Do You Think It's Anxiety?

I'm not a doctor, but I think you need to address your anxiety problems.

I am a very anxious person. It really affects my health and runs me down because I don't sleep well, which makes me tired during the day. It's also caused numerous health problems by diminishing my immune system.

I would also advise some counseling to get to the bottom of your fears.
After a car accident, I was terrified to drive for the longest time. Literally scared to death. I had to deal with the fear of the incident itself, and not so much the fear of driving.

You need to get some help and deal with your fears one at a time.
Break it down into doable doses and work through your issues.
Trust me, you can do it. You will feel much better. You might even need a little medication to take the edge off so that you're not so overwhelmed by everything. There's nothing wrong with that.

You're a young woman. You shouldn't feel older than your time.
Be open with your doctor and see what they can do to help you.
I manage to function quite well without having anxiety attacks anymore.
It's worth it if you can rest and not be afraid of every single thing. It's not good to transfer that onto your child.

Make an appointment and speak frankly with your doctor.

Best wishes.

Heart palpitations, being very anxious and restless and tired - all are classic symptoms of hyperthyroid.
See a doctor and have them check your thyroid levels.
Hyperthyroid isn't good for your heart on top of your valve issue and it can cause problems with your eyes too (hyperthyroid people sometimes develop eyes that seem to bulge out of their sockets - like Marty Feldman).
Depression could also be a factor.
When my son was 1.5 yrs old I suffered from trying to be super Mom all the time - I was getting less than 6 hrs sleep a night (I just could NOT sleep any longer) and just felt 'on' all the time.
6 months on Zoloft helped enormously.
After a few weeks it seemed like the hair on the back of my neck stopped standing on end all the time and I could sleep longer and better.

I was having the same symptoms in the spring of last year. I saw my primary, who discovered I had primary ovarian failure. Basically, I was going through early menopause at 36 years old. I had all my hormone levels extensively tested, and am doing much better now on HRT.
I thought I was having anxiety attacks and the moods were awful. The scariest was the palpitations. Hormones may not be your problem, but make sure they do a full hormone panel on you, including thyroid.

I agree with the other responders, you need to get yourself to a doctor, pronto! One other thing to have checked is your hormone levels: a lot of the symptoms you describe sound like early menopause. You are WAY too young for menopause, so that would just be another indication that something is medically wrong. Don't mean to scare you more, but I do hope you take this advice to heart and get to the doctor quickly. The biggest gift you can give your daughter is your own health! Good luck and please keep us posted.

oh, my dear. it could well be anxiety, which is in itself debilitating at its worst, and this is pretty severe. i'm so glad to see your final sentence, which is so very true and may the motivating factor you need to get help, since folks suffering this degree of depression and anxiety often are too paralyzed to get help on their own behalf.
you do not have to live this way. you can show your daughter (not just tell her, kids learn what they experience, not what they say) that life is full of joy and wonder, and that she is in charge of her own destiny and her own thoughts. show her by doing it yourself. get help today. it may be therapy, it may be meds, it may be diet and exercise, it may be all of these and more. but steadfastly refuse to accept this misery as the status quo. go out and get help today, and start enjoying life again.
i'm rooting for you, mama!
khairete
S.

yes.. this is absolutely anxiety.. and depression .. they go hand in hand.

go to a medical dr. and a psychologist.. asap.. get better...

You have overcome the BIGGEST hurdle in this....you are aware that something is not right.

You sound exactly like me a few years ago. I made it through the worst of it with just therapy (the thought of taking meds made me even more anxious). I now still have anxiety, but no where near where I was (or where you are now).

Please please please see a therapist. I would not go to your GP unless you just want meds or need a referral. However, if you go and ask for some simple bloodwork, to check thyroid, vitamin B, vitamin D it would let you know if there may be something triggering this And please do not think you have to go to the first therapist you choose. Shop around until you find one you click with.

Get the book Anxiety and Phobia workbook. http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Workbook-Edmund-Bour.... And go through it.

Read as much about anxiety and hypochondria as you can. Realizing that what you are going through is anxiety and what you are feeling is totally normal for anxiety is so liberating. WIll not cure anything, but will lessen some anxiety. DO NOT GOOGLE symptoms. If you feel the need to google, google anxiety.

It will not get better overnight. But you have taken the first step!

Please message me if you need someone to talk to. I know exactly how you are feeling.

I wanted to add after reading the other comments...I agree with all of them to get medically checked out. There could be a cause about this. But too many times I have seen dr who when I explain symptoms, they say...heres and antidepressant or anti anxiety. Do not let them simply to do this. Say you want to get to the bottom of it and find out if there is a reason why you are feeling this way.

Have you had a complete physical lately? This could rule out any actual medical conditions that would be causing these issues. I was having heart palpitations, bone pain, sleep issues, and a lot of random pain. After a complete physical it turned out I had low Vitamin D levels. Within a couple weeks of taking a high dosage supplement all the symptoms decreased and went away. Thyroid issues can cause your symptoms and so can hormone issues. Before you write things off as being depressed please look into other medical issues that could be playing into all this.

First of all, I really want you to have you thyroid checked. Hypothyroidism can cause everything you are talking about. All it takes is a blood test and the solution is a daily thyroid supplement.

Hypo-t can also contribute to depression, which you may have.

Anxiety and stress can cause hypochondria -- I went through a bout of hypochondria when the kids were little where I was sure I was dying of all kinds of cancer.

So first, have the low thyroid ruled out. That is critical. Second, I'm no doctor, so I shouldn't recommend things, but I have a slight tendency toward anxiety, and as I was just going through an extremely anxious period, some friends recommended a drug, which has completely alleviated the anxiety. I will tell you what it is once you've had your thyroid checked.

HRT works, per what MamaDuck said, but you are too young to need that.

It's sounds like you do have anxiety and some depression. It could also be hormone related. I would definitely talk with a doctor about it. In the mean time, you might want to get a book about cognitive therapy. It is where you write down what you are anxious about and then write responses that help you see the situation more objectively.

Years ago I read a book called "Feeling Good the new Mood Therapy" By David Burn (I think that's the author.) But I'm sure there are plenty of resources online for "cognitive therapy".

The other thing that really helps is exercise. I don't know the age of your daughter, but you could go for a long walk with her in the stroller. Exercise has been proven to help with depression...especially vigorous exercise (check with your doctor because of your heart condition.

There's also nothing wrong with taking an antidepressent if you need one.

Have you talked to a doctor about this? You need to be dealing with the issue of possible depression and possible anxiety disorder. With the right medication and some counseling, you could be living life a LOT better.

I'd ask your regular doctor if you can see a nutritionist. You should have bloodwork done - your iron checked at the very least.

Look, you are what you eat, so if you aren't eating very well, which I suspect that you aren't, you're going to feel bad and tired. The wrose you feel, more stressed you are, and then you can't get past it all. Work on eating right, making sure your bloodwork is clean, and then work on your depression and anxiety with a psychiatrist.

Being afraid to live will hurt your child. Life is WORTH living, and you are worth it, too.

Dawn

You need to get some professional help for the sake of your child. Get a referral,from your MD and make an appointment ASAP.

Anxiety and depression, at minimum. Please seek professional help before it gets any worse, because, honestly, it sounds pretty crippling. Your child needs a happy, healthy mom.

Good luck.

First I want you to know you are not alone. So many of us suffer from anxiety and depression. Its an awful awful feeling and those who have never felt it just do not understand. I suffer from anxiety where I was always going to the dr. I would think I felt lumps. My dr kept trying to get me to take meds and I did not want to. Then I reached my breaking point where I was convinced I was having a heart attack. I literally went to the er they tested me from a to z. I was still not convinced. I would just panic 24 hrs a day. I finally went on meds I take paxil. And let me tell you it saved me. I also have therapy but my anxiety is so ocd that no matter what a therapist did or said was just not going to work on its own. Anxiety disorder is a medical condition just like diabetes or any other illness and needs to be treated. I always said I would never take meds. Well now I say I will never live without them. I am dealing with a sick mother right now so I am depressed but thank god I am on meds bc I think if I wasn't I would have really lost it. You will be okay. But please get help you should not suffer alone. You will feel better I promise you that. I know right now you prob feel like it will never get better that's how I was. But I swear it will. Once you address it you will be amazed at how happy you will be. Good luck and hugs to you!!!

Zoloft will really help with this.

Dear M.,
It's always a good idea to get a second and third opinion. It sounds like you need that re-assurance. Only a M.D. can tell you for sure if your symptoms are caused by anxiety or not, as a Certified School Counselor who deals with many stress and anxiety related incidents, I would dare to say that you are probably adding extra stress on yourself due to the uncertainty of the degree of your condition. Get that second or third opinion and enjoy everyday you have with your toddler, non of us know when our time will be up. Best wishes and hope everything works out soon!