u/Proof-Training-740

It’s 3am. I woke up with a tight chest which I cannot differentiate between panicking or physical illnesss

I’m terrified of being sick but I’m also scared of dying. My chest feels tight still and I just can’t tell if it’s real. I felt I couldn’t breathe when I woke up and I panicked

But I can breathe. Oh god I’m terrified, I don’t want to die. I’m 18 if this helps. I’ve got no one to text, I feel tingly idk if it’s bc I’m trying to breathe so much

I can’t distract myself I don’t know what to do :( I’m terrified I’m going to have a heart attack and not be able to breathe and the anxiety I’ll feel will be over the roof knowing I’m dying Ajd I can’t do anything

Please, I’m so terrified I can’t take this anymore

I did make a post here the other day, but I just came off the phone with my doctor. For background info, I’ve got social anxiety, a severe phobia of being sick which has gradually developed into agoraphobia with lots of contamination fears.

I cannot go for longer than a 5 minute walk, sometimes even less because of how intense the anxiety gets. I’d rather die than be sick. I can’t see my friends and when I do, the entire time I’m focused on being sick. I can barely leave my room incase I get sick from the air particles, I can’t touch surfaces in my room or go near my family incase they give me a sickness. I’m struggling to eat because the plate/cutlery has been touched by others and the food has been near/touched others meaning it could be contaminated or make me sick.

My doctor knows how much I struggle and yet the only thing she can offer is talking therapy with a 2 month wait, or refer me to other services to help me with my contamination. I’m all open to therapy but I cannot wait and I need help now. I even told her this and she’s going to see what she can do with the re-referral.

There is a lack of privacy at home thus, I’d be more comfortable face-face, but I cannot leave my home. Maybe I’m being pessimistic because I’m all worked up at the moment, but my fear of being sick is so intense, I’d rather continue to suffer than leave the house with a possibility of being anxious, nauseous, or being sick.

I feel like I’ve lost all hope. I can’t afford to go private at all so talking to anyone other than my GP is out of reach. I don’t know how to continue like this, I really don’t. I can’t stop crying. I don’t think I’m bad enough for medication, I don't know, my doctor hasn’t even mentioned it to me since she’s so focused on therapy.

I really need advice, I don’t know how to do this anymore, I really don’t. I don’t have it in me to recover and do it myself because it’s such a mental toll and I’m so afraid

I have been calling at 8am on the dot for the past week and I’ve still managed to be number 30 in the queue. I know this isn’t the surgeries fault, but I’m worried that it will take me 2-3 weeks to book an appointment. 

At my last GP appointment, I got a referral to talking therapy and was sent home with a sleep routine. I was unable to further contact the talking therapy people because of social anxiety - I think I’d rather suffer than speak. 

I have a very bad phobia of being sick, and since my last GP appointment, it has gotten unbearable to live with. I’m in constant fear; I can barely eat, and when I do, I have intense anxiety/intrusive thoughts; I am terrified to sleep; I’m completely housebound; I spend 50-80% of the day worrying about being sick; I feel so unwell most days, I can barely get out of bed, thus i’m struggling to take care of myself, the list truly goes on. I am barely surviving day-day and the thought of having to wait another 2-3 weeks feels unbearable. 

I feel like most GP’s I have seen have been really dismissive to my anxiety and not done much except give me advice and set up an appointment 2 weeks later to see how I’m feeling. I am terrified of waiting another 6-8 weeks for therapy (+ waiting time for the appointment) which I’m not even sure I can engage with because of my anxiety. 

I’m at a point where I just can’t see through this, I have no idea what to do. I’m scared of waiting 2 weeks to be told again "here are some coping mechanisms, wait for therapy and we’ll reassess you on what to do next."

What do I do? Does anyone have any advice?

To briefly summarise, for the past year I’ve developed a really huge phobia of being sick. I feel so sick/unwell all the time, most days I can barely get out of bed, shower/do self care, eat properly, and it leaves me exhausted. I also cannot leave my home anymore in fear of panicking, being nauseous, or sick and being trapped and unable to get home.

I need support and I need to see a doctor within the next few days but I also have social anxiety. I don’t feel like I can even go to the doctor because it’s 10 mins in the car, 30 mins in the doctors, 10 mins home and it’s too much, I feel like collapsing on a 5 min walk away from my home. My anxiety keeps getting worse and worse and getting through the day is almost unbearable, I can’t take it.

I don’t think I can go in real life, but equally, I can’t make phone calls but I know I’ll have to suck it up. I have a note written on my phone explaining everything but I’m scared they’ll not really listen or think it’s less than it really is. I’m scared of leaving with a sleep routine + a therapy referral (in which I can’t even access because I’d prefer to suffer than to speak).

I eat like shit, I genuinely feel off/unwell/nauseous ALL the time, maybe it’s my diet but it’s so tiring when I can’t eat. A part of me is hoping for an SSRI, but last time I got denied when I asked. I’m scared of going on like this and I’m afraid I won’t be able to communicate properly. I don’t know how to access help because of my anxiety.

I don’t know what to do, I really don’t. I don’t know if I’ve got an illness, it’s anxiety, and I’m too scared of blood tests incase I faint or vomit from it. I just know I cannot continue like this but I’m scared they will think it’s not that bad and I’ll get dismissed for it. I’m worrying even getting through this evening, let alone the next 5 minutes.

But then with an SSRI - which isn’t guaranteed - can take weeks to work. I feel so stuck. I’d genuinely rather die than be sick and I feel like that everyday. I just want to wake up one day and feel okay, to go out and not be afraid, and to not feel nauseous. I haven’t seen my mother in a year just because I’m too afraid to go out. This is consuming my life and I’m scared of waiting any longer.

I don’t even know how to cope meanwhile, I feel these horrible sensations all the time and that’s what I’m afraid of. I’m at the point where I can’t cope and I don’t know what I should do, I can’t take this

My agoraphobia stems majorly from the fear of being sick

I need to go to the doctor to discuss treatment options/my anxiety in general. It’s a 7 minute drive, in a new car, probably then a 5 min wait for my appointment, 10-30mins talking about it, then 10 mins to go home. I’m so overwhelmed. I have no idea what to do, and because of social anxiety, a phone call is less of an option.

I’m terrified of getting motion sickness in a car I’ve never been in even though I don’t get motion sickness. I’m terrified of being nauseous or panicking away from home and being trapped and unable to get home. I’m scared of getting sick in the doctors and not being able to get to safety. I know theoretically if I were to get sick in the doctor, it’s the best place for it to happen but I can’t cope with the idea in my head. I’m terrified of having to speak to the doctor and being so anxious that I just vomit.

I don’t know what to do because I desperately need to seek help for my anxiety but last time all they did was put me on a waitlist for therapy (2 month wait), but because of my anxiety, I am struggling to access help. I feel so stuck

How will I cope?

I’ve got social anxiety, a severe phobia of being sick, and agoraphobia - how fun!

A month ago, I spoke to my doctor who sent me a referral for therapy + also left me with advice telling me to sleep earlier (also denied me anxiety meds). Since then, my anxiety has gotten so bad. For 3-7 days at a time, I can experience severe anxiety, about 80% of the day is spent worrying, I can’t sleep, I get intrusive thoughts about food (for example, what if it’s not cooked, it could be contaminated, my body might not agree, thus I can’t eat), sitting up causes me to lose my breath, I feel shaky, very nauseous - it’s just very debilitating!

But some days, I can function so it confuses me. Since the doctor appointment, it’s gotten so bad. I can barely get out of bed because I’m too afraid, I can’t sleep, I’m terrified to eat and when I do, I feel awful and anxious after. I cannot leave my house, let alone go into my garden for more than 20 mins. 50% of my day is spent worrying, I cannot escape this.

I have a feeling this time I won’t get denied for meds but I’m just terrified of living day-day. Thinking into the future gives me horrible anxiety + nausea, even if it’s only an hour ahead.

I don’t know what to do anymore, I really don’t. I’m just scared of living like this for the next few months because I simply cannot handle it. I feel cursed because I experience so much anxiety. I’m scared of my bodily sensations. I look to all my friends who can travel, eat out, meet people, and I can barely have a shower or go on a 5 minute walk without having a panic surge.

I don’t know what the point of this post is, I just want to share my feelings. I’m so terrified of being me, of just living, and no one understands. I’m worried that I won’t be able to communicate how I feel to my doctor and that it’ll seem less than it is. But if I get meds, what about the side effects for the first few weeks? I’m so tired of this. I can’t even walk down the stairs without my legs shaking because I’m so weak.

Sorry for the rant

I’ve never done it before and my dad won’t do it for me because I’m now 18🥹💔 doctors scare me

As well as social anxiety, I have an extreme fear of being sick. I’m really struggling to eat, sleep, get up, and I feel so incredibly nauseous.

Im going to call and book an appointment in 30 minutes but im so nervous. I have also really struggled following up on my therapy referral because of the phone calls. but my mood is so low because I’m so mentally exhausted, I don’t even think I’d have it in me to try to get better

I really just don’t know what to do anymore. This anxiety is sucking the life out of me. Living day-day alone is incredibly difficult and I can’t do it anymore. I’m so afraid of being sick, I feel unwell all the time so im terrified to eat. I can’t leave my home anymore and im getting instrusive thoughts around food like that it’s contaminated and it will make me sick so i cant eat it

A month ago I got denied for anxiety meds because I had to try therapy first, and I left with my doctor telling me to sleep earlier, but since then, it’s gotten substantially worse and I’m terrified just living now. im scared I’m going to get denied again and I don’t know what I’ll do. im scared the process of getting help will take weeks but i just want to feel okay and for this to go away, im really scared

If anyone has advice, I’d really appreciate it:( I feel so stuck. Sorru if this post seems a little all over the place. any suggestions on how to cope meanwhile? I’m already distracting myself 24/7 but it’s not working anymore

As well as social anxiety, I have an extreme fear of being sick. I’m really struggling to eat, sleep, get up, and I feel so incredibly nauseous.

I need to book a GP appointment but I’m terrified and I cannot bring myself to do it. There’s no email for my GP and I also cannot book them through the NHS website since I am having trouble with the verification, thus my only option is phone calling.

My actual appointment would have to be via a phone call too since im unable to leave my home. I’m really terrified and so anxious because I need medical help but I cannot access it in the way I want. I haven’t been able to follow up with my talking therapy referral since I couldn’t call

I really just don’t know what to do anymore. This anxiety is sucking the life out of me. Living day-day alone is incredibly difficult and I can’t do it anymore.

If anyone has advice, I’d really appreciate it:( I feel so stuck

I really need some support :( I can’t deal with this phobia any longer, it makes me genuinely want to end it in the nicest way possible. I don’t know what to do, I hate this

I really don’t want it to happen but I know it will

I am looking to study BSc (honours) Psychology: D110, and the compulsory module D120.

When choosing the start date, it says I have selected both, however when I go to the next page, it’s telling me I’ve only selected D110.

https://preview.redd.it/f5smfzw3qckh1.png?width=1884&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9af918a248470bc5a51973f2887fba27c83a05b

Is this normal? I want to be studying both not just D110. Or do I need to contact the support team?

Thanks in advance

If anyone else has done this as well, what will they ask me? How long does it usually last?

I’m nervous they’re going to ask me something and I won’t be able to respond and I’ll make a fool of myself or mess up. I don’t expect it to be perfect, however I’m really anxious and if I don’t call tomorrow, I’ll have to re-apply for a referral since I’ve only been given 14 days to do it

I have a fear of sick with agoraphobia behaviour. I haven’t seen anyone in so long, I can barely leave my house for longer than 5 minutes without intense panic so I’m stressing.

It’s a sleepover at my home (which makes it better I guess) but I’m so nervous I can barely get out of bed because I’m so physically exhausted and I feel so nauseous. I’m worried because every single night without fail, I spend an hour feeling intensely nauseous and I’m scared it’ll happen when they’re at my home.

I feel like cancelling, I feel so physically unwell but I also know if I avoid it, it won’t do me any good.. and 2 days after it’s my birthday and I don’t do well on special occasions in case I’m sick so I’m panicking so badly.

To top this off, in a bit I need to call the NHS adult talking therapy service to book an appointment and I’m beyond nervous, I don’t know what they’ll ask me..

I’m exhausted of feeling this way all the time, I can barely make it through a day anymore. Any advice is welcome please:(

In 3 days, we are going to a sleepover with a friend we haven’t seen in over a year. Initially I said yes, but since then, my anxiety has kept getting worse and worse. I can’t go in the car nor a 10 minute walk without a panic attack. This is such a huge step out of my comfort zone. We discussed it together and she concludes it will be better if I go bécasse she doesn’t want to go without me + it’ll be good for me, but I’m so anxious.

I don’t know what to do or say. I feel like such a bad friend, if I say no, she’ll get annoyed at me and probably stop talking to me for a few days. she knows about my anxiety, and I don’t expect her to understand but I feel so stuck

I’m soo proud of myself, it was hard but I did it. It’s the walk back that makes me nervous.

How will I know when to increase the distance?

I got referred to talking therapy and on Monday, I’ll need to call to book an appointment for my assessment. I am terrified of phone calls. What will they ask me? What do I expect? How long will it take?

I’m guessing therapy will start within 6-10 weeks (estimate), but meanwhile I’m so stressed out. I have a specific phobia (phobia of being sick) with agoraphobia type and it feels horrible having to wait so long. I know nothing can be done to change that, but I can’t leave my house, I’m in fear all the time, I’m losing friends because I can’t see them, I haven’t seen my mum in 6 months because I’m too afraid to leave my house, I can’t spend quality time with those I love and I’m losing it. I’m so frustrated, angry, upset, and exhausted knowing this is my life. I no longer feel like doing anything and the feeling is just eating away and I can’t bear it. I feel so restless all the time, I can’t sleep, and it’s so uncomfortable.

How long is the entire process going to take? Has therapy been useful? How long did it take to see a difference?

Any advice/info will be SO appreciated. I’m stressed so much about this entire process.

I’m being referred within the next 6-8 weeks.

I’ve developed agoraphobia on top of this which makes it hard to function. I’m honestly missing out on so much in my life and I can’t take it any longer, I want my life back.

Just wondering if this has helped anyone or what I should expect from it? I also have social anxiety and I’m feeling so overwhelmed by the amount of work I’m going to have to put it.

How did it help with your body’s response to feeling nauseous? As soon as I feel sick, my body shuts down. I’m worried about the time it will take to get a referral, it’s so scary.