help please - Anxiety Message Board

molly666 · 09-26-2006, 03:12 PM

hi i never posted anything before on a message board so please bear with me. im a 48 yr old woman and since the age of 19 ive felt totally out of control of my life. i sufer with anxiety, im so jumpy and seem to be scared of almost everything. i no ive had alot of bad things in my life (ive been emotionally abused)but this anxiety is making me not want to live anymore. ive been to docs but they give me pills that dont really help me and it seems to me that they really dont understand what im telling them.the worst sensation that i have is the feeling that im off balance ,unsteady it comes on me even when im calm just for no reason. is there anybody out there with any advice for me? if i walk into town i start to panic because this physical thing happens to me. i cant stop and chat to anyone cos i staight away go off balance and need to lean on something tosteady myself its ruining my life.i feel that im stuck inside because its such a challange to go out feeling like im going to topple over. has anyone got any suggestions for me please? im seeing another doc soon but the pills have no effect. they lift my mood so im not depressed but the unsteadiness is always there

Leela_C · 09-26-2006, 04:02 PM

Hi Molly. I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. Welcome to the board. You will find a lot of support here.

I, along with other people here, also have feelings of unsteadiness. If you have a few hours

you can do a search by my name and find some of my posts about it. I feel that my lightheadedness/off balance feeling is what caused my anxiety, and not the other way around. I am still trying to find the cause of that and have a couple of theories right now. I could be totally wrong, and it could very well be caused by anxiety, but I don't think so. I have learned to somewhat overcome it. I finally realized that yes, even though I do feel unsteady at times, I have never passed out, or fallen, or anything like that. I don't fight it anymore. If I feel lightheaded I just let the sensation come and not try to dwell on it. I lean on things when I talk to people too. That isn't a big deal. Most of my friends know that and are just used to it now.

You can't let this take over you. I did for a couple of years and wasted so much time. Do what you can do, and if you're not feeling up to something, don't do it. But don't be afraid to do things. I have good and bad days and on my good days I try to make the most out of them. This is the best advice I can give you. Trust me, I know how hard this is to deal with.

As for the anxiety itself, I wish I knew what would make it go away. I am having a really bad week of it right now myself. I've tried therapy and it didn't work for me. I'm pretty sure I have had some form of anxiety all of my life.

Again, welcome to the boards. I'm sure you will find some great support here!

molly666 · 09-27-2006, 02:07 AM

thanks for that its good to no that others can understand this . im the same as you i think alot of the anxiety is caused by the unsteadiness because i can be feeling calm and ok and then start to feel unsteady and that makes you anxious what theorys do you have?

tnmomofive · 09-27-2006, 05:29 AM

oh wow molly sounds like you have been sufferering for far too long.I am 32 and was diagnosed with Generalized anxiety disorder/borderline agoraphobic (wasnt getting out much due to the feelings) 13 years ago I too know that unsteady feeling and the disorintation and so on.This is something that used to happen to me before being diagnosed...I lived in a constant state of derealization and felt unsteady anyway when id chat with someone or a doctor things started to become distorted and of course id grow even more nervous and think I must be insane or dying.This isnt about me sorry I just wanted to share with you.You say you tried some meds and they did'nt work.I wonder if therapy would be of help.Also have you ever had any counseling for the abuse you suffered? I would try this and maybe a med I had'nt tried yet.You are really strong to have dealt with this without help all this time and I hope you will get some relief very soon......take care

Diane720 · 09-27-2006, 06:08 AM

I also understand what you are going through Molly..the unsteadiness (dizziness, lightheadedness) are my worst symptoms right now. And sometimes they do come out of the blue....and cause more anxiety. I was having a good day at my moms yesterday...until just sitting there watching tv with her, I got dizzy and had that unreal feeling. I got panicky and went out on the porch but all I wanted to do was get home where I feel the most safe....and can hide it. I didn't tell her I got panicky I just told her I wasn't feeling good again (from allergies this week)...and had to go home. I pretty much cried all the way home....frustrated and sick and tired of all this anxiety...feeling like I was at the end of my rope. But it subsided after I got home and my son got home from school and I got distracted letting him show me his game on the computer. Sometimes just finding a distraction helps, so maybe you can find something that works for you. I am on zoloft, and it helps as far as panic attacks...but not the unsteadiness. I am also in the process of finding out if something else is causing that. I honestly don't feel its my anxiety causing it....but I definately know it causes me anxiety.

I hope you find something that works for you, and find some kind of relief from what you're going through.

Diane