Anxiety

so sorry you are going through all this, I have been there and still am at times with the anxiety. I too am on meds for it, antidepressant along with Xanax as needed. For a while the xanax was needed on a scheduled basis until my body decided to cooperate a little better. My suggest talking to your doctor about getting some additional medication usage and/or chat therapy to get you through the "hump" of this madness. A suggestion for showering, here is what I found to be VERY helpful. Purchased a shower chair and hand held shower head that fit in my tub/shower combination, making sure that the hose on the shower head was long enough to rest where the current sower head is and then reach down to sitting position when I used it. These can be purchased at the big box stores such as Walmart, Home Depot etc or even online. Now to tackle that getting in the shower part. What I have done and it is working well, First I cooled down my "normal" shower temperature to a nice warm, not hot that steams up the bathroom. I leave the bathroom door open and do NOT turn on the bathroom fan. Thus helping any steam still escape out, but no additional noise just in case I need help, thus a person can hear me and I here them. Take your phone in the bathroom with you, if it is a smart phone can it be programmed for voice command to call a number if needed? If not you could check in to getting one of those buttons "I have fallen and can't get up" kind. These have added a nice sense of security to me. I always let someone know when I am taking the shower, so they are aware of where and what I am doing, if no one is in the house at the, then I call a family member or friend and let them know, thus again helping me feel more secure that if they don't here back from me, then they can call for help for me. Remember while in the shower, safely sitting down, that you need just to breath, the stress and extra work of standing and bending over no longer exist, giving you more strength and easier breathing to start and finish that nice warm shower you crave to have.
I do this with my oxygen hoe right in there with me!

Cooking? Do you have gas? Are you on O2 ? Is that what is causing that anxiety? Sorry I haven't had this problem to much. My cooking is all electric, I do question putting my face with oxygen in the oven to get something out, but that is short lived and I just do it! Breath afterward of course LOL. As for if your cooking is with gas stove, I have seen many people on here talking about it, you might be able to locate a thread or story on such a subject.

Glad your daughters are helping you through this, it will take a little time, but you have lived this long and have many more years to go, you will get through this as you have with so many other things that life has challenged you over.

Sure hope something I wrote is helpful, if there is anything else, please feel free to ask, someone on this forum just might have the answer or suggestion for you.

So glad that you found my experience helpful! Even though you are on medications, from what I am reading they don't seem to working to well for you. Have you discussed this with your doctor? There is many other meds or combination of medications that could possibly help you a little more. Interesting on the Benzos, I get it, but the main side effect that seems to worry most doctors and patience is the POSSIBILTY of addiction. What conclusion I have come to with my care and health is that I see the "side effects" set them a side for they are only "Possibilities" and then move on to trying something new when needed. Darn, even aprin and tylenol had side effects. As for something more serious would be an allergic reaction, oh I have had my fair share of those too, but still does not deter me from trying something new for a better day to come about. It is working through the anxiety to get where we need to be in life. If you are only seeing a PC for your mental health care, might I suggest seeing a psychiatrist, they are the ones that knows more about the meds and treatments for anxiety and panic, let alone they could give you some really good "home treatment coping skills" to try.
Allergies, a real bummer and they feed on the COPD or should I ay the COPD feeds on them. Since I am allergic to everything outside, housedust and cats, always battling. Currently on 3 differemt meds to help with different parts the allergies causes. It happens every so often they have to be switched or added too pending the season and how high the pollen in bad the air quality is.

I keep my inside enviroment a stable as possible by using dehumidigierts and humidifiers as needed for the season of the year. 40% in house seems to work well for me.

Please keep in mind something we just have to throw up our hands, give a Hail Mary and see where we end up!

So wish you the luck and courage needed to continue the battle, You have it in you, you know!

Hi. I am not a medical expert and cannot give medical advice, but I would also consider seeking a second opinion if you want to explore the option of taking benzos. In very high doses they can slow your breathing in a dangerous way, that is true. But a doctor should be able to determine the dosage that is safe in your individual case, and monitor you regularly for adjustment if needed. As another example, benzos are used frequently to help treat anxiety for people who are very ill, including those with cancer and/or on hospice. So, with or without benzos, there is likely a medication option for you. If not, therapy can be a huge asset for expressing your feelings and learning coping mechanisms that can help you in times of anxiety. My heart goes out to you, you're not alone! -Melissa, team member