Katy Tur on Morning Joe just remarked that at her recent doctor's appointment, he told her

[PearliePoo2]

that he was seeing an increase of his patients coming in complaining of anxiety and heart palpitations.
She raised an eyebrow, but he told her he was serious.
Apparently, the real fear of waking up each morning wondering if Idiot-in-Chief has just tweeted us into a war, has people streaming to their physicians in droves.
(glad to hear it's not just me...)

[Sherman A1]

1. Interesting

not surprising.

[spinbaby]

2. I wake up in an alternate universe every morning...

And think that it couldn't possibly have happened.

[Mickju]

61. I am having exactly the same experience

I say to myself every morning that I still can't believe Trump won. I had heart surgery a few months ago and this is not helping my recovery. In fact, it could hasten my demise.

[mr_lebowski]

74. Hang in there (wo)man ...

I feel your stress ... believe me ... but at least for now, none of what's happened in our country ... is worth dying over.

Not a doctor & certainly not telling you what to do, but ... I hope you immerse yourself in love, and family, and the things that are truly important right now.

IOW, first get well ... then you can fight ... until then, imho ... might be good to do your best to disconnect from this bullshit ... cause if you go down ... evil wins.

I hope you remember that, get better, stay strong ... and live to fight another day. We need you!

[Mickju]

77. Thank you!

I will try to follow your advice. BTW, I'm a 72 year old man.

[kentuck]

3. Mental health has a lot to do with physical health.

I have no doubt.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. I wake up mostly pissed off after a very restless night. Not what I'm use to.

[TNNurse]

5. Stress had very real

physical and emotional effects. From the headline, I thought the MD was going to tell Katy that she needed a long rest after the campaign.

[PearliePoo2]

10. Katy certainly deserves a rest/break after what she endured.

As you probably know, the 'Orange Menace' would regularly point her out to his lathered up crowd. He would call her "little Katy" and constantly mock and taunt her. On at least one occasion, she was so fearful of the jeering mob, that Secret Service had to escort her to her car. But...she never backed down or cowered in her coverage of him.

In my opinion, her name should be "Brave Katy".
What a sick, vindictive, sadistic fucker he is.

[klook]

12. +1 - Ms. Tur is a badass

and good at her job. Three cheers for journalists who serve the public and seek the truth.

[dae]

30. Wish she could get Chris Matthews gig. Would be nice to have an actual

reporter instead of I wanna be a celeb.

[Hekate]

55. Even better: she was not aware of the physical threat until the SS volunteered to escort her out...

THEY knew how serious the situation was, and took her out to her car. Bravo to them for protecting Brave Katy. Bravo to Katy.

[democratisphere]

6. drumpf's repeal and replace healthcare plan includes killing off as many as possible with stress.

[klook]

13. Shock and Auggh (n/t)

[HopeAgain]

28. +1

[Nitram]

7. I'm not at all surprised. I've been feeling anxiety coming on, and head it off before it gets...

Last edited Fri Feb 3, 2017, 12:11 PM - Edit history (1)

...overwhelming. Taking a walk in the woods does wonders for my perspective.

[PearliePoo2]

26. This has been really helpful to me also!

I'm so fortunate to not only live in the woods, but I'm also within a 15 minute drive of a quiet, ocean beach.
It's amazing how when you're in the deep forest, with tall Red Cedars, Douglas Firs and ferns up to your knees, it's an escape to a another calming, beautiful world!

[whathehell]

36. Same here..

I haven't really relaxed since the election...Feel anxious and slightly "on edge" all the time.

I refuse to live like this for even a year, let alone 4 years, so if he's not gone within a few months, Mr. WTH and I are out of here.

[Cosmocat]

8. This should be the experience of any

sane, rational person.

It isn't a matter of IF bad things are going to happen, it is how bad it will be.

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. I am having anxiety attacks.

Some little thing goes wrong that normally wouldn't bother me and I just get flooded with anxiety.

I have OCD that is under control and I am just fighting to keep it under control. All this added stress is not good or people with anxiety disorders.

[butdiduvote]

48. I have been the same way.

It seems like I can't handle any little thing going wrong anymore. I misplace my phone charger, and it's the end of the world. I'm constantly on edge.

[DetlefK]

11. I remember how anxious and nervous everybody was on DU during the days of George W. Bush.

Seems we are in for a rerun.

[kentuck]

15. Are Republicans immune from these anxiety attacks?

Reality doesn't phase them at all.

[DetlefK]

17. Already forgotten the weak tyrant who came for your guns by not caring about them?

[KittyWampus]

34. They are Authoritarians and simply ignore what's going except for what they're told

by their overlords.

[byronius]

38. "OMG, I'm in the grip of caring people who think things through logically! Aaaaagh!'

Not so much real anxiety as 'I should come first' irritability.

[ElkeH]

45. They live in an alternate reality

Some of the Republican voters are probably even in a constant state of euphoria right now because they think they are winning so bigly.

[Nay]

14. Hell, I nearly talked to my own doctor about this at my last visit. Last year, I had been under

some stress over health issues and the oncoming death of a good friend, and I talked to him about that then; he's a good guy and we tried an anti-depressant which ended up making me feel worse (how does that happen??). As it happened, I was just having some situational depression and it lifted, but damned if now feel EXACTLY the same way over this stupid effing election. I was just starting to feel better and had the rug jerked out from under me.

At this age (old!), I am considering selling everything and moving away. It's that stressful.

[phylny]

18. I've been to the emergency room, my family doctor,

the cardiologist, and have had an x-ray, stress test, and echocardiogram. Everything is fine, but you couldn't convince me of that with the way I feel.

[Nay]

20. Believe me, I sympathize completely. I often feel like I'm on the edge of crying. I've upped

my exercise and have been making a concerted effort to get out and do fun things. I'm lucky to be retired -- I think I would have a hard time going to work, doing all the house stuff, and having to deal with political fallout, too. At least I have time to focus on taking care of myself.

[whathehell]

37. My husband and I are feeling the same way..

and, since we are.close to retirement, considering a move out of the country, at least until the "Trump threat" is over.

Just. curious, where are you thinking of going?

[Nay]

41. Canada. I have dual citizenship. Hate the thought of leaving my kid and grandkid

behind, so we haven't moved.

[whathehell]

43. Lucky you, but I understand the reluctance to leave behind family..

Mr. WTH and I have no kids and few other family members left, so that's not much of an issue for us.

Do you by any chance live in a state that, for visiting purposes, would make Canada access easy?

[Nay]

44. No, I live in Virginia. Can't just pop over the line.

[whathehell]

46. Gotcha.

That's unfortunate, although I'm thinking it would be a short flight, depending where in Canada you would be living.

[Dustlawyer]

16. I am really afraid for my soon to be 80 year old mom!

She can't help watching and I have to tell her to go to the Food Network when it gets too much! Medicare cuts and prescription drug prices have her very worried though I have her back. She is a very proud woman!

Trump is opening up our country to all Plutocrats to steal us blind with the ever complicit Republicans. The Plutocrats were no longer content to rule in the shadows through corrupt politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. OWS scared them along with the growing populist movement, so they hijacked it under Trump and here we are.

We must all turn out to peacefully overthrow their control. When we do we must eliminate all ways they are able to use their money and media to exert their outsized influence! WE MUST RESIST!!!!

[spooky3]

19. "Katy, your health is the most excellent of any reporter

Who ever lived..."

[mtngirl47]

21. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the shit show!

I'm self-employed and I can't seem to get a project done because I constantly
look at the headlines to see what he's done next.

The Congress and the Senate are also racing ahead to take apart our country
and I find myself looking at the voting records to see who voted for each disastrous bill.

Each day I try to limit my obsession but each day is scarier than the last. I think he
wants things to be chaotic. He's trying to keep us off center.

There's an old salesperson saying: "If you throw enough shit against the wall something
is bound to stick." That's what he's doing. He's throwing everything out there because
he knows some of it is going to stick.

[coco22]

57. Exactly.My friends and family tell me to stop watching but I can't.

When I come back home I have to see what he has done next. I try to watch old movies but i have to cut away to see what is going on.

When I wake up first thing I do is click on tv and soon after I hear about another tweet.

[Native]

22. My doc said she can't even tell me how many women have come to her office and just started crying

because of the stress this administration (Trump) is causing them. She told me this after I became one of those women. She even had an entire speech for me - what I need to do to control the stress in my life - and then ended our conversation by saying that if it comes to it, she is fully prepared to lay down her life in the fight to protect women and children. My time with her went over an hour. Best internist ever!

[greenman3610]

23. there is a complex of symptoms that are across the board

Having been a medic for 15 years, I can recognize these as
signs of extreme stress. Exactly what I felt, for instance -
in coming upon an accident where a good friend was killed.



can't eat
can't sleep,
feel like "kicked in the gut"
feel like "someone died"


That's the reason demonstrations are going to be successful for some time -
a large number of Americans have been physically activated by this
catastrophe.

Giving people something to do at this stage is very important, so if you don't have
a local group organizing yet, do so.

[world wide wally]

24. See what happens when you don't get them their pony for Xmas?

[SharonClark]

25. Had MJ on for 5 minutes this morning

Too much pundit-splaining about how the Dems shouldn't oppose all of Trump's nominees because they would be labeled as obstructionists and the Dems are in disarray and need to rebuild the party, this from Tur and Brokaw. Someone said under his breath, "like the Republicans for the last 8 years".

[radical noodle]

27. I did

Not long after the election and my doctor told me the same thing. Gave me Xanax for the worst times. I've only taken two of them so far, which I think is admirable considering the incompetence. She also told me that she'd had a lot of people in who were worried about it and also said she might take her daughters and move out of the country because she didn't want her daughters exposed to all the hatred.

[MFM008]

29. I got an ulcer

Yup.

[Ligyron]

31. Wow, I had no idea how many people are experiencing this level of anxiety

The attack on affordable heath care is the most serious problem with them in power and I could see someone with the ACA doing a freak now.

But it hasn't been repealed yet and perhaps never will - we just don't know right now.

I would recommend yoga and the Buddhist practice of *Mindfullness*.

If one looks at life statistically, most of the stuff we worry about just never happens. Oh, to have back the time we've spent worrying unproductively about stuff that just didn't come to pass.

The present and coming GOP screw-up is going to bury them for good. With the demographics kicking in soon after - they're done. This presidency will be the end of them.

I truly believe that.

[byronius]

39. +1000.

[jmbar2]

32. Had a Drs appointment the day after the election...

The nurse said their phones were ringing off the hook with people seeking help for anxiety attacks and depression. Marching in protests is very therapeutic I hear.

[PearliePoo2]

33. Thank you everyone for all your comments and real-life stories.

Somehow, it's a bit strangely comforting (in this bizarro world), to know that others are reacting so similarly.
We're all in this together and we DO have strength in numbers.
RESIST!

[idahoblue]

35. Activism is a great stress reliever

Joining your local Indivisible group or other progressive activist group is a powerful outlet for stress and anxiety, doing something instead of just hand wringing.

Participating in the Women's March was a positive high that still lingers.

[byronius]

40. I'm itching to get out there again.

I went to many demonstrations during Bush's horror show, which we would of course now consider to be moderately bad.

[otohara]

42. First Thing Every AM

it starts all over again.

Had to call my doctor 3 days after and he gave me anti-anxiety RX

[barbtries]

47. i'm one of them.

make no bones about it. i got me some klonopin to deal with the anxiety.

[Vinca]

49. I was at the doctor's today on an unrelated matter and walked out with high BP meds.

It's been rising over the years, but the past few weeks have upset me to a whole new level.

[onlyadream]

50. My sister is seeing this in her college students

They're all scared to death.

[butdiduvote]

51. I find it interesting that people say marching is therepeutic for them

I was a mess at my local march. I just wanted to flop on the floor and cry myself to death. I found nothing about the experience comforting.

[elfin]

52. First time ever talking to my internist about my state of mind

I am old. After Medicare, he goes down the checklist of queries, one of which is about depression.

This time I stopped him and described my distress, but said I didn't think I needed meds - yet. Have never used them during or after other crises - but this one is qualitatively different. Outside of the usual hard work of bouts of grief that occur in the "normal" course of a long life.

This is not "normal." However, am managing along with like-minded friends, family, and socially healthy activities.

I do not know his politics, but he listened intently, and asked again if I wanted meds or referral to a psychologist. I said no, but would call him if things changed. He replied he would respond promptly.

Good to know he understands and willing to work with me.

[Hekate]

53. Oh hell yes

[LisaM]

54. I have a doctor friend; she reports the same thing.

Worse, she is Indian-American (from India) and right after the election, had to deal with people telling her they wanted a white doctor, though it sounds as if that's backed off.

I see a difference in me. Last night it snowed just a little (Seattle, so it's rare) so I went and walked around in it and it was wonderfully calming. Tonight I'm going to go hear music. I really need to shake off the blues.

[royable]

56. My spouse was just diagnosed with anxiety

after experiencing tremors, pains, and what seemed to be heart problems. In the weeks after the election we both felt sick and couldn't sleep, but this was something new. The doctor prescribed zoloft which seems to be helping. I can't share the Drumpf idiocy/outrage of the day any more lest I aggravate things.

A psychologist friend of mine says many of his clients were adversely affected by the election.

[Ernest Partridge]

58. Katy is a gem!

Katy,

Stay cool, stay well.

We luv ya. We need you.

Illigitami non carburundibus.

[ffr]

59. I think we're all expecting to wake briefly in the middle of the night to a loud boom.

Before our families and friends are snuffed out by his reckless actions.

[Hulk]

60. I went to bed angry last night.

That can happen, but I actually had to calm myself down by distracting my attention consciously to other thoughts before i could calm down to sleep.

Not a good feeling.

[Akamai]

62. I got a physical on Tuesday and was asked how I was feeling, etc., and I said the election

was devastating, and the head nurse and my PCP said they agreed, that people are really depressed, and several have said they have been crying off and on since the election.

One could easily diagnose this condition as DSM-5: 309.28 Adjustment Disorder With mixed anxiety and depressed mood, Secondary to Election of Trump.

[zwyziec]

63. Went to the doctor yesterday for my six month checkup

Went to the doctor yesterday for my six month checkup. He asked me how I was doing and I said that I was angry, frustrated, depressed and anxious. Haven't had the news on since the election.

He said that was exactly how he felt as well.

So we spent the rest of my appointment commiserating. Before I left we both felt better....he offered me a prozac pill and I offered him a joint.

[zwyziec]

64. Went to the doctor yesterday for my six month checkup

He asked me how I was doing and I said that I was angry, frustrated, depressed and anxious. Haven't had the news on since the election.

He said that was exactly how he felt as well.

So we spent the rest of my appointment commiserating. Before I left we both felt better....he offered me a prozac pill and I offered him a joint.

[appleannie1943]

65. I have not slept a whole night since the election. I keep having nightmares that wake me up.

[Pachamama]

67. I'm experiencing the same thing since election & in last 2 weeks it's gotten worse - went to the Dr.

Yesterday and I am suffering also now for first time in my life high blood pressure...

[vanlassie]

66. I ended up crying in the dentist's office and he is so sweet,

he just hugged me like a dad.
I have found, for me, that working a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle is very soothing. Something with a quiet village scene.

[demtenjeep]

68. add me to the list

I panic every morning when I wake up and blotus is still in my White House

[czarjak]

69. I love...

Katy!

[Lifelong Protester]

70. Another one here.

I vacillate between staying here and fighting, and leaving. I got the passports renewed between Christmas and New Years. I live in Wisconsin, and have gone so far as to scout out a route to Canada, and how much it costs, in cash, to cross the bridge there.

[ecstatic]

71. Around February/March of last year, I started clenching my jaws and grinding my teeth at night

So much so that I began to experience pain and bulging masseter muscles when chewing. It wasn't until tonight, when watching the new documentary Trumped and re-living all the awful moments of Trump's rise to power, did I connect the dots between my now out of control teeth grinding and Trump. I have to figure out how to stop letting Trump physically affect me. Meditation I suppose?

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

72. I was told the same by two of my healthcare professionals.

Sharply increased levels of stress, and fender benders and other small accidents due to distraction created by the stress.

[DesertFlower]

73. my anxiety attacks have gotten worse.

thank goodness for xanax.

[mr_lebowski]

75. I know it helps, but let me tell you from friend's experiences ... be VERY VERY careful ...

That stuff is really, really ... no joke ... .5 mg from time to time (once a week-ish) won't get you into trouble, but I've seen people spiral into >2mg/day ... every day ... and you do NOT wanna end up there.

One of my friends who did ... who also has opioid dependency issues ... when she had to come off of it she told me she'd have given ANYTHING to just have been withdrawing from ... I dunno ... oxycontin or whatever else she was into ... I didn't ask details ... as opposed to the pain of kicking xanax.

Not trying to increase your stress level AT ALL, believe me ... just urging caution is all. Stay safe!

[DesertFlower]

76. i know about it. i've done the research.

i take a very small amount. i read about people withdrawing from ativan which is very similar to xanax. they said the heroin addicts felt sorry for them because the withdrawal was so bad.