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Post by **Premier** stokeitup on Apr 24, 2008 10:56:36 GMT
well he is still in hospital at the moment so i m not to sure wats happening.
not good though is it !
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Post by dadofsam on Apr 24, 2008 11:07:07 GMT
The sheer number of replies makes you realise just how common this is. I suffer as well, and recognise most of the symptoms - chest pains, tingling arms and hands, thumping heart and an absolute certainty that this is a Porterhouse Blue.
I went to the hospital one night it was so bad, but like most of us it turned out to be nothing.
Of course I now worry that I'm "marked" as an anxiety sufferer and they'll miss real heart disease if it occurs.
Can I also say that antidepressants work for me. I take paroxatine and its really helped, perhaps a placebo but who cares.
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Post by **Premier** stokeitup on Apr 24, 2008 11:17:25 GMT
i aint taken anything for it. aint it strange how one min your fine the next you think the reaper is knockin then 10 secs later, " i ll have a pint please" your back to normal again.
Very strange, extremely worring at first but not so bad now, occassionaly i ll have a big one and i think maybe this time its a heart attack then when it goes off u sorta laugh to yourself with relief.
Agree with everyone that says you learn to deal with them, mine are no were near as bad as they were 3-6 mnths ago
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Post by Zippy Moon Dust on Apr 24, 2008 11:21:15 GMT
Stokeitup. Only just seen this thread.
I used to suffer from them and nearly had one a fortnight ago. Once you realise what's going on and you're not going to die they become ever so slighty easier to control especially if you can control your breathing. Obviously, it's not as straightforward as that it can alleviate it somewhat.
Will pm you soon.
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Post by **Premier** stokeitup on Apr 24, 2008 11:26:00 GMT
Stokeitup. Only just seen this thread. I used to suffer from them and nearly had one a fortnight ago. Once you realise what's going on and you're not going to die they become ever so slighty easier to control especially if you can control your breathing. Obviously, it's not as straightforward as that it can alleviate it somewhat. Will pm you soon. Ok thanks alot.
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Post by dunnerworry on Apr 24, 2008 12:07:05 GMT
I've suffered with them for 6 years until recently. It is literally the most horrid experience you could ever imagine. Especially when you're on your own and the only safe place in in your car. I used to have to plan a route to my car from wherever I was so I could get to my 'safe' place with ease. I got the e-book which was great but it didn't stop them coming back. I've recently taken the next step and for the last 3 months, not only shaken off the anxiety but I no longer think about them either. Ok its very expensive at £30 a time but 7 treatments of acupuncture and I'm living a very different life.
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Post by sovietonion on Apr 24, 2008 15:53:42 GMT
Stokeitup-
Anxiety is a real enigma. It’s often just misread by the sufferer until it becomes so all engrossing, it can devour your very life away from underneath you. There can be lots of factors which trigger off panic, which is the worst part of anxiety, like bereavement, trauma, stress, ill health, everyday worries and sometimes apparently absolutely nowt whatsoever.
I’ve had it for about 15 years. One day it just popped up on me at University and slapped me around the face with a frozen haddock. You really do fear the worst, especially before you realise what it is. Chest pains are heart attacks, aches and grumbles anywhere are cancers of that area, anything you read about in the paper makes you suddenly develop the symptoms etc. Familiar?
This stuff is so common yet is twice as shite because its invisible. You can see a broken leg, you can see measles, you can hear a cough, you can feel a temperature. Panic is invisible apart from to you. You start to think that people judge you to the point of they think:
He’s pissed He’s on drugs He’s mental He’s shifty- whats he up to? Is he going to attack me? Whys he so nervous- what’s he done?
It’s a vicious circle because the more you think this, you stoke the fires of the anxiety. It had certainly trashed my life to an extent- you with draw to your safe zones. Im a strapping bloke, a big fella but I felt like a kitten. You find yourself staying at home, disassociating, not doing what you used to- for the worst it’s like a jail sentence. You lose touch with friends, lose a social life and alienate your social circle if they don’t understand. It cost me the ability to go to matches for a long time.
However, I’ll be at the beam back this weekend and even if I feel I’m going to freak out, I’ll look around and see: Grown men shaking People pacing up and down Nervous biting of nails Hopeless drunks People bobbing up and down with nerves Faces that look like they belong on dead junkies People looking a life through the fingers across their eyes.
And realise that in a football crowd, nobody is paying you attention. We all look fucking mental and in the street, nobody would come near us if we acted or looked like that. This is the dilemma of the anxiety sufferer- you think that the descriptions above all apply to you at all times- and in your head they do, but it’s acceptable- because the reality is so different. What we see in our minds eye is a caricature of what we really are, what we look like, how we act, how we seem.
You’re alright and you aren’t weird. What you do have to is not let it get a grip and treat it at the root: Pills are okay but often don’t serve any more purpose than one thing- to get you on an even enough keel to get you sorted out via counselling or whatever. You can be on pills a lifetime and never really address the issue. Do that and you’re most of the way there. Let them take away the edge, elevate your mood and stabilise you- you’re then ready to address the cause.
In the long term, don’t shy away. CBT and exposure therapy techniques really do work. I still have my funny half hours but at least I can live a normal life again now. I couldn’t do shops. I was taken into a shop if necessary three or four times in one trip and it became better every time, I could stay in longer each time and eventually I could buy something. It’s a little like learning to ride a bike, don’t give up and it’ll come naturally.
When the world does feel like its falling in, you’re shit scared, you think you’re going to collapse, puke, shit yourself have a tourettes type outburst, when every fibre of your being, muscle and sinew is urging you to run or you’ll die etc, remember- YOU WONT. Panic is created by you and can be controlled by you and kept at bay by you. I’m living proof of it and believe me, I was as low as you could go.
1- Sort your breathing techniques 2- Don’t abandon your social life- white knuckle it until you feel better 3- Don’t use getting blitzed as a crutch for it- it’ll make it worse long term. 4- Lay off the green. Seriously, have a beer instead. Its social and therapeutic but don’t go nuts. 5- Talk to the doc, you wont get fobbed off now, its not the dark ages anymore. It’s a known condition and they will help you without any stigma. 6- Don’t be embarrassed. Tell your best mates- you’ll be surprised just how good they can be.
One more thing. Keep a few spare pairs of pants for Saturday anyway. Im going to!! Stoke City buck the trends of all known research. ;D
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Post by **Premier** stokeitup on Apr 24, 2008 16:26:28 GMT
Sovietyonion wat can i say, Brilliant information. i can associate alot with the first bit about every ache is somethin else wrong with me.
I m always with friends or my misses and will never let this take over that, its rare it will make me leave anythin, just occasionally i ll need to walk around rather than sit still. example was stoke a few weeks ago i need just to get up and walk down the stairs then come back. Stupid i know but enough to take my mind off it. Stoke is the cause of my nerves HAHA !
I m fortunate not to have it in the serverity you have previously. I drink a few in the week just socially with the lads after work and aint touched green for well over a year now (never will again)
Breathin seems to be the one that you have to control once your back 'unaware' of how many or how deep/shallow your breathin is, it tends to go away.
One guy mentioned a techique of willing it on, sayin to yourself get worse come on. i can see that working and may give that ago next time i have an episode
This thread has been really useful and has stunned me with how many others suffer, alot of case's very similair to mine others more serious
Thanks again
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Post by sovietonion on Apr 24, 2008 16:49:38 GMT
Welcome Stokeitup- Ps the idea of 'Willing it on' is the key to exposure therapy. The bloke who sorted me out advised me that- -Going out and about (or to wherever/whatever situation bothers you) when you feel like shit is the solution, not just when you feel ok or up to it. Invoking the panic and successfully managing it is the best method to make you realise that it is nothing at all. You feel stronger watching it shrink.- Wise fella him. Good luck mate, we all get anxious for a fw minutes everyday and it'd be more dangerous if we didn't. Imagine the carnage if we all strolled across roads without a care in the world? Anxiety is necessary too!
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Post by **Premier** stokeitup on Apr 24, 2008 16:53:45 GMT
cheers Fingers crossed we are promoted this saturday. Leaving the Leicester Game as a stress free party !
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Post by evhstokie on Apr 24, 2008 17:52:09 GMT
I suffer from them myself my friend. I thought i was going to die when i had my very first one. I am on anti-depresents for Anxiety and have been for four years now, but i'm hoping to start wheening myself off of them soon. I still have to walk away from everyone when i get one but once i get my breathing right it doesn't take long for them to disapear.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
You will be fine mate
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Post by tampon on Apr 24, 2008 18:07:47 GMT
i used to suffer from panic attacks... dont anymore, i still get anxious but it never panics me.
my first attack was brought on by weed (anybody else had the feeling that they'd die if they went to sleep?) and the other attacks were caused by the fear of having an attack in a place where i couldnt escape, like a traffic jam etc... if i was anxious at home i just used to make a cup of tea to take my mind off it and id feel better, if i had one in a traffic jam id start a conversation or have a chewing gum, anything to take my mind off it. knowing that i wasnt going crazy... or dieing helped me alot too. have a chewing gum or a sweet with you at all times just makes you feel reassured because knowing that something like that can stop the panics by taking your mind off the anxiety... stick through it mate, it starts getting easier i promise.
i think all that shit i went through made me mentally stronger, now nothing like that bothers me, i just tend to go with the fear.
you are not going crazy or dieing, panic attacks are perfectually natural
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