Has anyone ever had a panic attack before?

[Kim]

Just curious what it is like.

[nickel]

no, but i have heard descriptions of them. the person feels like they can't breath, their heart races, and like they want to get out of the place/situation they are in.

[redcolours]

used to have lots of them years ago - but now ive learned to recognize it before it starts.

definitely my heart beats faster, and i feel a knot in my chest. one physical effect i get is my left arm starts to "tingle" - like its fatigued or something. it would go on for hours. sometimes i have to sleep it off to get rid of it.

thats another thing - at nights, i cant sleep, and i will feel like bawling my eyes out, but i cant. like my tear ducts are dry.

these days i have a better understanding of what im going thru during the day or the week, and that provides insight for me when i somewhat feel a panic or anxiety attack starting to come over me. id start doing something else, and start focusing on the matter at hand, or pick up my guitar and start playing thru songs. i may also start some silly project, re-do my PC, clean my bathroom, etc. Anything to get my mind not just off of my anxiety (sometimes i dont even know what for or why), but more so to have something concrete to focus on.

[zenbooty]

Damn. There was about a six month period a few years ago, in my wilder years, when I was having panic attacks regularly. I wrote a great description about it, because its something I definitiely spent a lot of time thinking about. But as I was finishing I bumped some messed up control key, my screen refreshed and all I had written is now gone. I don't feel like doing it all again now :(. Maybe later all dredge up the motivation.

[Kim]

So do you think they could be stress induced, or something I need to see a doc about, if that is my problem?

[zenbooty]

So do you think they could be stress induced, or something I need to see a doc about, if that is my problem?
Oh, they're completely stress induced! Do you think you're having them? Are they severe? Mine weren't like chosenColors's. They were much shorter and more intense, and would leave me sorta dazed and adrenalized for a couple hours sometimes.

[Kim]

I don't know...my husband left me this weekend...and since then, one minute I'll be fine, carrying on with my day, and the next I'll be absolutely freaking out, like utter panic about what is happening. My mind will just be going in a million different directions at once.

How did you end them?

[brainsmile]

Jay Mohr was talking about this on Rome today

[nickel]

I don't know...my husband left me this weekend...and since then, one minute I'll be fine, carrying on with my day, and the next I'll be absolutely freaking out, like utter panic about what is happening. My mind will just be going in a million different directions at once.

How did you end them?
wait a min Kim. your husband left you? :|

it sounds to me like you need to talk to your family doc about your anxiety/panic attacks. he/she may give you info or advice on how to stave off your attacks, and maybe they will go away completely after your stress lessens. don't just jump on the medicine bandwagon if you can help it.

good luck girl.

[Kim]

Thanks Nickel. I'm for sure not going to go get some meds, if this is just a stress thing.
I just need a few days to get a handle on things, then make a plan. It's kind of hard while I don't know what he is planning, kwim? Once I know, I can figure out a way to deal with the stress, I think.

[ski]

How did you end them?
The three serious ones I've had, my girlfriend was there. Have whoever is in the room with you (in hopes there is one) sit close to you and breathe with you.

I'm sorry to hear you might be going through this :(

[brainsmile]

Thanks Nickel. I'm for sure not going to go get some meds, if this is just a stress thing.
I just need a few days to get a handle on things, then make a plan. It's kind of hard while I don't know what he is planning, kwim? Once I know, I can figure out a way to deal with the stress, I think.
Wait... Kim... He "left" you as in left for good?

[Kim]

I don't think he is 100% sure he wants a divorce, but he has moved out.

[oblongmelon]

check your pm.

[zenbooty]

I don't know...my husband left me this weekend...and since then, one minute I'll be fine, carrying on with my day, and the next I'll be absolutely freaking out, like utter panic about what is happening. My mind will just be going in a million different directions at once.

How did you end them?You mean literally stopping one as its occuring? Or stopping them from occuring for good? If the first, it was just a matter of "catching hold" of myself sorta, stop thinking about anything and just concentrated on breathing slow and deeply, and letting the attack wind down. As to the latter, just over time they came on with less and less frequency, and then eventually stopped. My last panic attack was probably about six months after my first one. I guess it was just getting away from the stresses.

[topane]

How did you end them?Watching pr0n helps ;).





Check your PM.

[cheapie]

no, but i have heard descriptions of them. the person feels like they can't breath, their heart races, and like they want to get out of the place/situation they are in.

that's what i feel like every time i go mountain biking. hmmm, maybe i'm not in as bad of shape as i thought. i'm just having panic attacks! :cheers:

edit: oops. didn't realize this was a serious thread until i read the rest of it. sorry about that kim. hope he comes to his senses. did he give you as stupid of a reason as obby's husband did?

[OC]

I've only ever had one, and that was enough. I was at Bumbershoot, one of the many summer music festivals that goes on in Seattle every summer, waiting to see Evanescence. The place was very, very crowded and I don't handle crowds well. I showed up way too early for my own good. It got to the point where I HAD to get away from the crowd. I started for the exit. This strange and quite unpleasant sensation came over me just as I got out. My heart was racing, as was my breathing. I snapped and went into a run. When I came back to reality, 15 minutes or so had gone by. I don't remember anything during that time.

Not an experience I ever want to relive.

[gwilks98]

don't just jump on the medicine bandwagon if you can help it.




:stupid: I have a friend who got occasional panic attacks and the doctor prescribed Paxil (paxal, sp?). Now if he tries to ease off it or if he doesn't outright take it, he gets panick attacks all the damn time. Be real careful if the doctor wants to solve the root problem with a pill.

I can't offer any advice, and I won't pretend I know what you're going through. When things start getting rough, just know you've got a forum full of friends to remind you that you're not alone. Good luck Kim. :)

[johnnymk]

When I was in engineering school, I would get them right before I took an exam. I would get palpitations, sweat and nearly blacked out. A little valium used to help me.

[Kim]

Thanks all. I'm still not convinced these are panic attacks, or just stressed to the max nerves. I think I'll give myself some time to calm down before I do anything.

[Nanotech9]

RED - dont confuse having a panic attack with how you react when a woman touches you ;) :laugh:

[febstars19]

Kim...sorry about your situation. =( I do not know much about panic attacks but here are some websites in case you wanted to read a little more about them. Whenever I am down, I just try to be constantly active and doing something...at least I feel productive. Working out helps with health and focus. If one aspect of my life is going completely wrong, I think I would feel worse if everything else fell apart. Do what you need to do, take care of whatever needs to be taken care of, and do whatever can bring a smile to your face. Everything will be ok. Hang in there!

http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap5/chap5s.htm
http://www.anxietyandstress.com/sys-tmpl/dealingwithpanic/