Am I nuts..Do I need a psychiatrist?

[Mead]

Well here it goes.. I went to get into my car yesterday to drive to the city to see the grandkids and kids for a bowling birthday party. I looked at the gas tank and thought Wow I need to get gas. I stopped at the next little town and filled up but it hardly took any gas! When I got back in my car I noticed it was full..
This kinda thing is happening to me all the time and it scares the %^% out of me. I was also full of worry and anxiety and I notice this is becoming worse.. Like I almost hate to leave my house worse. I am not gonna communicate right, I am gonna look stupid, I do not want to see other people.. Very weird stuff going on.
I will give you a short background. I have been off work with this constant pain, nausea and crippling exhaustion for a year and recently was asked by insurance company to start a gradual back to work program.. I was working 4 hours per day and only 3 days a week to start. I only lasted 2 weeks and am off again. I caught a flu and went into a major flare up.
I believe this has also been wrecking havoc with my confidence as I thought I was ready to go back. I had taken physio, courses on living well with a chronic condition and was pacing myself real well.
The realization that I cannot do my very physical job sent me into a tailspin of feeling really down on top of it all.
My GP doc will not give me anything for pain.. I am on Cymbalta 6 months ( it has helped with my mood but not my pain. He says it is just stress from going back to work. The cognitive issues I am having are very frightening but he says I do not need an MRI or any other testing and that most people with Fibro are looking for a real , concrete illness that can be treated.. Than has not helped either.
So I think I may need to talk to a psychiatrist as I feel like I am going insane here. I would appreciate any comments or similar circumstances that any of you have experienced.
I live in a very small town and cannot find a support group anywhere from Calgary to Lethbridge so I am glad I found this site. Patti

 

[1sweed]

Patti,
Welcome tio the forum. Sounds like your having lots of trouble with what we call brain fog, and your not alone. There are days when we all can not think straight or see things as they really are. Lets blame the gauge in your car for telling you that your gas was low when it was't really low at all. I had a similar thing happen to me two weeks ago.

I am sure that being in pain all the time does nothing to improve your state of mind. I am a nervous wreck too when my pain level is high and everything happening is causing anxiety and stress overload.

That said, I think you would benifit from talking to someone to help calm your fears and to teach you some mental health coping skills. You are not going crazy, but stress can cause all kinds of weird symptoms that are hard to explain to others. So try to find a counselor in the mental health field in your area. Lots of towns have local mental health services that provide you with a counselor who can become a lifeline when anxiety becomes more than you can handle on your own.

Also consider doing fun things to help you relax, like taking a bubble bath or listening to music, watching funny movies or taking a walk, starting new hobbies or reading a good book. Also take time to read through the forum sections on pain management and on other symptoms that are most bothersome to you at this time. Read back posts, as well as, new ones.

Feel free to ask more questions and answer other peoples questions or comments. The bottom section of the forum is for fun stuff just to share a part of your day or tell us about your hobbies. Look forward to seeing you around the forum.

 

[Trellum]

Hi Patti! I totally relate a lot to your post! Just the other day I forgot where I parked my frigging car, lol. For a moment I panicked, but thankfully my mom was there with me, and she seems to have a way better memory than I do. Also the other day I paid for something, got my change, I saw the bills, but I could swear I was just given $100 instead of $150. I saw the two $50 bills and the two $20 + $10, but for some reason my brain didn't process it! It was so embarrassing, I told the woman, and the woman said, look... this is 100 and this is 50! and I was like: ''oh, ok!''. She must have thought I'm such a moron, lol.

I guess stress does that to you... I have several important doctor appointments this month, so I'm hella nervious! Maybe that's why I'm acting this crazy, lol. I think is normal for people like us. Ow, btw, I also don't like going out and seeing people, if I can I just avoid going out. I just hope is a phase. I just wanted to reply and share my experience so you don't feel alone

 

[Mead]

Hi Isweed,
Thankyou so much for your response. I do appreciate it. I think it would be good for me to talk to someone. I sometimes do not feel supported by my GP and we all know how that feels. So I will definately ask him to set me up with someone to talk with and see where that leads me . Hopefully it gets me back to being a bit more like me.. Its been a very trying month and lots to deal with. Hugs Patti

 

[Mead]

Hi Trellum,
It makes me feel better that I am not all alone in this. I am glad I found a good site to talk about all this stuff that has been bugging me. Thanks so much for responding because it does help to read about other peoiple and the experiences they have had. I l;ook forward to some more conversations with all of you. Hugs Patti

 

[1sweed]

Patti,
Sounds like you have made a good decision. Please keep us updated on how your doing. I hope you have a wonderful day and feel better soon.

 

[Amalia]

I think that a second opinion from another doctor would help. I would also advise you to see a psychologist and if he says the issue is beyond his competence, then see a psychiatrist. There's nothing wrong in wanting to know what's going on in your brain. It couldn't hurt, well maybe a little, financially Plus the discomfort of getting there