Help with my anxiety!!!?

I just found out last week that i have to go to court in januaray for a sexual assault (im the victum) and i have really bad anxiety to begin with, i also have a heart disease that causes my valves to not work right. In the past couple days i have been actually sick to my stomach, and i have had the shakes, I cant think of anything else, my breathing is just horrible!! it feels like i always have somoene sitting on my chest, i get dizzy spells all the time, and i have horrible nightmares at night, but last night before falling asleep, i had really bad chest pains and it was to the point i was crying and i felt like i actually couldnt breathe!!, my back is in constent pain... my doctor is away for a couple weeks...can anyone tell me if this is just normal to be stressed out.or should i get actual help for this now??

i get really warm when my breathing is at its worst, and when i get the dizzy spells, my left arm goes almost completely numb and my fingertips feel as those there are pricks in them like they had falling asleep!! And i actually can feel my heart skipping beats at times and it doesnt feel good,

Hi! I鈥檓 so sorry to hear your story. It sounds very much like you鈥檙e suffering from panic attacks. The good news is the following steps will eliminate (or significantly reduce) your panic attacks:

1. Breathe properly - if you control your breathing, you control panic. As soon as you notice the signs of anxiety, check your breathing: breathe in slowly through your nose pushing your tummy out (to the count of 5 or so). Breathe out slowly and for a bit longer (to the count of 7 or so) through your mouth. Do not breathe rapidly or shallowly (in the chest area). This will soon restore the balance of oxygen and you will feel a lot better.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! CBT is proven to be the most effective thing for panic attacks and social anxiety. It takes a bit of work, but it is super effective. (After 15 years of panic attacks, mine stopped completely). You can take a course for free online at: http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/elear... It has been funded by NHS Scotland and has had great results thus far.

3. Try relaxation exercise tapes (progressive muscular relaxation). They really help if you practise often enough. This site has instructions on how to do it without the tapes (and other useful info): http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resource...

I believe CBT will also help you with overcoming any issues you have about the assault. I hope you feel better soon. Best of luck and big hugs!

if it really as bad as you say it is, dont wait for your doctor to come back. try to make an appointment w/ your primary care physician or go to a walk in clinic. it sounds pretty serious and i think its going to get worse as the court date approaches. good luck!

What you are experiencing is normal given the circumstances. If there is a doctor on can see him/her. You can even go to the ER. Since the court date is a ways off you would probably benefit from seeing therapist to help you cope as well.

It sounds like a bad case of anxiety or panic attacks. You could see your primary doc but honestly it would be best to see a psychiatrist. There are drugs that are made to ease anxiety and help with panic attacks. I would also advice you to schedule a time to see a therapist. The panic feelings may not go away with medication alone - you may need to talk to a professional to process what you have gone through. It sounds like it was traumatic to you and may continue to be so with the pending court date. Seek help. There are therapist that deal with sexual abuse issues and they can help you work through this.

You need to see a doctor! I have horrible panic attacks and have even ended up in the emergency room for them. I have spoken to psychologists and psychiatrists and neither of them worked. Your doctor probably has a doctor covering for him that you can see while he is gone. They can put you on daily medication (zoloft, paxil, welbutrin, lexapro)(takes about 3 weeks to get fully into your system) to regulate you and give you other medication for "break-through" attacks that you take when you feel an attack coming on. These kind only take about 15 minutes to get into your system (I take xanax for mine). I went to see a biofeedback specialist that helps you focus on breathing and calming yourself down without medication and she really helped me too! If I feel the attack coming on I can sometimes ward it off with techniques she taught me.

Don't try to face it alone though. Certain times in our lives we need help getting through the stressful points, this sounds like this is one of those times for you. Good luck and if you need anything else...my e-mail is Lynne0101@yahoo.com

This really isn't normal to be this stressed out over something like that. Even in the most stressful situation I can think of this isn't normal. Its also odd that you are THIS stressed out about something you have to do in JANUARAY. It seems a bit odd to me that you are this worked up to the point you are having chest pains, can't breath, your sick to your stomach, and all of the other things you mentioned about something 6 MONTHS away. I understand that a very horrible thing happened to you and that makes it 10x as hard but whats going to happen the night before you have to go to court? You may go into cardiac arrest. I would go see your docotor so they can put you into counseling and possibily put you on some mediciation to help calm you down. Go to the ER or another doctor, they probably will want to do tests on your heart after your spell last night. Get things checked out and I hope everything starts going a bit smoother.