Well I did it... I got an appt

[purr]

with a Psychologist on the 30th. Went to my PCP yesterday, he told me I'm type A personality and I worry too much. Especially when it comes to my health. I go to him at least 2x a month to get my back adjusted since he wont give me a referral to a chiropractor (Hes a DO).

He was reluctant to give me any anxiety drugs due to me just getting over C-diff and says it can cause more diarrhea. I'm like I dont care.. I need something to take the edge off of my anxiety. He gave me 30 pills of Xanax and told me to come back in a week.

I cant help but think any pain I have is something serious. I told him about this sharp pain I'm getting under my left boob and he told me that its not my heart its gas pains. I'm not too sure I believe it. This is where I'm coming from. I also get the same sharp pain in my stomach area and he says its still gas.

I honestly dont believe I'm a hypochondriac because I *DO* feel these pains and it scares the living daylights out of me. I'm afraid that if I ignore pains or what not that its something serious.

Anyone here understand what I'm going through?

[purr]

1. No.. its a Psychatrist..

the one thats a medical doctor. I get them confused :)

[EFerrari]

2. Hi there, purr. I'm glad you got an appointment.

You are the world's expert on yourself. Remember, these guys are only hired consultants!

Whatever is going on, maybe this new person can help you sort it out. Let us know how it goes.

:hi:

[purr]

3. I hope he can help me too..

Hes not covered under my insurance so I have to pay 150 upfront then 30 each time after. The ones through my insurance want you to go through a 'social worker' first. No offense to anyone that IS a social worker, but I think my problem is above and beyond a social workers expertise.

We used one for our marriage counseling and she didnt help us much if any at all. BUT shes the one who mentioned that I have generalized anxiety disorder.

I dont want to take Xanax all the time.. highly addictive from what I understand. Thats the last thing I want is to become addicted to medication.

I hope he can find out whats going on up there. I just dont feel myself.

[EFerrari]

4. A word about Xanax and all the meds used for GAD

They are all addictive. And they work if you use them per instructions.

I try to take as little as I need, and in fact, seem to need less every year. I went off of the meds several times to see how I did, but always went back on after a month of yucky anxiety. The withdrawal lasts about 10 days and is no fun but, it does end.

fyi

:hug:

[purr]

5. What other drugs are used for GAD? I was only on antidepressants..

Xanax is the only one I've been on thats for anxiety.

I was on xanax last year but then I found out I was pregnant in December and I had to go off of it because its Cat. D in pregnancy. I went through the electric shocks, the horrible headaches, the shocks through my head. That was NOT fun. I was only on it for about 2 weeks at that point.

I have I think .35 mg of Xanax and says take as needed. I'm only taking one a day no matter if my anxiety rears its ugly head later on. Hubby told me to take another one because I was getting anxious and I said no way buddy.

[EFerrari]

6. Drugs in the same category. Klonopin (what I take) Valium

And, you can do all kinds of things before you up the dosage.

For example, you and your doc can decide to spread what you are taking -- I cut my 1 mg in half, take half in the morning and half at night. That's worked for me for years. My doc didn't quite get how sensitive I am to the drug, nor that this was a therapeutic dosage FOR ME. But, they are teachable, lol, if you are willing to be patient and let them know what is working and what is not working.

I have a thing about taking pills -- just don't like it. But, the benefit to my life far outweighs my reluctance to depend on a pill. And, that's just me.

On edit: The withdrawal from klonopin was much much easier than from Xanax for me, anyway.

/I'm going to trade Sniffa for his keyboard!

[purr]

9. Thats interesting. . I'm going to try the split pill thing.

Give me a little bit more relief during the evening. I am highly sensitive to drugs. I get every side effect listed and more when I take anything.

The only thing that doesnt give me odd side effect is tylenol :) You know on the prescription information pamphlets where it states - Side effects? I get all the 'rare' ones. I guess I'm just special lol.

Will ask him about klonopin when I go on monday. I dont think I need valium..

[DemExpat]

7. I have had those pains since I was about 10 years old....

first time my Mom called the doctor to come see me because we thought I was having a heart attack.

I still get this sharp pain (right around where you said you have yours) every once in a while and it does hurt, but I'm not scared of it being heart trouble after all of these years and all of the doctors saying that it isn't.

Indigestion can feel awful similar to what people might imagine heart pain to feel like, and as long as you get it ruled out, you can start working on your Fears of health problems, sickness, and death.

Just as with panic attacks, we often misinterpret bodily sensations and feelings, and turn sometimes perfectly safe processes into big dangers.
This is where a good therapist can help out IMO.
As with these sharp gas pains (in my case, I believe), and with years of panic disorder where I went into a full-blown panic attack everytime I felt the sensations of adrenalin rushing through my body and shallow breathing (suffocation!!!)....these can be understood and defused by understanding them and learning some relaxation techniques.

Simply by naming the very uncomfortable sensations an adrenalin rush instead of Rising Panic has been most effective for me.

Now whenever I am feeling anxiety creeping up in me I stop what I am doing, close my eyes and focus a few minutes on relaxing my body and my breathing - especially focussing on my breathing. This has been a great anxiety buster technique for me which I learned from a simple relaxation technique for breathing on a cassette tape years ago.

So, yes, there are others who very well understand what you seem to be going through, purr, good going that you made that appointment, and hope the relationship clicks with that person!

All the best,

DemEx

P.S.
For generalised anxiety I personally would try other approaches than meds at this point, but that is just me, as I was terribly addicted to anxiety meds in the 70s until I got pregnant with my first child and went through withdrawal. Never again.

Since then I carry a tranquilizer on me when I travel or do something that brings up anxiety, but have not taken one in 24 years. So I still use it by having it on hand for "just in case I can't handle it".....:-)

[purr]

8. Its definately a strange feeling.

I had quite a few EKGs this year and everythings fine other than I have mitral valve prolapse. In fact I had 2 EKGS last month. He doesnt think anything cardiac is going on. What scares me about it being something cardiac is that it runs on my moms side of the family big time. My entire grandfathers side of the family has passed due to heart related diseases. Like how can I NOT worry about it? The cardiologist nurse told me not to worry - I'm not my grandfathers age (he passed last year due to congestive heart failure).

I hate this anxiety. I really cant take it anymore and I need some help. I do not like taking meds either. I dont even like taking vitamins but they're good for ya. Its bad enough that I'm addicted to nicotine, I dont need something else to be addicted to.

I'm honestly not too sure how a therapist can really help in my situation. Other than someone to talk to my problems with, what can he really do? Like my marriage counseling, it did nothing. She told us things that we knew and already tried. Thats why we quit going to her.

In the past I took ativan when I got really anxious and all it did was make me want to sleep. I really dont want to go to the medication route but I've tried the breathing, I tried taking my mind off of things and IMO it makes it worse.

Monday is slowly approaching.. I'll post an update when I go.

What is it they do during the intake?

Thanks :)

[DemExpat]

10. A good therapist can help a lot, purr.....

I've had quite a few with one or two being really effective. Ones that didn't feel right to me I moved on from.

I am not sure that having one grandparent (this is not dying young either, is it?) having heart disease (and in his family) will make it very likely that you do as well. As long as you do what you can to eat and live heart-healthily, get occasional checkups, then you have things more in your hands, and can relax about it more IMO.
A good girlfriend of mine quit smoking 6 years ago but is still addicted to nicotine - she chews on that nicotine gum for her "fix" - and her doctor told her that it is better than smoking....:-)


Hope you find support that you need with this.

:hug:
DemEx