Help! first panic attack? long..
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| Mon, 01-10-2005 - 3:11pm |
Really Long, I'm sorry, but I need advice/help to figure this out.
I think I may have had a panic or anxiety attack last night. I have never had one before, but I can't figure out what else it could be. I have a call in to my doctor right now and she's supposed to call me back at home to discuss it.
Does anyone suffer from these?
I was just sitting on the couch watching Extreme Makeover Home edition with my husband last night when all of a sudden I got this incredibly strange feeling in my body and head. I felt like I needed to move, or my blood would stop pumping or I'd pass out or somethign.. but I didn't really feel dizzy or faint, it was just a mental thing, like I thought if I didn't stand up, I'd black out. So I stood up and then it felt like there was a fuzzyness or electricity in my thighs and face. my upperlip and roof of mouth and cheeks felt numb and tingly. I even slapped my own cheeks a couple of times as an experiment and I could feel it but it felt a lot lighter and less painful than I would have expected. I told my husband. He suggested I go outside where it was really cold. That helped for a few seconds, as it felt refreshing and ALIVE. My mouth still felt funny and now my jaw felt clenched, I tried eating an ice cream bar. It didn't taste that good and I had to eat it really slowly because My mouth and head felt so funny. I'm pacing around the house and my muscles feel really tight.
All of this is scary but I don't want to alarm my husband so I am trying to be calm. Also, because I'm a nurse, for some reason, it is hard for me to seek medical attention when I don't really think that anything is wrong. I am telling myself that my pulse is normal and I don't have any chest pain or jaw pain and I'm not having trouble breathing so I'm probably okay. I convince myself that maybe it is from the cough medicine I've been taking --although I wasn't taking any more than the recommended dosage.
Other symptoms I have is that I feel like my body is really light, like I'm floating, and it feels unreal and I'm trying to convince myself that it will go away, but there are other parts of me that are afraid I'm going to die. Through all of this I'm pacing the living room and I'm still able to watch the tv show, although distractedly, but it isn't so bad that I absolutely can't concentrate.
The show is over and I am feeling a little better, but not very good, I just can tell that it is ever so slightly better. I keep telling my husband I just want it to go away. He asks if I want to go to the hospital. I say no. He asks again, I refuse. HE suggests I take a hot shower. That helps for a while. I take one in the dark and that is nice. I brush my teeth and that is nice, but when I get out, I swear my peripheral vision is slightly less, especially what I would normally see if I looked up. I still feel crappy and I just can't stop thinkign about it. My husband puts on a movie in bed and we lie down and he rubs my back. As long as I am talking or moving or doing something active, I feel a lot better. But if I lie still, suddenly I focus in on my body and how strange it feels. We watch the entire movie and during some of it I am feeling relieved, like it is getting a lot better, but then another wave of the "Feeling" comes back and I'm frustrated again. This happens quite a few times during the 2 hour movie. When the wave of the feeling comes back, it is never quite as strong as the last one, but still bad enough that sometimes I can't watch the movie anymore, I have to roll over and close my eyes and just listen.
Eventually the movie is over and I still feel funky. I can't sleep because when I try to sleep I feel like I'm floating on the bed and I am super aware of my breathing and I feel like--oh my god! my breathing is too shallow, or I'm not breathing enough, or if i fall asleep I will stop breathing and i"ll die!.
Eventually (now it is after midnight, and all of this started at 8:30 or 8:40) I realize that maybe I'm having a panic attack and so I get up to go do research online.
I find out that a lot of my symptoms are like a panic attack. And the fact that it came on incredibly suddenly and peaked in the first 10 minutes and then has slowly gone down after that sounds like a panic attack, although the websites say that panic attacks usually only last 30 minutes to an hour or so at most, and here it is 4 hours later that I'm doing research online and still feeling strange. Also, the symptoms almost always say racing heart, and I never had a racing heart. There were times that I was ultra-aware of my heart beating and it felt a little funny in my chest (not a palpatation) or I could hear it in my ears, but it was never racing.
The tingling in the face and muscle tightness and fear and feeling that you will stop breathing are symptoms. As are the feelings of unreality and floating, etc.
Also, I read that often a first panic attack happens between ages of 20-30 and I'm 26. Also I read that it is more common the day AFTER drinking alcohol, and it just happens that on saturday (the day before this happened) I had a few drinks and got buzzed, and I almost NEVER drink.. literally maybe 2 or 3 times a year. also I read it can be a result of stress or fatigue, and I've had this cough for 4 nights now and nothing I take helps so I end up coughing for a couple hours before I can finally fall asleep and end up getting only like 4 or 5 hours of sleep at night, which is unusual for me.
Anyway, I finally fell asleep around 3 am, when I still felt a tiny bit funny but not too bad, I could finally relax enough to fall asleep. That was over 6 hours from the onest of symptoms. Now I didn't wake up until 11:30, finally i got some sleep! And I still feel a little funny, ot too bad, I can go about my day, but I feel a little jittery, as though I drank a strong coffee on an empty stomach.
Can anyone share their experiences, advice (Besides see a doctor which I am already trying to do). Has anyone ever had a panic attack WITHOUT their heart racing? Has anyone ever had one that lasted as long as I am describing?
thanks,
Casey

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Hey! Wow, I read your message and I relate to so so so much of it! I'll get to it all in a minute but there are a few things you NEED to know right away: DON'T WORRY. You're not going crazy, you're not going to pass out when you feel like this, you'll be ok!
I am sure what you described was a panic attack. I just turned 18. I'm a Canadian girl who suffered with anxiety in my past. I think it built up mainly in my teen years, but my 17th year was really bad. I was so anxious and I had a lot of panic attacks with many similar symptoms to the ones you described. When I got a panic attack I would start breathing really fast and shallow. Breathing like this caused me to have a tingling sensation in my hands (this still happens sometimes, I'm a bad flyer, so when I get scared on planes this happens, but I'm dealing with this too). I'd also feel really, really spacey and out-of-it. I totally understand what you're saying. This can be really, really scary, and I wondered if I was going crazy. I actually obsessed about this to the point where it made me a bit depressed, because of all of this anxiety I was having. But finally I talked to my parents about it. Then they took me to see our family physician and he said it sounded like Accute Adolescent Anxiety. He reccomended I talk to the Mental Health worker who came to our small town usually once a month. I was feeling relieved by now and I started to feel a bit better, but I was still having anxiety. It wasn't until something happened in my life that I really feel was a gift from God, that He intended for it to happen so I would get better. My Mom had to work night shift at the hospital. That was a bad night for my anxiety, I was up almost all nigth with panicky feelings. I just watched a movie in the basement and eventually fell asleep. But the next day my Mom told me that during one of her breaks she saw an info-mercial on TV about a program called "Attacking Anxiety and Depression", and she said that the people on the infomercial were talking about exactly what I was experiencing. Soon she ordered the program and it came in. This was one of the best, if not the best, thing that's ever happened to me. When I had my anxiety, I was MISERABLE. I don't even like to remember how bad I felt. And I'm not telling you this to scare you, not at all! I'm trying to help you. Because all I know is that yes, the sessions with the therapist were helping, but I was still asking myself "Well... maybe it's something more serious than just anxiety.." and this was scaring me. But when I got that program... everything came together wonderfully! This was in the summer of 2004. I'm still working on the program now, but that's just because I've had so many interruptions, like travelling, my Nanny getting sick, stuff like that, otherwise I'd have finished it faster... and I have been procrastinating, lol! It's a fifteen-week program and I should be finished by now but I'm going to start up again soon, it's just hard for me to start something after I've put it off! Lol but that's just me. Still, even though I haven't even finished it, I am a completely changed person. I barely have any anxiety at all anymore, and I'm confident that when I finish the program for good I will be even better, although I feel normal and confident and very content and happy right now!
And do you know what? Since I did Lesson Two in this program, the lesson that focused on panic attacks, I haven't had a single one. I used to have them at least once a week, maybe during the good times once every to to three weeks. But one panic attack is one too many! I'm sure you know the feeling, and you must not like it if you posted about it here. I just want to let you know that since I took this program, I have not had a single panic attack. And it feels wonderful. And you can be like this too! I know you may think you don't have a problem with anxiety, that it was just one panic attack, but you probably do have anxiety if you had a panic attack. And anyways, the skills in this program are for EVERYONE- they're LIFE skills.
So I guess I better give you the website to where you can see the program! www.stresscenter.com I think they're saying you can try it free, and only pay shipping and handling, but if you do have to pay in full for it... I know it can seem like a lot. It seemed like a lot to my parents because we are Canadian and our money isn't worth as much as American money. But honestly, how can you put a price on something that could help you so much? I really think God brought this program into my life to SAVE my life from the anxiety I was experiencing.
Please check out this program, I think it will really help you. But I can share some tips with you now!
1.) Talk to your relatives about it, if you feel comfortable. A lot of anxiety is genetic. I come from a very "worry-ish" family. My Mom had panic attacks when she was younger but she just thought they were heart problems- I don't think she suffered from anxiety, though. I think you might get a lot more insight in talking to your family, and if anyone else is struggling with this you can tell them about the program too.
2.) Definitely see your doctor (but you already knew that! lol). Be wary of any anxiety medication your doctor talks to you about. Yeah, it can help, but to help anxiety you have to change your ways of thinking and reacting. You have to change things like overreacting, negative thinking, "what-if" thinking if you want lasting results.
3.) Write your thoughts and feelings down in a journal when you feel panicky or strange or just anxious. Sometimes working things out on paper will really help. This is part of the program and it does help tremendously! Things seem to make a lot more sense on paper.
4.) Here are some tips I can give you just incase you ever feel a wave of panic again. These are LIFESAVERS!
- Accept your feelings of panic. Accept the body symptoms that you described as an indicator that something is bothering you.
- Give yourself permission to feel panic about whatever it is that's bothering you, if you can pinpoint it. If not, give yourself permission to feel the panic even if you don't know why.
- This is a breathing technique that helps SOOOOOOO SOOOOO SOOOOO much! When you notice feelings of panic, do this: inhale through your nose slowly for two seconds (one mississippi, two mississippi), then exhale through your mouth for four seconds (same with the mississippis, or one-one thousand, or whatever works). Do this for at least sixty seconds, and keep doing it. It will help you to feel more calm!
- Talk to yourself using truthful, positive words. Tell yourself that you'll be alright. Tell yourself that this will pass. That you won't pass out, faint, or lose control. That this spacey feeling cannot hurt you. Positive dialogue is very comforting, and comfort is VERY important during panic.
- Distract yourself when you feel this paniced or spacey feeling. Do something physical or mental. Go for a job, or clean your house, or something like that. Pretty soon you won't be focused on your panic and then it'll be gone! It might take some practice but you should definitely try this.
- Let time pass. See if you can find out what is really bothering you, if there is an underlying reason for this panic. Sometimes there isn't- that's ok too.
I'd recommend doing these in order. Please try this and PLEASE check out the program. I wish you all the best in the world and I will pray that you find relief from your panic. If you feel posting a follow-up message I'll be checking back in this discussion. Good luck, and don't worry!
Good luck. And btw - you have to nip this in the bud. If you do think you are going down the anxiety road - the earlier you halt it - the better off you will be long-term.
HTH
Love sarah
Hi, Casey! Welcome to the board. If in fact you had a panic attack, you are in the right place. You are not alone. However, diagnosing your problem is something left to the professionals. We cannot do that here. We share our experiences & how we have learned to cope. As a nurse, I am sure you know there are medical illnesses that can cause these symptoms. Err on the side of caution & get yourself checked out. It will give you some peace of mind.
Research has shown that a combination of meds & therapy does give the best results. Many of us have gone that route. But, there are other options available. I have used breathing & relaxation exercises, as well as meditation. Some folks use yoga, hypnosis, herbs, programs that have been posted to you, as well as self help books & even support groups. We will support you in whatever method you choose.
Please feel free to post anytime. Join us in chat. Take a look @ previous posts & the info @ the top of this page & in the other folders. Try to keep this in perspective. You may never have this happen again. But we are here if you need us. Let us know what the dr. suggests. Good luck! (((hugs))) jan
Hi, Mandy & welcome to our community! Thanks for sharing your story & the website. Lucinda Bassett's program has been used by others on our board & some folks have relied on her books.
Please make yourself @ home. Post whenever you like & join us in chat. We care about you & want you to continue to do well. Good luck! (((hugs))) jan
Hi Casey,
Yes, I've experienced some of the feelings you're having: the strange, spacey feeling in your head (which is so hard to explain), the "wave after wave" of icky feelings, and not being able to stop thinking about it. Though I've had some panic attacks accompanied by heart palpatations, I don't always get them. And yes, unfortunately, panic attacks can last more than an hour.
What's really weird is I too was watching Extreme Makeover-Home Addition last night and though I wasn't having a panic attack, I was having some anxiety.
My first panic attack was a couple years ago while on vacation, but at the time I didn't realize that's what it was. After getting back home I didn't experience any more until September 2004. After having surgery on my neck (anterior disectomy with 2 fusions)in September, I started having anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia and depression.
I know it's so scary when it first happens, but TRY not to worry. It will get better; it will go away.
This anxiety stuff is still fairly new to me, but I have found ways that help me tremedously. Also, the other lady who responded to your e-mail (Mandy) had a lot of GOOD advice, some which I use myself.
1. I bought a book called "Conquering Anxiety & Fear" and the first thing it says is to make sure something physical isn't causing your anxiety. Also, speaking of books, educating yourself about this will help eliminate your fears and worries.
2. Like Mandy said, talk to family/friends. You'll be surprised to find out you're not alone. I never knew my older brother and a friend of mine suffered from anxiety/depression too until I told them about what I was going through. It helped so much to talk to someone who could understand and relate.
3. I walk 30-45 minutes a day and found that it REALLY helps to keep my anxiety away.
4. I also do like Mandy said and I keep a daily journal of how I'm feeling and I talk to myself using positive words. If I'm starting to feel anxious I just tell myself "You're going to be OK", it's just a feeling, it won't hurt you". "This too shall pass".
5. Mandy also had some good advice on distracting yourself. At first I always thought about it, worried about it, my mind was constantly racing. Though it may be easier said than done, try to get busy and keep your mind off of it.
Like I said, this anxiety stuff is pretty new to me, but I've been doing really well lately. I think the reason my anxiety was starting to come back last night was because, due to having a cold and the rainy weather, I haven't exercised in over a week.
So hang in there; this too shall pass for you also.
Take care and I'll keep you in my prayers.
Cheryl
Casey - I just started having attacks 3 months ago. I am 29. At first I did not know what to think. I would get that feeling like I was not really there, I think they call it depersonalization. It is very scary. You feel like you are not you, or like you are watching the world around you but you are not there. And I HAVE to keep moving - I totally can relate to that. If I'd try to be still and rest I would get these "surges" as I call them that would go through me and stir me up again. I felt so weird in a bad way. Very scared, wanting it to just go away and let me feel normal. I would get the funny vision and light feeling too. It sounds like an anxiety/panic attack to me. It is hard to know what caused it, some of us don't have triggers. I never do. It just happens whenever it wants to.
My doc said some people have isolated attacks once in a while and then they are fine. I used to have one about once a year. Never thought anything of it. But, this time, it did not totally leave me. I fell into depression afterwards and would be scared of the next attack. She said that is what it meant to have "Generalized Anxiety" where your mind won't let go of it even after the attack. How do you feel now? Totally back to normal? Or do you feel uneasy still like you are anticipating something?
Kim
Love Sarah
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