Hi, I am almost 16 and last week I had band camp. This is mandatory for marching band at school, and it is 8 hours every day for a week outside with a four hour break in between. Up until Wednesday night I was fine as I am usually a normal, happy go lucky teen with a lot of interest and love for life. Come Wednesday night I went to sleep as usual (I’m usually a big sleeper) but couldn’t fall asleep for an hour. One of my biggest fears is not being awake or feeling good during band camp, so I started to freak myself out and got absolutely NO sleep that night, all I could do was stare at the ceiling and get up and pace around. I also got very nautious and got sick a few times.. I still went to band on Thursday despite how tired I am and because this is my third year of doing this camp, and I took Nyquil that night. I could not fall asleep for about three hours until (this is embarrassing to say) my mom came in and rubbed my back and relaxed me. I still got only maybe five hours of sleep. Friday night I did not take Nyquil, but had herbal tea, again I needed my mom to come in and rub my back for an hour before I could get tired enough to relax and fell asleep roughly at three again. Come Saturday I was depressed and crying all day, begging my mom to take me to the emergency room or the doctor to get rid of this feeling. By Saturday all I could eat was toast, or I would get nautious, and I lost interest in everything that I loved. For example, I love to listen and play music, and I love to draw, now I can’t keep my concentration up on something for longer than five minutes. My mom called an on call doctor and he recommended that I should try some Benadryl as it may help me get tired. But after I took it, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I became very anxious, my heart started to pound hard, and I couldn’t get worst case scenario thoughts out of my head. Sunday wasn’t much better, however I was able to go to an American Idol concert, which took my mind off of the feeling for a few hours, but once I got home I was jittery and anxious worrying myself again. That night I needed my mom again, and slept broken for 6-7 hours, even though my normal sleeping time is about 10 or more hours. Possibly it was band camp that broke my sleep after a while because I had to get up at around 6:30 every morning and go back to sleep at about 10pm. My normal is going to bet at around 2 and waking up at noon. Monday comes around, and my mom makes an appointment for the doctor, I go to the doctor, and cry my eyes out in the office until the doctor came in. I was hoping for a miracle pill and even then I was skeptical about this working because my mind had overpowered Nyquil and Benadryl. After talking to her for a while, she said that I was in some state of panic, but told me that this is only temporary (which is hard to believe when I’m feeling so depressed.) I was prescribed the lowest doce of Xanax and was told to take it right when I got it, and was promised that it would calm me down, I was also told that I should get some therapy. I guess my mind kept thinking that Xanax would not help me, and I had a panic attack about 45 minutes taking a half a pill. My dad let me take another half, and I started to feel drowsy at 5pm and fell asleep on the couch after getting my back rubbed by my mom for around two hours. At night the doctor said to take a whole pill so that it would calm me down AND make me go to sleep. I took the pill and it was like the opposite happened, I was even more depressed and awake than ever before, and had to move to three different places to try and sleep until I eventually had about 5-6 hours of broken sleep on the couch in my living room. However earlier that day after my nap my mom drove me about 45 minutes to the mall with my dad in the car so that she could go and buy I shirt she needed for a suit. During that time, I was singing and laughing and joking with my dad, but as soon as I got home, the panic and anxiety kicked back in almost immediately, even after taking a Xanax to sleep. My body is exhausted and I yawn and sigh all the time, but I just can’t sleep, and it’s scary because this has never happened to me before. Band camp could have been the trigger because for the first to days it was terrible weather in the upper 90’s and then the last days humid and pouring (which I still had to go outside and march in.) I have to go again tonight, tomorrow, and the next day for four hours at a time, which is new this year, but might be the reason that I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about going back. I really hate the way I feel and I can’t take much more of this, I just want to be my happy normal self. It’s also worrying me that I have to go back to school next Wednesday and that on Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to school form 5:30am to 8pm because of band practice. Don’t get me wrong, I love band after the initial camp, and have been doing it for two years before this, so it’s kind of scary that th