Question:
writes: If you can, read the book The Anxiety Disease by David V. Sheehan, MD.
Best book out there…..in my opinion. Cyndie
Response:
Frankie, please contact me directly and I will try to help you. I was agoraphobic 11 years ago and thought I would never make it. I have tons of info and will share what I can with you. If you can, read the book The Anxiety Disease by David V. Sheehan, MD. His brother is my doctor and when I had a setback, he pulled me through. Take care and please be in touch. Sincerely,
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have being dealing with panic attacks since I was 17 years old. Over the past 4 years they have been scarce until a few months ago. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in December and it has turned my life into complete turmoil. Being 21, I got married a year ago, had a baby and none of this caused any sort of panic in me. I know that RA isn’t deadly but my head is thinking that it is the end of the world. Even though i know the difference I can’t get out of my head that I have an autoimmune rather than an immunodefiency. So in other words I have a fear that I have AIDS since the two resemble each other in some forms but I know they are COMPLETELY different. I am trying to think of ways to deal with this problem. It is effecting my work because I am constantly running back and forth to the doctors thinking I am dying. My homelife isn’t suffering too bad thanks to an understanding husband although I do feel that I am not able to spend the time I should with my 8 month old son. My panic symptoms are faintness, lightheadedness, racing heart and the lump in the throat. I have dropped 20 pounds since December which is extremely unusual. And I am also extremely fatigued. I hope there is someone out there who may be able to give me some tips for getting through my anxiety so I can go back to enjoying life. Thanks in advance. — Ms. Frankie Why must I be so Must I be so misunderstood Why are my intentions My intentions all look good Wish only one time that Things would turn out like they should Just like they should…
Hiya Ms. Frankie, welcome to the wonderful world of Hypochondria. I, like you have this awful fear that I am dying of something. About 10 years ago I had a bone marrow aspiration (not something I would ever recommend any ever have for fun) because of an elevated white blood cell count (which turned out to be nothing btw) and was told that what they did find was what is normally seen in Lupus patients. I was tested for Lupus and it came out negative but since I knew that Lupus tests can be inconclusive I have lived with this fear ever since. Every time I get an ache etc, Lupus rears its ugly head. Lately, I have added MS to my list of "it’s the end of the world" diseases. Now, you have a diagnoses of RA so it is a bit different but you have to try not to let it spiral into something even bigger. You already know that it is not fatal so stop trying to make yourself believe it is. I know this is easier said then done, believe me. There is medication out there for people like us; hypochondria is considered to be an Obsessive Compulsive disorder. We obsesses about our bodies and we feel compelled to read every medical book to prove ourselves wrong. There are two books out that you should read; one is called "Phantom Illness" by someone with the last name of Cantor which is very reassuring and the other is called "When the body speaks its mind" (sorry I don’t remember the authors name). That book is written by a Psychiatrist who suffered from hypochondria himself when his wife was pregnant with his child. Suddenly he began having muscle spasms in his legs, so much so that they were visible to anyone who looked. He convinced himself he had ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease), a fatal neuromuscular illness. He took himself to a neurologist who looked him over and told him to get out of his office, he was fine! Since then this Dr. has done more research on this subject than most. Good luck and keep in touch if you need to chat.
Response:
: I have being dealing with panic attacks since I was 17 years old. Over the : past 4 years they have been scarce until a few months ago. I was diagnosed : with Rheumatoid Arthritis in December and it has turned my life into : complete turmoil. Want to hear something funny? After chasing doctors for several years trying to understand my PA symptoms, one doctor suggested RA and I was relieved. Of course, that didn’t really explain much and soon after I learned about PD. BTW, sore joints are a common symptom of PD which is often mistaken for RA. : Being 21, I got married a year ago, had a baby and none of this caused any : sort of panic in me. I know that RA isn’t deadly but my head is thinking : that it is the end of the world. Even though i know the difference I can’t : get out of my head that I have an autoimmune rather than an immunodefiency. : So in other words I have a fear that I have AIDS since the two resemble : each other in some forms but I know they are COMPLETELY different. If you’re in any way concerned about AIDS, go get tested. It might seem like one of those things that’s really scarey and easier to ignore, but its easier in the long term to just go and take the test. I went through this several times while trying to diagnose my PD, and its just good to get the test over with. : I am trying to think of ways to deal with this problem. It is effecting my : work because I am constantly running back and forth to the doctors thinking : I am dying. My homelife isn’t suffering too bad thanks to an understanding : husband although I do feel that I am not able to spend the time I should : with my 8 month old son. My panic symptoms are faintness, lightheadedness, : racing heart and the lump in the throat. I have dropped 20 pounds since : December which is extremely unusual. And I am also extremely fatigued. : I hope there is someone out there who may be able to give me some tips for : getting through my anxiety so I can go back to enjoying life. Your symptoms are very common for PD. The bad news is that there is no quick way to rid yourself of the symptoms and some of us get stuck with it for a long time (years). The good news is that there is a variety of therapies to try (psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, etc). Its a tough road, but you share it with some good people. Feel free to ask us questions. But if you have a reasonable concern of other illnesses, check with your doctor. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
I have being dealing with panic attacks since I was 17 years old. Over the past 4 years they have been scarce until a few months ago. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in December and it has turned my life into complete turmoil. Being 21, I got married a year ago, had a baby and none of this caused any sort of panic in me. I know that RA isn’t deadly but my head is thinking that it is the end of the world. Even though i know the difference I can’t get out of my head that I have an autoimmune rather than an immunodefiency. So in other words I have a fear that I have AIDS since the two resemble each other in some forms but I know they are COMPLETELY different. I am trying to think of ways to deal with this problem. It is effecting my work because I am constantly running back and forth to the doctors thinking I am dying. My homelife isn’t suffering too bad thanks to an understanding husband although I do feel that I am not able to spend the time I should with my 8 month old son. My panic symptoms are faintness, lightheadedness, racing heart and the lump in the throat. I have dropped 20 pounds since December which is extremely unusual. And I am also extremely fatigued. I hope there is someone out there who may be able to give me some tips for getting through my anxiety so I can go back to enjoying life. Thanks in advance. — Ms. Frankie Why must I be so Must I be so misunderstood Why are my intentions My intentions all look good Wish only one time that Things would turn out like they should Just like they should…
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