questions about stress levels

[tinat]

hi there,

i have a question and not sure if there is an answer here but hopefully someone can help me or lead me smewhere that can.

i have this somewhat of an eating problem.

 

when i get stressed out i need toeat alot to get rid of the anxiety that the stress is causing me.

from this i think i might have some blood sugar problems though have tested normal on them.

i get stressed outso easy and always have and i think it is catching up with me in my life since i

will be 47 tomorrow.

 

i am tired an scared of what this may be doing to my body and my emotional health.

some of the things that stress me out are driving too far from home, my boyfriend when he gets

mad at me, when i have to go somewhere like a family event, or when we go out of town, or when i

even have o go to work at times.

 

i have always been prone to anxiety but this needing to eat so frequently is something new from about

a few months or so back possibley even as far back as a year or so but who is counting.

so when i get this anxiety and i need to eat, i am paralyzed to move. i can sit in the house just fine and

procrastinate till i am late or just forced to go because i know i have to go.

 

when i get back home, i am fine again and the anxiety is gone too. i had my dhea levels tested and it was

very low. my dr. put me on some dhea replacement at a low dose. it is suppose to help with the cortisol that

is released when one gets stressed to help balance the adrenals i guess.

 

i have only been on it now for a few days so noting as of yet to feel better.

i eat a nice meal every three hours like blood sugar levels should be eaten to keep them steady.

i stay away from high sugar foods and high glycemic foods that can raise blood sugars and make me crash.

 

i eat 5-6 small meals aday at about 300 calories each so i don't over eat. if i want a treat i make sure i have a high fat

foods first then allow myself the treat so i dont crash.

i do what i need to do to eat right so i don't get this anxiety from not eating, but still dispite eating these good meals when i

get this anxiety about doing things, this stress i need to eat and eat more food till i get through the crisies that should not really

even be a crisis.

 

i'm so lost feeling right now, i just want to run and hide from everybody and everything. life is too short to go through all this.

[moimeme]

Did your physician suggest anti-anxiety drugs? Has a consult with a psychologist been suggested? This could be due to any number of reasons and a psychologist could help you figure out what's behind this odd anxiety over eating.

[tinat]

there was no mention of anti-anxiety drugs. the only reason i eat is because it is the only thing that dispells the anxiety but at times i need to eat alot! so far no real weight gain because i choose more proteins then carbs or refined carbs so that is good. it is just the fact that i feel so starved when i get this stress that i feel hungry even if i have just eaten a good balanced meal i still feel the symptoms of hunger and i try not to eat again because i know i just ate but soon after i eat anyway i feel better for a short time.

 

the only thing that really takes the anxiety away is just getting out of the situation which is just usually not possible since i have to live a life here.

[moimeme]

it is the only thing that dispells the anxiety

 

Yes. You are self-medicating. Anti-anxiety drugs would shut off the anxiety and, with it, the urge to eat.

[tinat]

yes, that is a possiblity that i did not think of it in that way. it is hard to see it that way because i do also get these same eact symptoms if i don't eat at least every three hours and eat good foods.

[tinat]

perhaps i came to the wrong type of board, if anyone can direct me to the right kind of board for this problem, it wouild be most appreciated and many thanks.

[moimeme]

Really, a board isn't an appropriate place to get help anyway. If you find that your doctor's advice isn't helping, then see another doctor or tell him it's not working and ask for something different. I don't see what it is you are looking for. If you have anxiety, you need to fix that. If the symptoms are related to anxiety, you still need to fix that. If the symptoms are from something else, then the doc will still be your best resource.