Undiagnosed Do I have PTSD? What can I do to help myself next?

[Surfergirl89]

Hi there,

I am new to all this and trying to work out if I have PTSD.

I am worried about fainting and fitting every day and this is made worse by certain triggers.

Background: Ever since the age of 4 years old I have fainted and fitted (stopped breathing for a number of seconds). It used to be random occuring and then as I got older when I felt very anxious in relation to being squimish. With each faint and fit before I was about to I would have a huge panic and everyone around me would get really panicked, then after I fainting upon waking up and there was almost hysteria again, ambulances were called, everyone around me would be very panicked. Now as an adult when I worry I'm going to faint I flashback to these awful events and panic myself, thinking how awful it is to faint. As an adult I have fainted 4 times in the space of one year and now have a heart monitor under my skin, this doesn't help my anxiety about fainting.

I feel anxious a lot of the time and the consequences of fainting feel so awful, I avoid a lot of things, I have safety behaviours of making escape easier and generally struggling day to day. I'm worried I have PTSD and I don't know what to do to help myself next. I will try and see a therapist but in the meantime I am very anxious.

Any help would be so so helpful. I would be extremely grateful.

Many thanks

 

[Wendell_R]

If you have the resources to see a therapist, then that is the best way to proceed. A therapist can listen to your history, ask the right questions, and figure out the best course of action for you. Have you seen a therapist in the past?

 

[Justmehere]

No one here can diagnose. It sounds like you are working with doctors with the heart monitor. I strongly suggest asking them about the possibility of PTSD and working with a therapist to sort it out. PTSD is not a diagnosis to fear. Most people with PTSD recover.