Hi all. New & need advice
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| Sat, 04-01-2006 - 10:11pm |
I'm new to this board, but not Ivillage.
I get what the doctor calls panic or anxiety attacks, I call them "stress attacks" because they happen when I am really stressed. To me they feel like I am having a heart attack! (shortness of breath, sweaty and a lot of chest pain). Doesn't happen often, but it happens. However, my question is not about me or my attacks.
My teenage DD may be Bipolar, she is being evaluated currently for possible Bipolar.
The MD thinks she is having anxiety attacks. I'm not quite sure what to do for her until a decission is made and they get her on some meds next appt. (mid April). The MD wants the psyciatrist to do the prescribing feeling she understands the mind better so he wont put DD on anything.
This is the third "bout" DD has had with this in the last year. Almost exactly a year ago DD started having these "episodes" where she would get sick to her stomache, get a headache, become shakey, short of breath and dizzy, her heart would race plus her skin would turn pale and her lips turn purple. Sometimes she would even wake up like this. (very different from my attacks). This lasted on and off for several weeks. Never figured out what was wrong. It just sort of went away.
Then in November it started up again. Same symptoms plus she had some sinus and bronchial stuff going on. They ran tests. They even included mono and walking pnemonia. All was negative again. They even sent her to a cardiologist for a work up. Everything checked out ok. The cardiologist said she is getting a faster than normal heart beat (sinus tachycardia) and they believe it is due to anxiety. Things seemed to clear up and she was "normal" again. Until the past few weeks.
Again she is going through this. Her teachers have even sent her to the clinic because she just doesn't look well and she is so shakey. We've begun at home and school taking her blood pressure to make sure it isn't drop to much, it isn't. We have checked her blood sugar, it's ok.
I took her to the doctors yesterday to make sure it was nothing medical. They again told me they think it's anxiety.
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Any suggestions on what to do for her or to have her do for herself to help?
I'm sure meds will help to some degree, but until she is on meds and ehy begin to work, is there anything we can do?

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. Sounds like your daughter is having anxiety attacks. Please be careful though with the bipolar diagnosis. A couple years ago they dx with being bipolar 11 and put me on every medication in the books. Turns out the manic was just pure anxiety, restlessness, nerves. Has your dd had a manic episode?
(((hugs)))) I can't imagine what you are going Thur right now. You best bet is to learn about panic disorders and bipolar read read read, Knowledge is power
Hi & welcome to our caring community. None of us are professionals here & cannot make a diagnosis. In spite of the fact that your dd is a teenager, it makes me very uncomfortable to suggest anything to you. It's a different matter when a fully consenting adult comes here & seeks help for themselves. What might be appropriate for an adult, such as meditation or hypnosis, might not be for your dd.
I will say that if it was my dd, I would get a confirmed diagnosis before I did anything. If I didn't agree with the diagnosis, I would see a specialist who deals with adolescents. We have a couple of psychiatrists in our area
Hi welcome
I agree 100% with Jan and It is just my opinion but ihave rased 4 teeagers and i dignosed all were biopolar,schtand were just plain out there so yea just as Jan sugguest
Let's us know either way it goes ok.
((((BIG BIG HUGS))))