His ignorance isn't my problem. I don't understand panic attacks because I have never had one, but that doesn't mean I pretend that my religion and/or culture make my beliefs superior.
Haha. Well I've also got 2 degenerative discs in my back which are going to eventually require a double fusion (do not want). So probably no yoga for me in the immediate future .
I think the best thing you can do is pray that San Frijole will release you from the weakness that has crippled your mind.
I developed panic attacks in my third year of med school. It was real scary at first. Real gradual onset, but suddenly one day I was about to pass out in front of patients standing in the clinic. I would get dizzy and things would start spinning. I would excuse myself and go sit in my car and then things would resolve after about five minutes. This would go on for a few weeks. I was also having panic attacks at home when I would go to the kitchen. Like basically anytime I left my room. I couldn't even stand in a line at Walgreens for more than 1 minute before things started spinning in my head. I was having these 4-5 times daily. The crazy thing was I couldn't even self diagnose myself. I went from doctor to doctor. My primary care sent me to a neuro specialist. Neuro specialist then sent me to get brain MRI done thinking I had some brain lesion. He put me on some oral steroids but that didn't work. I then went to the ENT. The ENT then realized I was just having anxiety put me on some beta blockers and Klonopin and I really didn't have any major issues since then especially since the stress of school was over. I do carry some benzos with me at all time, but I don't have to take them much anymore. It's more of a comfort thing knowing I have something to rescue me. But the biggest relief is in knowing what exactly is happening. I spend a portion of my day in meditation and solitary walking. That seems to help and I can notice a big difference when I do that and when I don't. Read My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel. It's a good primer into what anxiety is about. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/books/review/my-age-of-anxiety-by-scott-stossel.html
Some scary **** and I can't imagine how you would feel since you're having to go through those issues with your dad. This sucks. I think I had two when my first marriage was ending. Had two episodes at a bar. The first time I started sweating profusely, stumbled out the door to get fresh air and collapsed as I took a step off a curve. People were outside smoking and rushed over. I could remember them talking to me, but I could not respond. Paramedics came, but by the time they arrived, the spell had passed and I felt pretty OK for the rest of the night. The next time wasn't as bad, but I was sitting at the actual bar so the bartender wrapped a cool wet towel around my head and it passed in about the same amount of time.
I used to suffer from panic attacks pretty badly and a lot of the time it would happen when I was driving long distances. (I seriously can't think of a worse place for it to happen than on the freeway in the middle of nowhere) I was prescribed some mild anti-depressants that seemed to help but I got off of those a while back because they had other side effects that I wasn't fond of. Eventually, I figured out ways to combat and control it without medication. I get a massage on a weekly basis, do meditation exercises daily and have done a pretty good job of cleaning up my diet which has helped immensely. Chamomile tea also used to help me when I would have attacks. Ironically, the job I have now is 10x more stressful than the one I had when I was having the most problems with panic attacks.
I had a panic attack many years ago that lead to an subdued but constant anxiety problem. I think most people have had a panic attack at one time or another. I would recommend staying away from Google as it's easy to assume there is something wrong with you. Generally symptoms of anxiety are your body's way of helping you when you can't (or choose not to) process something emotionally. I'm glad that you had your health checked and hopefully it's clear that you are physically okay. You feel a psychological threat of some sort and your body doesn't forget about that so it gives you the physical pain signals to get you out of whatever situation you are in. This could also be the case with your back as the link between physical abnormalities and pain is somewhat tenuous. Of course I don't want to demean your problem and my opinion is a minority one. I agree with those mentioning meditation or yoga as an option. In my personal experience massage and deep breathing help but only temporarily. I became addicted to both basically and did not make much progress while relying on them. Have you considered talking to a therapist? If this is your only time having a panic attack and you think you can work through your personal stresses it would not be necessary. Generally though, don't worry about the panic or it will have more power over you as it's a survival/defense mechanism. Good luck man.
I think it's more that the kind of people who enjoy this BBS might also be slightly predisposed to being anxious. Just a guess.
I've had one real panic attack. I remember it pretty clearly and our stories are pretty similar. I was at Studio Movie Grille City Center watching Shutter Island. I had a couple of margaritas. Towards the end of the movie, I was feeling a little light-headed so I decided to step outside. While I'm walking outside, I started feeling things in my hands. My cousin who had a heart attack young told me that's what he had felt (He passed away at 38 from his second attack in 2013 - RIP). I convinced myself that I was having a heart attack like at 26, 27. Then, I'm thinking that this can't happen, I can't die, etc. I'm in shape so I was confused. I remember hearing voices in my head. Freakin odd. Anyway, it all happened so fast. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. Things were blurry. I think I heard an employee ask if I was okay. I was able to get up pretty quickly, rushed outside. When I took a breath of fresh air, I instantly started to feel better. It was like getting an oxygen mask. Pretty scary moment in my life. My wife had an anxiety attack at work once and had to go to the ER. She was fine and it has only happened to both of us only one time.
re: panic attacks Try drinking chamomile tea at nighttime - it will help you sleep better, and more sleep = less anxiety. Also, when anxious, try the ol' 4-7-8 breathing thing (breathe in 4 seconds, hold 7 seconds, out through mouth for 8 seconds). Doesn't have to be seconds, as long as you maintain the ratio.
I don't know anything about it, but just want to wish you well. You're one of the posters whose posts I really like to read. Take care of yourself. All the best.
I had one panic attack about 14 years ago in college. It was a lot like what you described: I was under a lot of stress, but not particularly focused on it. I was walking up the stairs to my dorm room and all of a sudden I began to sweat and feel strange. I sat down in my room and continued to talk to my friend who was with me, but I felt weirder and weirder, and my extremities started to tingle. I thought I was having a heart attack. I excused myself and stood alone in my closet, scared ****less, until it passed. Probably only took a minute or two. I went to the campus clinic to get checked out, and they put and EKG on me, but told me my heart was fine. I don't think it was until a few years later that I realized what it was. Good news is, I haven't had one since! I do suffer from pretty serious anxiety at pretty much all times, but I have found a wonder drug in cannabis. So my advice would be to use cannabis constantly.
I do not think harrisment invented this, but it might be mislabeled. Heart conditions or breathing problems could be caused by previous panic or attacks, anxiety or similar things, but what is being discussed here initially I do not think was a "panic attack" in the sense that many people or you, comparing your wife's symptoms (fear of taking medicine, etc.), displayed. They're signs that the heart isn't in a healthy condition. panic: sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior. harrissment wasn't fearing or anxious of anything. Here are his word: Seek help if you have heart problems that don't allow you to breathe or make your system behave in an abnormal way. Thanks for bringing me up again, moes. :grin:
Damn man, stress is a b****. Just here to pass on the well wishes. About 2 years ago I was extremely stressed, to the point that I got shingles.....I never knew you could have a shingles outbreak due to stress. Basically, it is dormant in your body (chicken pox) and stress will set it off. That **** was PAINFUL.
swoly talking out of his rear. I don't have any known issues. I take physicals every year. I didn't have a lot of stress either. It just hit me out of the blue once.
See what two margaritas do to you? Now you know to take just one, man. Get well soon, and watch out for Mexican restaurants!
