ANA Discussion Forum
AN Community => AN Community => Topic started by: joe94121 on October 06, 2006, 03:12:57 pm
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i was just recently diagnosed with a 3 cm AN in my left ear ... (1 month ago) ... my surgeon recommeded the restros. / SO approach due to the size. I am getting daily anxiety attacks from thinking of the upcoming surgery (Dec. 5, 2006) Any advice on how to deal with them? Lots of things to deal with: work, house renovations, caring for an elderly parent, estate planning, spending 10 hours a day researching good MD and treatment methods and outcomes .. . should i be taking some anti-depressant / anti-anxiety meds? what about the dizziness? any exercise / diet to help that? Thanks.
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Call your doctor...same thing happened to me and I got some Ativan and it worked wonders. Deep breathing exercises help too, as did some meditation tapes I ordered. It's very hard waiting for surgery...I waited 4 months, but the last two went by pretty quickly. Hang in there!!! We're all here for you to help keep you sane while you wait.
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Anxiety can keep you from sleeping and functioning in a safe way.  Go to your doctor.  Tell him the whole story.  You will be fine. ÂÂ
My doctors offered help if I wanted it.  I can assure you I talked with other people first hand who took antidepressants and/or sleeping aids before their surgery.  Their outcomes were good.  You will be fine with or without the extra help but why suffer anxiety when you don't have to?.
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Take daily walks to help calm you! Sounds like you have a full plate. Ask others to help you with the rennovations etc...I know for me I freaked over needing to do some house things that I just couldn't go into surgery without having done so a youth team from my church came to help and after I got my list done, my surgeon picked and my affairs somewhat in order I felt better. Heck not to mention the steriod rush LOL
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I want to add since your hearing loss is 5 years old you may be ahead of some folks in regaining balance post-op.  You may have compensated already.  The dizziness you have now could be related to anxiety itself. Let people help you with the list of "must do".
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joe
I have been feeling very anxiety ridden as well.  I have a 2.5cm left.  My surgery is 10/24.  I went to the gym last night and almost forgot about my diagnosis.  It was a great feeling to work off some anxiety with cardio and weights.  exercise is a big part of how i handled stress pre-diagnosis and won't give it up if I dont have to.  I was not given restrictions, but also, did not ask if there were any.  I think it would be smart to talk to your doc about how you are feeling.   ÂÂ
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Hi
Well, I guess in should not feel badly with my feeling so stressed and in the same boat with you all. I'm on prescription sleeping meds during this. It does take a couple of weeks or so I believe, for some depression meds to "kick-in." Yes, this is not the time to be heroic so, see a doctor for the stress, etc. I'm in this with you right now. We just finished out Estate Planning here at home, as well. You are not alone!
Palace
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joe: Good things for anxiety are exercise, writing down a list of what needs to be done and/or what the anxiety is about, also talking with someone about it. I remember I was anxious, I believed I would not survive surgery, I kept going shopping for PJ's for the hospital and coming home with everything else but, the walking in the mall was healthy (spending the money ain't unless you have it to spend), I wrote a will and made my wishes know (to the best of my ability at all of 23). I had to go and see certain people and tell them in person. I didn't sleep well but it was just a brief period......that was the first time around.
During the time between knowing I would have surgery and having the surgery the second time was a little longer, I did have difficulty sleeping....walking at night a problem when one's home alone with two small children (can't leave house), I walked the stairs, drank lots of warm milk, called folks I know who work at night and talked about it. I was lucky and got in sooner than I was planning and what was to be the final 4 weeks of waiting turned into 4 days and I got very busy preparing for being away from my children for the week.
Sleeping pills are helpful if the wait is longer, Ativan as well but not always appropriate and should be used/ordered only with the "specialists" input 'cause depending on brain stem involvement etc. they may not be a good thing.
It's improtant to remember that anxiety is an energy, a natural part of our emotions (it's anxiety that motivate us to do things) and when excessive it needs to be expanded (the energy) or "shut down".
Best wishes
Kathleen
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doc gave me paxil and i take it in the pm and it helps you sleep..as well as a happy pill..
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DRUGS! :D The Dr. gave me Lexapro. Worked great and really helped keep me 'level' so to speak.
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Thanks for all the great advice! I am feeling better now ... i will be meeting with my pre-op nurse / co-ordinator and have made a list of questions to ask about the no. of surgeons in the op room and any other pre-op preparations. I have stopped my gym workouts in fear of aggravating the AN tumor ... silly? ??? my gp gave me some Celexa (citalophram) to take daily for the anxiety attacks and some Klonopin (clonazepam) to take immediately after an attack ... i try not to take them 2-3 times a week only since i am not a med. person .. anyone tried any of these? any side effects / addiction? Take care, j.
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last night I had my first anxiety attack. It was bad. When I woke up this morning it was even worse. After talking it over with a friend and a relative I put down a call to the doctor. A resident called me back and attempted to reassure me that everything would be ok because the surgical group is a good team. I told him that I knew this because that is I why I chose them. He refused to prescribe anything and told me to go to an ER if I thought I needed to. Sure hope this isn't an indication of what the group is really like. I've gone through some pretty rough things in my life and have never had anxiety so when I say it's bad trust me it's bad. Is Lexapro like a valium or Xanax and does it work? Hey Joe, if it helps shoot me an email when you're having when of the anxiety attacks. We can talk each other through them.
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Joe,
I know it can be nerve-wracking but at this point, you should at least feel happy and relieved to have been diagnosed and have a surgery date set. Those growths don't go away or get any better; they just get bigger and cause more problems.
Walking and exercise is the best medicine for equilibrium difficulties. Don't just sit around and let yourself go soft from this. Oh...and taking pills is no cure-all either. Don't go and hook yourself on "feel good" designer drugs like Clonapin or Zoloft or whatever. The anxiousness that you're feeling, while it is cause for concern, is not rooted in some emotional angst. You've already taken the the most important steps to deal with this. While it is a lousy situation to be in, it is, by no means, not "the end of the world". December 5th is not too far off!
Take care, Paul
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Is Lexapro like a valium or Xanax and does it work?
Lexapro is not for panic attacks really, it's more for general anxiety disorder. You take Lexapro daily, it can take up to two weeks to really start working. It just helped that overall feeling of anxiousness go away and helped keep me level. I stopped taking it a few months after my surgery. Speak with your doctor about it, I'm sure they can give you all the info you need.
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I asked for a situational use drug, and got Ativan (Lorazepam), a cousin to Valium. I didn't want to take something every day whether I needed it or not, wanted something that I could take when I started having anxiety symptoms. I am still taking it sometimes, as some days the whole back to work full time, trying to do too much thing sends me over the edge. I liked the idea of only taking something when I needed it, and my needs seem to be about once every couple months or so.
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Does the Ativan cause drowsiness at all? I didn't think I needed medication until last night when I had a panic attack so bad at work, I had to go home. I also have GERD (acid reflux disease), and the pain was so bad I thought I might be having heart problems. I saw my PCP today, and she said the stress I am feeling because of the tumor, combined with the GERD is a recipe for disaster. She told me to increase my dosage of Nexium, and offered to give me something to help me sleep, but I am more concerned with getting through the daytime hours. I am a retail manager, so the upcoming holiday season is stressful enough! I just don't want to take anything that will make me lethargic.