Panic attacks (long)

[Guest guest]

There are days when I'm totaly convinced that there was a higher

meaning with me finding this group and today is certainly one of

them. I have been thinking hard and long on whether to post a

question round this topic or not, cause it's kind of personal and...

But - I found to my amazement, that you wonderful people are already

out and sharing yourselves, I jump right in.

 

First of all I wonder if your " panic attacks " and the thing we here

call " panic anxiety attacks " are the same? For me it's like I'm sure

I'm gonna die in the next couple of minutes - heart banging, doing

triple saltomortals, my lips and cheeks are getting numb, then my

lower arms and then - a freight train runs trough my whole body

screamin - I'm gonna die!!!

 

For me there is no family history of these attacks (at least to my

knowledge), but instead totaly caused by stress. The very first

attack I had on the plane to Greece five years ago, after working

like crazy roung 10-14 hours per day under enourmous preasure. I was

totaly convinced I was going to die, right there on the plane beside

my DH and Sam.... I didn't say a thing, to scared to talk - and

honestly hadn't got a clue on what had hit me...

 

Over time these attacks got worse and worse, still not knowing what

or why - the months before the doc finaly put me on sickleave for

what we here are calling " fatigue depression " (not to be confused

with clinical depression) or " burned out syndrome " , was pure hell.

Every single morning when I walked part of the way to work, I thought

that I would fall down and die - right then and there. Every single

working day - can you imagine the stupidity? And I still didn't know

what it was. Not until I got into this rehabprogram and met other

people with the same symtoms - then I finaly got a word for it and an

understaning. Even though I don't have very much stress in my life

anylonger, I still get these damned attacks - in the middle of the

night or in very early morning hours. Even though I now know WHAT

they are, they are still so horrible. It realy helps having Fiona

sleeping next to me (under the covers, my little 60+lb lapdog LOL)

and the other night I think I found a trick to make it go away

quicker. Instead of getting into this " ohhh, I'm gonna die panic and

total fraight (sp??)- instead I told myself - OK- you are getting

pannicy again, relax, go ahead and die then - in peace! It may sound

a little bit to drastic, but it helped and the attack stopped almost

imidiately. From what I have learned about stress and hormones and

signalsubstances, I think that the fighting mechanism (aghhhh, I'm

gonna DIE " sets the whole system on alert. But if one manage to relax

and say - hey, die then, it gives the signal to stand down. Cause at

least for me, it's the dying thing that realy sets it of in full spin.

 

But guess what I'm gonna do now?? I'm going straight upstairs and

make myself a bottle of smelling salts with the blend that JenB

suggested.

 

I must say, it is realy good and comforting to know, that these

things are so common and farspread = that I'm not alone.

 

Fragrant Blessings,

Ylva

[Guest guest]

Ylva, Yes, It is WONDERFUL to have found this group. My son used to

also have panic attacks and they seemed to be triggered by nothing he

could define. They didnt come particularly at a " stressful " time and

he's had to pull off the freeway & wait until he could drive again.

He's much better now, but I'm going to make him an inhaler when I

sort out all the info this group just shared!

Thanks to all of you!

Pat

 

, " ruby_mama2001 "

<ruby_mama2001> wrote:

> There are days when I'm totaly convinced that there was a higher

> meaning with me finding this group and today is certainly one of

> them. I have been thinking hard and long on whether to post a

> question round this topic or not, cause it's kind of personal

and...

> But - I found to my amazement, that you wonderful people are

already

> out and sharing yourselves, I jump right in.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ylva & everyone!

 

I debated on whether or not I had anything useful to say on this subject

that hadn't already been said, but after reading Ylva's post....well, let's

just say I know exactly how she feels! I have suffered from anxiety disorder

since I was 12. My dad died from leukemia when I was 12 & it was incredibly

traumatic for me. The 2 worst things about it all was the heavy burden laid

on me by my dad to " take care of my mama " which I took very seriously, THEN,

someone in my family told me that the reason my dad died was because the

doctors initially misdiagnosed him...that they originally diagnosed him with

mono. Well, I didn't find out just how false that was till about a year ago

when my mama set me straight. So, most all of my life I have spent thinking

that for example, if I had a headache it was most likely a brain tumor & I

was gonna die. What did the doctors know anyway... they couldn't even help

my dad?

 

I have spent my life (at least since I was 12) with my guard always up,

ready for whatever was gonna happen next. I even spent 3 years in an abusive

relationship where I got steak knives thrown at me (incidentally, that's

where it ended) by a man 3 times my size. I will say that I am 31 years old

now, been through numerous meds that have all failed for one reason or

another, and still don't have as good a handle on the anxiety as I would

like. BUT, my Christian faith is very strong, I am married to my best friend

in the whole world and I am in the process of trying to " retrain " my

thinking through my faith...so Ylva, when you said what you did about going

ahead & dying, but do so in peace, I could really relate to that. While I

don't have a fear of dying...my fear is having my child go through the

misery that I have had to deal with for so many years & what my death would

do to him. The way you talked yourself down from your panic attack is very

similar to what I have to do many times during a week to calm myself as

well. Even though I don't have actual " attacks " , I have chronic anxiety,

TMJ, and other things that go along with that.

 

In all these years, I have still never found a " support group " to discuss

this issue. It is really somewhat of a comfort to know that others are

having similar thoughts as me....that I'm not crazy. It's also helpful to

see how others deal with it. I will be trying some of these blends

myself...been studying and practicing AT for so long now, and the thought of

it helping this problem (for myself), for some reason, never crossed my

mind. It helps with numerous other things where conventional medicine has

not...why not this?

 

Thanks to whoever brought this subject up and thanks to the group for

letting me get this off my chest! What a wonderful group you are!

 

Always in faith,

Kati in NC

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

~~behind on emails, sorry late with reply~~

Although I was diagnosed with Bipolar when I was 22 (I am now

28 years old) I didn't start having panic attacks on a regular basis

until a week before my 26th birthday. Thought nothing of it, then

weekly, then daily they just kept coming. Within a month I was

afraid to leave my house for any reason. I stayed home for the

next 2 months and only left my home for therapy appointments.

 

Somethings I have learned since being vocal about own panic

attacks. I was BLOWN away at how many of my family

members, friends, family members of friends, also had them,

and didn't talk about it until I did. I didn't know exactly what was

happening to me until my friend said I sounded like her mother

and she called me up to discuss it. While at a friends bridal

shower I was feeling one start up and had to excuse myself.

When I walked back in 5-6 women told me they are all on

medication for panic attacks.

 

I thought my panic was a symptom of my Bipolar but threw

therapy and my Doctor I have learned it was PTSD (Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder). Stuffing feelings way down inside,

not expressing myself, and pretending everything was okay,

when it wasn't.

 

I LOVE the idea of creating a for this. Has anybody

done this yet since it was discussed? If not I would love to

create one and we could all discuss this further. I wanted you to

know I searched this and there are already for

panic and anxiety. They can be found with this link.

/search?query=anxiety+panic

 

I would like to start my own since this discussion was started. I

would like to start it as a support first and information that is

more on the natural holistic vein rather than medicate it. Even

though I do take medication for my attacks sometimes, I search

for information that is more natural.

 

I think in the long run medication (although very helpful) doesn't

bring you to finding the true solution. I think panic attacks are a

symptom of a larger problem that if you keep searching for you

can heal yourself stronger in the long run.

 

If anybody has started a group, please invite me. If not I would

love to create one for anybody interested please email privately.

 

-Trin

[Guest guest]

-Great Idea, Trin! 3 of my kids have had probs w/panic attacks and

some are still fighting it. None are on meds at the present tho.

Pat

>

> I LOVE the idea of creating a for this.

> more on the natural holistic vein rather than medicate it.

[Guest guest]

Hey Trin,

 

I was the one who suggested starting the for panic - and I

think it would be a great idea for all of us on the list to have a

place to go to talk about just panic - or other mental issues.

 

I can still do that if people are interested, my only caveat is that

while I think the natural slant is fine, I don't want to exclude or

alienate people who ARE on meds. I'm off at the moment, but I do know

that they have helped me, and the occasional xanax still does. It's a

very personal choice, and I want to be able to welcome people with out

making them feel like they have done something wrong, or harmed

themselves - make sense?

 

Lemme know what you think and between you or me - we can get this

group started!

 

JenB