Tips for anxiety-important medical visit next week

Are you going to a general practitioner? Because all they will do is refer you to a psychiatrist.
 
ookii said:
Get yourself those therapy/emotional support dogs and put that vest on it so that people will know you have high anxiety
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I wish I had a dog. They are wonderful creatures.
 
HomeCheese said:
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.
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Great post. Though anxiety seems to be a byproduct of everything else that is going on, not the root cause itself. After several weeks, the symptoms not going away, and physician not being able to diagnose, or even give me something to mitigate symptoms, the anxiety started to dial up. I'm doing my best to relax....walking, eating healthy, talking to family, etc,
 
gspieler said:
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.
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Yes, I completely understand that. I no longer had the joy, desire, or ability to do anything I enjoyed anymore. Just know that this will pass. The professionals will help you get through this. You will get through this and things will get better.

It's also very important to remember that as you go through this there will be peaks and valleys. There will be good days and bad days. There will also be really good days and really bad days. You need to remember - enjoy the good days. And when the bad days come, you have to remember they will pass. The bad days still come for me sometimes and the anxiety still comes sometimes. But it is much, much less frequent now. And when they do come, I know I've been through these days a million times now and they will pass. They always do.

It's like the weather. Some days are cloudy, some days are sunny. The clouds will always float away and the sun will come out again. There is always calm after a storm.

You'll get through this. I really recommend the book I mentioned. It helps.
 
Grassshoppa said:
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.
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Great post. A lot of this hits home for me. I considered taking a short leave of absence from work, but without a diagnosis, they're not going to accomodate. When I spoke my physician about it, he basically refused to assist me with that, or giving me anything to treat. He just ordered ore tests. If nothing else, I should some clarity next week. I'm taking solace in that, as well as having a supportive family. I've realized a couple of things lately. Never take life granted. And love your family. They are the ones who will be there for you no matter what.

If you don't mind me asking, what symptoms were you having?
 
Mondo Freaks said:
Are you going to a general practitioner? Because all they will do is refer you to a psychiatrist.
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I first went to ER because of some alarming symptoms. After, the symptoms persisted, I saw a GP. They've ordered several tests. Nothing has come up yet. But next week should provide some good insight(getting an MRI and seeing a neuro). At this point, I just want somebody to tell me what's going on. And Lord willing, that it's nothing too serious.
 
Grassshoppa said:
Yes, I completely understand that. I no longer had the joy, desire, or ability to do anything I enjoyed anymore. Just know that this will pass. The professionals will help you get through this. You will get through this and things will get better.

It's also very important to remember that as you go through this there will be peaks and valleys. There will be good days and bad days. There will also be really good days and really bad days. You need to remember - enjoy the good days. And when the bad days come, you have to remember they will pass. The bad days still come for me sometimes and the anxiety still comes sometimes. But it is much, much less frequent now. And when they do come, I know I've been through these days a million times now and they will pass. They always do.

It's like the weather. Some days are cloudy, some days are sunny. The clouds will always float away and the sun will come out again. There is always calm after a storm.

You'll get through this. I really recommend the book I mentioned. It helps.
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For me, it's not a lack of desire. I want nothing more than to go back to normal life, i.e. getting through the workday without any major symptoms, going to the gym, going out yo bars/restaurants, spending time with friends/family. It's just that some of these things seem physically impossible, because the symptoms I'm having go beyond psychological. I am having physical symptoms that seem to be aggravated by day-to-day activities.
 
Just slow down. Everything you do, do it more deliberately and calmly.
 
gspieler said:
Great post. A lot of this hits home for me. I considered taking a short leave of absence from work, but without a diagnosis, they're not going to accomodate. When I spoke my physician about it, he basically refused to assist me with that, or giving me anything to treat. He just ordered ore tests. If nothing else, I should some clarity next week. I'm taking solace in that, as well as having a supportive family. I've realized a couple of things lately. Never take life granted. And love your family. They are the ones who will be there for you no matter what.

If you don't mind me asking, what symptoms were you having?
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Oh, let's see... probably... every symptom there is. :)

  • Episodes of feeling dizzy, off, cold, shaking/shivering for 45 minutes at a time
  • Feeling like I was going to pass out
  • Numbness/tingling in the arms
  • A "rush" sensation that I later learned was the adrenaline dump of anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Hot face/flush face
  • Frequent urination
  • Couldn't go anywhere by myself, couldn't drive by myself
  • Feelings of impending doom
  • Nausea
  • Derealization (the funnest of them all)
  • Nervousness, uncontrollable thoughts, rumination
  • Muscle cramps, heaviness, stiffness
  • Ringing in ears
  • Joint pain
  • Sudden jerking movements
So yes, I thought I was dying. No way could anxiety cause all of this. But the first Xanax I took made it all go away. At that point, I started to believe maybe the doctors were right and this was anxiety. Fast forward to today and all I have are very infrequent feelings of anxiety and some derealization once in a while.
 
just talk to the physician and prepare to listen.. you might be worked up over nothing..
 
I get anxiety too but it's not like panic attacks, more like just lingering feeling stress, not being able to fully relax. Shit is for the birds, man.
 
gspieler said:
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.
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*Raises hand*

Diagnosed with cancer late 2017. Went through all the emotions and anxiety one can think of. From being told "you have cancer. We think it's X but we need to do a biopsy to confirm" to "well it's not X thank God because we were going to tell you there is nothing we can do to save you. You have a much better prognosis but you still have a 20% chance of dying" to "I have a feeling we cured you but we'll know for sure in 6 months"

I'm in the latter stage right now so ask away
 
Grassshoppa said:
Oh, let's see... probably... every symptom there is. :)

  • Episodes of feeling dizzy, off, cold, shaking/shivering for 45 minutes at a time
  • Feeling like I was going to pass out
  • Numbness/tingling in the arms
  • A "rush" sensation that I later learned was the adrenaline dump of anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Hot face/flush face
  • Frequent urination
  • Couldn't go anywhere by myself, couldn't drive by myself
  • Feelings of impending doom
  • Nausea
  • Derealization (the funnest of them all)
  • Nervousness, uncontrollable thoughts, rumination
  • Muscle cramps, heaviness, stiffness
  • Ringing in ears
  • Joint pain
  • Sudden jerking movements
So yes, I thought I was dying. No way could anxiety cause all of this. But the first Xanax I took made it all go away. At that point, I started to believe maybe the doctors were right and this was anxiety. Fast forward to today and all I have are very infrequent feelings of anxiety and some derealization once in a while.
Click to expand...

Absolutely incredible that anxiety can manifest itself in all those ways. That must have been hell. I really hope this is just anxiety and nothing more. In any case, Im glad to hear you were able to overcome it.
 
Sebchenier said:
*Raises hand*

Diagnosed with cancer late 2017. Went through all the emotions and anxiety one can think of. From being told "you have cancer. We think it's X but we need to do a biopsy to confirm" to "well it's not X thank God because we were going to tell you there is nothing we can do to save you. You have a much better prognosis but you still have a 20% chance of dying" to "I have a feeling we cured you but we'll know for sure in 6 months"

I'm in the latter stage right now so ask away
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I'm sorry to hear that. I admire your courage in the face of such adversity. When this happened to me, it came out of left field. I have my share of job/relationship-related stress, but I actually felt like I was in a pretty good place in life when it fiest manifested itself. Anything in particular help you cope with anxiety?
 
AznTrojan said:
just talk to the physician and prepare to listen.. you might be worked up over nothing..
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I hope so. Its just physical symptoms of it are undeniable. But it is possible anxiety is causing it.
 
Wish I could give some type of advice, because that would mean I found something that was helpful to me in this regard.

I think just slowing down, breathing, and collecting yourself will help some. Although there are situations that are just too overbearing and you physically can't do those things without leaving. I hear a lot about meditation being a big help.

Good luck.
 
Grassshoppa said:
Oh, let's see... probably... every symptom there is. :)

  • Episodes of feeling dizzy, off, cold, shaking/shivering for 45 minutes at a time
  • Feeling like I was going to pass out
  • Numbness/tingling in the arms
  • A "rush" sensation that I later learned was the adrenaline dump of anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Hot face/flush face
  • Frequent urination
  • Couldn't go anywhere by myself, couldn't drive by myself
  • Feelings of impending doom
  • Nausea
  • Derealization (the funnest of them all)
  • Nervousness, uncontrollable thoughts, rumination
  • Muscle cramps, heaviness, stiffness
  • Ringing in ears
  • Joint pain
  • Sudden jerking movements
So yes, I thought I was dying. No way could anxiety cause all of this. But the first Xanax I took made it all go away. At that point, I started to believe maybe the doctors were right and this was anxiety. Fast forward to today and all I have are very infrequent feelings of anxiety and some derealization once in a while.
Click to expand...

So are you still taking Xanax? I never wanted to rely on medication, but I guess eventually it may be the only option.
 
Breath and know that it's you, and not the situation. Know that this is normal for a huge part of the population, and if it continues, you'll be able to live with it. Don't think this is a step back. Just a hurdle. Get profession help, and know whats going on, and when you know whats going on, it's half as hard to go through. So learn as much as you can, and you'll be able to deal with it.
 
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