The trouble is that when you are feeling anxious already,
any slight thing can trigger a major panic response. I thought: SHIT I am going
to DIE. I thought it could be some strange neurological condition where I would eventually die a horrific painful death.
Anyway, of course I spent hours on the internet researching
what I was about to die from. Obviously all sorts of things came up. The one thing that
fitted the most was cubital tunnel syndrome which is when the ulnar nerve in
the arm gets trapped, often from spending too much time with your arms bent or
leaning on your elbows (Oops, my obsessive use of the laptop may be to blame). I was slightly relieved at first that it was a minor
condition. However I then identified all sorts of things that can be a risk factor for
cubital tunnel syndrome: diabetes, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis and many
more.
I soon started getting all sorts of other symptoms. My legs
were going numb and I got pins and needles in them. I started getting dizzy and
breathless. Suddenly I would feel this sensation in my neck like someone was
throttling me and I would gasp for air. I thought that these were all signs of
something much more serious. Because I thought I was dying, I had a full blown panic attack.
Since then I have remained in a constant state of anxiety.
Anxiety doesn’t quite describe it. More like a constant state of PANIC. I keep
hyperventilating and feeling like I am blacking out slightly for a second at a
time. I am convinced I am going to die even though as I write this I realise
how irrational I am going to sound.
There are so many physical problems that arise due to anxiety. I am absolutely
sure that there was an original problem with my fingers but ever since I panicked
over the whole thing, I don’t know which symptoms are ones to be worried about
and which ones are down to anxiety.
I am seeing a doctor on Thursday but it is not my usual
doctor. I am scared that, like so many other doctors, they will put all of my
symptoms down to anxiety and bipolar. When they see it on your medical records
they jump to conclusions. No wonder so many people with bipolar seem to die
young. Often symptoms of serious illness are missed because they are put down
to the illness or the medication.
I wish I could tell which symptoms were caused by real
physical problems rather than symptoms caused by anxiety. But I can’t. I just
feel so pathetic and useless getting so worked up over something that is
probably so minor. I feel an intense hatred towards myself. How ridiculous.
People around the world are suffering from all sorts of serious illnesses and
here I am worrying about weak, clawed fingers.
It is almost like I had this anxiety building up inside of
me already and it just took this slight trigger, the numbness in my fingers, to
set me off in to panic mode. Sometimes I feel like I have anxiety just floating
around in my brain and then something small happens and all my anxiety gets
focused on that one thing. Sometimes it is social situations, sometimes things
like flying in a plane, sometimes physical illness.
Just writing this down makes me feel better and worse at the
same time. I feel better as I realise how stupid I am being and I feel worse
because I realise how stupid I am being! Right now I am just struggling to get
through each anxiety ridden minute. I feel desperate. Diazepam is the
only thing that helps but I can’t just live in a drug induced coma for weeks on
end. I am so tired and just want to sleep where I can escape the anxiety for
several glorious hours.
It is ironic that just a few months ago I was experiencing suicidal ideation and yet now I am panicking about dying. I have often fantasised about the relief of mental pain through death. Now all I can think about is how I desperately want to live. Not like THIS though.
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