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[jillydoll]

My anxiety starts now with an uncomfortable feeling around my rib cage. Not a thought, or anything like that, it just happens.
Like trapped wind would feel, then I find it hard to take a deep breath, my lungs won't fill up,
only when I bend forward, even then it's hard, but when I do, I hold onto it for a few seconds,
I know in my head nothing is going to happen, but I feel this fear, fear of what I don't know,
so I rationalise things in my head, trying to calm the whirlwind that's in my stomach,
Sometimes I get palpitations, not always, but I do get these weird feelings that I can't even describe,
that waft over me, I hate those, and usually get up and do something to try and stop the feeling,
which works well, then I get an upset stomach, which sends me to the toilet a couple times a day.
But overall, it's my breathing that gets me down, it's like everything has tightened up, under my ribs,
chest area, by my shoulder blades, and in my back.
....anxiety is the pits, and I feel for anyone who suffers with it.
Shropshirelass says it's like she's having a battle with herself, that's how I feel, and the only way I deal with it, is to withdraw, go into myself, and often take an antihistamine, that really helps me...
I refuse to take antidepressants or anything like that, not that there's anything wrong with them , it's just that I had a terrible reaction to a couple of them years back, so for me, I'll manage it with antihistamines and mind work.....

[BlueButterfly]

So I have to ask...what antihistamine do you take? I've read this other places that this helps quite a few people. I'm curious as to why but more curious as to what one in particular. I know there's been times in the past that a decongestant and antihistamine got rid of a minor tight throat. I figured it was just an allergy thing.

jillydoll, I understand what you are saying with the tight breathing. It's happened to me a couple of times as well. I'm definitely not a fan of the anxiety. Honestly, if that was gone, I could deal with everything else quite well. Hot flushes...gosh, I can't even remember how long I've had those. It's just almost normal for me to feel my face on fire or suddenly get hot. I miss my testosterone cream. I feel like that helped me in quite a few ways. Can't wait to get into a GYN about it.

I have found some help with acupuncture. It was the only thing that got rid of my tight throat when everything started so I could eat. I couldn't shake it for weeks. First treatment was amazing..the feeling started moving up and down my throat...strangest feeling ever. A couple more treatments and it was pretty much gone or very manageable. Then I was on continuous BCP for a couple of months and that helped a lot with everything but I didn't feel it was what my body needed. I know I need hormones but I need to find the right combo. First, I needed to get off everything to see where my hormones really are. But the tight throat came back a few weeks ago..faded and came back pretty strong with this last cycle. Need to go back to acupuncture but the costs add up. I don't know why finding the right care for this hormonal mess has to be so expensive and so much work.

[jillydoll]

Hi Bluebutterfly.
I take Benadryl =Acrivastine. You can take up to 3 per day. They're not supposed to make you drowsy
but they make me sleep well, I take at night, about an hour before bed, and I do seem to sleep well all the time after I've taken one. If my anxiety is really bad like it was the other day, I found I needed to take 2. And although it did make me feel tired in the day time, I seem to get through that, which to be honest I'd rather fight than this bloody anxiety. I do only take one when I feel the symptoms coming on, and that seems to be enough to get rid of it for sometimes up to a week, other times, only a couple of days. It depends how bad the ‘attack' is. If you know what I mean.
I've took the other antihistamine, Cetrazine, (don't know if that's correct spelling) and they made me that tired, I couldn't function. So the Acrivastine are better for me. I'd rather manage it with these, than go on drugs from the doctors.
I too, would be able to manage with everything else if this flipping anxiety was gone. It is THE most horrifying , unsettling, craziest  thing I've ever had to deal with. And although I try to explain to my OH about how it makes me feel, no one can understand unless they've been through it themselves.
My anxiety came out the blue on Friday,after having quite a nice settled period, where I felt pretty damn good, started off feeling like trapped wind around my middle, but I didn't take any notice, then the breathing thing started, and by Friday night, it was really bad, so I took an antihistamine at bed time, got up next morning, it was still there, a little, so took another one, by Sunday, it was only there lurking in the background, took another one Sunday evening, now today, it's completely gone. I'm back to normal, for how long, is anyone's guess, but that's how I manage it....
A lot of people take antihistamines for anxiety, as you've probably read, a lot of people take them as a sleeping aid too, apparently that's what's in Night Nurse and stuff like that. You can only try and see,
I only stumbled across it because my consultant at the hospital for my liver condition (auto immune disease) prescribed antihistamines for my itching that I had at that time, and found when I took one which were fexofenadine, it took away my anxiety. So after being Sherlock Holmes I found out people took them all the time for it, so that's what I do...(my itching has stopped now, so don't get anymore from hospital, which did make me too hung over anyway) ...
Sorry, should have said, sometimes I get a headache after I've took them, like in the morning when I get up, but hey ho, I get headaches anyway.....

[BlueButterfly]

Thank you! I did a search this morning and did find some more info about the antihistamine/anxiety thing. But wow, it's great that it works. Definitely giving it a shot. A little harder to get through the day but I'd rather first that than deal with the antidepressants.

I'll have to look at taking it at night more often. I do need my sleep. I'll have to try 2. I've done it before, sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I love Benadryl because it's so cheap and has honestly always worked better for my allergies than anything else.

I will wake up with headaches sometimes from it...just usually have what I call my Benadryl Hang Over the next morning after taking it though. It's not too bad, like you said, easier than dealing with this horrific anxiety! When it is gone, it's great....I feel so close to 'normal' but I'm just always thinking these "When is it coming back?" Makes it a bit harder to completely let go. My anxiety is giving me anxiety!

[jillydoll]

Yep, I know what you mean.
It hangs around like a bad smell doesn't it?
Always wondering when's it coming back, it's always in my head,
And like you say, hard to let go of it.
And yeah, lol, anxiety, makes us have anxiety.....
Bugger....

[shrosphirelass]

Yeah and if I feel calm and almost happy I check myself and think somethings going to go wrong. Can't win!

[Crafty Kaz]

Hi ladies
I can really relate to this thread, my anxiety hit me big time back in March out of the blue ... heart racing no appetite whatsoever & chronic insomnia, I lost a stone in a month & I couldn't function at all, so scary! After numerous tests which all came back normal my doctor put it down to menopause & I started my hrt journey, after a few trials I've settled on patches & utrogestan & can honestly say I'm feeling like I'm coming back to life after such a rotten 7 months. Another thing that has really helped I'm sure is a drug called gabapentin for my anxiety ... don't know if any of you ladies have tried it but I call it my don't give a s**t pill & it's really helped me.
Big hugs to you all
Anxiety is the pits!
Kaz xxx

[BlueButterfly]

Anyone else get the feeling that their tongue or throat is swelling? It's happened to me a few times, happening now, but when I've had it checked they didn't see any swelling. It's just a feeling. I think it might be slightly but nothing super noticeable. I've read before of it being an anxiety symptom. Just wish I knew how to get rid of it. It seems like every day I deal with anxiety I'm battling myself and 'instinct'. I have to tell myself "You are fine. Nothing is really actually wrong". It just FEELS like it. Ugh.

It's almost like when I'm dealing with my anxiety, anything that would normally happen feels 100x worse or more painful.

[jillydoll]

Yeah Bluebutterfly,
They're just feelings, when I was having chest pains, my anxiety made me worry
that it was something more, like angina or the start of a heart attack, or oh no, I've got heart disease, I've lost count how many times I've sat in my bedroom, or on the toilet (obviously where there's no one else) and had to calm myself down and go through a list of things that tell me I'm ok. Like, I'd say, have you got any other symptom of a heart attack, answer, NO, have you got any other symptom of heart disease, answer NO, and so on and so on. It's our minds running riot with us. Then when I'm satisfied, I'm ok . Go back down stairs and then it starts all over again. It's ridiculous. But that's how it is. My breathing gets affected when my anxiety is there, and it makes me think  like I've got some kind of lung disease, but in my logical mind, I know it's just this pesky anxiety making everything tighten up...

[BlueButterfly]

exactly!

I know it is nothing but my brain follows the physical sensations and it's a battle within myself and I never know how long I'll face that battle. I know eventually it'll pass but the fighting is what is exhausting. I feel like my body and mind are always at odd with each other or just completely against me. I did end up in the ER once for my heart. I could not get the pounding to settle down. I had other symptoms as well so it made it harder. But in the end, nothing was going on. But I felt better knowing.

I made run out and get the Rescue Remedy I read people mentioning. I ran across it the other day. It would be wonderful if it worked!

[jillydoll]

Yeah tried that,
Didn't work for me, but it might for you. No harm in trying,
anything to get relief.

That's another thing with me, I'm absolutely terrified of going to hospital, you know like you did to be checked out, I don't know why, it's not like I've had any bad experience or anything, so, I have to calm myself down when I've got anxiety, because the thought of going there freaks me out even more. It's bonkers..

[BlueButterfly]

I was in a bad place or I never would have been able to get myself there. DH drove me. I was terrified when they wanted to put an IV in, just in case I had to have any emergency surgery or anything. It was a hard night. But in all, I don't regret going. I'm glad everything was okay and I have that and other things to think back on when I have a weird chest pain or twinge now. It has helped me to separate where the pains and such are coming from. I can tell now that what I thought were flutters are actually at times my esophagus having spasms. It's a strange sensation. Too many things that the sudden onset of anxiety brought on. Or it didn't but everything I feel is just exaggerated now.

[jillydoll]

I know,

When we're in our 90s, we'll look back on this and ask how the hell did I ever get through that....lol
What us women have to go through, it sure is crap ent it?

At least you know now that it wasn't anything ‘serious ‘. But still, it's still trauma to us ent it?
And how about your hubby? Bet he was scared to death weren't he?
Wondering what was wrong.
A long and traumatic night for both of you...

[CLKD]

Occasional use of Anti-histamines give me good sleep.  I occasionally wake 'hung over' due to the mix I take but it's better than the awful unable-2-get-out-of-bed depression of the 1990s as well as the intense fear that woke me in the early hours  .  Better now!

Anxiety is the pits.     For me it's instant.  .......... and breath. 

[jillydoll]

Glad you feel better now,
Antihistamines do help, and I use them for my anxiety.
But your right, sometimes I feel so hung over in the mornings, feel like
I've been on the pop all night...
But I'd rather feel that, than struggle  with all the things that go with the dreaded anxiety.

Hope you sleep better tonight...xx