I hate agoraphobia

[Marich]

Hello, I am currently going through a real bad phobic episode. currently I am confined to my apartment. I have agoraphobia and I am afraid of the sky on Sunny days. Medication has not worked at least up until now. I am sitting in this apartment going stir crazy but yet afraid to leave. I keep telling myself that no one on the outside can hurt me but I don't or am unable to listen to any sensible reason. I go outside and my heart starts palipitating. I feel like a prisoner. The therapists say I have to train my mind to overcome this fear. I can't seem to do it no matter how hard I try. The medications don't seem to work or seem to be taking their sweet old time working. I just want to go back to feeling normal. Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.

I feel so weak because of this condition. What really bothers me is when I do face my agoraphobia the anxiety starts up right again as soon as I get home. So I am facing my fears which everybody says you need to do if you have a phobia but it is not working.

I wonder if my severe anxiety has something to do with my adrenal gland. Last year I had a cat scan of the abdomen and it showed a benign mass on my adrenal gland. My doctor did not feel it was necessary to follow up but I have asked him to re evaluate whether or not follow up is necessary.

[Schatmeisje]

Oh, I feel for you ! I have been like this too, and still have bad days where i cant go out at all for a couple of days. I dont know if it will help, but heres what i did to start getting out of the house, and it definitely worked for me.
I started walking one house away the first day, then the next day went two houses etc until i got up to 6 houses away. I kept practising for a couple of weeks befor i was able to go around a corner when i ouldnt see my house any more, and when i did that it was still hard, but once i did it every day, it did become not such a big deal as it was before, and became more like a part of my daily routine insted. There are still bad days, as i mentioned, but i just give myslf a 'rest day' on those days rather than pushing things, and keep going again once i feel better.
Also, i understand hwat you mean about getting anxious when you get home, i still get this sometimes, as i get a bit of a shock that i have done something that my mind has told me i cannot do. Somettimes when i do something i havent done in a really long time, i will have a huge panic attack when i get home, but learning to be proud of the little goals i have acheived has helped lessen those attacks happening.
It is really hard to start off, but things will get better, just tale slow steps and make small achievable goals for yourself. Mine used to be so bad that my heart palpitations would start as soon as i even thought about going out the front door.
I wish you all the best and hope you can manage to get out, even if you could just walk two houses away for a start xxxxx

[Marich]

Shakes head .

You have fears from over production of adrenaline and your doctor said that the mass on your gland is fine . Honestly go find another doctor . This is the first thing that they tested me for . You cannot control the release if the mass is doing it for you. Again go find a better doctor .

I have to cut the doc some slack. At the time he did not know I had an anxiety problem. Now he knows about it and wants me to follow up on this

[Marich]

I am following up on this tomorrow. Still storming a bit today. I am going to the ER where I first had the test.I am scared because its is possible that the adrenal mass is not causing the anxiety. That would put me right back at square one. I am really keeping my fingers crossed because this is a chance for me to get my life back

[Marich]

When I see my family doctor. I need to to convince him that I need a 24 hour urinalysis to determine if the over the top anxiety I have been having is being caused by a benign adrenal mass. Also I am going to ask the doctor to start me on a Beta Block maybe Inderal. I heard that does very good for anxiety.