Need To Get It Off My Chest

[huskerfanfl]

I have finally swallowed my darn pride and admitted I need help and am going to the mental health clinic on Monday.

Here are the reason why:

I have been having chest pains with heart palpitations, sweats, and occasional numbness in my arm since 2001. This started after I had ran a 10 mile race. I went to the emergency room with the above symptoms a headache and a nose that had been bleeding off and on for 8 hours. Diadnosis high blood pressure. I then ran a race 2 weeks later (13.1 miles) after getting medical clearance from a stress test and heart doctor. 3 days later I was jogging home and my hip was hurting. Got home and sat for 10 minutes when I sttod up hip would not hold me: diagnosis hip bursitis. My chest pains continued and I kept telling the doctor. One night at Wal-Mart it got really bad so I went to the Emergency room. Heart Cath done, have a good heart, check gall bladder etc. everything okay. Chest pains continue.

Since retirement in September 2004, I have isolated myself more and more from family, not enjoying going out, tired of the pain in various parts of my body to the point where I thought about buying a gun. Three months ago my back went out for third time since retirement and as I was driving home, thought the underpass wall looked like a good way to stop pain. Luckily my cell phone rang and distracted me. The chest pains and heart palpitations are coming more frquently (7-8 times per week) and I am at my wits end.

My wife is getting on me for staying in the bedroom, I had to change jobs at work to keep me away from other people, I need to constantly be on guard against thoughts that lead me to believe that there is a way to escape the pain. Of course it does not help that I only sleep 3-4 hours per night because of that pain and thinking houw much it sucks.

My wife has a good friend who she was complaining to, the freind told my wife that I needed to seek help.

[Tbird]

psych problems do cause physical pain, it doesn't mean the pain isn't real, it's real alright. ptsd like others have said can have many physical symptoms, ibs, migraines, and others. sometimes we live a long time numb to our bodies, unaware that we are even having pain and then boom one day it hits you.

get the help you need, and please be kind to yourself

[huskerfanfl]

I just got back from the VA clinic. The psychiatrist that I saw diagnosed me with anxiety/depressinon and prescribed counseling and Celexa. She said that the two are definitely tied to the disabilites that I have. I really did not get the definitive diagnosis.

Edited August 7, 2006 by huskerfanfl