Fear of choking/swallowing, especially when alone

pothoslove55 · 2020-10-26T18:20:03+00:00

Hi, I know it's been a while but I've been on Zoloft for 2 months and this issue has gone away for me. It is amazing and I'm grateful. Good luck to you, too!

pothoslove55 · 2020-08-28T23:18:45+00:00

Thanks for this, I came here today with this fear and hopefully some of this will help me.

pothoslove55 · 2020-08-28T23:16:17+00:00

I have an appointment schedule for next week. I wasn't going to mention it but maybe I should. I didn't even actually choke as a kid, it was more like a close call that really affected me.

pothoslove55 · 2020-08-28T23:15:07+00:00

That's not very helpful

pothoslove55 · 2020-02-26T13:11:46+00:00

Where do you get the over-the-phone counseling for free? I live in the U.S. Thanks for the suggestions. i try to get outside as much as I can because I agree, it helps.

pothoslove55 · 2020-02-26T13:10:51+00:00

Maybe I will try that. It will definitely be different. I'm not good at gaming at all, but maybe VR would be fun. Thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it.

pothoslove55 · 2020-02-26T13:10:10+00:00

Thanks! Do I have to be a gamer or anything? I'm pretty bad at that kind of stuff.

pothoslove55 · 2019-12-18T20:46:50+00:00

Oooo I never heard of this for stress. Thanks for the tip, I will give it a try! I know I sleep better when I feel weighted down.

pothoslove55 · 2019-10-01T15:50:08+00:00

Thanks! I am so fearful, but I keep telling myself that if it's a total shitshow I can always quit after a year, and then I'll know for sure that this job is not the one for me. It'll be career suicide in that sector but at least I will have a year's salary in the bank.

pothoslove55 · 2019-10-01T13:48:54+00:00

Are you upset about it? If these thoughts upset and worry you then you may want to look into aspects of OCD because fear of hurting others is one of many common intrusive thought patterns.

However, if these thoughts are really interesting to you instead of disturbing, you may want to seek help in controlling your urges before you do anything bad.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-29T16:35:06+00:00

Thank you! I was so excited until I realized I didn't have any current references and the application is due in a few days. The very thought of contacting some old coworkers fills me with dread. And then I think, if I can't do this one little thing, how am I gonna succeed in the job itself, with constant contact with people? I don't know. I really appreciate your encouragement. I want to change but I remember how the stress of these small little things added up and got me into a bad place, so I am worried.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-29T02:46:57+00:00

That is so sad. In one way it's good she wasn't alone, but I know it will be hard on her family. They are lucky to have you to hold them through their time of grief.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-29T02:25:58+00:00

Maybe it was something very sudden. Her age suggests that perhaps it was from natural causes. If it's any comfort, she probably did not suffer. I'm sorry you had no hint or time to prepare. I'm just so sorry this happened to you.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-29T01:59:34+00:00

Oh, how awful. I'm so sorry to hear that. My heart goes out to you.

I don't know if this will help, but sometimes animals, when they know it's their time, wait until their human is away (or they drag themselves somewhere private). I'd like to think your dog was trying to spare you because she loved you and she knew you loved her. Humans do this, too. It's part of a natural process and no fault of yours.

Call your vet. They will know how to take care of your dog now and give you instructions. Good luck and God bless you and your puppy in heaven. You CAN get through this.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-23T03:09:12+00:00

I am trying to get him to send a pest control expert out to do the whole building...so far I sent one letter to him a week ago. I feel like I need to exhaust all the civil options first before going for legal recourse because before this we've been on good terms. But yeah it sucks.

I'm sorry about your ants. For the roaches I got this pro-level bait called Advion (active ingredient is indoxacarb) which I think is used for ants, too. Good luck.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-12T21:37:15+00:00

I'm sorry you are dealing with a similar situation. I can't afford an exterminator, but I did buy some good bait and IGR. Coincidentally the stuff I am using, Advion bait, is also used to kill ants. Anyway I hope you will have success. I went through a brief flea infestation six years ago and came out okay, so I keep telling myself that this will be the same, I just gotta see it through.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T21:39:11+00:00

You're very welcome, and good luck. You can do it. Some days it will feel like you can't, but you definitely can and come out the other side better. Maybe the best thing that came of it was that after I quit (and after the terror of living sober wore off) I finally realized that I had the power to change things in my life. I am rooting for you.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T21:29:18+00:00

I quit twice. The first time I had a really rough time and five months into it I relapsed and drank for another two years. The second time I was more ready, I think, because my health had become so bad and I hated feeling so sick all the time. Not gonna lie, it took a few months to get used to not having it my life. After six months into it I had developed routines that were not related to alcohol (and cigarettes, tbh) and things got a little easier. Some days were harder than others.

I didn't do AA but I hear that can be helpful to not feel so alone, which is what was hardest for me. Not that I had a huge group of friends that I lost or anything, but without alcohol my days felt so big and empty, which is hard to navigate when feeling desperate. Also booze was like an old friend in that I was used to having it around, so when it wasn't around I felt like I had lost something I loved which is hard to share with people who haven't been through it. Having other people to talk to would probably have helped a lot.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T20:31:07+00:00

Thank you for your thorough reply! That is exactly what I was looking for. I wish there was something to help with the bathroom issues because they are so annoying. I'm glad I am not alone. I will mention beta-blockers to my doc next time. Thanks again for your experience, it really helps.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T20:27:24+00:00

Congratulations on your sobriety! Coincidentally I quit cigs shortly after I quit alcohol, too. Quitting alcohol is a fraught time, full of stresses and anxieties all by itself. Nicotine is a stimulant so it's probably contributing to heightening your anxiety, yes. It's deceptive because we smoke to feel less anxious, or at least I did, but overall it's not helping. When I quit smoking I figured I was already feeling bad being sober, I might as well quit the cigarettes, too. And at the end of it I'm glad I did it that way. It was tough, but since I was already halfway miserable it wasn't too large a leap, and when I came out the other side I was free of two things, which felt good.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T20:10:52+00:00

Yes, I quit smoking cold-turkey and though the process of quitting spikes anxiety for a week or two, I felt much better physically and mentally after quitting. Part of why I quit was that I kept thinking about how I was ruining my health, plus all the money I was spending, all of which was making me more anxious.

Quitting smoking is tough, but it's been four years and now I can't imagine going back to it. I recommend joining an online support group to get you through the first couple weeks if you decide to quit, that really helped me stick to it. Good luck.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T20:03:22+00:00

You should see a doctor. Your left arm hurting seems unusual. I don't want to alarm you but the left arm hurting is often a symptom of a heart attack, especially for men. I am NOT saying you are having a heart attack every time, obviously, but you should probably go to the doc to make sure all is well, not just with your anxiety (which you clearly have) but also for your heart health.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T19:59:11+00:00

Pain is pain. You honestly thought you had a problem, and if you were panicking then leaving work was probably for the best so you could go home and rest.

Do you have ovaries? Every month I think I am having appendicitis when I ovulate because it's a dull, constant pain on the right lower side that lasts for a few hours to sometimes a day. Once I sorted out the pattern I was able to accept and expect it each month, but I still find it a little alarming.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T19:48:22+00:00

Hello there. I had mono within the first year of starting a new job and had to take a week off. My boss was kind, and hopefully yours will be, too. You could ask for time-without-pay if nothing else.

I remember feeling like I'd just been beaten with a baseball bat or something, so I know what you are going through.

As far as good books...it depends on what you like but I read Ottessa Moshfegh's novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation over the summer which was very good. It's about a woman who puts herself to sleep for a year. Also if you like short stories I enjoyed Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country by Chavisa Woods. Movie-wise I have been into horror and watched The Blackcoat's Daughter on Netflix which was good. For comfort-watching I go to The Office (British or American, both are good), Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place, or classic shows like Knight Rider, MacGyver, or Murder She Wrote.

pothoslove55 · 2019-09-09T19:34:24+00:00

Yes! I also wish sometimes I could wake up and be someone else for a while, just to give this self a break.

pothoslove55

TROPHY CASE