PP Anxiety?

alexandderek

For the last few weeks I have had this overwhelming fear of dying and leaving my daughter with no mother.  I have self diagnosed myself with literally EVERYTHING thanks in part to Dr. Google. Its like I am looking for a terminal illness that is just hanging out in my body.  I have gone to the doctor and they have examined me and drawn blood.  Everything is fine, but for some reason that is just not enough for me to relax.

Can postpartum depression or anxiety NOT be related to depression or anxiety about your baby, but rather to health issues?

Has anyone experienced these feelings before?  I plan on calling my doctor tomorrow, but I thought I would check here also. 

BenandSuzy

Yes, mine started in January after reading a book in which the mother of two children dies of breast cancer.  For two weeks I self-diagnosed myself with all kinds of things, and one day it snowballed in a sort of panic attack, and I have had overwhelming anxiety ever since.  I finally have tried meds after fighting it for 4 months, but I couldn't do it anymore.  The meds still haven't really kicked in a whole lot, but I have hope.  I lost a lot of weight, and I wake up extremely nervous every single day, and it lasts basically all day.  I don't know if mine is PP related, as my baby was 14 months, and it happened 7 months after weaning, but it is still the most miserable and difficult thing I have dealt with thus far.  

Let me know if you have any questions.  And hope you are feeling better soon! 

mrs.vanderwall

Yes, yes, yes.  I have this same problem. I'm also on medication (lexapro) for it.  I had to up my dosage from 20 to 40mg after I had DD because my anxiety was so bad.  I do the same thing with my health.  Every headache is a brain tumor, every mole is skin cancer, everything is lethal.  And I do it constantly.  I've been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and also OCD.  The lexapro helps, but I also see a therapist every two weeks to talk to her about all of my issues. I would call your dr. and explain the situation.  It might not be PPD/PPA, but it could just be anxiety.  GL and PM if you need to talk or have any other questions.  I'm always around and have been experiencing issues related to anxiety for four years.  I'd love to talk to you if you need someone to talk to. 

StarryNight39

Yup, i also have the same thing. If I have a toothache - I have an abscessed tooth which is going to brain and I am going to die. Headache - brain aneurysm. The list goes on. I am on meds (but I have a whole host of issues) and well as BDT and weekly therapy meetings. 

Good Luck  

kates_mommy

ME ME ME ! It's my worst fear and I think about it constantly. It can become hard to enjoy her because that just gets in the way. IDK what to do about it. I'm glad others have the same issue and i'm not alone in my craziness Doesn't help that i'm a hospice nurse...

Sweeti7307

from experience, anxiety is very very physical. i know a girl that thought she had a heart condition all her life and just found out it was anxiety all along. i think because your chemicals are out of wack after baby, that it is triggering the anxiety. but let me tell you, it is soooooo treatable. from my experience, i went from contemplating suicide to being myself again in not a very long time span. it took a lot of hard work and some scary times but with medicine and the help of a great psychologist, i am doing very well. make sure to discuss this with your doctor so you can start the treatment right away. the longer you wait, the harder it is to recover.good luck!