Anxiety and Panic attacs

[joavi]

Does anyone suffer these days, or suffered?
If so how did you treat it?
And did you get family support?

[zigzig]

My husband suffers from social anxiety & phobia. It started when he was in late teens(about 18), and only in late 20's begin a research about this. His family is religious and couldn't understand why is he acting like this. So basically he had to help himself. When we started dating he told me he suffers from it, and I accepted it. When we go out for shopping in shopping malls he tells me he doesn't feel comfortable and safe. We have meditation sessions and massage each other, and it helps him to calm down.

[void()]

Panic attacks are an affliction I deal with at times. zigzig's husband
sounds very familiar, as in it's how I get at large shopping places. My
wife ends up having to get me out of the store and back home.

She first noticed it when we went into a large department store. She
said my eyes glazed over, I stood in one spot watching in a full
circle, acting really antsy. It made her think that I may perhaps
either go off my rocker and hurt others or be hurt.

She has heard me talk of some minor combat experience, when I slept.
There are events, times, places I push deeply inside. They leak out
very slowly over many years and never fully reveal themselves.

When we first began sleeping together, I would have nights of waking to
find my hand on her throat. I would gently release, set there in bed
and weep myself softly back to sleep. After a few years I became used
to sharing my bed with her.

Recently, her dad came into our bedroom. I was "dead to the world"
asleep. He needed my help in doing something. As he entered my
body/mind sensed someone different coming in.

I woke in a frenzied state, drawn back ready to start beating whoever
it was. He, having had military experience realized what had happened
and brought a hand up. "It's me, the Chief."

I froze, looked at him fully. "Sorry, sir." He shrugged and dismissed
it.

I had woke just prior to his hand touching my shoulder. I had spun
round in bed to "come up" on to him. Did similar to my mother once, but
had actually hit her before realizing it was her.

She had been married to military types, grown up with them. She
understood. But I felt ashamed all the next day for having given her a
black eye.

I take an antihistamine which is often used to treat what is called
DT's. These are bad tremors that alcoholics have when going through
detoxification processes. This drug seems to help but at times can
leave me non-functional in as much as it knocks me out.


Note: Not all of my anxiety / panic comes from combat.
Some is likely from having had a jerk step father whom abused
me and mom. Not to belittle the small amount of combat or service
I did, but am aware I did so little.


Note: Wife and her dad, grandfather, mother offer support.
Her dad knows that at times my mind slips a few rungs on the
ladder. He tries keeping our "work" instructions minimal and clear.
He also provides "reminder" cues to help me stay on track. I used
to be more highly disciplined. The consensus is I got wound up too
tight, and my "spring" snapped. So, I'm just a little off kilter.

[Realist]

I have a friend who abhors being around a crowd, or strangers. He is very shy and feels out of place with anyone who has varied interests. He is a good friend and I've known him for most of his life, but he has always been that way. His wife and family are very out-going and extroverted, while he remains introverted and could easily become a hermit. The only way he got married is, his wife proposed to him and kept after him until he gave in and married her!

We have common interests (cars, airplanes, automotive fabrication) and he enjoys being with me and only a very few others, in a one-on-one situation. He refuses to seek help, or even discuss his phobias, but I wish I could do something to help him feel comfortable around others.

[Newly_Bi]

Does anyone suffer these days, or suffered?
If so how did you treat it?
And did you get family support?


I still do, I got it from the USMC. The way I treat it now is medical marijuana and two service dogs. Yes I do, my wife is always trying to help me feel better, she is the only one that supports me and comes even close to comprehending what I deal with though.

[void()]

I still do, I got it from the USMC. The way I treat it now is medical marijuana and two service dogs. Yes I do, my wife is always trying to help me feel better, she is the only one that supports me and comes even close to comprehending what I deal with though.

Sir, let me borrow your doctor/s. I have had limited experience in friends whom spoke with Mary Jane.
From the sounds of things, I figure she would be more help to me than the current script.

Trouble in that is wife whom insists she doesn't play second fiddle to Mary. And I can
understand her view that even if Mary just flirts, she's still involved. So, I don't even
look at Mary.

[joavi]

I took 10 different mediciation only the last one- from SSRI group- helped me but I stopped taking it.
Now I've still have panic attacks but for different reasons then before.
I don't even know why my panic attacks started.
I mean, it started about 5 years ago not that I remember a huge even before,
I still doubt about something, cause I remember I was doubting one night if I should leave a not home (I live in another country from my parents) and go have sex with this man (in another city) or not. It made me pretty nervous and took me over 4 hours to decide. All the way I was super-nervous and also after I got there (he was also the very first man I spent the night with).
But I'm still not sure if the attacks stated after. If so it may have been a reaction to when I ran away from home a few years before.
Though I'd had a lot more bad experences than that to have anxiety over.

[Newly_Bi]

Sir, let me borrow your doctor/s. I have had limited experience in friends whom spoke with Mary Jane.
From the sounds of things, I figure she would be more help to me than the current script.

Trouble in that is wife whom insists she doesn't play second fiddle to Mary. And I can
understand her view that even if Mary just flirts, she's still involved. So, I don't even
look at Mary.

...What? O_o

[kenjacks51]

I have always had a very busy life and I worked hard - too hard, I now realize in retrospect. It all caught up with me one day at work and while no one really knows for sure what happened, the general consensus is that I had a mild non debilitating stroke and a melt down at the same time. The stroke affected my moods for several years ( big time! ) and my memory is affected as is concentration when it comes to tedious jobs. My job had become increasingly stressful and combined with several traumatic events in my life, I guess that it all just sort of piled up until something had to give.

That was ten years ago and I never did go back to work. I don't handle stress very well any more and I have tried many different medications. I discovered by accident that what works best for me when I have a panic or anxiety attack, is not the prescribed drugs, but a Tylenol 3 tablet. I take on an as needed basis and I can go several days now without taking anything and there are no side effects from the T3's. The doctors insist on my taking adivan and I fill the prescriptions but nothing works near as well as the Tylenol. The fact that it calms me and keeps me flying level mystifies most people because the drug is not meant for that purpose. I am told that about one in ten people cannot handle anti depressants and I am one of them. Everything that I was prescribed before adivan made my symptoms worse and adivan doesn't seem to do anything. (???) I feel NO side effects from the Tylenol aside from the fact that if I am feeling depressed or if I feel an attack coming on, if I take even half a tablet, I feel as normal as I ever did before this all started. I do know that everyone's chemistry make up is unique but I sure wish that I understood why Tylenol works for me like it does. I've done reading on this and apparently people like myself are not unheard of, but we are a very small minority when it comes to these medical issues.

I have been fortunate to have several very good friends and a wonderful wife who has been by my side through thick and thin for over thirty years and who I would not trade for anything or anyone. We've been through some "stuff" together but she is still here and we are still very much in love despite our sexual differences. As a footnote, I have noticed that a sexual encounter is a huge stress reliever and I always feel good afterward for a few days.

[void()]

...What? O_o

Said pass & share. If only I could. If only I really desired it.
But yes at times, I think pot would do well for me.

[void()]

I have always had a very busy life and I worked hard - too hard, I now realize in retrospect. It all caught up with me one day at work and while no one really knows for sure what happened, the general consensus is that I had a mild non debilitating stroke and a melt down at the same time.

That sounds vaguely familiar in a way. I worked in a burger joint. Folks might
laugh but it can be extremely hard work.

The place I worked at was off interstate 81 in Virginia. It is a very high traffic
interstate road. One fine day there was a pile up on it. A rig had flipped over
on its side and some unfortunate first respond glimpsed its Hazardous Materials
plaque.

Whatever it was hauling was rather toxic, rather combustible as well. They had
need to call a federal disposal team in for clean up. This meant all the traffic was
held up. Bingo, there's an exit with brand x burger joint. "Hungry kids?"

I worked the convection grill for six hours pumping cases of burgers through
at a time. I took breaks every two hours, washed my hands. It was not enough.
I wound up waking sitting in a chair in the break room, a cold drink in my hand.

"It's pepsi with salt, sugar, and some pedi stuff in it. Drink!" This from the on staff
general manager. She told me that her and my co-worker peeled me off the floor,
brought me into the break room. She said it was clear I had blacked out, just
dropped. She offered to have the rescue unit take me to hospital.

She told me the district manager was called as well. I said I was fine after sitting
there for fifteen minutes, nursing the "zombie rush" drink that had been mixed up.
She told me to go back to work if I could, but to go slow at it, the customers would
understand. I was granted leave to step over into the break room every ten minutes
or so for a drink.

Worked about two hours more in a rush. Then, the district manager showed up with
the owner in tow. I was told to go clock out, at least take the rest of the day off,
get a free meal up to twenty bucks. Was back to work next day in another place,
that was part of the same franchise.

Years later, saw a doctor for a little acid burn. His nurse caught I had high blood
pressure. The doctor at one point leaned in close and whispered. "You want
another stroke buddy? I can guarantee you'll get one if you keep at it as you
are." I was repairing 250lb wooden bin boxes by hand then. I did an average
of 25-30 in 8 hours, five days a week. The other six guys only managed five
boxes a day, if they were lucky.

And my work on the bins was good work. I had just gotten used to it,
gotten fast. Had very few errors and eventually would have never had
errors. Did not realize the incident at the burger place was a stroke.
The doc apparently had seen something which clued him to it. He
scared me bad when he asked it like that.

I've seen effects of massive strokes in two grandfathers. Never desire
to face that myself. So, I crawl along like a turtle now. Agree with you
about sex relieving stress, it's a wonder drug wish they'd bottle. :)