Please Help Me Im So Scared

[hodge]

I'm sorry for what you've been going through, Anonymous. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[hodge]

Btw, I don't think it's ever good to give up on caring about people.

 

[hodge]

Just don't care too much about the ones who abuse you. At least don't care about them more than yourself.

 

[joeylittle]

First off: @hodge and anonymous - it's very clear to me (from the outside) that this was a misunderstanding. This:

@hodge. You have GOT to realize that you were never abused. You need to stop framing the incredibly caring people in your life as abusers, and feeding into your own panic, if you want to effectively deal with your panic attacks.

Is Anonymous giving a hypothetical example of how someone with PTSD might be treated in, say, an anxiety-specific forum. Anonymous didn't specify that they were making a 'what if', so it reads as though anonymous is directly telling you your trauma isn't real. I'd read it that way too.

This:

@hodge Sorry that wasn't clear : That's how panic attacks are dealt with in 3 disorders I know of where the cause isn't real. The very first step, before anything else, is a reality check. And then a continuing reality check throughout the process. The fears have no basis in reality. Bit different from how we deal with panic attacks in PTSD, right?

Is where anonymous clarifies that they are talking about the difference between addressing anxiety in PTSD (where the source is 50% of the time real), and straight-up anxiety (where the source can be magnified beyond recognition. This happens in PTSD sometimes, as well, but not all the time).

I hope that clarifies things.

Anonymous is right, in that on a PTSD forum, we will tend to say two things right off the bat - 'do you have trauma' and 'have you been to your MD' The latter is helpful. The former can lead to individuals 'reaching' for trauma in their background, and possibly getting off on the wrong path by starting to think that PTSD is the real explanation, instead of some other stress or mood disorder.

Well, I guess you could call it PTSD but it may be a bit of a stretch. From what I see the definition of PTSD is panic attacks from a traumatizing life event.

Not quite. If you want to read more about PTSD, this article here: Post-Traumatic Stress DIsorder, will give you a good overview.

About 10 years ago I was very heavy into drugs. Mostly weed but I messed with other things here and there. Well one night I got some weed that was laced with something and I had the worst night of my life. I thought for sure I was going to die. Erratic heartbeat, massive chest pains, sweating bullets, major headache, dizziness, nausea and everything else. That was when my attacks really started.

I'm sorry to hear about that - it must have been terrifying. It also means you did not have a trauma response that could have caused PTSD, specifically; traumas that are the experience of substance ingestion are specifically excluded. If (for example) you had the bad drug reaction and were raped while having it, the rape would be the trauma, not the drugs. That event needs to be addressed separately.

Then the worst thing that every happened to me happened. My main support system. The one person that helped me through everything. My father. Passed away in April. Since then my anxiety has been eh, rough 2 or 3 MILLION times worse then it ever has been.

This is understandable. Your father's death is likely not the kind of trauma that would cause PTSD, unless it was the direct result of an accident or assault (I'm just being so descriptive to be clear). But - it not being a trauma in a diagnostic sense does not mean it wasn't (and isn't) traumatic. The death of anyone we love is hard, and takes a long time to process. Your father was really important to you. You've had a huge loss. There is a different diagnosis that goes along with the aftermath of having a major life upheaval or loss, such as the death of a close family member, diagnosis of serious illness, major betrayal such as infidelity, etc. I'm not a doctor, just a person who spends a lot of time reading and learning about this stuff. But your mental health diagnosis (just by process of elimination) based on what you've shared here, because that's all we know - is likely to be one of about 5 different things.

And this is why you need to see a mental health professional. The internet is wonderful for getting some coping skills, some connection, and ways to know that you aren't alone. But ultimately, we cannot help you. Only a real-life person in a 3-D office with a license to treat and diagnose mental health issues can help you.

I don't know why you feel the need to basically bully me off this page just because me and you aren't suffering from the exact same thing. We are both still suffering and I would gladly help you.

You aren't being bullied. You are being confronted; that's different. And we do allow confrontation on this site. Sometimes, what someone needs to take that next step in their recovery is not being reassured or soothed with layman explanations, but instead, being stepped up to and told, 'you need to find the people who can truly help you, because we cannot'.

Thank you Silver. I hope you are right. I have notice that just being here and talking to you guys has kept me calm the entire time I've been sitting here. I woke up in a pretty large attack and just sitting here talking to you guys has calmed me down quite a bit. I'm one of those people that needs the outside source.

This is great - I'm glad we can be a band-aid. All of us need band-aids sometimes, no matter what the diagnosis is.

Maybe the therapist is the exact outside source I need.

Yes. This is yes, yes, yes. I'm really glad to see that this thread has helped you get here. Have you started looking? Do you need help understanding how to find a therapist? You can do a few searches on the forum, and you'll find many threads on the subject - it should get you started, if you are not sure how to begin.

I spend all day freaking out and she is left with the full responsibility of the 2 young kids (2 and 5 months) and the 2 large breed dogs ( pitt and rott) by herself while I spend my entire day hyperventilating and pacing around screaming at her that I have this and that wrong with me.

I want you to read this again. You know you can't manage this on your own, right? Because it's spilling out into your home, your marriage, your kids - and honestly and truly, both you and they deserve better. You all deserve for you to give yourself a shot at recovery.

PTSD is odd, because it has many other disorders as part of its symptom set. But the example I can share is a personal one - I have major depressive disorder (MDD). I was actually diagnosed with that, first. And while depression - sometimes very deep depression - is one of the common symptoms that PTSD people have, I can promise you that the way I need to manage my MDD is actually different from the way I manage the depression that is part of my PTSD. And sometimes, the advice I want to give to PTSD sufferers who are going through depression - it's not good advice. Not good advice at all.

Because, while it may on some level be the same in the brain (they don't know much about the brain) - the treatment approach is not identical. In fact, it's very opposite. The depression that accompanies PTSD is often not helped by medication - because of all sorts of reasons. Whereas, MDD is almost untreatable without medication.

And MDD is only one of the five (ish) depressive disorders. Not all of them need medication. The same is true in the spectrum of possible diagnoses you have - not all of them need meds, some can get better very quickly with meds, others are purely cognitive, some do better with one kind of therapy, others another...

So are you welcome here? Yes, if you are OK understanding and respecting that you don't have PTSD, that you do have something else (as yet undiagnosed), and that your necessary next step is to get yourself a full physical with your GP to rule out any other possible causes, and to find a therapist that has specialization in anxiety disorders and grieving/recovery. April was not that long ago.

The things we suggest to you for coping or management might not always actually be the best idea. And, vice versa. But we can always offer support, ask questions, and learn. Those are big parts of our mission. And like I said, support doesn't always mean comfort. But I hope this post has been able to help you out, some.

 

[aut555]

Damn, it feel good to stand up for myself.

Standing up means you ae leaving the victim role. Everyday you stand up and commit to you takes another emotional chain of abuse's affect from your thought processes

 

[brokenarrow]

Well I went to the local urgent care. My blood pressure and my pulse were alittle high but everything else checked out. They took my temp which was 97.9 so not even close to elevated and she tapped on my stomach and everything and she said there was no chance that I had appendicitis. She said it was more then likely just some gas and then my anxiety got the best of me. They prescribed me some anti-anxiety pills and referred me to a therapist. I feel a million time better have the doctor tell me that nothing was wrong.

 

[aut555]

Oh, alright, Anonymous. Whatever. Just leave me alone. You have shown yourself to be not only unhelpful bu...

Love your response. People have no basis attacking others at this forum. Sorry about all this. We are here for help and to give help, yet sometimes people overstep boundaries in doing so. This is not your fault and there is so much that is not understood about psychology. Everybody reacts, responds, heals differently, or we all wouldn't be here. Thanks for sharing yourself and helping us understand you better.

 

[brokenarrow]

Well, just as an update. I'm pretty much completely over my 'pains' and I've finally ate something for the first time in about 4 days. I had a slice of pizza and a can of soda. It made me alittle gassy but I guess that can be expected after not eating for almost an entire week. I'm still hungry but I think I'm going to take it slow. I am finally tired and I think I will be able to sleep tonight, which I am super excited about. I haven't slept more then 1 hour intervals in the past week or so. I am so happy I went to urgent care. Huge thank you to Hodge on that one for giving me the little push I needed to just get it over with. Well guys, for the first time in a solid week I'm gonna go put the tv on a relax and hopefully drift off to sleep.

 

[Freedomfighter]

About 5 days ago I woke up and I went out into my living room. It was really hot in my house and I...

During my panic attacks I have believed many times that there are serious health issues and it usually proved false, but of course one takes a risk when not going to the doctor too. I find that one has to sort out the difference. I myself can not afford to run to a doctor, have no insurance, and the job I am in is such a nasty job that I now know that I could not survive there if I had to work there full time anyways.

But yeah, there were many times I simply thought my panic attack was a serious health issue. It happens to me too.

 

[brokenarrow]

Well, I woke up this morning ( this afternoon really, I slept for about 12 hours but I guess that can be expected seeing as I haven't slept at all really in about 4-5 days.) I felt really good UNTIL I saw that I had a notification from one of my other anxiety sites that I was on. I opened it and read it and it was someone that was saying that they basically had all the same symptoms as me and they did end up having to have theirs out. I mean I went to urgent care yesterday and they told me there was no way that I had it and that it was def anxiety, but now I'm starting to think like oh no what if I got it over night or what if they were wrong or blah blah. I know the odds of them being wrong are pretty close to nothing and I should listen to the doctor a hell of a lot more then some random person on the internet. Its just hard a person with anxiety to listen to good news and not listen to bad news. I believe the doctor was spot on with the gas because every time I get worked up I burp and eh 'release gas other ways' and that's when I get my stomach pains. I can't believe I was at the doctor yesterday and I'm already second guess what they said. I really need to get my pills. I tried to get them twice yesterday but they weren't ready. Hopefully they will be ready today.

 

[joeylittle]

I can't believe I was at the doctor yesterday and I'm already second guess what they said. I really need to get my pills. I tried to get them twice yesterday but they weren't ready. Hopefully they will be ready today.

Are you also looking for a therapist?

 

[Deleted member 541]

@joeylittle You have the patience of a SAINT!!!!!!!!!!,