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I seem to have developed a phobia - but which one?

1 reply

crazydogowner · 12/06/2017 12:27

Just before Christmas I had an incident when I was having a facial and I started to have what I think is a panic attack. I felt a horrible dark feeling creep over me and then my heart started to race. She was using a light pulse wand and I had to ask her to turn it right down as I thought I was going to get up and run off. Afterwards the manager told me she was their Reki therapist. Not sure if that is relevant.

A few weeks later we went on holiday and I started to have panic feelings on the journey there. I had one at the airport gate and then on the plane as we took off. I had to get the woman next to me to give me a crappy mag to distract me. I have never, ever had any anxiety on a plane before and have always found it the height of excitement.

Since these situations late last year I have had 2 or 3 more incidents. The biggest one was when I was getting my hair cut and coloured. I had to sit there for 4 hours and at one point I just couldn't get my heart rate down and said I felt sick and went outside for fresh air. Because of this I am now in a panic about being in a panic and this is becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy. I had a blow dry on Sat and again felt panicky when she was washing and drying my hair. When I went to the dentist I felt the same when they were looking in my mouth.

I can narrow it down to when it is. It is when I have to sit down, sometimes strapped in or when I know that I can't leave for X amount of time. I am not scared of flying or the dentist or hairdressers. As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off and I can move about I am absolutely fine and enjoy it.

We are going on a few flights over summer, I need to go to the dentist and I need my roots done. My Doc has given me some propranolol and I did take one (10mg) when I went to the hairdressers but I still felt anxious, but didn't get so far as bolting.

I know that a lot of people on here have much more serious problems on this forum but I am afraid I am going to wreck everyones holidays and I need to deal with this. My doctor has said I am not depressed or anything, but I have been having blood tests which confirm I am peri-menopausal. I don't know if I have developed a phobia and if so it's not an obvious one.

Anyone else ever felt like this?

OP posts:
Huffletuff · 12/06/2017 12:32

Yes, this is how my anxiety started. Now it's extremely bad and am under a clinical psychologist.

You mentioned that you are peri-menopausal. I am too. I started having panic attacks exactly as you describe when I started taking hormonal medication to try and regulate my terrible periods. When I stopped, the anxiety decreased but now my hormones are haywire again and the anxiety and panic is off the scale. I'm only 35 so unusual to be peri - menopausal but for me, hormones caused and exacerbate my panic attacks

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