling well. So this episode is having lingering mental affects such as fear and depression. I went to the ER after this episode, and they did an EKG, blood work, and chest Xrays. They didn't find anything. I've been to the ER 5 times in the last year. Echo, EKG, CAT Scans, stress test, nuclear imaging of my circulatory system, endocrinologist, gastrointestinal doc, and a cardiologist later, and it seems like I'm back at square one with this episode. Of course it doesn't help that I ruptured my achilles tendon a few weeks ago, so now I'm laid up. Has anyone ever experienced this fainting like episode out of the blue?... Which was different than the usual vision narrowing fainting like episode. It felt like blood draining from my head, vision started going dark, arms and legs were tingly, and it felt like I was passing out. This all came on at once, and subsided a few seconds later, then the typical panic attack symptoms came.

[GMan 4]

... Not to mention the bothersome heart flutters...

[Kylie21 357]

Panic attack!...

When you have a panic or anxiety attack you go into fight or flight.. the feeling of the blood draining from your head and the tingling is because your body is now being consumed by adrenaline  its like a RUSH. You weren't going to pass out you were basically Freaking out to put in blunt terms.  Our breathing changes so we arent taking full breaths. We get tingly cause our nerves are like WOAH whats going on.... All the sensations you mentioned are that of a panic or anxiety attack. They are awful and no fun.  

And you are so right. stress is anxieties best friend.  We are creatures of habit and its so much easier sometimes to just push things aside and not even realize we are doing it. Life gets busy.. and then one day it hits us and catches up.  Key: work through each thing and take your time. No race to win here. One thing at at a time. Step by step. Find your triggers and things that  seem to get you going in a negative way.

Have you tried therapy? its been my saving grace. we change how we think. We program ourselves to see the bad , awful, negative. We react with the worst case scenario. We never what if in a positive way. Its always anticipating the worst. Therapy can help change that. We arent born to see negatively. we are  I'm a world that only talks about the negative cause thats what makes headlines...  CBT therapy I can not praise enough. With hard work you can get things to a good manageable level.

Also sorry to hear about your injury. That can def not help things cause now your limited to what you can do. But try to do anything you can physically  that you enjoy. Watch films you didnt have time to do before. or take up a hobby that you can do that maybe isn't as active.. 

One big suggestion I can give from my personal experience. Do not isolate yourself. I did that for a long time and it made it worse. We need interaction. Laughter is such great medicine.  The more closed off we get the more we give anxiety control it can now take over our every thought. 

You've been checked out head to toe it sounds and your healthy and good. Build from that..

 

Good luck and welcome to  AC

[GMan 4]

Thanks for the response! I haven't tried therapy. Sometimes I don't think I would respond well to therapy. I've just tried to education myself as much as possible about it. When I think I have it under control, another attack happens and the disappointment of going back creates more anxiety. Then it's like I have to climb that mountain all over again... And that frustration takes me into a big cycle of anxiety. I'm just getting tired of climbing this same hill, reach the summit, just to get knocked back down... But I may consider therapy.

[Kylie21 357]

First thing... You cant control it.... You can manage it and learn to not react and accept these things but you cannot control it.  If you haven't tried it how would you know how you respond? I had no idea what going to therapy would do I had a bit of a negative attitude toward it at first. OMG pay someone who doesnt know me to do what? It has helped me from being someone who could barely go out and was so sick from anxiety which was in October. to going out now and having low levels and some good stretches of no anxiety at all. Because i was able to learn how to accept and handle and manage my anxiety through therapy. 

If you dont climb the hill how could you ever know  whats on the other side? 

patience my friend.. Trust me I HATE that words lol.. its not easy to do at all.. But every time we get knocked down its the getting back up that separates us from everyone who gives up right?  And  the cycle only lasts as long as you let it...

 

Have faith in yourself and the journey ahead.. its a process.. Gotta walk before you can run

[GMan 4]

Yea, thats my attitude toward therapy. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. At minimum, you've inspired me to get up again and keep moving toward victory over this beast. Thanks.. Godsent

[Mark G 1176]

Hi, welcome to AC.  Cannot add anything more to the great posts by Kylie but i will say this.  Therapy is fantastic, honestly it is.  Im nearly at the end of mine and i'm SOOO glad that i did it.  You really have nothing to lose, honestly.

[GMan 4]

That's true.. I think I'll give it a shot!

[Kylie21 357]

it will get you on the right road  

[Gilly 1083]

Kylie has absolutely nailed it! Not much else to say but welcome to AC Gman, and I hope the sound advice given helps you on the road to recovery

[JOYCICLE 654]

But you did not faint ! You felt like you might faint and that's a favorite trick of anxiety's.   I would say being laid up with the injury is definitely playing into this. You cannot be as physically active as normal and the adrenaline and energy in your body has no outlet except to course through your veins looking for an exit and that can definitely kick it up a notch or several notches.  So glad you are here and one thing to try, while laid up recovering, is any way you can exercise even gently the rest of your body.  Move the arms and the good leg the most you can because every bit of m uscle movement helps reduce adrenaline.  

And welcome to AC

[GMan 4]

I think that would help, JOYCYCLE. I Was just getting the confidence to start exercising again, then I ruptured my achilles tendon. I was reluctant to workout because of the flutters and anxiety I got from it. Before the sickness, I was pretty active. Maybe this will help me gradually get back into it.