The Black Dog Gang

Can I slip in here quietly please? You don't need to pay me any attention. Loads of people worse off than me.

Sorry not been with you all for a little while, am having
EMDR therapy and recent sessions have been very difficult.

Dawn I have only be cut out of my sisters lives for two years , I have no in laws, my husband died over 40 years ago.

Your in laws have cut you out of their lives, do you have family ?

Gonegirl hello, everyone one here is worthy of attention x

Hello Annie sorry to hear your sessions have been difficult.
I wanted to say your posts here and on the MH thread have helped me enormously - they have made me look at things very differently. Just wanted you to know. Thank you.

megan how kind thank you .

Some of the sessions have been difficult but if they help it will all be worth it.

I feel strongly about speaking out about mental health problems, we should feel the same about saying I am struggling with depression, anxiety, phobias, as we do if we have broken a leg, arm, wrist etc.

Physical problems are shared , so must emotional problems.

Over forty years ago I suffered Post Natal Depression, it wasn’t talked about then, I didn’t know I was suffering from it ! I was so isolated and when I got through it I decided
I would speak openly about it, thankfuly it is now recognised and spoken of. So should any mental health problems.

Hi, can I join in, I'm enjoying reading how your all getting on. I feel a bit of a fraud, because I'm not depressed, but suffer from anxiety, caused by having a phobia of vomiting, it's called emetophobia. I finally plucked up that courage to tell the Dr last week, who was amazing, she has recommended CBT and antidepressant sertraline.I am supposed to start taking it tomorrow, but I'm already anxious about it, as one of the side effects is nausea, typical, the one thing I'm trying to avoid. Anybody else have phobias ? .

Hi Katyja you have a phobia so impossible to be a fraud here .

Great that you sought help and your doctor was understanding, perhaps the side effect of nausea may not affect you and CBT will help too.

I have agoraphobia and food phobia, am having EMDR for the agoraphobia. The food phobia is simply because I have an ulcer, some years ago I had an ulcer and it popped, pain was grim, so when another stomach ulcer was diagnosed I became fearful of it happening again . So realy my fear is not of food but fear of food affecting the ulcer , if that makes sense .

Do let us know how the treatment goes for you, good for you to unload here and it will help others here who are struggling .

Good luck x

Well come Gonegirl think we all need someone really good to talk, lots of support on hear ...

Thank you Annie and joce.

Hi I haven't been on here for a while but have been on other posts. I have had health anxiety all my life only I didn't know it was called that, I have improved as I got older but it's still there as generalised anxiety. The GP only offered counselling which is not what I want, like Katij I would want some tranquillisers, which could also help my high blood pressure, but already checking the side effects! Also lately I've started not wanting to go away on holiday which always loved, no particular fear just uneasiness. Nice to know I'm not the only one with these issues.

Hi gonegirl, I always think there is some one else worse than me, and may be there is but we all know how we feel no one else feels your pain.. seem to me like on here they are all hear for one another, a good place to come

katyj I'm sure lots of people develop phobias that they can't understand. Due to many horrible life events, I have always been generally anxious and afraid of everything but it's not until last year that I developed a particular phobia that I can't seem to get a handle on. It is so ridiculous I am having trouble putting it down here. I have a phobia of having my blood pressure taken! I have been on medication for 15 years for BP and everything has been fine. Then last year (after a spell of trauma in my life) I took my BP on our home machine and it was a bit high. I panicked and it was going through the roof. I couldn't sleep for fear of having a stoke or heart attack. My GP took it a couple of times but I was in such a state that it was sky high. She didn't seem unduly worried and said 'go home and forget about it'. I'm trying to think, well if she's not concerned why should I be. But I am. I am constantly waiting to collapse. How ridiculous is that?

KatyK a very common phobia, ‘white coat phobia’ , blood pressure taken and up it goes, so many suffer from it , it isn’t ridiculous,

Perhaps try ‘mindfulness ‘ ? It helps to calm thoughts ,

KatyK I could have written your post myself! That's exactly what has happened to me recently. I do have high bp but usually managed through medication. Then it suddenly went up and I ended in A&E to find the causes. I was prescribed additional medication but like you I now have a phobia of having it taken or even to take it myself! A 24hr monitor showed acceptable figures but I still avoid to check it myself. I thought I was the only one with this weird phobia!

Thank you Annie and Bluesky. You certainly help to make me feel better. Bluesky Since I have had this problem, I have researched it. There are many, many people with it, even online forums with people asking for help and reassurance. That's what I'm afraid of - ending up in hospital (what a baby I am). My GP tried to explain it (I wouldn't wear a monitor as I think that would make me worse). She said it would have to be high for a long time for me to have a problem and that she had given me an indepth blood test and there is nothing wrong. I think trying to stay calm is the trick but I find it almost impossible.

Thanks KatyK yes something to calm us down, herbal tablets maybe, they shouldn't do any harm? But just knowing I'm not the only one with this phobia has helped already!

I'm glad to hear it Bluesky.

Annie, your phobia makes perfect sense to me, although there is usually no sense to phobias, they are totally irrational, but very real to the sufferer unfortunately You have been through so much it's hardly surprising.I really hope your treatment becomes easier for you to bear, and successful very soon.
It seems I'm not the only one with a phobia. I know exactly were your coming from with your phobias regarding bp. I too have a high bp despite being on medication.It's now written on my records that I have white coat syndrome so my bp is never checked in the surgery , I do it at home, if I saw a significant change I would tell them.
I'm dissapointed with myself I haven't started my medication today, chickened out, due to fear of the side effects of nausea. Going to try again tomorrow. Anxiety is the most awful things. Hope we all feel better soon.

Katyj are the tablets in capsul or pill form ?

Pill form Annie 50mg.Thinking about cutting them in half for tomorrow, less scary as you can see I'm a big wuss

I am on fluoxetine have been for a number of years... and for most of the time I had bad diarea (not sure of the spelling) problems to eventually be told it was the fluoxetine.. I changed to the liquid form and had no diarea problems since. They were the capsul form. There is some thin in the coating that can do this I believe...

Katyj i am not advising the following but sharing my problem with anti biotics, start a course by taking half a tablet , so you are not a big wuss, if you were I would be too?

Joce Good you found the change from capsul to liquid medication cleared up the diarrhoea problem

Anniebach
Really hope the EMDR helps you. That is a new therapy l think. Yes family dysfunction does lead to a certain amount of general unhappiness. I have grown up children but l try to concentrate on my friends to fill the void at this time of my life.
Take care Anniebach and we will keep in touch. Dawn

Hi Joce345
I hope your anxiety will decrease shortly. The more we think about it the worse we get. Distraction is the best thing of all as l have had anxiety myself so l know what it is like.
I have been researching natural remedies for anxiety. Currently l take lemonbalm tea bags in the morning and next week l will try Dandelion tea. They are soothing. Maybe worth a try.
Take care Joce345 as we all must as best we can. Dawn.

Dawn how are you ? I am concerned you speak of a void, may I ask if your children live near you? Do they have contact with your in laws?

You are right , family breakdowns do cause unhappiness