To all of you regarding Anxiety and Panic Attacks
MiaENW posted:
I recently lost a very dear animal in my life... some of my friends and family might argue I had too much of an attachment to this dog. I couldn't help it... he was my rock, my angel, my life... for a long time. He helped me through divorce and a few terrible relationships. He was always there for me. Needles to say his passing I didn't take very well. Ever since then I started to drink and smoke more than usual, you know, to "relieve the pain of my loss" I wasn't getting black out drunk by all means, but enough so I could go to sleep each night... this went on for about a week until I one day I suffered a severe Panick Attack. I have always suffered from anxiety, especially when hung over but never to this extent. I used to be able to go on with my day, anxiety and all and have cigarettes without a problem. Apparantly not anymore. They seemed to make things worse. So here it goes... After about a week of my dog passing I suffered my first panick attack... It was terrible... I seriously thought I was going to die. I ended up calling 911 and going into the ER. My blood pressure was off the roof (200/130) but all the test came back normal. They sent me home with some anxiety medication. The same thing happened the next day... instead of calling 911 and I had my husband take me to the ER. They did all the sames tests and everything came back normal again and they sent me home with a different kind of anxiety medication. Since then I would go without a drink for a few days and have a nice normal anxiety free day and then would have a night with 4-5 drinks feeling okay. Until again the next day I would have anxiety so bad the pills I was given barely worked. I have now learned I can no longer drink alcohol... it acts as a depressant in my body because I was greaving. It's not worth living in hell for two days afterwards. I went to the doctor and he had me get a stress test done so I could stop worrying about my heart... and to my relief it came back normal. We talked about my past, with losing my father and a sister at a young age which triggered the talk about losing my dog. I have always had a fear of dying... This has triggered my life to be filled with endless anxiety and constant worry of something bad happening. My doctor mentioned there doesn't have to be an actual bad thing happening for anxiety to get worse... but it certainly doesn't help. I don't feel depressed... as a matter of fact I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life for once so why am I having these terrible anxiety/panic attacks and all of the sudden my body cannot handle a lick of alcohol (which used to help me)? I have figured out I have underlying issues dealing with death... My doctor explained to me that anxiety is an actual disorder that will never leave me therefore I have to deal with what is causing my anxiety for it to get better. I am trying to exercise, haven't had a drink in a long time and cut back on smoking a whole ton. I still haven't had a day without anxiety so the next step might have to be an antidepressant just so I can have a fews months off from my brain. My whole reason for writing this is to let everyone know you are not alone in this, anxiety is a serious medical condition and you should seek help from a doctor. Nobody wants to live in a nightmare like this, I know I don't. I hope Prozac will help me... even if it's for 6 months, in the meanwhile I can get my body back in shape and by the time I will feel brave enough to get off the medication I hope my mind/body is ready. Good luck to you all out there. And get well soon.
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3 Replies |Report This| Share this:To all of you regarding Anxiety and Panic AttacksI recently lost a very dear animal in my life... some of my friends and family might argue I had too much of an attachment to this dog. I couldn't help it... he was my rock, my angel, my life... for a long time. He helped me through divorce and a few terrible relationships. He was always there for me. Needles to say his passing I didn't take very well. Ever since then I started to drink and smoke more than usual, you know, to "relieve the pain of my loss" I wasn't getting black out drunk by all means, but enough so I could go to sleep each night... this went on for about a week until I one day I suffered a severe Panick Attack. I have always suffered from anxiety, especially when hung over but never to this extent. I used to be able to go on with my day, anxiety and all and have cigarettes without a problem. Apparantly not anymore. They seemed to make things worse. So here it goes... After about a week of my dog passing I suffered my first panick attack... It was terrible... I seriously thought I was going to die. I ended up calling 911 and going into the ER. My blood pressure was off the roof (200/130) but all the test came back normal. They sent me home with some anxiety medication. The same thing happened the next day... instead of calling 911 and I had my husband take me to the ER. They did all the sames tests and everything came back normal again and they sent me home with a different kind of anxiety medication. Since then I would go without a drink for a few days and have a nice normal anxiety free day and then would have a night with 4-5 drinks feeling okay. Until again the next day I would have anxiety so bad the pills I was given barely worked. I have now learned I can no longer drink alcohol... it acts as a depressant in my body because I was greaving. It's not worth living in hell for two days afterwards. I went to the doctor and he had me get a stress test done so I could stop worrying about my heart... and to my relief it came back normal. We talked about my past, with losing my father and a sister at a young age which triggered the talk about losing my dog. I have always had a fear of dying... This has triggered my life to be filled with endless anxiety and constant worry of something bad happening. My doctor mentioned there doesn't have to be an actual bad thing happening for anxiety to get worse... but it certainly doesn't help. I don't feel depressed... as a matter of fact I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life for once so why am I having these terrible anxiety/panic attacks and all of the sudden my body cannot handle a lick of alcohol (which used to help me)? I have figured out I have underlying issues dealing with death... My doctor explained to me that anxiety is an actual disorder that will never leave me therefore I have to deal with what is causing my anxiety for it to get better. I am trying to exercise, haven't had a drink in a long time and cut back on smoking a whole ton. I still haven't had a day without anxiety so the next step might have to be an antidepressant just so I can have a fews months off from my brain. My whole reason for writing this is to let everyone know you are not alone in this, anxiety is a serious medical condition and you should seek help from a doctor. Nobody wants to live in a nightmare like this, I know I don't. I hope Prozac will help me... even if it's for 6 months, in the meanwhile I can get my body back in shape and by the time I will feel brave enough to get off the medication I hope my mind/body is ready. Good luck to you all out there. And get well soon.
Caprice_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hi Mia and welcome to WebMD,
Thank you for sharing your own struggles and your encouraging message here for all.
Thank you for sharing your own struggles and your encouraging message here for all.
We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace.
~Peggy Tabor Millin
Report This| Share this:To all of you regarding Anxiety and Panic AttacksHi Mia and welcome to WebMD,<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your own struggles and your encouraging message here for all. <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0">
Doxielover10 responded:
I have had dogs my whole life and I like them much better than humans for the most part. We had five Dachshunds, we bred one of our females and we got 3 puppies. We made a deal with the breeder that she could have one puppy who would be a show dog. This breeder was a judge at Westminster and she was so happy when we showed her the ancestry chart with nothing but champions and Dachshunds she actually knew.
I can honestly say, when those puppies came home it was the happiest most wonderful time of my life.. I would take one and lie down and put the pup on my chest. I was so glad I did not work. Those puppies were my life, I talked to them, I sang and danced with them.We developed rituals with them. They were always our priority. We spent twelve thousand dollars on back surgeries. We all slept together, we developed such strong bonds with them they spoke to us when they wanted something.
We went out for dinner one night and when we got home I sensed there was something wrong with one of them. We have a state of the art facility here so we took her down there.
She said she was going to keep her so the specialist could see her in the morning. We got a call at 4:05 AM telling us Kali had died. I started screaming, sobbing , I just wanted to die too. When they checked her she had a large tumor in her spleen that burst and had gone into her heart. We never in a million years could have known that. We brought her here with us. I do not drink or smoke so I just got into bed. I went days with no sleep crying.I did no eat anything for 12 days and the doctor threatened to put me in the hospital. 4 months later her brother died in my arms, I just withdrew from life. No one could help me. I cried non stop for months, I stayed in bed, the anxiety was so bad. It took 2 years for me to try and live. again. Neither one of us could speak about them without just sobbing.. People do not understand that these wonderful creatures were like children for me and my husband. We now have 2 mini long haired Dachshunds who I love with all my heart. My other Dachshunds are in custom made mahagony boxes with a gold closure and handles. We inscribed two gold panels which we attached to the box.
I lost my Dad in a horrifying accident that I still cannot talk about. I broke out in huge bloody sores all over my body which I had biopsied . Results were extreme anxiety, then I started to shake so uncontrolably I could not walk. I am housebound trying to do what the doctors want me to do. My Mom has always said I was a very nervous child, I had a bleeding ulcer at 15. The medication is working and for the first time in my life I've had 2 days when I was really calm.
The doctor has warned me that it can come back so I should avoid anything that is anxiety.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby, I truly know how you feel.
I can honestly say, when those puppies came home it was the happiest most wonderful time of my life.. I would take one and lie down and put the pup on my chest. I was so glad I did not work. Those puppies were my life, I talked to them, I sang and danced with them.We developed rituals with them. They were always our priority. We spent twelve thousand dollars on back surgeries. We all slept together, we developed such strong bonds with them they spoke to us when they wanted something.
We went out for dinner one night and when we got home I sensed there was something wrong with one of them. We have a state of the art facility here so we took her down there.
She said she was going to keep her so the specialist could see her in the morning. We got a call at 4:05 AM telling us Kali had died. I started screaming, sobbing , I just wanted to die too. When they checked her she had a large tumor in her spleen that burst and had gone into her heart. We never in a million years could have known that. We brought her here with us. I do not drink or smoke so I just got into bed. I went days with no sleep crying.I did no eat anything for 12 days and the doctor threatened to put me in the hospital. 4 months later her brother died in my arms, I just withdrew from life. No one could help me. I cried non stop for months, I stayed in bed, the anxiety was so bad. It took 2 years for me to try and live. again. Neither one of us could speak about them without just sobbing.. People do not understand that these wonderful creatures were like children for me and my husband. We now have 2 mini long haired Dachshunds who I love with all my heart. My other Dachshunds are in custom made mahagony boxes with a gold closure and handles. We inscribed two gold panels which we attached to the box.
I lost my Dad in a horrifying accident that I still cannot talk about. I broke out in huge bloody sores all over my body which I had biopsied . Results were extreme anxiety, then I started to shake so uncontrolably I could not walk. I am housebound trying to do what the doctors want me to do. My Mom has always said I was a very nervous child, I had a bleeding ulcer at 15. The medication is working and for the first time in my life I've had 2 days when I was really calm.
The doctor has warned me that it can come back so I should avoid anything that is anxiety.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby, I truly know how you feel.
Report This| Share this:To all of you regarding Anxiety and Panic AttacksI have had dogs my whole life and I like them much better than humans for the most part. We had five Dachshunds, we bred one of our females and we got 3 puppies. We made a deal with the breeder that she could have one puppy who would be a show dog. This breeder was a judge at Westminster and she was so happy when we showed her the ancestry chart with nothing but champions and Dachshunds she actually knew.<br /><br />I can honestly say, when those puppies came home it was the happiest most wonderful time of my life.. I would take one and lie down and put the pup on my chest. I was so glad I did not work. Those puppies were my life, I talked to them, I sang and danced with them.We developed rituals with them. They were always our priority. We spent twelve thousand dollars on back surgeries. We all slept together, we developed such strong bonds with them they spoke to us when they wanted something. <br /><br />We went out for dinner one night and when we got home I sensed there was something wrong with one of them. We have a state of the art facility here so we took her down there.<br />She said she was going to keep her so the specialist could see her in the morning. We got a call at 4:05 AM telling us Kali had died. I started screaming, sobbing , I just wanted to die too. When they checked her she had a large tumor in her spleen that burst and had gone into her heart. We never in a million years could have known that. We brought her here with us. I do not drink or smoke so I just got into bed. I went days with no sleep crying.I did no eat anything for 12 days and the doctor threatened to put me in the hospital. 4 months later her brother died in my arms, I just withdrew from life. No one could help me. I cried non stop for months, I stayed in bed, the anxiety was so bad. It took 2 years for me to try and live. again. Neither one of us could speak about them without just sobbing.. People do not understand that these wonderful creatures were like children for me and my husband. We now have 2 mini long haired Dachshunds who I love with all my heart. My other Dachshunds are in custom made mahagony boxes with a gold closure and handles. We inscribed two gold panels which we attached to the box.<br /><br />I lost my Dad in a horrifying accident that I still cannot talk about. I broke out in huge bloody sores all over my body which I had biopsied . Results were extreme anxiety, then I started to shake so uncontrolably I could not walk. I am housebound trying to do what the doctors want me to do. My Mom has always said I was a very nervous child, I had a bleeding ulcer at 15. The medication is working and for the first time in my life I've had 2 days when I was really calm.<br />The doctor has warned me that it can come back so I should avoid anything that is anxiety.<br /><br />I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby, I truly know how you feel.
howiebanks replied to Doxielover10's response:
Mia and Doxielover:
Losing an irreplaceable friend, two- or four-legged, hurts like hell, as you know all too well. Two things to remember: the pain you feel, no matter how overwhelming, cannot kill you. [Pretending you don't feel it can.> You might even think you want it to kill you, but it refuses to. This is good because somewhere out there another dog or two [or three!> needs you desperately. I am not recommending that you go out and get another animal until you feel good and ready, and that is a very idiosyncratic timetable. But when you do feel ready, do not hesitate. The movie Harold and Maude, which you may or may not have seen, is about a love affair between a 20-year-old boy obsessed with death and an 80-year-old woman madly in love with life. On their first "date" at a carnival, Harold has a little toy sheriff's badge imprinted with the words, "Harold Loves Maude." Maude thanks him, tells him it's the loveliest gift she's ever received and promptly throws it into the ocean. When a baffled Harold asks her why she did that, she says, "This way, I'll always know where it is." On her 80th birthday, Maude decides she's lived long enough and takes an overdose of pills. When Harold learns this, he flies into a panic, and begs Maude not to leave him, not to die, because he loves her so. To which Maude replies, "You love me? Oh, Harold, that's so wonderful! Now go out and love some more."
Losing an irreplaceable friend, two- or four-legged, hurts like hell, as you know all too well. Two things to remember: the pain you feel, no matter how overwhelming, cannot kill you. [Pretending you don't feel it can.> You might even think you want it to kill you, but it refuses to. This is good because somewhere out there another dog or two [or three!> needs you desperately. I am not recommending that you go out and get another animal until you feel good and ready, and that is a very idiosyncratic timetable. But when you do feel ready, do not hesitate. The movie Harold and Maude, which you may or may not have seen, is about a love affair between a 20-year-old boy obsessed with death and an 80-year-old woman madly in love with life. On their first "date" at a carnival, Harold has a little toy sheriff's badge imprinted with the words, "Harold Loves Maude." Maude thanks him, tells him it's the loveliest gift she's ever received and promptly throws it into the ocean. When a baffled Harold asks her why she did that, she says, "This way, I'll always know where it is." On her 80th birthday, Maude decides she's lived long enough and takes an overdose of pills. When Harold learns this, he flies into a panic, and begs Maude not to leave him, not to die, because he loves her so. To which Maude replies, "You love me? Oh, Harold, that's so wonderful! Now go out and love some more."
Report This| Share this:To all of you regarding Anxiety and Panic AttacksMia and Doxielover:<br /><br />Losing an irreplaceable friend, two- or four-legged, hurts like hell, as you know all too well. Two things to remember: the pain you feel, no matter how overwhelming, cannot kill you. [Pretending you don't feel it can.> You might even think you want it to kill you, but it refuses to. This is good because somewhere out there another dog or two [or three!> needs you desperately. I am not recommending that you go out and get another animal until you feel good and ready, and that is a very idiosyncratic timetable. But when you do feel ready, do not hesitate. The movie <i>Harold and Maude</i>, which you may or may not have seen, is about a love affair between a 20-year-old boy obsessed with death and an 80-year-old woman madly in love with life. On their first "date" at a carnival, Harold has a little toy sheriff's badge imprinted with the words, "Harold Loves Maude." Maude thanks him, tells him it's the loveliest gift she's ever received and promptly throws it into the ocean. When a baffled Harold asks her why she did that, she says, "This way, I'll always know where it is." On her 80th birthday, Maude decides she's lived long enough and takes an overdose of pills. When Harold learns this, he flies into a panic, and begs Maude not to leave him, not to die, because he loves her so. To which Maude replies, "You love me? Oh, Harold, that's so wonderful! Now go out and love some more."
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