anyone else having problems with anxiety

[lost]

I am new to this whole thing still not diagnosed but two doctors have said their pretty sure that it is ic but im going to see a specialist for a proper diagnosis...and i have been reading through everything and i just want to know are others having intense anxiety as i am surrounding this issue...i mean this problem started a year ago in my gr 12 year and the anxiety wasnt always there it came after people started to notice i was going all the time ....and then i guess in all the confusion of trying to figure out what was going on with me I started to worry my bladder just wouldnt hold so the anxiety just built and built and its almost like 50/50 now the bladder problem is bad but the anxiety is just as bad...i dont go out, if i see my friends they come to my house only becuase i can slip away if i have to go, i barely made it out of gr 12 becuase i missed so much school i was accepted to a univercity of my choice and i turned it down basically every plan i had i have let go until i get this anxiety and bladder problems under control...my whole life now is lieing to my friends and some family to avoid any situation that might be difficult for me to get out of ...i feel like a shut in and the anxiety is just making things worse i know ..is it just me with this debilitating anxiety...i worry about going all the time and i also worry i wont be able to hold it ..i have never had incontenece and went before i made it but its my biggest fear

is it just me?

[traceann]

Hey Lost, I can relate to how you feel! The funny thing was, at the time, I didn't even know I had a problem (months before IC diagnosis). I knew I just had to pee all the time. I hated going places if I couldn't map out where the bathrooms were, lol. Or going over to visit some very good friends of my husband's, they are like family to him and I would get anxious about it - and the thought of having to ask them where the bathroom was. I don't know why it freaked me out, I just felt self-conscious about it. ugh. So, if I had a head's up he'd want to pop in on them, I would limit what I drank. I had this thing about using bathrooms, lol. Mostly just self-consciousness. Crazy eh? But now, that's a thing of the past for me, I got a problem, -- if I gotta go, I go, lmao!!! Took me awhile to get to that mindset though...

I also started having panic attacks in the very beginning around the time of diagnosis. That was a weird feeling, I'd never had them before and they'd come right out of the blue, it was awful! But happy to report they went by the way side quickly! :)

But the anxiety I felt, was all in my "control" so to speak, and if someone suggested something out of my "comfort zone" I panicked! But then, my hubby and my good friends had the attitude of, "if you have to go 50 times before we get somewhere, oh well, no worries!" That helped me soooooo much...and wearing a pad just in case I didn't quite make it...LOL. It gave me a sense of comfort etc. And they are no worse than a menstrual pad now a days, so it was well worth the peace of mind it gave me!! :)

Hope this helps a little bit!!

Hugs!
:)

[poetgirl]

I suffered with plenty of anxiety before too. As a kid, I had some weird anxiety about going to the bathroom in public places. Of course, it didn't help that I had a slightly overactive bladder even back then, and that I was in the early stages of IBS. I would get so weirded out about using the toilet anywhere if it wasn't routine that I would have to have the school call my mom to take me home (she was NOT too happy about that.)

But yeah, when I am more anxious about going somewhere that my access to a bathroom might be limited, my bladder tends to kick up a bit. I either try to distract myself or do deep breathing to relax my abdomen. I got to where I didn't want to go places because of it, but finally just said that I didn't want my life to pass me by either, so just went ahead and did it anyway. There's a post in here somewhere where I talk about my trip to Honduras this past year where I had to make the bus driver stop in the middle of nowhere because I couldn't hold it anymore. In retrospect, it's pretty hilarious. At the time, I wasn't too happy, but I got through it and all in all, I have no regrets about the trip. (Next time, I might bring some Poise pads, just in case!)

Have you spoken with a doctor about your anxiety? There are some forms of talk therapy that can help with the anxiety you describe, as well as medication. I think it's worth a shot -- you're too young to let your life pass you by!

Hope you feel better soon!

[lost]

thank you so much for replying ...after this whole year of feeling so alone with this i must say its nice to have a place to ask questions and have such great support

[traceann]

You are very welcome!! ;) We all try to help as best and as much as we can... :)

Hugs!

[Janie Miranda]

It's funny you were talking about having panic attacks right around time for your diagnosis. Right before my IC got really bad I had a couple of panic attacks. I had never had anything like that before and and went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. It was really strange but soon there after my IC went into overdrive. I haven't had any more panic attacks. When I had the panic attacks I was under a lot of stress because I had gotten a bad mammogram and thought I might have breast cancer. I ended up being fine but for a week or so I had extreme anxiety and then the couple of panic attacks. It makes me wonder if somehow those stress hormones bombarding my body didn't kick off IC .

[Hopeful Ic]

yes I do have anxiety all the time I do not know how you could not have it with this ic

[ibtracy]

Hi, from yet another anxiety sufferer. I have generalized anxiety disorder in addition to social anxiety. Since my IC diagnosis almost 2 years ago, it seems my anxiety has gotten much, much worse. I do believe large amounts of anxiety as well as stress exasberate IC symptoms and flare-ups. I know as soon as I get tense, the pain starts! :rolleyes:

Sorry for rambling...

Tracy K.

[songbird7]

I'm on anti anxiety medication that also helps relax the bladder. I've had anxiety before in my life but this business of never knowing what IC will do would make a saint anxious. I'm diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety. I am concerned about when I get older (I'll be 63 next month), and what will happen to me if my government agency takes me off the health plan and forces me onto Medicare, how I can pay for my meds. I fall right in between. I have a small savings and don't really qualify as low income. And all this causes anxiety for me which effects the IC. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers,
Warmly,
Songbird

[ICNDonna]

What you are describing is one reason many, if not most, people with IC benefit from working with a professional counselor in the time right after diagnosis.

My IC was diagnosed thirty years ago and what I found is that after those first few months, I became better able to handle the IC emotionally. You will too --- once you find which foods and drinks are a problem and which treatment options work best, you will have many really good days.

Sending warm encouraging hugs,
Donna

[Sarojini]

Donna's right -- my 2nd urologist referred me to a special therapist that specialized in people with chronic illness and it was very helpful. I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and bipolar II as well (as I found out later) and that makes things worse -- and I know that when I'm with other people the anxiety of always having to go makes things worse (ie, I feel bad about making them stop the car so I can run in somewhere and pee, or I just feel bad about getting up a bunch of times at the dinner table -- wonder if they're talkin' about me behind my back ;) ) -- however, therapy and anti-anxiety medication helped a lot and now I have little tricks to deal with that kind of negative thinking before it spirals out of control.

You will find your own "little tricks" too -- don't worry, it gets easier, and also, when you learn to deal with your own illness and explain it to others, you will usually find that many of them are much more understanding than you give them credit for :)

Also, for college, IC doesn't have to get in the way -- once you find treatment that helps you'll feel better, and also, IC is considered a disability in many ways, so you can go to your school's disability care office and discuss your problem with them, you know. They can help you by arranging special exam situations, for example, where you get extra time and are allowed to take the exam in a room right next to a bathroom! :)

[karen10]

I not only have suffered from anxiety myself, but I am a counselor that works with people who also suffer from anxiety (fortunately mine is well under control!). Not being able to urinate in public places (and I also struggle with this) is a type of social phobia (which is an anxiety) so that makes sense. I agree with Donna, you need to get some professional help at least to start with to learn how to manage it. You will learn! Foods can contribute to anxiety, sugar is one of them, but others can too whatever you're sensitive to. Control is at the heart of all anxiety, and so are neurotransmitters--they work together. It's very important that you get some help with this. Here is a quote that I like from one urologist who treats IC:

Kristene E. Whitmore, M.D., chairwoman of the Department of Urology, Philadelphia Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa. tells her patients that, as with all disorders of chronic pain, there is going to be a certain amount of anger, anxiety and depression. "I say to them, 'I have an 85 percent chance or greater to make you better, but I can't teach you how to cope with your illness, so you've got to get some help.' I encourage them to go for self-hypnosis, self-relaxation, and other coping techniques, or to seek therapy with psychologists, psychiatrists or therapists. I tell them, 'if you can't cope, you're not going to get better.'"

Hope this helps! It does get better.