All I know is that you have to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of others. I too have a supportive husband who is working 2 jobs until I can get back to work. I cook his favorite meals when I can but if I am tired from meds he nukes leftovers. He knows that this too shall pass. Soon he will have the real me back.

Have faith
Marg 51

I know what you mean about having the old you back. I want the old me back too. I have moments when I feel fine and think that I am "Cured"
Then when the next down time come it is so much harder to deal with.
I am fortunate to have a supportive husband, I know that. I just dont want to lose what I have.

I am absolutley possitive that my anxiety has affected my marrage. My husban even tells me himself that he wishes I could be me again. It's hard to hear that from your own husband. I also need a little advice in this too you aren't alone.

my husband is also very supportive too, he sometimes wishes he could do more to help, he says'its easier if you got a cold or flu or something coz i can help you and look after you by doing certain things, but with anxiety its hard because its in our minds and not so easy for others to help us, or they can do is be there for you and give you comfort when you are having attacks etc. i know our marriage is strong and can survive this , but i must admit, i do worry about the sexual side of things because when having anxiety for weeks or months, thats the last thing you feel like doing, but if he is supportive like mine, he will put your needs before his own AH BLESS him x

I'm sure it does. My husband does a good job of blowing it off. Accepting that it's just the way I am.

I never really talked to him about anxiety and attacks, until I found some general info for caregivers of people who suffer from this and it made a BIG difference. I honestly think he thought I was making it up until he read about anxiety and attacks. He, from time to time, thinks that he is to blame but that's not the case! I express to him how I feel once the attack is over, if I feel guilty about dinner being late, or having to leave a place, etc. It helps with the communication of how I feel. He now knows that if I'm not well, he won't get any attention so if 30 minutes or 2 hours is what I need to feel "right" again, he's willing to wait! :)

My husband is supportive as well, I am very lucky. I think the husbands just lose their patience sometimes because they want to help us but sometimes cant. Talk to him and explain you are taking steps to get better but that its a slow process and their may be relapses. Talking together about what you can do to help out each other is key

I seriously understand your concerns. I have the same. My husband is wonderful, but can also get very impatient with me. The one thing I thank God for so much is that the lines of communication are still very open between us. That is one tip I can give you.
Marg 51 is also very right, your self-care is priority right now. I still struggle with this one -- so true though.
When spouses lose their patience, it makes us feel guilty for having anxiety in the first place. As if we ever asked for it. Let him know how his impatience makes you feel & ask him nicely to bare with you while you work on getting better. Ask him not to resent you for the anxiety & assure him that you are doing your best. Then - hard as it is (I know!!) - focus on YOURSELF & getting better. Also take courage in knowing that you are sooo not alone :)

Now let's just hope I can practice what I preach!!

Good luck! You'll b in my thoughts & prayers.

I would suggest that you do some counseling together so that he can understand better what anxiety disorders are and how it affects you. I would also read him info about anxiety disorders.

It is hard for the person not experiencing the anxiety to understand.

My X left me because of my "disorders", so I know my anxiety affected him. I wish he could have been stronger to understand this is a disease and can take time to find the right meds and get proper therapy.

There was a great blog on the Home page a few months back about "caring for the care giver". The blog focused on people who take care of severely impaired individuals but I think some of the ideas cross over into any relationship.

If you feel a lot of the help and support is going one way (i.e. towards you). Try to be more supportive of him. It doesn't have to be support for a pain or negative in his life -- you could ask him about work and congratulate him for finishing a project or encourage him to meet a goal.

If you see he is missing out on some of the things he enjoys in life because of your handicap you might encourage him to do those things with his friends or his brother.

Unfortunately this illness does affect our relationships and it can be difficult for someone who doesn't suffer in this way to understand what anxiety sufferers experience.
It would be a good idea for your husband to accompany you when you see your GP, or consultant, if you have one.
Maybe the Dr can explain the facts about this illness to him and possibly recommend some useful books on the subject.
It is possible to get over anxiety, so don't give up.....keep fighting it.
Good luck

I understand you... I feel like my husband and I are drifting apart, which sucks because I'm starting to feel a little better. I guess the damage is done. I'm not sure anymore if it's me or financial stress. All i know is that I do not feel loved.

My husband is so supportive, and I'm thankful everyday for that. It helps that I started going through this before we got married and he stuck by me then, so I know he will stick by me now. He is so great about it that sometimes it makes me feel worse, you know, like I don't deserve him, he's so nice to me in spite of my anxiety issues.

I know I do deserve him, but I do feel bad when I have to put him through a lot.