Agoraphobia - Phobias Message Board

jasmine30 · 09-07-2002, 08:24 PM

Hi everyone,
I have been moving into my new place...Last Saturday I made it just fine...I tried twice going over there today(Saturday)and couldn't...I have to do something to get over there!!How many that posts to the board has Agoraphobia and how many can go on some occasions but can't on others?Also,are there any that can't drive but can ride most of the time with others?The fear is so great I can't bear it!!And ya'll I even got in my dad's truck and drove up into the yard so it would easier to load some heavy things...I haven't driven AT ALL in over a year!!Im so proud of that accomplishment...Maybe I was tired today or something was on my mind I couldn't think of that made it impossible to go...Please any tips or guidance...

Thanks,
Jasmine

blacktango · 09-08-2002, 04:33 PM

I'm agoraphobic too. For just over 2 years now. I'm house/area around the house bound, but it's getting better.. but I do have that problem of finding it easy some days and really hard the next. I think it comes down to tiredness, every feeling is 10% stronger when you're tired so it feels worse than it is. Also dehydration, if you're dehydrated you can actually get the same symptoms as panic, so drinking plenty of water is a good idea too. I think alot of it goes on mood too, which can come down to hormones or the weather. If you're a sensitive person then it'll affect how strong the phobia gets. Congrats on the driving! That's an excellent step forward

Karima · 09-08-2002, 06:09 PM

I am unable to drive 10 years now. I just couldn't get past the terrible anxiety and I was a danger on the road...even with someone riding with me. It just was too much for my body to go through the terrible fatigue endured from worry prior to getting in the car, certainly from the actual drive and back again. I have never regretted that decision. But that was the best decision for me as I had other options, not everyone does.

At this point yes I would agree that on fatigue days, I run a better chance of having a panic attack...I do use two little 'band-aids' that have gotten me through some uncomfortable moments but not always. I never go anywhere without a rubber band around my wrist and the minute I feel a hint of anxiety, I snap the band pretty good. I might have to do this several times but it distracts the mind very quickly. The other is I carry some menthol/eucaplytus cough drops and pop one in my mouth also at that time. The strong flavor takes over my attention, sometimes I even use 2, they make my eyes water but these methods have indeed worked.

We do what we have to....

jasmine30 · 09-09-2002, 03:55 AM

When I started having Panic Attacks the Agoraphobia hit soon after...I could manage to ride with someone to get where I needed to go most times..I was practically housebound for 2-2 1/2 years...Done so-so for nearing 4 now Im back to being completely housebound...Ive went one place in a years time..When I became Agoraphobic,I would carry water everywhere I went,I would pack all sorts of medicine just in case,I even put ice and a bit of water in a small ice chest so I could keep a cool cloth on my face while I was out...I did get out of all that but I still make sure I have water with me...Agoraphobia is a hard thing for me to understand still to this day...I know of no one in my family that has been plagued with it...My birth mother had frequent episodes of Anxiety but dad said he never knew of her having problems driving or going places...I have a good friend that was so Agoraphobic she had to take sleeping pills,climb in the back seat and go to sleep before her husband could pull out of the driveway...Its so tormenting!!

Karima · 09-09-2002, 07:39 AM

Gee, I did the very same things, especially the water and clutched it like a lifeline wherever we were going. But it was the little pill bottle that I kept an ammonia soaked tissue in that was never far from my reach. I had that in case I panicked so bad that one sniff of the ammonia would keep me from fainting. Then of course my Valium.

I read in your other reply about the stress triggering another episode of agoraphobia. About 4 years ago I lost my only sister, a year later my mother and this year my brother-in-law, and he had been like a father to me all of my life. I was 16 years younger than my sister and since they had no children, took me under their wing after they were married. Add a divorce to this 'soup' and I don't have to wonder a minute why the agoraphobia is back so aggressively.

In this case, I do know what to expect next!