anxiety scale exercise

tommy_15 · Advanced User Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 348

http://www.agoraphobiaaustralia.org/

if you go to this link, and click on articals, then anxiety scale, theres a table that describes how bad your anxiety is in relative terms. Maybe this would make an interesting thread, and everyone can get to know other peoples stage of recovery, if we all have a look and post where we are ?

ill go first Laughing

i am agoraphobic.

ok, at the moment id probably break it down like this.

id say generally i would hover between 0 and 1, and on a rare occasion i will raise to level 2. Im very often completely relaxed and confident now though.

Now im turning 22 soon, i started having what i would call abnormal anxiety at about 14. by the time i was say 16, i would describe myself as having level 4 anxiety as an absolute minimum when out in public, and quite often having panic attacks in the 7-10 range.

now wasnt that fun Laughing

cmon everyone get posting !

FruitLooPs · Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2004 8:41 am Post subject:

Ok, I'll give it a shot.

I have specific SP. Most of the time i'm a 0 or 1, at home and round mates etc.

If there is a place where there is a party or something and the likelyhood of seeing or having to talk with a girl is higher - then probably 2, If I know for sure that a chick I know is going to be there and I will on no uncertain terms have to say something then i'll be 3 from that point on, possibly 4 if its really bad.

I also have found my fear of needles has gotten rather worse that I remember it, I always hated them and avoided them if possible (like never gave blood, gas rather than needle for anisthetic if poss etc).

But for my biological assesment 2 days ago for a medical study I had to have blood taken periodically for 3 hours so the needle had to stay in for the whole time.

I was not looking forward to it for weeks, but I knew that I had to face it sometime - and I was curious as to my blood type etc. I decided the best technique for me would be take a book to take my mind off the whole process.

Well on the day I took 2 books with me, one far side comedy and one on bush survival (lol i know random as it is). Didnt start off very well, she missed with the first attempt Confused

and I was probably a 4 on the scale of axiety, trying hard to focus on my book.

second attempt it was in, after about 5mins I more or less forgot about the needle (she hid it under a towel) and I got into my book, everything was going good laughed at jokes etc. Every 30mins she changed the bottle of blood, that wasn't a problem either. By about an hour through my anxiety was probably down to 1, still there but not really an issue.

I was flying through it, when I hit a really strange spot - 2 hours 30mins through, nearly done I was onto my bush survival book.

Out of nowhere I started to sweat more and feel more anxious, it elevated really fast like within a minute, soon my pants were sticking to me cos I was sweating so much - I tried my hardest to read the book, but it wasn't helping.

I felt my breathing change heart beat going faster and I was starting to mildly panic, I decided it must be the book - but I couldn't reach the far side book on the floor so i tried to get it with my foot, I couldn't. I tried the breathing exercises to calm down, but I just couldn't nothing was stopping it. By this time I was rather distressed, and the urge to be sick came on strongly - I had tears forming in the edge of my eyes. Shocked

I wanted to pull the needle out and just leave badly, but I knew I didn't know how to and would not be able to.

The nurse wasn't in the room, and there was nothing to be sick into - I thought I could hold it together, but just as she walked back into the room I threw up Confused

- not entirely though, I felt it come up but I didn't open my mouth. Luckily I had not had alot of breakfast, so I swollowed it back down without any coming out. Whew, wouldn't have helped my confidence around females vomiting infront of one.

She saw my distress and asked if i was going to be sick, i just sat there not moving or saying anything for a few seconds to make sure i wasn't goin to chuck again - I didn't. And as quick as it came on, it disappeared - within a minute I was 100% feeling fine and back to my book (cept for horrible taste in my mouth and burning throat).

She asked if I wanted to stop (the whole study is voluntary) I said no because I hadn't gone through all that for nothing, and only had like 30mins to go. I made it through the rest easy as pie. I told her about how strange it just came on and went away so quick, she didn't really say anything much about it.

So was that a panic attack? I'm pretty sure it was, although i've never had one before - well certainly nothing as strong as that. Question

I would rank it at least a 6 on scale.

Is it usual for a panic attack to produce physical effects like actually vomiting !? I have the exact same test again next week - I guess it goes without saying that i'm not looking foward to it.

Overall it wasn't that bad - except for the initial prick and then that random panic. Sorry for the huge post (seems like I don't know how to do a short answer lol)

-Jp · Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2004 12:30 pm Post subject:

i'm 1 or 2 most of the time when i'm around other people. recently i had 2 shrinking down to around 1 in some situations wich made me able to express myself better and make conversation.

Johnie · Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm Post subject:

I looked at the anxiety grading scale and I had a problem.

My problem is that I feel dizzy and disoriented all the time.
Sometimes when I am outside I have just wandered into the road, and have bumped into passing cars and things.

Last year I went to the docs about this. He arranged for me to have tests - for hypothyroid, amaemia, diabetes etc. When he got the results he found nothing wrong.

I would say that this state I am is what defines me more than anything else. I believe that being in a constant state of stress all my life has done this to me.
Maybe an adrenalin overload? I am no expert here.

Does anyone else with s-p feel like this?

Yossarian · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:40 pm Post subject:

Crikey no Johnie. That sounds pretty bad. You say you feel like this all the time? Even at home? Are there any times at all when you don't feel dizzy and disoriented?

Johnie · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:48 pm Post subject:

Yossarian · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:03 pm Post subject:

Man that sounds pants. I've never heard of anything like it before, though I'm no expert on this type of thing. I guess if it was physical then the Doc would probably of discovered something. I used to get pins and needles in my hands and arms due to stress, I couldn't feel anything unless I ran my hands under cold running water which gradually restored normality. I hope you can find a way to sort it somehow. If you feel it's stress then thats probably what it is, so maybe thats the key. Good luck to you.

JWH · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:25 pm Post subject:

Johnie, have you looked into Meniere's Disease? I knew someone who had it at only 35. He would wake up clinging to the bed for fear of falling out. It was like everything had turned upside down. He also had Glaucoma pretty badly. I'm by no means knowledgable about these problems, but I distinctly remember how stressed he was. Both from living in the city and from the effects of his health. He has since moved to the country, and I believe he is much better as a result.

Johnie · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 5:04 pm Post subject:

I definitely haven't got Glaucoma because I had a thorough eye test at the local hospital a month ago, and this is one of the things they would look for.

Meniere's disease is caused by excessive pressure of fluid in the inner ear. I do have a bit of buzzing in my ears; I have a problem with earwax though. I'll have to go to the docs soon to get it syringed. I'll ask him about this then.

I seem to have a few of the problems that a person has with Meniere's disease, but this disease seems to be episodic, when they have occasional but very severe bouts. In my case it seems to be less severe but constantly there.

I have a few probs with the joints and nerves in my neck, and shooting pains down my left arm, but these have gone now. The joys of getting older! Sad

Thanks love.

Johnie