Word of advice

mustlovepoodles, RN · Feb 8, 2013

Have you sought out ANY therapy? Some of what you are experiencing is common to young nurses. ALL of us get that uneasy feeling of "What if I'm not good enough? What if I can't cut it?" And a LOT of us suffered with "the disease of the week" during senior year. But since it is negatively affecting major parts of your life, it's time to do something about it. I'm going to say this with love in my heart....

Talk to a psychiatrist. And find a therapist who works with panic and anxiety disorders. You probably would benefit from medication, which the psychiatrist can manage. The therapist does talk therapy and can help you find better coping skills and help you figure out what's really eating you.

I have experienced panic attacks and I have a mood disorder. I worked in NICU for over 15 years and then I developed PTSD, partly due to all the painful, terrible things i had to do to babies to make them live. And then one day a big teenaged boy cornered me in my office and screamed right in my face. The reaction I had was over and above anything I had every esperienced. Within 2 weeks I could no longer function in my job.

Medication keeps me stable and functional. It took me about a year to get control of myself and I really thought my nursing career was over. I couldn't even go into my place of employment without feeling like I was going to die. I did a LOT of therapy, worked on developing some creative outlets, and went to a support group for nurses struggling with depression and addiction (I am not an addict, but there are a LOT of similarities between addiction and mood disorders). Now, here I am 5 years later and I have a wonderful job I love, one that strokes my creativity AND my nursing career. It's not in a traditional setting--I could never go back to the hospit

I really wish you the best. You're so close, i'd hate to see you give up now.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2013

You know the answer to this. Go to the student health clinic or your primary care and get a referral for a therapist that specializes in anxiety disorders. This is quite treatable if you get to it earlier rather than later. Do not wait months or years. Do it this week.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2013

I used to have panic attacks and severe anxiety problems, too. Turns out it was my thyroid. When my doctor would check it, sometimes it would be very hyperactive, then other times it would be normal. Finally I developed a goiter, saw an endocrinologist who treated my thyroid, and I have not had any anxiety issues since. When my levels were hyper, I would have the fast or racing heart rate, feeling of doom, severe anxiety, etc, that you describe. It wasn't until I saw the endocrinologist that my thyroid disorder was properly diagnosed. I am assuming your doctor checked this, but in my case, sometimes it would be perfectly normal; i.e., it was exacerbating and remissing.

glencovediva · Feb 8, 2013

I am a senior in accelerated nursing school. I will graduate on May of 2014, if every thing goes smoothly. Here's my issue. I have a bachelors degree previously however, due to the unavailability of jobs in my field i did a career switch. When I did my previous degree i was always interested in health and diseases. I used to read a lot about disease prevention and such so i figured out I should go into nursing. I greatly admire nurses for the profession itself...Fast forward to present day, I am starting to have doubts on myself regarding my career choice as a nurse.
Ever since I started nursing school I always had some kind of physical issues, I started developing acid reflex , feeling fainted, something is wrong with me feeling etc. I kept on ignoring my signs and symptoms. However last semester was the breaking point for me. It was extremely hard semester and my stress level was off the chart. I missed my monthly cycle and developed bad cyst(acne like in face) etc. After the day the semester was over I had a terrible anxiety attack. My heart was pounding while I was cooking. It might not have been that bad but, I felt like something bad was happening to my heart as if I was getting heart attack or smth(which was obviously not the cause). I lost my mind that day I cried and panicked more which lead to fight or flight situation for about 1 hr. After that i was so scared of even my regular heart beat. I went to doctor and my bp was 125/86 with pulse 90. Normally it used to be 100/60 and pulse in 60s. It made my fear even worst. i was sacred to step out of my house and would look for ways to control anxiety over internet. I did several things over a month started exercising, yoga, eating right and so forth. I did EKG with cardiologist nth significant.
However after that incident of panic attack I have never fully recovered. i take every day as it comes try to be positive and so forth. I feel like i might not be able to be competent nurse although I passed med surge class and so far I am still in dean's list.
I look at the post where nurses complain about their job and regretting their choices of being nurse. This makes me worried more.I know my fear is not rational but, i cannot help thinking about my panic attack and if i will be able to handle the stress of nursing. Even though i try not to take any stress It appears in front of me in some way. All the symptoms I had before acid re flux nervousness, feeling faint were sign of anxiety which I did not know before. This semester they took us to cardiac floor I felt so at unease . Since panic attack and heart palpitation episode I do not like reading or dealing with telemetry floor. If i read about diseases I will think about what it happens to me or what if i have it and so forth..my biggest fear is after I start working as a nurse what if I have panic attack again instead of taking care of patient what if I start having issues and faint..does anyone else feel like this or had similar experience? I feel like I wont be able to handle the stress and blow it out of proportion. I am a good student and my clinical instructor thinks highly of me. I have never failed a class however, the confidence in myself has gone. I am almost always anxious and nervous these days although I think I am working on it ..some days are better than others.. Any word of advice?

If that were me, I'd see to get a referral for a pyschiatrist & some mental health therapy. You sound like a smart person. Good luck.

LadyMystic · Feb 9, 2013

Fight your anxiety without the meds or the therapy. You already achieved the first step in gaining your confidence back, which is acknowledging that you are having a panic attack. Some people go on with their lives not knowing what the heck is happening to them. Now that you know what it is learn to fight it mentally and desensitize yourself. Find ways to control your anxiety (singing, humming a song, listening to music, take a walk outside) and see if there are any changes. Nursing is indeed a stressful job but the best thing about it is that its flexible. Find a specialty that fits you. :]

canned_bread · Feb 9, 2013

I think you need to seek professional help, including counselling. If you need a chat, I am here.

I think people complain a lot on here because they need to vent, it is not a reflection on how much people like or dislike nursing. Nursing is great, nursing can suck. it's the same with every job you will find.