How to cure anxiety? Help please!

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

I'm 46. Since Christmas I've been having funny turns, where I start panicking about health symptoms and then get myself all worked up.

This morning I felt dizzy as I walked to work, like I was going to faint. I sat down, and just felt worse and worse. A lovely woman passing by ended up calling an ambulance as I honestly thought I was going to die! Tingly arm and face, heart pounding, couldn't talk, couldn't stand up... I thought it was a heart attack or a stroke.

Turns out it was just a full-blown panic attack with hyperventilating. All my checks were perfect. I also had a blood test last week and everything is fine. My iron is lowish but not fatal.

My GP has prescribed me talking therapy, and has given me Beta Blockers in case I get another attack.

But what else can I do? Is this perimenopause?? My job is quite stressful, I have 2 DC, and a house to look after, etc. But my DH is amazing and I really have NO REASON to be anxious. But I am, all the time.

Is there anything I can do? I will do the therapy but can I do anything else? I can't go on like this.

Have you ever had this but got through it?

@blondiebea I have terrible health anxiety and I had the battery of tests when I first started to have panic and anxiety... even if they come back fine, you are elated for a few days and then just find something else to fixate on and worry about, some new symptom.

YES. This has definitely been getting worse, but over the past 10 years I have honestly self-diagnosed with every major illness possible.

I had the beginnings of a panic attack yesterday but managed to stave it off by controlling my breathing. It was horrible though. We were meant to be having a fun family trip out and there's me, head in hands, trying to breathe slowly.

It's all about food. Feeling food is stuck in my throat/chest.

On Friday, I went to my parents' house and had a long chat with my brother's psychologist GF. Before then, I'd thought I was dying. After that, I had 3 glasses of wine (haven't drunk anything in weeks) and managed to scoff down a huge lunch with NO SYMPTOMS whatsoever.

But just now I tried to eat a bite of sandwich and was totally over-thinking it, and became convinced I can feel it lurking in my oesophagus - despite the fact I can drink fluids perfectly normally and don't feel any pain at all when I swallow.

I've got the name of a lovely person locally who can do counselling for me. It's great that I'm losing weight! But bad because it's really unpredictable. One minute I'm fine - I had a hot cross this morning, FFS! - and the next, I'm convinced this is it.

This all sounds familiar to me. Still trying to get the best of it but am definitely making progress I think.
You said headspace didn't work for you - I found that it made me panic!!! I'm doing really well with an app called Calm. I haven't actually had to subscribe yet - the free sessions are working for me. No counting brearhs/breathing in time which I think made me overbreathe... I tend to panic before hospital appointments so get there 25 minutes early and listen to Calm. It's really made a difference to me.
Good luck x

@gleegeek Thank you! I couldn't get on with HeadSpace either. "Focus on your body..." sent me into a tailspin of symptom-checking.

I'll definitely try Calm. THANK YOU.

And thanks @mimibunz too. I don't know what Citralopram is - is it an anti-depressant?

Really sorry you have this too. It's truly awful. .

Op - I took the propanalol before going to hospital too as it was too much otherwise .

I had the camera also last year, all similar symptoms to you (it had become a bit obsessive) in that I had worked myself up that I had stomach cancer or some other horrific illness.
I went without sedation, it was over in two mins and the consultant said it was just trapped wind...after that my symptoms cleared up. It was pure reassurance that my mind needed and looking back it was all related to my mental health/anxiety.
You will be fine OP, if you don't like the Headspace app, try googling mindfulness talking therapy, there is a GP on YouTube (Dr Helen something!) and she is very good at helping you to relax and zone out for short periods x

Oh God - I'm having an attack now. Out of nowhere. I was starting to "go" so I took one of the beta blockers my GP gave me and now I'm panicking that I'll have a heart attack or stop breathing due to the Pill. ?? Fucks sake.

It's like I'm trapped in my own body. I just want to keep moving round my house.

This is so scary 😕

Try and slow your mind down op.
I have recently (2 weeks ago been to my gp with exactly the same symptoms as you. Feeling things in my throat or lower down. I'd eat normal food and swallow and not notice one minute and the next time I ate I would feel every little bit.
Convinced myself I had something awful.
I had my thyroid removed four years ago due to overactiveness and getting my hormone levels right are hard. It's given me a real nervous anxiety that's got worse over this last couple of months.
When I got to my gp I sat and sobbed for half an hour in his chair.
I knew work was stressful but didn't realise quite how much. I have 3dc and life is busy but I love Home. A wonderful husband.
I just think it all got on top of me.
My gp gave me citalopram just a min dose to try and ease my panic and jitters and stop the panic attacks and after four days I can honestly say I felt so much better.
He explained to me that the throat thing is typical of someone suffering with bad anxiety that's health related and is very common.
I've been diagnosed with having ptsd and health anxiety.
In the last two weeks I've had two panic attacks but staved one off last night luckily.
I still do get the throat feeling every now and then but realised last week when I had it I'd woken up feeling mercy and I got worse throughout the day.
I told dh and so he was really helpful and we spent the evening chilling and it calmed me down. Sure enough the next day it had all calmed down again.
Sorry for the long post op I just could have written your post myself.
I'm with you holding a virtual hand because I know exactly what your currently going through.
Il keep checking this post and maybe we could all help each other at bad moments.
It will pass op. I'm already feeling less giddy and wobbly and disorientated.

@whattheactualbleep Thanks so much for your post! I calmed down by fashioning a paper bag out of an old newspaper and breathing into it. It worked surprisingly well.

I'm really sorry you're having this too but I'm glad you're on the way up. Can I ask how old you are? I'm 47 and my periods are horrific and long due to fibroids and I've noticed I get far more anxious when I'm having a period.

My Iron and Ferratin are low and I'm not eating properly due to this. Maybe it's all connected?

IM 38 but due to the thyroid removal four years ago I have hormones all over the place so it's like constantly being peri menapausal for me.
Hot flushes,panic. Waking up at night so hot I can't breathe and the getting hot or the creeping up my body hot is what gets me panicking at night and pacing the cold floors trying to keep myself calm.
I sleep in a vest and pair of extremely thin shorts under a 4.5 tog quilt next to an open window and have to stick my feet out or I'm burning in seconds.
My thyroid levels bloods came back as slightly over which does cause jitters and nerves and anxious worry so that kind of all added to how I felt and then I got to a point where I couldn't concentrate on anything as I was just in a constant state of fear. Absolutely horrendous.
Speak to your gp about some anti anxiety meds,I saw a gp a while back and he mentioned taking them and I turned it down but am so glad I have them now.
I talk myself out of a panic in my mind and have to repeat in my head that I'm fine it's just a bad moment and that works sometimes.
Distraction works for me too.
How old are your dc op?

Your symptoms about swallowing sound like a hiatus hernia, DH has just been diagnosed. He's had one endoscopy under sedation and has to take high dose omeprazole for 6 weeks then repeat the endo.

I have started getting anxiety as part of the peri-menopause and it's really thrown me. I was convinced it was my heart . I make sure I walk as much as I can to get fresh air and exercise, and I've found taking valerian has really helped me stay calmer overall. I hope you're on the mend soon

5 htp has worked wonders for my generalised anxiety. It's a supplement and I think it's available in Holland and Barret or similar in the UK. After 3 weeks of daily use I have noticed that any anxious thoughts and feeling have greatly reduced.

My sympathies OP. Anxiety is horrible, especially panic attacks. I'd still take the meds the doctor has prescribed for those as needed.

Google insight timer. Amazing free mediation app with huge variety of sessions

Thank you! I'll try the timer and the 5 HTP. I used to take St Johns Wort all the time but I stopped a while back - definitely a trip to the health shop is in my future. :)

@whattheactualbleep My kids are 14 and 10.

@LizzieDarcy1907 I actually suspected a hiatus hernia, as I do have loads of the symptoms. Unfortunately I googled :( and I also have lots of the symptoms of the big scary stuff too.

Part of me is looking forward to the endoscopy on Thursday just to find out what's wrong, but the other 99.99% of me is crapping myself and desperately desperately DESPERATELY wanting to cancel!

You don't need to put up with long and heavy periods. Have you thought about seeing your GP about those? The Mirena coil is one treatment. Also, if you have other perimenopause symptoms such as longer or shorter cycles, you might want to look into treatment for that including HRT.

Update: I had my endoscopy (actually a gastroscopy) this morning and I didn't have sedation! AND everything looks completely normal!

I'm so relieved and happy.

There was one moment during the procedure where I felt the beginnings of panic, but the nurse was super super super nice and talked to me through every minute, which kept me calm. She also let me squeeze her hands really tightly.

It's like a weight has been lifted now - so I'm going to seize this joyous moment and arrange counselling and get the anxiety dealt with. I waste so much time worrying about things. It's pointless.

Thanks to everyone for your support on here. You've all been lovely and I really appreciate it.

WhatsGoingOnEh, that's great news.

What you are experiencing seems to be typical of the perimenopause. I'm 47 and seem to experience so many non traditional symptoms, I could write a book. I've come up with at least 10 different diagnosis too.

I had a few bad turn which my G said were panic attacks and I laughed because I don't do anxious. Like you, I have a job with responsibilities and am used to be in control and resilient. I don't even feel anxious about anything in particular... but... it really hit me this week (I'm off and doing a lot of self-reflecting!) that although I wouldn't classify myself as anxious, I actually do spend most of my time worried about something or else. Not worried as in scared but worried as in overthinking things and feeling that I need to constantly take actions to prevent problems. I constantly put myself under pressure, feel guilty all the time and always think I need to give more.

I've realised that I'm so stuck in this over-thinking that I am constantly tense, psychologically, mentally and physically. I believe that a lot of it comes with aging, but is also exacerbated with the fluctuation of hormones. As a result, I can't switch off, my brain is always over working and my body is trying to compensate and showing all bunch of weird symptoms. My sleep is appauling, but the more I try to do something about it, the more tense I am and the worse it is.

Like you, I would give anything to be off work for a few months to recaliber my brain and body, but that's not an option. I know that's it's all about relaxing, but I find it very hard to do so when I'm tired all the time and therefore feel I need to plan and think ahead even more to over-compensate on the tiredness, but this in return makes me more tense and therefore less able to relax.

The only compensation is that this is very very normal during the perimenopause and supposedly really gets better once over, so I'm just counting down.... very slowly...

@swingofthings YES, that's exactly the same! Constantly overthinking, anticipating, recalibrating... YES.

I even felt that today; as soon as the current spate of health anxiety was cured by the endoscopy, I could even feel my anxiety lift up into the air and begin to circle the rest of my life, looking for a new target... it's just relentless!

Are you thinking of trying HRT? Would that help us?

@swingofthings

I constantly put myself under pressure, feel guilty all the time and always think I need to give more.

YES! Guilt, always feeling that one part of my life is in chaos...

Oh sod this. Let's book a week in Spain and just get drunk every night.

When I saw my GP with my latest health fear and I asked for an MRI, he said that he was happy to order it but that I would likely be relieved only for a short time before I moved on to something else. Damn him, he's right :)

I did give up and agreed to try the hrt. Unfortunately, it is not proving so far to be the miracle cure that is solving all my anxiety and making me sleep like a baby again, as a matter of fact, in some ways, I feel worse on it, but I think that's because of extra stress at work. I've been on it 5 weeks now and I'm told to stop being so impatient and that I have to wait 3 months to let it work!!

I did some reading on Mindfulness and the theory is stop on but it's so hard to apply. I try and it does help a bit. This morning, I woke up feeling rotten and my body so tense, I swear I feel like I'm taking some sort of drugs that makes my body feels so hyper, so I decided to take a walk by the sea and make myself focus on the sound, sight, feel of the sun. I laid there and slowly, very slowly let the thoughts drift and absorb some of the warmth of the sun. It worked and I felt so much better afterwards. The problem is that I can't do that in my everyday life with work and everything else. I know the moment I'm back at work on Monday, even with all the best intentions in the world, I'll start the sadistic mental process again. Sometimes I really think that the money is not worth the stress, but giving up work would mean my OH having to be the one working to support the two of us when he himself is growing more tired and I wouldn't be able to relax anyway as would torture myself with guilt!

Oh sod this. Let's book a week in Spain and just get drunk every night.
A week, I say three months :) :)

You know what, your posts have cheered me up and gave me some long gone motivation to do something I've been procrastinating doing for a week so thank you!

God, your GP is amazing to book MRIs for you! I'd bring the NHS to its knees within a month if I had a GP that accommodating!

Did you have it? I vowed today, as I had the endoscopy tube shoved down my PERFECTLY HEALTHY AND NORMAL throat 🙄 that I'm going to stop going to the Dr with every symptom. As I'm getting older I'm finding they take my symptoms more seriously, so I've honestly had cameras shoved in every hole now.

I'm glad I cheered you up! I have no idea how I did as I'm such a moany cow, but yay! 3 months sounds amazing, by the way - I'm in.

Are you taking progesterone and oestrogen? In one of my endless health-Googling blitzes, I read the articles by Dr John Studd (amazing gynaecologist) who believes some women are intolerant to progesterone, and that it makes them really moody, miserable and like PMT x1000. Do you feel like you have PMT?

Apparently you might be progesterone-intolerant if you get bad PMT every month, are surprisingly happy all through pregnancy, but then suffered PND.

I swear I feel like I'm taking some sort of drugs that makes my body feels so hyper,

I totally get this too! But not so much hyper as angry. Some days I just feel really really angry and all wired, for no reason.

I know we're moaning about work, but it is a welcome distraction sometimes. I can spend the walk to work fixating in everything I'm worried about, or dreading, or scared of, or that I'm convinced I've just really messed up... and then get to work, say Hello to everyone and feel great!

When I'm not having stupid panic attacks on the stroll in, that is.