Has anyone developed an anxiety disorder post m/c??

ECHC829

Long story short, I was dx with a missed m/c at 11wks.  Had my D&E the next day on 12/21.... so it's been almost 4 wks.

In those 4wks, I've become progressively worse in just random symptoms.  Nausea, chest pains, stomach aches, jittery, dizzy....   I did some self diagnosing and it really seems like its anxiety disorder, which I spoke to my OB about at my follow up visit.  I asked if it was just because my hormones were wacky, or if it's really just me.   It's just me. (she says)...

She doesn't think I need to start medication and I would also like to avoid that route if possible.  Does anyone have experience with this?  What have you done to help/alleviate the panic attacks and the random pains that just seem to come out of no where?   I hate feeling this way.

npilcher506

I am truly sorry for your loss. I experienced some of what you are describing. The anxiety has tapered off but my emotions are still out of whack. My OB felt that this was directly related to hormones and the fact that it was a horrible experience.

What you are describing sounds pretty intense. I can understand not wanting to take medication. Could your regular doctor help you out in this area? Maybe give you some coping mechanisms or suggestions.

My husband began having anxiety attacks when he was in college. It was awful for him, especially not knowing when or where they would occur. After an attack, he had horrible stomach and chest pain. For a while, he basically stayed home because he didn't want to risk an attack in public. He did end up on medication for about 8 months and then tapered off of it and never had any other issues.

Good luck to you. I hope you are able to find something that works for you. Again, I am so sorry for your loss. ((((Hugs)))))

taurus424

not sure what i developed. Still in the grieving period for sure. cant sleep, up most of the night. i can sleep for a short time...like last night slept from 10p-2a then wake up, look at the ceiling, wake up DH, talk, cry, then eventually about 4a fell back asleep.

i havent had the panic feeling yet but i am sure that they arent far behind this.

i find myself just blah. today i sat in the kitchen and looked out the window for an hour. didnt move, didnt talk, didnt cry just sat and stared.

i hope that this gets a smidge easier for all of us.

 

lauren.cus

I'm so sorry for your loss, but you're not alone. I've definitely been having panic/anxiety attacks and I've heard from some others on here that they've experienced it too...

KJsbabe

I'm sorry for your loss. About four months after my first MC I started to have som real anxiety issues. I felt like it had been so long since I had gotten pregnant and I started to wonder if I ever would again. My mind would race all day long "I'm not pregnant, I'm not pregnant". I felt anxious all the time, it was awful. At one point I had felt anxious every second of the day (except for sleeping) for three weeks straight. That's when I said, I have to do something about this. I tried to think back to times in my life when I had felt truly calm. The one thing I thought of was running. I ran XC in high school and it was always very calming for me. No matter what was going on in my life, braking up with a BF, drama with friends, grades... running always calmed me down. So, I started running again and that helped, a bit. It helped in the evenings, but I still had all day at work to deal with. So, I loaded up my iPod with every Beatles song I could find on line and I started listening to them non stop at work. That really help to calm my mind down. When your singing lyrics in your head it's hard to think about other things! I would say, just try some different things out and see what calms you. Maybe start a creative project or take an aerobics class. I really hope you find some peace.

jlr557

I had severe anxiety up until pretty recently. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, if my DH was even a few minutes late coming home from work i started to panic thinking something happened, it was just all really bad. I was put on meds to help me sleep and they helped, a lot. After about 4 weeks of them i decided to slowly stop taking them, i was able to sleep through the night but still panicked about my DH and just started to worry about everything and everyone.

I say its normal,  if its something you aren't able to deal with i think asking for meds to help is fine, but that's a personal choice. What you went through is traumatic, life changing, you're not alone. I hope you feel better soon.

jlr557

EHayes1183:

Long story short, I was dx with a missed m/c at 11wks.  Had my D&E the next day on 12/21.... so it's been almost 4 wks.

In those 4wks, I've become progressively worse in just random symptoms.  Nausea, chest pains, stomach aches, jittery, dizzy....   I did some self diagnosing and it really seems like its anxiety disorder, which I spoke to my OB about at my follow up visit.  I asked if it was just because my hormones were wacky, or if it's really just me.   It's just me. (she says)...

She doesn't think I need to start medication and I would also like to avoid that route if possible.  Does anyone have experience with this?  What have you done to help/alleviate the panic attacks and the random pains that just seem to come out of no where?   I hate feeling this way.

 

I had severe anxiety up until pretty recently. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, if my DH was even a few minutes late coming home from work i started to panic thinking something happened, it was just all really bad. I was put on meds to help me sleep and they helped, a lot. After about 4 weeks of them i decided to slowly stop taking them, i was able to sleep through the night but still panicked about my DH and just started to worry about everything and everyone.

I say its normal,  if its something you aren't able to deal with i think asking for meds to help is fine, but that's a personal choice. What you went through is traumatic, life changing, you're not alone. I hope you feel better soon.

alexislockwood1

I had my m/c almost 5 weeks ago and started feeling anxious 2 - 3 weeks after.  I have been experiencing agoraphobia (sp) as well.  Trying to get back into my routine but that is hard to do when I feel like I can't leave my house.  I have a history of anxiety disorder and have found that acupuncture really helps.  I have an appt scheduled for later this week.  If you don't want to go the meds route and it doesn't sound too weird to you (I know not everyone is sold on acupuncture) I definitely recommended it. I always feel like I get a reboot when I get it done.

 I hope you start to feel better soon.  We all have so many emotions and thought processes to deal with.  I am just beginning to accept that I will never be totally normal because this happened to me.  I just didn't believe it would happen to me, and now I won't be the same.  

 Good luck! 

ECHC829

Thank you all for your feedback.

 

KJs babe - I'm also an "ex-athlete" (I played FH through college)... I'm planning on starting on running again tomorrow and also doing some yoga.  I did some "visualization" last night before bed when I was having some bad chest pains.  The bikram-like breathing really helped them go away much quicker than usual.  Thanks for the tip.

Alexislockwood1 - I don't think acupuncture is too weird at all.  I've never done it, but I'm totally open to it.  I'll look into in my area.

Froggy76

KJsbabe:

I tried to think back to times in my life when I had felt truly calm. The one thing I thought of was running.

Ditto!  I was feeling really anxious and down yesterday so I finally went for a run.  It's been awhile since I've worked out, so it was short, but I felt a little better afterwards.  Hopefully, I can make a daily habit of it!