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diamond

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Sep 18, 2015
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1,548
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DX FIBRO
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01/2008
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UK
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anywhere
I just watched an item on tv about anxiety.

I honestly didn't realize so many people didn't know how anxiety felt....I kind of assumed if you had been dumped or gone through a bad relationship break up or faced other even tougher times like getting a chronic illness or many other things like I know many people on here talk about you would have suffered bad feelings that would cause anxiety.

I was a confident child but my anxiety first loomed when i was a teenager and had a skin condition on my face.

I was shown pictures of how it would progress if i didnt try and control it by avoiding certain things and situations.

The list was so long and i ended up with anxiety when faced with normal things.

I was told to avoid heat....sitting in hot rooms or near a fire......the sun....being out in cold or windy weather.

Avoid hot drinks...caffeine...alcohol...spicy food and anything that made my skin flush....haha so stress and embarrassment that get you hot and bothered now became a source of stress.

This all set me off on the path of anxiety and although my skin eventually cleared up after two years my anxiety in these situations remained as i would get all flushed with sunny or cold weather and hot food or drinks.

I have had two more long periods of what turned out to be seborrheic dermatitis in my life both after major stressful events but you never know if its going to go again and it affects your confidence a lot.

Anyway after that ramble.....my point is after getting fibromyalgia do any of you manage your life with out experiencing anxiety over the pain when its really bad and because you are so severely limited you can't really keep up with what you or your loved ones expect or want to do?

Like internal pressure and worry because you have years ahead like this. Is it just me because I am already prone to anxiety?

I have to say my fibro got this bad when my partner showed dissatisfaction over our life because of how this illness restricted us.....and true to my personality i took the things he said so badly my anxiety went through the roof as his approval and feeling i was still good enough meant so much to me.
 
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Short of being totally immersed in religion and putting all our faith in God, or becoming a Buddhist, I don't know how any of us can avoid totally anxiety of our physical ailments. Speaking a little philosophically, I think at best we have to realize that everyone and everything on earth suffers at some point.

Years ago my friend told me that if you got everyone you knew around a giant table, and everyone was honest and able to put their troubles on it, free to exchange with anyone else, almost all would take back their own. When I learn of neighbors plights (one has a daughter that just got diagnosed with a brain tumor), I believe it to be true. So I think of that and put it into perspective.

With that, I just had a bad morning and broke down because I realize that the doctors may never be willing to look beyond their scope of knowledge to help me, and I may never get better, in fact, maybe worse. And yes, while my boyfriend is supportive now, nothing is permanent and realize he may not be at any time.

I'm sorry Willow that he has not been as supportive as you would like; unfortunately, our partners get effected by our ailments too, at least psychologically.
 
That's impossible darling.even the most relaxed ppl out there get stressed.i used to suffer so bad with panic attacks I would pass out.
It was only when I found out I was preggy, I had something else to concentrate on that help me get over them.
Anxiety is there for a reason.its your body's way of telling u somethings wrong.the hard bit is sorting out what it is and somehow dealing with it xx
 
I've had anxiety much longer than I've had fibromyalgia. Like Forgetmenot said, anxiety normally is there for a reason. In my experience, when you have anxiety the anxious feeling exists independently of any outside stressors. But your mind will search for some outside cause anyway and you end up attributing it to something that doesn't make sense (the anxiety is way out of proportion to the source of stress). When you make yourself look at the situation objectively you realize there is no reason to be anxious. But that doesn't relieve the anxious feeling. It's really a terrible feeling because you can't go out and solve a problem in your life to make it better.

I'm not sure if l'm making sense - it's hard to describe
 
i know for me anxiety kicks in when I'm in a position that I want to fight or flight but can't do either. After being stuck in this position for a long period panick attacks started then even after getting out of the situation even the smallest reminder would trigger my anxiety. I think it has left foot prints on my brain that can be triggered by similar thoughts, senerios or feelings.

The old cliche of let go and let God has been my biggest help.
 
This footprint in the brain that is triggered again by anything associated with a previous event that affected an individual to feel traumatized or severely panicky is something i can totally identify with.

In my humble opinion it is my central nervous system dealing with being stuck in a very stressful situation ( for me as we are individuals and have different things that create emotional wounds in us) for extended or repeated periods of time with no way out that rids us of the problem...that caused me to get fibromyalgia.

I also believe if we don't somehow find a way to remove our selves from stress it can also make our fibro get much worse and stay stuck like it.

Some people are more resilliant...some people are genetically predisposed to having a very sensitive nature and view the world in a different way to other toughies.....some of us are sensitive but still stay very strong through lots of lifes knocks until there is the straw that broke the camels back and we get sick through the mind/body link of well being.

The amygdala stores our fear /emotional memories and there are theories that it is this part of the brain becoming over activated that causes fibro.

It is also the part of the brain where we feel empathy and i for one seem to feel other peoples hurt in an unusually deep way with a strong desire to help comfort and fix.

We've had a thread about over activation of the central nervous system before but there are lots of new members who may have thoughts on this topic.

I for one feel like my sympathetic nervous system is running all the time for the last year and its as if the parasympathetic part that should automatically kick in to soothe and calm your mind and all the bodily functions it controls no longer works or is even available for me to feel or work on...like the control box is broken beyond repair.

Also I have found that no amount of anxiety medication or reassurance from others or self logic talk has any influence on this over activation either.

It's like it is separate from me running on its own yet controlling my fibromyalgia and shutting my body down.
 
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I have had both the emotional and physical triggers that can cause damage. I'm constantly looking for ways to correct or minimize damages.

There are doctors that specialize in treating ANS. None really close to my location or in my insurance network for that matter. If I had better insurance or unlimited funds I would definitely invest time and money into it. As it stands now, it took pulling teeth to convince my doctor to address a year of toxic mold exsposure. I take anti oxadents Along with adrenal support and gaba trying to reset my fight or flight.

Maybe it's just me? It just seems like once your in the storms path no matter which way you go the storm follows. Like you've become a magnet to theses type stressors!
 
I've had anxiety and depression (more anxiety than depression) since childhood. When I was a kid, anxiety in kids wasn't diagnosed very often, so I was labeled as shy. I am shy. And an introvert. But I also have pretty severe anxiety. I was dealing with that before my fibro diagnosis, but when I'm in a flare, the anxiety is much worse, to the point that I have to work hard to convince myself to leave the house, even to walk to the mailbox.
 
I also experience more anxiety during a flare. What a terrible feeling
 
How to control the anxiety when the flare never ends..ah ha that is the question?

I'm grateful for my laptop ...it keeps me connected to the outside world....and you guys for your replies x
 
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Hi All,

I have absolutely noticed my anxiety levels are heightened in a flare. But, my assumption is that the flare up is why I'm so anxious! It's like a big merry go round and once I get on it, it's just so dizzying and I can't get off.

I have been considering Xanax?? Does anyone take that??

Sleep is the only relief on most days, but as we all know....sleep is pretty hard to come by with this illness. Especially when the legs and hips usually start their disco party when it's time for bed :)

I'm having trouble seeing my posts and seeing any replies afterwards. If anyone can help me find them, I'd so appreciate it. I'm very thankful to have found this site and to know that I'm not completely koo koo for cocoa puffs out of my mind. This diagnosis has been somewhat of a relief in that respect.
 
Hi Sarafina,...if you refresh your browser on the thread all the new posts and replies should appear...it's a bit of an ongoing glitch with the site.

Nice to meet you...no your defo not koo koo this illness is very hard! x
 
I deal with anxiety all the time and severe panic attacks. People definitely do not know how it feels and mine gets so much worse when I have a flare. I had the worst flare to date last week that lasted about 5 days. I know it is hard on my wife to but she said the word hypochondriac last night and it really upset me . I was finally diagnosed with FM a couple of months ago after years of test and doctors. My pain is real and I wish she could understand better.
 
Oh tripphm84 i'm so sorry. I know how very much it hurts when the people we love and need approval from the most say these things.

I've had similar although not that word even from my own father...I think just about all of us have but that doesn't help you.

If possible forgive your wife for her lack of grasping this condition and if you feel she's willing send her to this forum to read some of the posts about the hell we go through.

Theres also loads of info and blogs etc on the net that describe fibro although its still hard for non sufferers to grasp.

There are letters to 'normals' under a post a couple of months ago called 'giving in to this condition' on 25th April by GemmaRowlands that she could read too.

I think there were 3 letters describing how fibro affects us.

Panic attacks frequently are horrible.....and like you say constant pain is extremely stressful in ways healthy folk can't understand.

Take Care
 
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Hi Willow,

I can relate so much to your anxiety post. My internal anxiety is at an all time high. It's a constant fight to somehow calm my insides. Then, out of nowhere I will get huge burst of uncontrollable anxiety, that on the surface seemingly was caused by just a thread of a thought. That thought snowballs into all out panic. I physically feel the rush of panic come over me and I'm in fight or flight mode. But, the problem is there is no one to fight or flight from. Just myself.

But, when I peel back the layers, I realize that my personal relationships, my job, my health...they all are playing a roll in it.

And as far as your partners reaction to your fibro: My partner pretty much just ignores me when I limp around and now and then will comment or make a joke about oh is that part of your "Fibromywhatever you call it?" You hit the nail on the head with your reaction to his lack of understanding or approval. I think my sensitive nature and worrying so much about how he feels about me and me being good enough for him has definitely caused increased stress and worse flares. But, differently, I am still the active one out of us. He lacks any desire to live outside of his couch :) lol

I can't help but wonder if my partner embraced this with me and gave me love and support and just drowned me with love, attention and hope, if it would actually help more. That might sound selfish, but sometimes I think personal relationships and self love and love of others is more healing than any drug.

So, what can we do for anxiety? Find peaceful interactions with other human beings (that might have to be on the internet for some of us), with God, with animals and nature. I work on new paintings and I feed lots of different birds and critters and just sit watch them interact. Hearing the birds chirping relaxes me immensely. Be outdoors (if you can) and just sit and breath slow and deep, focus on nothing but what amazing things are all around you that were given to us by a creator not of this world, but instead has given us this world. No books, no music..just you and it. If you live by water, go to it, sit and watch it move and rustle for a while. Now, only if I could have done all of that yesterday when I had a very bad attack and had to leave my job for the day...lol xoxo
 
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