My carefree spin through life was abruptly tripped up last week when a sharp, chest-constricting panic attack forced me off the coach to work and back onto the pavement, pleading nausea to the driver so he’d stop halfway down a busy road in rush-hour. Since then I’ve not been able to get back on a bus. Taxis are hardly bearable either. I can just about manage car lifts from my family (who will pull over and let me out for air if I need it). Elevators I can and will cope with, as I live on the 5th floor and I’m damned if I’m walking up and down that four times a day (it’s seven deep breaths from the 5th to the ground floor, or a count of 10. Seven deep breaths, or a count of 10).
I wrangled gently with the on-duty GP (via phone) about how to deal with this. Back on the amitriptyline (oh joy of joooyyys), having spent the best part of three years getting off the sodding stuff. Follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks. But so far I can still make it to work (albeit by walking there), make it round the supermarket, go to the gym, sit down and eat a meal with my loved ones, and generally keep some sort of handle on life. So currently we’re at Anxiety Attack Status: Fucking Annoying, rather than Anxiety Attack Status: Utterly Debilitating, which is something I guess.
Consoled myself with the remains of Sunday night’s family curry extravaganza (quorn chicken korma, moong dhal, vegetable curry) and some home-made parathas (Indian flatbreads)…….
Original version from http://indiaphile.info/how-to-make-parathas/