Hello Luella May, and John,

I have been in abusive relationships from childhood through adulthood.  I am agoraphobic and have a major anxiety disorder with panic attacks.  I believe that if I had been treated early in childhood for these conditions I would not be where I am today.   My wish is that parents would watch their children for signs of anxiety and panic, depression and agoraphobia or any combination of them. 

I have a grandson who is exhibiting signs of panic and anxiety as well as agoraphobia.   He is on Strattera and has been for over a year for ADHD.  He has been sent home at least 7 times in the past 2 weeks of school for having anxiety related problems, like puking, sweating and shaking uncontrollably.

Thank you for letting me share. 

Jo,

I want to sincerely thank you for sharing such an important part of your life.  I want to share something special with you.

http://oakwoodgrafix.co.uk/blog/Articles/MyLostYears_LM.html

The article is entitled "My Lost Years."  They describe the almost ten years that I was agoraphobic.

I know exactly of what you speak of.  I also had a very painful childhood and yes, agoraphobia was the result of years of living in fear and repressing my emotions.

I am here to tell you that there is hope.  This does not have to be a lifelong sentence by any means and Jo, you deserve the best.

Do you see a doctor?  Are you on medication?  Do you have someone to talk to?  Do you know relaxing techniques, meditation, positive talk?  Do you know coping methods?  And the last question is the one that made my life a living nightmare.  Do your thoughts have a mind of their own?  Do they seem twisted?  Warped?

All this can go away.  It requires a doctor's care, learning many methods of coping and relaxing, positive talking and positive thinking, and most importantly loving yourself as you are now.  Accepting yourself as you are.  It is not an overnight process and unfortunately there is no magic pill.  I say this as there was a time I truly wished the pill I was taking would make me normal.  But everything together over a span of time became habit and it kicked into my subconscious.  It took me eight years.  And then some.

If there is anything I can do to help you, please contact me.  We are here for each other.  This disorder can also be hereditary and sometimes learned behavior.  See if you can talk to your grandson's mother to make sure he is taking the proper medication for his condition.  The world can be quite a frightening place for some children.  I believe that's where it starts.  Maybe his condition could be caught early on and he will miss the devastating effects of this illness.

I write this with all my love Jo,

Luella

Hello Luella May,

I'm a little disappointed at the lack of response to such an important topic...It is a shame that more people are not here...

As to your questions...."Do you see a doctor?  Are you on medication?  Do you have someone to talk to?  Do you know relaxing techniques, meditation, positive talk?  Do you know coping methods?  And the last question is the one that made my life a living nightmare.  Do your thoughts have a mind of their own?  Do they seem twisted?  Warped?"

I have been seeing doctors and therapists since 1988.  I have been on numerous medications, still take antidepressants and antianxiety medications.  No I talk mostly here and with my children and grandchildren and a therapist sometimes, mostly I stay pretty quiet.  Yes I know relaxing techniques and use them, I understand meditation and positive talk.  I use positive talk as much as possible, especially with my children and grandchildren.    Sometimes I do have very fleeting thoughts that could be considered twisted and/or warped, I just push them away and remind myself that they are not rational.

Hello Jo,

Awesome!  You handle those fleeting thoughts marvelously!  That was the worst hurdle for me and was a living nightmare. 

My disorder began actually in January of 1982.  However, I was not diagnosed for two years as this condition was not recognized by the medical profession.  Although I function well in society, during times of severe stress, the panic tends to surface.  Stress is our worst enemy, as our autonomic nervous system has been damaged.  During these times I focus on relaxing which gets my feet back on the ground again.

You have everything handled, your t's crossed and this is wonderful.  We can still lead fulfilling lives with this condition and actually, I think we gain more compassion for others, as we surely know how it feels like to be misunderstood.

Love to you,

Luella May and John Elliott, aka Oaky Wood