hi guys

[Maltrez]

hello, just reached maximum capacity for stress and had my first attack in january so thought i'd post my life story here and seek help from others more knowledgeable then what my parents read on the internet until my next counselling appointment.

I'm having such a hard time handling my anixety. When it first started it was terrible i wouldn't move i was a log for atleast a week, i couldn't handle moving or anything i was in a state of shock after my initial attack. The doctors told me all tests said i was fine they want to do more tests before they truly diagnose anything so i was setup for a holter monitor and physical stress test etc. Now it's March they all said i'm fine stress test included but even that was only a temp feel good. After getting all results i felt better lasted about 2 - 3 weeks no problems or bad feelings. Then it struck and now it feels like every time i try to think positive i just gut a big sucker punch from anxiety. Though i'm a guy i've always been a bit of a softy but i felt really good after seeing i lost 20 pounds(was 240 now 220) since january just by changing what i eat and then i decided to do light exercise to get into shape since i might as well not waste it. Well that all went fine and i felt really good, an hour later i get a huge shock like pain in my chest and an ache hit in the back of my head. Now i'm back to how i used to be try to think positive and get knocked down by anxiety. I'm going to the docs on friday and get meds(i really hate meds tried to not ever need it) for it and i have counseling now but so far i don't know how to do anything at home. Any advice would be helpful.

[alankay]

Mal, OK you can conclude you're not sick physically thus far. It does sound like anxiety to me so have you made any progress on determining what's the root cause of your anxiety? Sometimes one cannot be found. Some are just anxious types.
It sounds like the amount of anxiety you have felt was pretty bad so just tell all to the doc. He's heard it all before, trust me. You might have had a brief reactive type depression that kept you like a log for that week. This can happen and we bounce back. Did you feel sad, no energy, like hiding under a rock then just recovered? Could have been a reaction to that nasty bout of anxiety you had. It happens.
Anyway my advise would be, 1. be honest with the doc, 2. ask him if he thinks you should work with the counselor some more before trying meds(finding/addressing the root cause of your anxiety is the best route if a root cause can be found). Again being totally honest and open with the doc if very important. We all pretty much hate taking meds but they do have their place for many patients. Alankay

[Maltrez]

I've had 2 visits with the counsellor so far and what we've been going over so far is getting to know my life and what can be the cause of my anxiety and we have narrowed it to a lot of past events and the affect it had on my mind over the years(i'm an internalizer) he said so after all the bottling it's now just over flown. I've always been a hermit type i tend to stay alone since it's easier to manage and everyone tells me i always look sad so again we decided that contributed too. When i was in log state i did feel sad i had constant symptoms for atleast 2 days after i had extreme shaking that almost never stopped. At that time i definetly felt sad i thought death would be the best route but i had way too many reasons to not let that happen. It was definitely a reaction since i've never felt anything like it and with my fathers history heart attack was my first conclusion. I've been offered meds a multitude of times and i've always rejected just barely accepting 10 pills just to get me from my second hospital trip until my final test dates. I'm at the point where i feel like i can't handle it anymore right now without so my doctor wants to get me cipralex to try since i wanted something that wouldnt be hard to stop and have low to no withdrawl symptoms.