You are being very brave!! Others around you have no idea how to help and as you found out some medical folks don’t either. But I feel like there are certain conditions like this one that are so narrow as to make us realize that we have to be our own advocates and you are young and have an entire life ahead of you so if you need to have an antiaxiety drug I hope you fight for it as the more stressed and anxious you are, the worse your condition can become …..for all of us !…..the nerves are already maxed out and the self talk becomes negative and fearful. I’ve had panic attacks ..twice….and I never wanted to have one again. EVER. Learning that is was also the thing stealing my joy made me decide to try Effexor. It gave me back my real self and not the self that was “awfulizing”….everything. If there was a real concern and it was perhaps a 20 in reality , I would jack it up to 80 and make myself and my loved ones miserable. I hadn’t ever been like that. But it can be dormant in a way and then a trauma of some kind sets it off. This is not about breathing correctly…..or doing hours of yoga. That can reach me but I needed to know that there was not a fear of losing control all of the time. And everything calmed and I became my self again…..I hadn’t seen her in about 10 yrs!!! And I was getting progressively more controlling, It acts like an electrical short….I was about 39 when I knew I needed to get balanced. I was asked here recently as I was going in for knee surgery, why I looked so much younger than my age……I told them I don’t live in a world of stress. Stress in the way you are living, is very hard on your body and can be a source for your body screaming at you. Do not ever think you are anything but brave as you are feeling like you are deeply stuck in mud and it’s hard to pick your foot up, but you are and you are moving forward and everything you learn will help you live a much happier life that you are in charge of. Don’t forget to gargle with warm salt water to calm the mouth and throat. And ask your doctor if there is any harm in taking Valtrex to help you calm your system down. It has been used for many decades to deter Shingles which is often triggered by nerve conditions and of course the Herpes virus . I first got shingles at 19 from children w chicken pox and you are probably vaccinated for chicken pox , but Valtrex is being used for many viral infections of the body that create swelling. You could ask for a trial dose and see . I have them in my system so I’m at risk to get shingles if my nerves or stress or anxiety is really whacked by something. So I take the Valtrex preventatively daily. Just a thought thats worth looking up and also seeing what a doctor’s response would be. It’s very positive in the States, they actually forget about the value of it at times and only think of it for shingles. I am glad about the carbonated drink…..and actually the caffeine also can help swelling go down…..you are moving forward so keep writing and remember that when the world out here helps you , we each benefit too because by helping you we are making valuable what we learned and passing it forward, just as you will do!……you will work our your own puzzle just keep up the deep breathing, or using sounds like ocean sounds for sleeping……please let me know how you fared at the Dr. I’m so glad you found a caring one!…..They can be magic!!!