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    What Are You Proud Of Yourself For?

    I'm proud of myself for starting a new job yesterday. Sweet P
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    How Do You Prepare Yourself To Deal With The Fallout?

    In July DH and I took a 10 day trip to Vancouver, BC from Boston, MA. I knew I would be leaving my safe place for the first time since being diagnosed. Here are some things I did to enjoy and survive the trip: Usually DH and I share a large suitcase and then bring a smaller one for odds and...
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    Update On Coming Off Effexor

    Two weeks ago my doctor and I decided to change my meds as I was experiencing high anxiety levels. He has me on 37.5 mg of effexor, 1 mg of Xanax XR and Zoloft. Starting Friday the Effexor will be taken every other day. I will also taper off with the Xanax XR. Thankfully I haven't...
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    Bullied at School

    How strange you ask this question. In elementary school and 7th and 8th grade I was the teacher's pet and popular. However everything changed when I became pregnant in 9th grade. From that point on I never felt a part of the crowd. I wasn't bullied, but I was treated differently. I didn't...
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    I am Changing Meds, What Can I Expect?

    I've been on the new med mix for two nights now. Sleeping is great. I'm actually sleeping a full 8 hours without waking up. How long will it take for the Effexor withdrawals to start? My last full dose (75 mgs) of Effexor was Thursday night. Friday was a great day. Yesterday was headache...
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    I am Changing Meds, What Can I Expect?

    I am starting Zoloft the same time I start tapering off the Effexor. Tonight I will start with the lower dose of Effexor, the Zoloft and the Xanax XR.
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    Everything is New - Relearning After Trauma

    Parts of my life are upside down. Everything I did for last 14 years on my job no longer appeal to me. Actually I can't even stand the thought of ever working in an office again. My taste in TV shows (other my beloved football, baseball and golf) has changed a little. The changes have...
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    I am Changing Meds, What Can I Expect?

    I've been having anxiety issues all week and yesterday I started feeling light headed. I was concerned I might be developing heart problems because my heart wouldn't stop racing. This morning I couldn't stand it any longer and asked my DH to take me to doctor. He checked me out to make sure...
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    Do You Find That Your Avoidance Can Be Overwhelming Sometimes?

    Funny you should ask . . . I started working on it and immediately went into an anxiety attack. My old boss and old job are why I have PTSD. Trying to write my resume reminded of all the reasons why I no longer work there. I had the same occurrence yesterday when I was working through "What...
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    PTSD Analogies

    I love this quote. It describes me perfectly when I am in the middle of a panic/anxiety attack. I'm going to start using it to explain my PTSD.
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    Do You Experience "Day After" Effects?

    My first method for destressing deep belly breathing. Sit in a chair or lie down on a bed. Take a slow deep breath through your nose and fill your belly, not your chest, with air. Then slowly release the breath through your mouth. Breathe like this for about five minutes. My other method is...
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    Who Did You First Tell Your Story To?

    I went into therapy thinking I was only suffering from perimenopause. It wasn't until my 3rd or 4th session that my T diagnosed me with PTSD. I think you will find that talking to a stranger will be helpful. Remember, T's are trained to talk with people and help them. I'm sure you will find...
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    Do You Find That Your Avoidance Can Be Overwhelming Sometimes?

    Reading your post made me realize I've been using avoidance as a coping mechanism too. I recently ran out of medical leave payments and will not be returning to my former job. I am now faced with little to no income for the first time since I was 16 years old. I've thought a lot about what I...
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    Do You Experience "Day After" Effects?

    My heart palpitations are the worst part of my anxiety/panic attacks. At least I'm glad to know my heart is healthy. I had tests run on my heart health in July and everything came back normal.
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    Do You Experience "Day After" Effects?

    That's exactly how I feel about this past trip. Nothing bad happened. I had a great time seeing my mom and dad. But I was over stimulated the entire trip. I loved coming home on Friday night. 2quilt, I don't have the answer on reducing stress. My approach is to understand what may stress...
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    Do You Experience "Day After" Effects?

    The toughest part of the week was I didn't have a chance to "unwind" and "turn off." I stayed at my mom's apartment which meant I had to be "on" all the time. Because my mom has enough of her own health issues I didn't want to tell her I needed some time alone. I only took two Xanax the...
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    Do You Experience "Day After" Effects?

    I came home yesterday after spending a week visiting my parents who live 1,500 miles away. It was the first time I have visited them since my dad went into a nursing home two years ago. It was also the first time I've visited my family since diagnosed with PTSD. My PTSD was not caused by...
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    Be Creative!

    Being creative is important to me. I play with fabric and thread. I mainly make quilted projects. This month I am starting a year-long Bead Journal project. This past week I visited my ailing parents. The only way I was able to keep my anxiety at bay was to sew. I brought my sewing machine...
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    Do You Wake Up Angry?

    I do have mornings when I wake up angry. Usually it's because I've had dreams where I have been angry at someone in the dream. I've learned to stay quiet on those mornings until the anger passes.
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    Can Hypervigilance be a Good Thing?

    sirsir, I can understand the thinking that hypervigilance can be bad. There are some sounds that I react negatively to - a ringing phone or several fire trucks (we live close to a fire station). My fascination with listening to the birds, and even stopping what I'm doing when I here them, is a...
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    Sleep Cycles

    My sleep cycles have changed in the last few months too. I used to go to bed at 9, fall asleep at 10 and wake up at 6. Since July I don't fall asleep until midnight and can sleep until 8. I don't mind that change. I just need to get used to it. I will have several nights when I sleep well...
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    Can Hypervigilance be a Good Thing?

    Having my attention drawn to the singing of the birds is totally fascinating. Since I have no idea what they are saying. I am able to listen to them and make up a similar human dialogue. Much of the singing revolved around mating earlier in the spring. During the summer it was meant to get...
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    Can Hypervigilance be a Good Thing?

    One of the symptoms I had that brought about my diagnosis of PTSD was a hyperviligance of outdoor sounds. My DH noticed it first when I reacted to the church bells ringing one afternoon at a strange time. Since then I find I'm always attracted to the sounds of birds. I've never been a bird...
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    Ambien, Anyone?

    When I was first diagnosed with insomnia my dr. gave me Ambien. He told me to take it for two weeks and then stop taking it to see if I was sleeping better. That worked for me. The only side affect I had was I when I took it, I would wake up at 4 am, unable to get back to sleep. My dr. said...
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    What Are Your Triggers?

    My soon-to-be former boss is a huge trigger for me. I don't have to deal with him face-to-face anymore as I am working from home. But if he sends me a fax or calls me (thank heaven for caller ID), I have to take a few deep breaths before I can deal with him. I had a child at 14 years old...
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