anxiety

[hanhan13]

hi all,

i wanted to know if what i am experiencing is possibly anxiety.

i feel constantly on edge and sometimes nauseous, i get really bad nightmares and in consequence wake up several times in the night, gasping and sometimes crying. i sometimes cannot control my anxious feelings at all and just want to scream and scream and scream because i feel so claustrophobic, like i am suffocating, the walls closing in on me. i get spasms too, mostly in my leg - don’t really get too many these days. i sometimes hyperventilate, some days i’m worried about everything and have difficulty breathing, which i classify as panic attacks.

is this possibly anxiety or panic disorder?

thanks

[PamelaR]

Hi Hanhan and warm welcome to our forums

Yes it does sound like you could have anxiety or a panic disorder. However, I am not a health professional so cannot give you any advice about what it is you are experiencing. It really is very important that you go to your doctor and talk about what's happening to you. They are the best person to let you know what it is and to talk about your next steps.

I can also get our Nurse Jenn to come here and talk with you. In the meantime maybe browse or do a search of the BB website. There are some good threads under Anxiety Forum found in the Mental Health Condition category.

Kind regards

PamelaR

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi hanhan13,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for your post. That sounds like a horrifying experience to wake up to in the middle of the night; have you ever talked to anyone about this?

With your question, the difference between anxiety and a panic disorder is the way that it interferes with your life. Everyone has anxiety but we all have different spectrums of it. I think it's fair to say that all panic attacks interfere with our life too. But the difference with an anxiety disorder is the way it interferes with our day to day functioning - like work, study or relationships.

The only way to really get a diagnosis though is to have a chat with your GP.

Hope this helps,

[hanhan13]

yes thank you i would love an opportunity to speak with nurse jenn

[PamelaR]

Hi Hanhan

I've put a message in for Nurse Jenn to see if she can help you. She'll be along when she can.

Are you able to make a doctor's appointment? I'm not sure how old you are and whether you may need assistance to get to an appointment. Or perhaps you're not ready to talk with family about what's happening. Would this be right?

It's okay if you don't want to answer my questions Hanhan. Just trying to help support you.

My experience is - there was an underlying cause for my anxiety and nightmares. I needed to see someone, i.e. a psychologist to talk about what was causing my anxiety and nightmares. It is quite a frightening experience and my heart goes out to you Hanhan.

Kind regards

PamelaR

[retrogal]

I've just been through a similar experience and can totally relate to you! I would say immediately go and talk to your GP - he/she can point you in the right direction - either medically with medication and or checking your heart and other organs to confirm or rule out it is a panic/anxiety disorder. I've had every test under the sun in the past week, including a heart monitor for 24 hours, ECG, MRI and chest Xray and turns out in my case it was just panic and anxiety. I'm now on medication to help me sleep and am seeing a therapist for anxiety CBT again this weel.

I wish you the best of luck - the feeling of being trapped in your own body and mind is horrible.

Please keep us updated on your progress.

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi hanhan13,

Welcome to the forum. Its great to see you reaching out for support here. I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing these symptoms as they must be distressing for you. By reaching out here, you have started your journey to recovery. Make sure you take some time to acknowledge this as it is an important step. You are not alone and will find a lot of support here on the forum. Many people have already made great suggestions to your post and I have to concur with much of their advise. I particularly support the idea that your first step should be to make an appointment with a GP (Doctor) and get a health assessment. It is difficult to understand your symptoms and where they are coming from without completing a full health history. When you make the appointment, if you feel comfortable, you could ask the receptionist at the GP clinic to make a mental health appointment so that you have some extra time.

Getting more clarity around your symptoms will be an important starting point. A GP can help you start getting some support in your local area which might be in the form of a therapist or a group program or even a local centre like headspace (depending on your age as headspace only see's people age 12 -25). There are many many strategies that you could try but initially gaining a health professionals (GPs) perspective on your symptoms is the most important step to complete.

If you want to understand more about the different types of anxiety including panic, you could look on the Beyond Blue website and read about it here https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety

Another suggestion which I believe that PamelaR recommended is to talk to a family member or friend and get them to go to the doctors appointment with you. This can be really supportive for some people. I know whenever I go to the doctor, I always forget something I wanted to ask. You might also go into the GP appointment with a list of your symptoms that you have written down.

Another great option would be to use the Beyond Blue support line on 1300 22 4636. The operators are available 24/7 and can listen to your story which might help get worries off your chest. Sometimes this can help with sleep and when you get better sleep, things might feel less difficult. I also wonder if you have a friend or family member you could talk with? Please let us know how you are today and keeping reaching out. You are not alone.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn