Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Mrs Bennet on February 10, 2015, 08:30:53 PM
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Hi Ladies
I haven't posted for a long while but have been keeping up by dipping in and reading your posts every now and again. I am hoping someone can help me out.... I have been suffering from anxiety and panic for quite some time now.....long story.....just wondered if anyone has symptoms similar to mine....my anxiety manifests itself by giving me an upset stomach the true fight or flight response I guess, thus every time I leave the house I fear I will need the loo :( (bowel.. sorry to be so graphic, in fact I go several times before I go out) I then plan every thing around the nearest toilet, I have seen my GP who prescribed ADs of which just upset my stomach further and so making me more anxious I have now decided the prescription route is not for me.All of this is really affecting my life... I cannot go on a train, I dread going out for a meal, holidays etc etc my husband is very supportive as are my daughters but I just feel I am letting everyone down. I have just ordered Claire Weekes book and hope this will be of some help. I have been to see a psychologist which did help....I
think :-\ please tell me am not alone. OOOO.... I am 55 and have been period free for 18 months.
Love Mrs B xxx sorry to have gone on & on & on & on........
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Oh that's short Mrs B ::) and yep, your tummy symptoms seem anxiety driven. Relaxation therapy can help. As can going to the loo before travelling ……… get me onto a motorway and I want to go at once >:( ……
You are not letting anyone down. This is part of the hormone journey and many ladies have anxiety. What did the psychologist suggest?
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Hi Mrs Bennet - I am just like you and it is difficult to go places where you know you wont have quick access to a loo. Is this a recent symptom and have you had it investigated by your GP properly? Does it ever happen when you don't have to go anywhere? Early mornings used to be worst for me although since my hyster last year it can strike at any time nowadays. My doc prescribed me Buscopan which has helped me quite a lot. You can buy it over the counter. The other thing is immodium which, used on an occasional basis, my doc recommended - but only after being investigated for anything medically wrong.
This problem affects many people. There may be something to help you here http://www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org/ but rest assured - you are not alone. I only have to receive an invite out somewhere for my stomach to begin to cramp. The mind is a very powerful thing!
Taz x :bighug:
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i too suffer anxiety and have tried anti depresents which did nothing exept make me drowsy.. mine is a health anxiety and i am hoping my cbt and mindfullness i have just started is the right route to take..xx
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Claire Weekes is wonderful - both her books and her audio downloads, Youtube clips etc.
Mindfulness would help you too, and is something you can practise wherever you are.
I have Crohn's and IBS, which can be problematic. Many members of a support forum I am on suggest carrying with you a small emergency kit - spare knickers, wet wipes etc - to help with confidence. Also, maybe wearing a Tena Lady towel or similar, just in case of accidents.
Like all anxiety and phobias, ultimately it's a case of working through your fears, by gradual exposure, so you realise that the thing that scares you won't happen.xxx
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Mrs Bennet - you are not alone in this experience. The difficulty with anxiety and panic is knowing when to push through your fears and when not too and as Honorsmum says, facing your fears is really important so that they don't get bigger.
In the past I have had a course of CBT through my GP, which really did help with strategies to accomplish this 'mind over matter' mindset and behaviour. It doesn't take away the anxiety straight away but you learn not to feed the fear and things will get better as you master power over it all.
Saying all that, sometimes we are just anxious and need to take a break and relax completely, but form bitter experience avoidance is not an ideal strategy to adopt for long.
Sounds like you have identified that medication isn't helping and some of the situations that you feel are being affected by all this which is a great start to solving the problem. x
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Thank you all so much for your replies xxxx...in all honesty it really helped to write down my problem and it is a comfort to know I am not alone. My GP has been really good....diagnosed GAD....which has surfaced because of some major problems with my mother ( feel guilty for saying that :( ) I have tried everything to help myself I do have my little kit in my bag :) I take imodium beta blockers peppermint capsules peptobismol have listened to cds and read loads on the net, I really feel at the end of my tether and also very foolish I have never yet had an accident it really is the fear of doing so, I am ok while at home, feel safe I suppose, I do go out but I always feel stressed and anxious, I so want to be able to enjoy my life. I had 6 sessions with a psychologist which did seem to help a bit but no cure I am afraid. I am meeting a friend for coffee tomorrow and I am in a panic already its all so ridiculous.....is there any hope xxxxx
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I definately think there is hope :) It's great that sharing it all is somehow helping and that you are managing it as best you can. So be kind to yourself, however rubbish you feel about not dealing with things the way you would hope too. There is always the possibility that things won't be as stressful as you fear, some times they might but sometimes they won't - hang on to the hope of the times where things are all OK :)
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Thank you BrightLight that makes sense....... tomorrow is another day as they say..... and hopefully my Claire Weekes books will arrive and so more help will be at hand :) xxxx
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Oh Mrs B I can relate to the anxiety thing. I've just started a thread 'Look how far I've come" in personal experience. It tells of how I was last year. I am on HRT now though. I've tried beta blockers too they did help initially but stopped after 8 months. Wishing you well x
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Thank you Millykin I will take a look at your thread, it is such a comfort to have all you lovely girls out there xxxx
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Hi...feeling the same Mrs B....awful isn't it.....do keep going out though and relaxing after....just started her and anxiety has worsened, but hopefully it will get better....sending hugs xxx
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Mmmmm...sorry you are feeling the same it really is awful :( must try to stay positive, though it is hard at times.... hopefully the HRT will help you soon, along with all the support we get on this forum, ....hugs to you too xxxxx
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Hi ladies my Claire Weekes books arrived today :) very easy to read...... & having listened to some interviews with her on you tube I can hear her voice which seems to be helping too, will let you know how I get on in the next few days.....yes I am hoping for a miracle ;D xx
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I love Claire Weekes - she is like a lovely matronly aunt, holding your hand and guiding you through. She makes everything so clear and straightforward.
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She is/was honorsmum, she also suffered from panic attacks herself and over came them.
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I read her books in the 1990s - she supposedly suffered acute anxiety but nothing she wrote about seemed like anxiety that I was suffering from :-\ ……….. so don't expect too much!
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She is/was honorsmum, she also suffered from panic attacks herself and over came them.
I know she's no longer alive, but I always think of her talking to me when I read her book.
I often "float" through things I find tricky.
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I read her books in the 1990s - she supposedly suffered acute anxiety but nothing she wrote about seemed like anxiety that I was suffering from :-\ ……….. so don't expect too much!
How was your anxiety different, CLKD?
I think her main point was that any sort of anxiety can be overcome by facing, accepting, floating, letting time pass, once you understand what anxiety is and recognise symptoms.
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Because what she told the reader and how she recovered, didn't equate with any of my treatments nor how I was feeling :-\ …….. nothing she suggested helped me, I still suffer badly at times. It was almost as though she had taken a step away from all that she had been through and written the book remotely :-\
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I think she was helping people who had anxiety caused by panic attacks and especially health anxiety.
Depression is different.
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I am talking about anxiety :-\ - when I was unable to leave the house …….
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I love Claire Weekes - she is like a lovely matronly aunt, holding your hand and guiding you through. She makes everything so clear and straightforward.
I agree, I can hear her voice as I read her books.
Paul David - At Last a Life is good too.
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Because what she told the reader and how she recovered, didn't equate with any of my treatments nor how I was feeling :-\ …….. nothing she suggested helped me, I still suffer badly at times. It was almost as though she had taken a step away from all that she had been through and written the book remotely :-\
Might be worth going back now and reading them again - try "Self Help For Your Nerves". I had the exact opposite experience to you - I felt like she knew exactly what I was going through.
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I found her advice helpful. Acceptance of what is happening and not fighting. It made me relax.
We all have different versions of the same thing so take help in different ways.
I have the fear of the stomach/bowel thing. Even when I'm feeling ok just getting in a car for a journey puts the fear of....well we all know what.
My hubby has been attending hospital for the past three months...very stressful. His appointments were always about 9 am. I was so unhappy as its my worst time. I used to just make the journey of about 40 mins....get to the loo....use the disabled one...I know not right but more private....a total nightmare.
You so have my sympathy...it's the worst thing.
No easy answer for me unfortunately as I really struggle.
Honeyb
X
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I feel a tad better just knowing its not just me with the bowel thing.... I am positive that claire is going to help me :)..... hubby and I are taking a weekend break at the end of the month and so want to enjoy it unlike the last time we went away when I just wanted to stay in the confines of the hotel :( xx
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Have you tried Buscopan Mrs Bennet? I find that two of those when I feel the horrible pressure and cramps starting help a lot. It was the only way I managed to get to work this morning on time.
Taz x
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Hello Mrs Bennett
Yes I suffer with random anxiety too thanks to fluctuating hormones and it has definitely made my bowels looser. My anxiety manifests by causing tingling/****ling sensations down the middle of each buttock and down toward the backs of my knees. It's not exactly unpleasant but I would rather I didn't have it. When it's particularly severe I can guarantee that within a few minutes I will need the loo.
These ****ling sensations start the minute I wake up and I think it's become almost a bad habit for me now. Because I am expecting them to start when I wake up they DO start if that makes sense? Then they can happen randomly through out the day.
Have you considered wearing something like a Tena pad, just as an insurance against soiling yourself.
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I will add Buscopan to my armoury Taz...... already use a mini pad GypsRoseLee just incase ;D I am finding the Claire Weekes book is easy to read and think when I have read it several times .... it will hopefully sink in :) xx
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Fight or flight response - when the bowels and gut begin to rumble :-\ not pleasant! happens to me when we are travelling and if we head for a Motorway :o :-X
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Seems to happen to me wherever i'm heading CLKD ;D xx