Social Anxiety Support

SciFiGeek17 · 10-19-2009, 05:51 AM

Ok, so, to get an understanding of me, I'm gonna have to explain things from when I was a kid.

When I was 11 years old, I kind of had a weird experience. I was in the bathroom, finishing up going when my mom started knocking on the door saying she needed to get something. And after asking her to wait, she said I was taking too long and came in, and grabbed what she needed and left.

I was pretty shocked-not to mention embarrassing that my mom saw me somewhat exposed as I was trying to relax and go-but it made me start thinking consciously, that-maybe I take too long!

I didn't have much problem until 2 years later(during puberty) and it went away, but then it came back again. And my mom figured I had like a bladder infection, so she took me to the doctor and there was no infection.
I've been to 4 doctors through my teen years and every time I did not have a bladder infection and they didn't know what was up with me.

When I was 18, I started to get over my shy bladder. I got on a plan and traveled across the state to visit my aunt and cousins. And I joined in activities and didn't have a problem.

Until I got back home. I was suffering from a really bad case of Hives, when the doctors realized how high my blood pressure was! I was sent to a cardialogist and they found a problem with my heart. My aorta had a gap in it, since birth! And it was undetected for 18 years.

I had heart surgery and after about 9 months I recovered and was back to my normal self without any problems. Well the following summer, my heart doctor noticed a problem and told me I had to have another small surgery.

From that point of my life, I've been really paranoid, frustrated and home-bound! I'm not only having problems with my bladder outside of the house, but inside as well! And not just my bladder but my bowel movements!

I feel the urge to go practically all day! I go from 5-11 times a day! I don't eat much(so I'm always ironically saying that I'm going more then I'm eating!) I also go from diarrhea to constipation. And at night is the worse!
It also seems to affect my bladder at times. If I'm having trouble going, my bladder feels a constant pressure. So its hard to relax and lay down with both hurting!

I'm majorly afraid to go outside of the house. I just moved and I don't feel comfortable at all! I don't need a doctor to tell me what’s wrong with me, cause I believe its mostly in my head.

But I wondering, does anyone think this is in my head or is it cause from my heart problem???

My thoughts are constantly on my bladder and colon! I can't seem to distract myself with music, movies, games or anything really! I feel so trapped by this!

It'd be nice to maybe meet someone here who is going through something similar as me or has already gone through it and has some advice!

I am a 21 year old american female!

cyndy · 10-20-2009, 05:40 PM

your problems may be both in your body and your head...
your heart issue must have other impacts on your whole body, things you may not even think would be connected. and we all know anxiety and depression can mess us up physically in very real ways (so the term "in your head" is probably not accurate).
perhaps a doc visit *could* help if there are meds for your heart condition, and you could try an ssri or other anti-anxiety, maybe even a muscle relaxant to relieve the tenseness you probably feel in your bladder.
i have problems going also, like if you take an anti histamine sometimes it makes you feel like you have to pee but you sit and wait and ...nothing. that happens to me even when i haven't taken an anti histamine. and public bathrooms or trying to go when i think someone can hear me, forget about it!!!! serious performance anxiety for me there!
good luck and i hope you find relief

ecotec83 · 10-20-2009, 07:41 PM

Have you been checked for irritable bowel and similar conditions? I went through a year of absolute misery because of IBS. Going 5-6 times a day coupled with my fear of public bathrooms ended up costing me a good job.

It is also possible that your anxiety over you heart,bladder and bowel problems are actually making them worse. Anxiety can do a lot of strange things to your body.

SciFiGeek17 · 10-21-2009, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyndy

your problems may be both in your body and your head...
your heart issue must have other impacts on your whole body, things you may not even think would be connected. and we all know anxiety and depression can mess us up physically in very real ways (so the term "in your head" is probably not accurate).
perhaps a doc visit *could* help if there are meds for your heart condition, and you could try an ssri or other anti-anxiety, maybe even a muscle relaxant to relieve the tenseness you probably feel in your bladder.
i have problems going also, like if you take an anti histamine sometimes it makes you feel like you have to pee but you sit and wait and ...nothing. that happens to me even when i haven't taken an anti histamine. and public bathrooms or trying to go when i think someone can hear me, forget about it!!!! serious performance anxiety for me there!
good luck and i hope you find relief

I have meds for my heart that I take.

I've taken this miner muscle relaxer called Valerian Root. I use to take it alot, but it always seems to put me in a 'sleepy mood' all night and day. I also use to take stuff to make me sleep at night when I can't and I just end up with hazy days, so...

I'm trying to find relief. Thanks for your feedback! Very much apprecaited!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecotec83

Have you been checked for irritable bowel and similar conditions? I went through a year of absolute misery because of IBS. Going 5-6 times a day coupled with my fear of public bathrooms ended up costing me a good job.

It is also possible that your anxiety over you heart,bladder and bowel problems are actually making them worse. Anxiety can do a lot of strange things to your body.

I've checked online and I think I have IBS. It wasn't always this way. It happened a few months after I was 19(after my second surgery). And since I moved early this year, its been worse.

A major percentage could most likely be anxiety. I'll try and look into what I could do for that!

Thanks very much for your feedback!

rachelynn · 10-21-2009, 04:20 AM

Wow, I think I know how you feel! i have a digestive problem, for the past 3 years, and it controls me. I can relate to several things you've said. I really think I have crohn's or celiac disease. I can't find out for sure though. I hate doctors and medicine and all that stuff. This year I managed to see some about my problems though but just as I thought they were hardly any help to me because I do not want to go through tests or surgery. =/ I am also home-bound and frustrated. I feel trapped too, I've wrote a blog entry here about feeling trapped once.

SciFiGeek17 · 10-21-2009, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachelynn

Wow, I think I know how you feel! i have a digestive problem, for the past 3 years, and it controls me. I can relate to several things you've said. I really think I have crohn's or celiac disease. I can't find out for sure though. I hate doctors and medicine and all that stuff. This year I managed to see some about my problems though but just as I thought they were hardly any help to me because I do not want to go through tests or surgery. =/ I am also home-bound and frustrated. I feel trapped too, I've wrote a blog entry here about feeling trapped once.

It's just for me. I'm such a private person and such high morals, I feel so freaked and uncomfortable with people looking at me and going through all the tests. I went through enough tests and surgies with my heart that I just can't handle it anymore.

And I live so far from hospitals and doctors offices that by the time I get there my pain is really bad, I'm very far from my comfort zone and can't speak very well. I get so nervous and scared.

And I had really mean nurses throughout my recovery. I mean, like them telling me to 'stop crying' 'stop complaining' 'be quiet' 'go back to sleep' 'it's not that bad'. And everytime I asked for something, they were very reluctant and told me to wait or ignore me! I hated being there!

The second surgery, I wasn'y allowed to sit up, I had to laid flat for hours, and I was feeling really sick and had to puke, but there was no where to do it and I couldn't call for help, so I puked on myself and the nurse was so pissed at me!

ecotec83 · 10-21-2009, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SciFiGeek17

I have meds for my heart that I take.

I've taken this miner muscle relaxer called Valerian Root. I use to take it alot, but it always seems to put me in a 'sleepy mood' all night and day. I also use to take stuff to make me sleep at night when I can't and I just end up with hazy days, so...

I'm trying to find relief. Thanks for your feedback! Very much apprecaited!

I've checked online and I think I have IBS. It wasn't always this way. It happened a few months after I was 19(after my second surgery). And since I moved early this year, its been worse.

A major percentage could most likely be anxiety. I'll try and look into what I could do for that!

Thanks very much for your feedback!

Mine was very similar, the problem showed up during a stressful time in my life and got worse when i moved and started a new job. It took about a year but it mostly resolved itself. I think anxiety and stress can be a trigger.

SciFiGeek17 · 10-22-2009, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecotec83

Mine was very similar, the problem showed up during a stressful time in my life and got worse when i moved and started a new job. It took about a year but it mostly resolved itself. I think anxiety and stress can be a trigger.

Yeah, I'm starting to feel a bit more positive. I'm glad I found this place, cause it seems to have helped, just knowing I'm not the only one in the world who feels like this.

10-19-2009, 05:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
SciFiGeek17 Status: Learning To Accept MySelf Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: USA Gender: Female Age: 21 Posts: 43	Despressed & Trapped! Ok, so, to get an understanding of me, I'm gonna have to explain things from when I was a kid. When I was 11 years old, I kind of had a weird experience. I was in the bathroom, finishing up going when my mom started knocking on the door saying she needed to get something. And after asking her to wait, she said I was taking too long and came in, and grabbed what she needed and left. I was pretty shocked-not to mention embarrassing that my mom saw me somewhat exposed as I was trying to relax and go-but it made me start thinking consciously, that-maybe I take too long! I didn't have much problem until 2 years later(during puberty) and it went away, but then it came back again. And my mom figured I had like a bladder infection, so she took me to the doctor and there was no infection. I've been to 4 doctors through my teen years and every time I did not have a bladder infection and they didn't know what was up with me. When I was 18, I started to get over my shy bladder. I got on a plan and traveled across the state to visit my aunt and cousins. And I joined in activities and didn't have a problem. Until I got back home. I was suffering from a really bad case of Hives, when the doctors realized how high my blood pressure was! I was sent to a cardialogist and they found a problem with my heart. My aorta had a gap in it, since birth! And it was undetected for 18 years. I had heart surgery and after about 9 months I recovered and was back to my normal self without any problems. Well the following summer, my heart doctor noticed a problem and told me I had to have another small surgery. From that point of my life, I've been really paranoid, frustrated and home-bound! I'm not only having problems with my bladder outside of the house, but inside as well! And not just my bladder but my bowel movements! I feel the urge to go practically all day! I go from 5-11 times a day! I don't eat much(so I'm always ironically saying that I'm going more then I'm eating!) I also go from diarrhea to constipation. And at night is the worse! It also seems to affect my bladder at times. If I'm having trouble going, my bladder feels a constant pressure. So its hard to relax and lay down with both hurting! I'm majorly afraid to go outside of the house. I just moved and I don't feel comfortable at all! I don't need a doctor to tell me what’s wrong with me, cause I believe its mostly in my head. But I wondering, does anyone think this is in my head or is it cause from my heart problem??? My thoughts are constantly on my bladder and colon! I can't seem to distract myself with music, movies, games or anything really! I feel so trapped by this! It'd be nice to maybe meet someone here who is going through something similar as me or has already gone through it and has some advice! I am a 21 year old american female!

10-20-2009, 05:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
cyndy Status: pain helps a lot Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: maryland Gender: Female Age: 38 Posts: 118	your problems may be both in your body and your head... your heart issue must have other impacts on your whole body, things you may not even think would be connected. and we all know anxiety and depression can mess us up physically in very real ways (so the term "in your head" is probably not accurate). perhaps a doc visit could help if there are meds for your heart condition, and you could try an ssri or other anti-anxiety, maybe even a muscle relaxant to relieve the tenseness you probably feel in your bladder. i have problems going also, like if you take an anti histamine sometimes it makes you feel like you have to pee but you sit and wait and ...nothing. that happens to me even when i haven't taken an anti histamine. and public bathrooms or trying to go when i think someone can hear me, forget about it!!!! serious performance anxiety for me there! good luck and i hope you find relief __________________ social phobia, panic disorder w/agoraphobia, gad, depression(mild) current meds: buspirone 10mg 2x day, paroxetine 10mg, clonazepam 1.5mg inhale what i am, exhale what i think i am inhale exhale by henry rollins

10-20-2009, 07:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
ecotec83 Status: Ascending from the dark Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Belleville, Ontario, Canada Gender: Male Age: 26 Posts: 367	Have you been checked for irritable bowel and similar conditions? I went through a year of absolute misery because of IBS. Going 5-6 times a day coupled with my fear of public bathrooms ended up costing me a good job. It is also possible that your anxiety over you heart,bladder and bowel problems are actually making them worse. Anxiety can do a lot of strange things to your body. __________________ ~Our greatest battles are those with our own mind.~

10-21-2009, 04:20 AM	#5 (permalink)
rachelynn Status: Daydreaming Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: USA Gender: Female Age: 20 Posts: 362	Wow, I think I know how you feel! i have a digestive problem, for the past 3 years, and it controls me. I can relate to several things you've said. I really think I have crohn's or celiac disease. I can't find out for sure though. I hate doctors and medicine and all that stuff. This year I managed to see some about my problems though but just as I thought they were hardly any help to me because I do not want to go through tests or surgery. =/ I am also home-bound and frustrated. I feel trapped too, I've wrote a blog entry here about feeling trapped once. __________________ I can lose touch with reality, but reality will never lose touch with me.