Agoraphobia101

http://www.agoraphobia101.com

Greetings,

My name is Robert O’Donnell and I was born in 1948 in Philadelphia, PA.  I was adopted as an infant by a couple of great and extremely patient people.  They were and always will be… just Mom and Dad to me.

I am an Agoraphobic?

I consider myself recovered… but not cured.  I even had a relapse 5 years ago.  But I got out again quickly… as now I know how to deal with Agoraphobia.  I have been battling this monster for a long time.  Needlessly I may add. 

I have suffered from, continued to learn about, and finally recovered from Agoraphobia. This has been a long and painful battle, on me and my friends and family.  This is something I would never wish on anyone…

I will say this now and repeat this many times in my book.  No one deserves to be housebound?  Agoraphobia for me and most people… started with having continued “panic attacks”. 

Both spontaneous and anticipated attacks started happening more often and at an increased intensity.

They (the panic attacks) continued right through the 1980’s.  Remember there was no help back then.  Not even bad help.

In my book I try not to bash doctors and caregivers but for many years and even today people just don’t “get it”.

Agoraphobia is a crippling disorder and a true disability.  If you have symptoms (see my link on what is agoraphobia on my cover page) get informed.  If you don’t buy my book?

…Fine.., but get some help somehow, somewhere.

I would hate to see anyone suffer as bad and as long as I have.  With proper knowledge you will not need to. But take some action because things will get worse without help.  Trust me on that…?

If you want to know a bit more about me you can read on.  My book is very personal and although I have nothing  to hide or be ashamed of, I believe to be helped you need to really know the truth,  the facts and what a fellow sufferer has been through.

 Your best teacher and therapist will be someone who has been there and back!

Although an only child I would consider my childhood to be as normal as any other.  I was raised just outside of Philly.  In the suburb of Havertown.

Agoraphobia started around the age of 30 after a series or anxiety issues and eventually leading to Panic Attacks.  By 1980 I was becoming housebound.

I was married young and talk about this factor in the book Agoraphobia101 and due to the early marriage dropped my scholarship to collage to pursue a career in Restaurant management.  Up until then I had been an hourly employee making a whopping $1.00 an hour.  Nope not Mac’s, I was employed by a company called Gino’s. 

I stayed with the company until 1980 and it was prior to leaving that the anxiety part of my life began.  The agoraphobia started (although I had no idea at the time what I had?), shortly after I left Gino’s 17 year run.  A lot of my stress and anxiety issues revolved around the restaurant days.  And a very stressful marriage did not help matters?

Today I live in a rural area in New England.  I opened restaurants for Gino’s in the 1970’s in and around the Boston area, so I always had a liking for New England.  I spent the very few days off that I got in New Hampshire. Cruising in my MGB.

I returned to the Philly area in 1975 after the death of my Mother and took care of my Father until he died in 1983.  In 1985 my family and I moved back to New England.

 Sorry...this is boring and confusing me too?

Anyway I have been Agoraphobic and sometimes housebound since somewhere around 1983.  The panic attacks were getting worse and they were keeping me from going out more and more each year.  I worked for a few years as a head groundskeeper at a high class tennis club in Philly for a few years after Gino’s but after 1985, and my final move back to New England, I never worked “full time” for an employer again.

I always found a home based business to work and my wife worked so I became a stay at home dad.  This did not help the Agoraphobia.  But it helped me get by.

My wife and I split up in 1991 and then I became a single dad.  More pressure, but actually the best career I ever really had and I enjoyed my kids growing up a lot.

Today I continue to be self employed and work mostly online.  I use eBay and other forms of marketing to make a living.  I do not make money with Agoraphobia101…

I consider myself recovered but not cured.  I even had a relapse 5 years ago.  But got out again quickly as now I know how to deal with Agoraphobia.  I have been battling this monster for a long time.  Needlessly I may add.