PLS & Anxiety

[thatdaveguy]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on this forum, but I've been reading it for quite some time and it has been very helpful. I have a question about anxiety and PLS. Two months ago I had a panic/anxiety attack out of the blue one day and I've had several since then. I've been seeing a Psychiatrist and a therapist and I'm taking a few medications to help stop my anxiety which I have daily. For a whole month I wasn't able to function at all. I couldn't leave the house, talk on the phone, have people over, and if I did go out I had developed a phobia of being in the car because that is where I had my initial panic attack.
I'm the kind of person who holds things in. After I was diagnosed with PLS I would lay awake at night thinking about the future and the "doom" that was coming my way. I thought about the physical limitations I already had and how much worse it would be in 5, 10, or 20 years. I would stifle my tears so as not to wake my wife. I love my wife very much and I would joke about my limitations and try to put on a brave face. There were many times I would wake up in the middle of the night anxious and I would not be able to go back to sleep.
Well all that "keeping it in" finally took it's toll and panic and anxiety took over my life.
Anyway, to my question. Has anyone experienced panic or anxiety attacks related to there PLS? If so, how has it physically manifested itself? To me, it is extremely painful in my legs and arms. And, ever since the initial attack it has come back every single day whether I have "bad thoughts " or not. It always begins in my legs and works it's way through my body. It makes me wonder how much of it is being generated by my brain or by my body. The past two months have been torturous. If anyone has a similar problem I would be very interested in how it has effected you? Thanks for reading. -Dave

 

[billbell52]

One symptom of PLS is you become overly emotional. I noticed early on that I would cry for something stupid and break out laughing at some that wasn't that funny. I haven't had a panic attack but I have woken up at night and started thinking about my future and can't go back to sleep. I am no expert on this but maybe a drug like Lexipro might help.

 

[IhavePLS]

Hi Dave,

I have been a lifelong mental health professional, and so I can speak to this. I doubt that I'll tell you anything differently than what you've already been told, but it's an imperative that you keep PLS in the proper perspective -- don't allow it to become some unknown monster that lurks in every corner of your life, seeking to devour you.

The anxiety that one might experience with PLS is no different from the anxiety that people experience due to any physical health condition -- asthma, cancer, MS, COPD, CHF, etc. etc. Anxiety is anxiety. And if you've developed an anxiety disorder, you do need to be sure that you continue seeing a MH professional, because a professional can not only give you insight into why you are anticipating a future of doom and gloom (as opposed to the reality that for most PLSer's the progression of PLS is largely insidious), but can also given you coping skills and PERSPECTIVE.

What is telling in your post above (notwithstanding that you ARE seeing a professional) is that you are anticipating the outcome of the disease over 10-20 years out -- and you are clearly doing so AS IF the outcome is a given -- which it is NOT. Sure, PLS is progressive -- but HOW progressive it will be in your particular set of circumstances is unknown (and it will remain unknown until you get there). And when you ARE 20 years down the road, you'll not want to live with regrets.

Let me put it this way:

1) If you worry about something, and it happens, you worried for nothing.
2) If you worry about something, and it never happens, you worried for nothing.

In both instances, you have worried for nothing. Worry did nothing to change the outcome -- it only made the present less enjoyable -- both for youself and for everyone who cares about you.

There are some very good medications on the market for anxiety (by the way, anxiety is typically co-morbid with depression AND with an increase in OCD/ ruminating-type thinking) -- buspirone and sertraline are two of these. Also, don't dismiss the value of "talk therapy" -- the research has shown again and again that meds AND talk therapy are most effective relative to resolving anxiety and depression.

I hope things improve for you.

Mike

 

[LouLou]

Mike - What you wrote is so, so true. I think we all felt so overwhelmed after the diagnosis of PLS and not knowing what the future holds. After almost 4 years of living with this disease, I've learned that everyone progresses differently. I'm now more focused on what I can do instead of what I can't. You learn to make adjustments along the way. Talking to a mental health counselor through our MDA/ALS clinic helped a lot. He really understood where I was coming from and he had seen many patients with the same fears and concerns. I feel blessed that at 56, I am generally in good health. I have lost 25 lbs. in 9 months by exercising and changing my diet. The healthier I am, the better I can manage this disease. And mental health is a big part of it as well. I attend a PLS/ALS support group with my husband once a month. This has been a huge help to all of us who attend.

Hang in there folks and seek help when you need it.

LouLou

 

[MaxEidswick]

>Hang in there folks and seek help when you need it.



Max - Tuesday, April 21, 2015 11:34:36 AM

ALS sucks, but It Is What It Is ... and someone else has it worse so I'll try not to complain today!
onset 9/2010, diagnosed with ALS by Stanley Appel 8/29/2013


.