 mild anxiety. My doctor prescribed sublingual ativan (1mg) to be taken as needed. I rarely needed it. I had a 2 yr old daughter at this time.
I think anxiety runs in my family because my mother was on valium for a while when I was young, 2 of my aunts (my mothers sisters) were also on it back then. My cousin was diagnosed with anxiety about 8 yrs ago but doesn't believe in meds, so she drinks instead. (rolling eyes). I was only taking ativan rarely back then.
 She was 54. One year after her death, I remarried. One year after that I had a baby boy. One year after that my father suddenly died of abdominal aeortic anyerism (spelled wrong). I did not need to take any anxiety meds during these times but I did feel a lot of stress.
Six months after my father died my husband was diagnosed with hodgkins disease. They didn't know what stage he was in so they treated him as if he was in stage 4. He required 6mths of chemo. At this time I had a 1 1/2 yr old son who I thought was deaf but five doctors told me he was fine. I began to think it was all in my head although deep down I knew I was right.
I went with my husband to a chemo treatment. He fainted while getting treatment and I had an anxiety attack from seeing him, and from the stress of him being sick, and seeing all the cancer patients (and the fear of his death) etc etc. I went to the doctor who gave me sublingual ativan (1mg) to be taken as needed. I needed it from time to time.
Six months after my husband was finished his chemo (one year after his diagnosis) my son who was 2 1/2 was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. He was very ill and almost died in hospital. He was in the hospital for 4 mths straight. I stayed with him the whole time because I could not leave a deaf 2 1/2 yr old alone in a hospital. He would not understand where I was because he couldn't hear me. He stopped responding to prednisone so they put him on cyclophosphamide. He responded to prednisone but was very ill and had all sorts of tests, and was poked and prodded and had many things done to him. He had a biopsy that revealed focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. We were told to expect a transplant within 8 yrs of diagnosis.
While he was in the hospital I had to fight with the doctors to send him to audiology. They thought I was nuts to think he was deaf. He spoke a few words and seemed to understand what they were saying. He taught himself to lip read. I told them this but they would look in his ears and say he was fine. He was uncontrollable and never did what he was told. He was like a wild animal really. Anyway, after yelling that I WANTED his hearing tested they finally sent him to audiology and he was diagnosed with severe/profound losss in one ear and severe loss in the other. He was prescribed hearing aids and has had them ever since. He is 15 1/2 now and he is on cellcept and 5mg of prenisone alternate days. He is also on many things prescribed by the naturopath. His kidneys are functioning very very well. The doctors are stumped as to why. I am happy they are fine so far.
After my son was released from the hospital at age 2 1/2 I got a bladder infection that would not go away. I was sent for test after test and given antibiotics time and time again but it would not go away. During this time I was driving my son daily to the hospital as an outpatient for IV albumin and lasix treatments.
My bladder infection was ongoing. After 18 mths of antibiotics and tests the doctor sent me for IV antibiotics. While waiting for the IV I had a massive panic attack. I was not on anxiety meds at this time. I didn't know what was wrong with me because I had never had an attack like that before. A short time passed and one day I was in the drug store getting a prescription for my son and I had another massive panic attack. I went home and became afraid to go out anywhere. After 2 wks of staying home I went to the doctor and had a panic attack right in front of him. This was in approx 1993. He prescribed klonopin.5 mg 2x/day and ativan (1mg sublingual) as needed. I then had attacks on a regular basis for quite some time but the medication helped. Eventually the attacks grew farther apart and I was able to reduce my klonopin dose and rarely if ever used ativan. By this time it was approx 1996 or so.
I have been on a small dose of klonopin (.25mg/day) for approx 10 yrs since. I have tried to stop taking it but my body is physically addicted to it. I cannot function AT ALL after 7 days of not taking it. I have tried on many occassions to stop it completely but my body just can't seem to do without the small.25mg dose daily. When I stop it I get attacks again. My doctor says it is because the anxiety is returning. I disagreed with him and said it was addiction to the drug. My naturopath agrees.
This brings me up to 2 yrs ago. My anxiety levels increased and decreased over the past 2 yrs depending on what job I was doing. I had 2 office jobs where there was a lot of stress so during those times I would take an ativan if needed and sometimes increase my klonopin dose from.25mg once per day to.25mg 2x/day with no ativan. I would have no problem reducing back down to.25mg per day. These jobs involved bosses that were micro managers, where I felt I was under a microscope. They were very negative people.
6 months ago I started this new job and I love it. I have a lot of fun and spend 90% of my time laughing with my work mates (who are primarily male). They are hillarious to work with. I have no anxiety about the job itself. This job is not an office job but is a manufacturing job and is a physical job. I have lost 10 pounds since starting. I am not micro managed. The employer is great to work for. It is a large corporation well known all over the world. HOWEVER, shift work has triggered my anxiety due to lack of sleep. I am unable to function and am sleep deprived because of the rapid rotation shifts. My sinuses have really been acting up since taking this new job I think because of lack of sleep. I did ok for the first 4mths (took antibiotics every 2 mths for the sinuses) but this past 2 mths I have been hit with severe anxiety/panic attacks again.
I see a pattern though. Years ago after much stress I developed the bladder infection that lasted 18mths and then developed severe anxiety attacks. This time, I developed ongoing sinus problems and then developed server anxiety attacks again.
My bladder infection (by the way) was cured by my naturopath who said that all the stress of deaths and illness had to come out somehow. I was cured of the bladder infection in 3 days using a homeopathic remedy. My family doctor said the remedy had nothing to do with it and that it 'just went away' on its own. I disagree. After 18mths of trying everything, the medical doctors could not cure me. Two hours with my naturopath, one tincture, one homeopathic remedy and much vitamin c later I was cured.
So, here I am. Having anxiety attacks again with sinus problems that won't go away.
Actually, now that I think about it, I have had sinus infections for longer than 2 yrs.
I have had them on and off for the past 5 yrs. Five years ago I would have an infection once or twice a year.
If I think about it, they have become more frequent and now have become ongoing.
During the past 3 yrs I have saught help from the naturopath using homeopathic remedies for these infections plus taken antibiotics (but not at the same time as the remedy). I have sort of given up on the naturopath being able to cure it and that's why I just go to the doctor for antibiotics.
Five years ago we had a new house built and moved to a small city. We lived near my brother before we moved. We moved because I got a new job in that small city and my husband already worked there. As it turns out, we made a mistake to move there because soon after I quit that job (it was in a call center where you are tied to a desk for 8 hrs and micro managed). We stayed in that small city for 1 yr and then moved due to noise. I missed my old town and still do. We couldn't sleep at night at the new place so we sold it and had the exact same house built in small town 30 min from the city. We are now in the country. We have been here 4 yrs.
Sorry for all this typing! I just wanted to add that I've had lots of jobs this past 5 yrs. I quit all of them and always find another. I like a job where the boss is laid back and relaxed, where I am not watched or micro managed, where I can work on my own without supervision.
I have had bad luck finding jobs like that but this current job is great, except I can't do the shift work anymore because it is too hard on me.
I have had 7 jobs in 5 yrs.
1. call center - literally tied