Tips for anxiety-important medical visit next week

gspieler

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Hi Mayberry,

I'll try to keep this brief. I have had ongoing symptoms for over a month now(for the sake of this discussion I'll refrain from discussing them specifically). But it has drastically affected my quality of life, and sometimes find myself fearing the worst. I have a couple of medical appointments next that should shed some light on this. Has anyone been through this? Any tips for dealing with the anxiety? Feel free to share to any personal experience, advice, or other positive thoughts. Thanks.


Update 6/23/18: Hi everyone, just wanted to update this thread, as it helped me through a difficult time. Also wanted to give anyone else a chance to share similar experiences.

After all of the tests(mri, eeg, emg), they did not find anything. I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. The neuro's reccomendation was to treat for anxiety, and the symptoms will likely go away. My symptoms have actually slightly progressed since then, mostly have to do with muscle twitches, cramps, and general stiffness. While I am not convinced all I have is anxiety, I am willing to follow the advice of a neurologist with 20+ years experience, given the tests came back normal. I am on anti-anxiety meds, and starting CBT. I hope all goes well. Just to disclose what my symptoms were in the past 10 weeks:

Visual distortions(blurriest, auro, vertigo, etc)
Confusion
Chills
Headaches
Muscle twitches in hands
Muscle twitches/tension(legs, arms, abs, back)
Shaking
Anxiety/panic attacks
Impending sense of doom

Just like to say I have appreciated all the responses(particularly @Grassshoppa), and welcome others to share their experiences. Thank you all.
 
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Meds are not a solution. I have been force fed pills from the VA for years. I have anxiety attacks from triggers. Find the trigger and learn to breathe.
 
Meds are not a solution. I have been force fed pills from the VA for years. I have anxiety attacks from triggers. Find the trigger and learn to breathe.
I wondered whether the medical visit was concerning anxiety, but it sounds like he wants tips with the waiting. Or a distraction.
 
TS you've come to the right place.

Just step over here into the sherdog clinic and someone will be right with you.
 
Meds are not a solution. I have been force fed pills from the VA for years. I have anxiety attacks from triggers. Find the trigger and learn to breathe.

I agree. Normally, I consider meds a last-ditch resort. But at this point, I have no diagnosis, and the best I can do minimize symptoms. Unfortunately, works seems to trigger whatever it is. I wouldn't have a problem leaving my job, if I knew it would go away, but I have indication of that. I need my job's insurance right now to get this diagnosed. At times, the anxiety is quite overwhelming. My perspective on life has changed a lot over the last few weeks. Never take life for granted. And appreciate the small things.
 
Focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths. In with good, out with the bad.
 
I wondered whether the medical visit was concerning anxiety, but it sounds like he wants tips with the waiting. Or a distraction.
Yeah, I just want to be able to chill out, and not expect the worst. I realize now that Googling my symptoms to try and self-diagnose was a mistake.
 
Double-edged sword. But it works for a time.
Horrible advice. Do not self-medicate with bladed weapons.

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TS you've come to the right place.

Just step over here into the sherdog clinic and someone will be right with you.
Just general advice is fine. Anxiety and depression can be a real bitch.
 
Always expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed.
 
Yes, it was really hard for me in the beginning but it is better now. I am/was on medication. Recently got off one and we're weaning down off the other so hopefully I'll be med free in another six months. Something important - don't Google your symptoms and stay away from reading things on the internet. Go to your professional general doctor then a professional psychiatrist then a professional cognitive therapist. I wouldn't be afraid of medication. It was so bad for me that I couldn't drive a car by myself or go anywhere by myself anymore. The medication helped me through the roughest part until I started to learn what anxiety/depression/PTSD is and how to deal with it.

I recommend the book - At Last a Life by Paul David.

See my thread:

http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/have-you-dealt-with-anxiety-depression-ptsd.3549523/

Things that have helped me:

Eat right
Sleep right
Think right
Exercise
Meditate
Massage
Walk
Hobbies
Church
Structure/routine

Hope this helps.
 
I assume it goes without saying that you shouldn't obsess and ruminate over how the appointments might go before they actually happen.
 
Get yourself those therapy/emotional support dogs and put that vest on it so that people will know you have high anxiety
 
Easy for me to say but try to relax. It's not a condition that will kill you and it is something that can go away as quickly as it appears. Prepare for your appointment but collecting as much information about what is happening as you can:

Keep a journal for each time it happens, what time of day, what you eat and drank, what your exercise patterns were.

Take you pulse rate when you are having an attack and take your pulse when you are feeling good so you have a base line and comparative data.

Try some mindfulness and breathing exercises.

You will be fine, you and your care team will get this figured out.
 
Something else...

When I first saw my general doctor, he said it was anxiety. I didn't believe anxiety could cause my symptoms so I brushed it off and got more tests and more tests and more tests. All the tests showed I wasn't dying, didn't have cancer, MS, etc. When I first saw my general doctor, I asked him if I could go on short-term disability from work to deal with this. He said no. He said the worst thing you can do is stop living your life when you have anxiety. If you have a job, you keep working. If you're on a sport team, you stay on the team.

I ended up going on leave from work anyways. It helped in my case because I had no idea what was going on. Then with the help of the medication I got to a point where I could work again, go places by myself, etc.

So everyone is different. Some can keep doing things with the anxiety. Some can't do things with the anxiety until they understand what it is. I do know the more you avoid going places, avoid doing things, because of the anxiety, the smaller your world will get. And that's a dangerous path because eventually you can get to a point where you no longer leave your house. Then you don't leave your bedroom. Then you don't leave your bed. And that's not the road you want to go down.

Looking back, I wish I would have believed it was anxiety from the beginning, saw a psychiatrist and therapist right away, understood it more, then perhaps I wouldn't have needed the medication or time off from work.

Hope this helps.
 
Yes, it was really hard for me in the beginning but it is better now. I am/was on medication. Recently got off one and we're weaning down off the other so hopefully I'll be med free in another six months. Something important - don't Google your symptoms and stay away from reading things on the internet. Go to your professional general doctor then a professional psychiatrist then a professional cognitive therapist. I wouldn't be afraid of medication. It was so bad for me that I couldn't drive a car by myself or go anywhere by myself anymore. The medication helped me through the roughest part until I started to learn what anxiety/depression/PTSD is and how to deal with it.

I recommend the book - At Last a Life by Paul David.

See my thread:

http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/have-you-dealt-with-anxiety-depression-ptsd.3549523/

Things that have helped me:

Eat right
Sleep right
Think right
Exercise
Meditate
Massage
Walk
Hobbies
Church
Structure/routine

Hope this helps.

Excellent post. I will review that thread later. One of the problems with what I got going on is, it's taking me away from the things I love, which only compounds the stress. I was doing two-a-days st the gym prior to this. Now, a 4-mile walk is about what I can handle. Keeping the mind occupied though is huge. I've taken up the guitar again.
 
I assume it goes without saying that you shouldn't obsess and ruminate over how the appointments might go before they actually happen.

Yeah, this is the crux of the issue. I need to learn to not care, or distract myself.
 
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