How bad is my anxiety?!

[loldonkaments88]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new poster here - never really articulated stuff like this before but for some curious reason I can't describe I feel more comfortable doing so upon the ears of people I don't yet know than loved ones.

I'm an economics student at Durham in my final year of study. When I was at home over the summer one evening my older brother, who has quite a bad drug problem, came into the house demanding money from my parents. When they refused, he proceeded to take a knife from the kitchen, hold it to his throat and threaten to kill himself if they didn't do it, then he stormed out.

Since then, the world's been...different. I woke up the next morning and had my first panic attack, then I had them almost daily for a period of about two weeks. I questioned everything I did - even the most basic stuff like putting the kettle on to make a cup of tea made me worried in case I'd done it wrong and would break it, for example. I left the job I was at over the summer and felt terrible for doing that, but I don't think I was either physically or phycologically able to do it.

I went back up to uni earlier than planned following this and things seemed a lot better. I had maybe four or five panic attacks all term but generally felt more like myself and had a really good ten weeks - I managed to keep up with my work and also took a job on the student bar to prove to myself I could take the commitment.

I got back for Christmas on Sunday, and since then I just seem to have completely relapsed. I'm determined not to quit the job I've got over Christmas because I think I'll feel better for doing it in the long run. I went to the doctor's after waking very early today following getting in from work at 1:30am (not what I was hoping for given I'm on another nice long shift tonight!) and I got a propranolol prescription. The good news is that it does seem to help my nausea so I can get a good meal in now and then. The bad news is that the practising nurse told me to avoid the following:

Alcohol
Caffeine
Hot drinks
Hot food (not as in spicy, just as in anything that's hot!)

Obviously the alcohol and the caffeine I can understand, but the last two really worry me. How bad must my anxiety be if just eating a hot meal will make it flare up? Has anyone else been given this advice? I just feel that if this is the case, then it might be a more serious problem than I thought it was.

PS - sorry about the length of this post - having a bad day and wanted to get it all out!

[danstelter]

4-5 panic attacks in a period of a semester, from what I understand, would be a moderate amount of anxiety, possibly slightly worse. I do, however, have some clarification for you on the nurse's advice. I don't know anything about the hot foods (but your nurse is probably right), but I do know that alcohol and caffeine aggravate anxiety. The good news is that you do not have to avoid these foods entirely. You should just minimize the amount of these foods you eat. A couple sodas or beers per week don't really bother my anxiety, but I know that in the past when I drank heavily, I felt pretty anxious the next day. So, just watch the amount of these foods that you consume, and if your anxiety tends to flare up when you eat a certain amount, simply reduce the amount you consume. Finally, keep in mind that everyone is different; while hot foods may aggravate anxiety for some people, they may not aggravate anxiety for you. Just be aware and trust your gut!

[northstar]

danstelter's advice is excellent :)

i've never ever heard of the hot meal thing though? i wonder why she thought this?

i also thought to suggest that you might like to considering seeing a counsellor to help deal with the difficult times you have been through with your brother? it can really help to talk to someone and to explore your experiences in a helpful environment. i found psychotherapy invaluable and have never regretted going :) it really helped with my anxiety.

i have written another post with lots of tips on the kinds of things you can do to help you through anxiety, you might like to take a look at it here: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

i hope this helps a bit and that you're feeling better soon :)

[jakleb]

Stike it out at work and stuff cause the only way i found to conquer panic attacks and fear is to just say "bring it on" it is very hard at the start and you just want to run away from the faer but it works eventually...


all the best.

[anna_0range]

Do you mean hot drinks suck as like hot teas?

[loldonkaments88]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies and apologies for my own delay - been somewhat snowed under with Christmas, New Year, working two jobs etc.

Since my last post I've been on a Propranolol prescription which has been fairly successful - I still struggle with panic but the nausea has subsided quite a bit and I'm managing to eat normally most days (really can't afford to lose any more weight now I'm down to 140lbs at 6'3" tall!).

After asking a few people, I think the practising nurse advised no hot food or drink because it stimulates production of adrenaline - I actually find that when I get jittery one of the most simple cures is to just run my hands under a cold tap for a couple of minutes so I guess she had a point.

Re the caffeine and alcohol - I'm still drinking caffeine as I just can't manage without it since I have a fair few late nights from work. I'm drinking very little at the moment and I can't see myself drinking at all for much longer as the tradeoff for a good night out versus the anxiety in the morning just isn't worth it!

Meh, I guess I was just worried at the time as being given such a long list of dietry restrictions made me worry that things are worse than they really are, when in reality things aren't that bad.

Thanks again for the advice guys, and I hope you've all had a good Christmas and New Year - here's to a happy and anxiety-free 2009!