Hheellpp!!!!! :(

[savannah]

Hi, so long story short I have severe anxiety! I'm 26 and have lost both parents, my mom passed away out in the country and I was alone with her, it took the ambulance forever to get there and since then my anxiety got worse, I never knew that's what it was until over a year later my nose kept feeling tingly and the tips of My hands, I freaked out and thought something bad was happening and asked my bf to drive me
To the ER in that time My face was numb and it kinda looked paralyzed, once we got there I thought I was going to die I even asked my bf if I was dying he started crying bc it freaked him out, they said I was low on potassium and had a anxiety attack well now I'm scared to go anywhere or leave our town bc
I'm afraid it will happen and there will be no hospital to help me like my mom(my mom had cancer and I know there was nothing they could do but it's just something in my head that puts the 2 together) I just talked to the dr about med and she is waiting in my blood work then she is going to prescribe me meds, I'm so scared that my anxiety is so strong that it won't help, please give me
Some input someone??? :'(

[Kixxi]

Dear Savannah,

I'm sorry you're going through this. I know what you are going through as I'm around the same age and suffered from panic attacks since the age of 20. Anxiety is a tricky thing though. There is no quick and easy fix, but it DOES get better and you can get rid of them.

First, anxiety usually has an underlying source. This could be, which I think is the case for you, an emotional trauma that triggered the anxiety. This emotional trauma will have to be treated in order to root out the problem. What worked for me is talking to a psychologist, breathing exercises, physical activity and I also take medication. However, medication is definitely not a total solution. It just takes the edge of and helps you during the treatment of anxiety.

And I should also tell you that it can be treated perfectly. I had a point in my life where I couldn't leave my house out of fear. I was afraid everywhere, the supermarket, post office... basically every public place. I also ended up in the doctors office every 2 days and sometimes the emergency room. BUT, luckily I started some extensive searching and found loads of ways to get my mind in sync with my body again. A good exercise I can definitely recommend is some yoga, since it also helps a good breathing pattern.

If you have any specific questions or you just want to talk, feel free to drop me a message.

[savannah]

What meds where you prescribed? Did it take more than one time to find the right one? I at in point was like that I had panic attacks going out to eat, I know think back to how stupid that was but at the time so real for me, I am just hoping to hear from others to have a little hope that it is fixable, sometimes I just think I will be stuck like this forever, there so many places I want to go and so many things I want to do but am to scared so I hold on to that

[savannah]

Also I do agree, I've went to 4 counselors and they all have said I have PTSD, I have even when I'm really tired and stressed had really bad panic attacks when I'm sleeping I will wake up and can't breathe I'm just ready to feel normal again and my family doesn't understand so I don't have a lot of support

[Kixxi]

Hi Savannah,

I know it can seem like you are going to have it forever and you feel so powerless with it. But I can assure you, it does get so much better. I was prescribed Sertraline, but a lot of people are taking Zoloft for anxiety. I personally cannot speak for Zoloft. I been on Xanax and Citalopram, but those made me extremely confused. Sertraline helped me sleep again and really took a lot of the anxiety away, especially the heart palpitations. I started with Sertraline and that was the right fit for me from the start. I tried other ones, with medical supervision of course, to see if I could go on a lower dose. Mine is currently still 100mg Sertraline and it has done a lot of good for me.

I'll tell you my story, maybe you will recognize it and you will see that it is fixable and give you hope.
I started getting anxiety and panic attacks at the age of 18. It started with not being able to sleep and getting bad heart palpitations at night. Dizzy spells were also on the menu. I did NOT know what was wrong with me and I ended up in the doctors office every other day. I also ended up in the emergency room a few times and was referred to many specialist. Finally, at the age of 20 I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In the meantime my life took a turn for the worse. I couldn't get out of the house because I was to scared. Even going to a supermarket was a task that I could not handle. I would literally run away in panic if I had to wait in line or a room where a lot of people were present. Even going to my best friend's wedding was torment.

BUT, I started taking Sertraline, found a therapist that I was comfortable with and started the road to recovery at age 22. I had to deal with many things from my past, such as my father leaving me and my mom, him being really hard on me when I was young and nothing was really good enough. This had severely impacted the person that I had become. Looking after my emotional self has helped me a lot and because of learning no ways to cope with these scary feelings, there are a lot of things I can tell you. Since you have PTSD I think, as you said, that an emotional fix will also be needed. So you can deal with the bad things that happened to you.

I can guarantee, that it is a fixable condition. Our mind works in a very mysterious way. You will react overly sensitive to noises, places, smells, anything really. But know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I also couldn't leave my house, and look at me now :) I am working again and I am finally recovering from this terror that is called anxiety. As for your support system. Know that there are loads of people here who understand you and that are here for you. If you need help, advice or just someone to listen, we are all here for you.