New here, but not to anxiety. Having a relapse.

[Rocklover]

Hi all, I am a woman in my mid 30's who has suffered from severe anxiety a few years back and made a full recovery. However, after a bad pregnancy feeling unwell all the way through (my son is now 6 weeks old) I am having an anxiety relapse.

I used to be on a different site, but found the support on there patchy due to lots of in-fighting and cliquey friendships, so I am hoping everybody is friiendlier here. I suffer from stress related IBS and I am also emetophobic which is why I struggled through my pregnancy as I felt sick for the whole 9 months.

I have started to notice all my little anxiety foibles coming back and I'm rapidly starting to become agoraphobic again, I find it very difficult going too far from home, although I am still able to go into town and collect my daughterfrom school etc. This morning I am due to take my son to the dr for his 6 week check (which is not a big deal really and the surggery is very close to my home) and I woke up with an upset tummy and feeling very sick and panicky.

I am very worried about the anxiety returning as I suffered for 2 years last time and couldn't work and barely functioned, I really can't afford to go through that again as I now have 2 children to care for. So I'm here for support and advice on how I can nip this anxiety in the bud and maintain control over it.

Thanks for reading.

RL

[Mamabear]

Hi RL,

First of all, congrats on your little bundle! I'm a mother of 3 and in my late 30s so I can closely relate to what you're going through. After reading your post, I can tell you there are so many factors that come into play with your "relapse":

1. You're 6 weeks post-partum which means your hormones either have or are in the process of dropping to prepregnancy levels. That can bring on anxious feelings for any woman.
2. Your sleep schedule has taken a hit with the arrival of your little one. Anxiety/panic aside, not getting enough sleep (especially restorative sleep) can mess with your body and mind.
3. You now have 2 little ones to take care of. That's a huge adjustment thrown into the mix.
4. You've experienced anxiety before so you're somewhat primed to fall into old ways of thinking or reacting to bodily sensations that are less than enjoyable.

Be patient with yourself as you adjust to all these changes. I went through something very similar after having my second child (he's now 11). My agoraphobia came back making it difficult to go places I needed to go (all within a 5 mile radius of my house). As a mother, you just push through it all because you have a job to do. I guess what I'm hoping to say is just because you're feeling anxious and a relapse of symtpoms, doesn't not mean these symptoms are here to stay. They could all be related to having had a baby, hormones, etc. BUT, since you have anxious thinking and behavior tied to the symptoms you're experiencing, you may be jumping to a false conclusion...relapse. Hang in there and welcome to the site!

[Rocklover]

Thank you Mamabear for your lovely reply, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who has experienced this. I had to cancel a hair appt for myself and my daughter thius morning as my IBS was playing up and obviously started my anxiety off and I am now feeling really bad about that.

I also have a tooth that had become very sensitive (has an old filling) and I have obsessed about it to the point that it is now aching on and off and I am getting pain in my other teeth as well, DP thinks it is my anxiety causing my jaw to tense, hence the pain but it is worrying me far too much. I have a 6 month check booked with my dentist in 3 weeks and yet I am panicking myself that something terrible is wrong (I can see there isn't, no swelling or abcess etc), worrying myself to distraction about minor things is also another symptom of my anxiety as I often get periods of this before my panic starts increasing.

I have a family meal at a carvery to go to tomorrow and I need to take my son for a routine screening at a hospital in the next town to mine on Monday, both events are really scaring me and I'm struggling to cope although I know I have to. I really hope that this blip is just related to my post pregnancy hormones, although I have decided to make a dr's appt on Monday so I can discuss all this with them and see what they recommend. Just making that decision actually makes me feel a little better as I really need to take some control over the situation to stop things getting any worse.

Thanks again for your kind words.