panic disorder

[meandk0610]

has anyone recovered from this? any clues how to deal with it? i was in the hospital on friday after thinking i was dying (arrythmias, rapid pulse, etc). they released me on ativan after doing a ct scan (i was concerned about my abdominal aorta) from my shoulders to my thighs and several vials of blood tests that the doctor said came back "pristine".

now i'm at home, can't hardly move off the bed. every time i want to walk around i feel my body sensations and get scared. i have a regular dr appt on wednesday morning and i'm trying to get in touch with a ND (not licensed in maryland) to help with nutrition, herbs, homeopothy, and acupuncture. i'm even willing to try hypnosis. i don't want to live in fear or constantly worrying about my body. also, dd(4) is sitting on the bed with me watching tv when she should be able to go play downstairs or in the backyard.

i'm supposed to be taking an antibiotic for a mild UTI they found in the hospital but i'm afraid to take it. i've called my boss and quit 1 of my 3 paper routes. i'm trying to rent out 2 of our bedrooms so that i can quit at least 1 more route and i'm trying to get an older kid to come in and help me with the rabbit pens each week. i've also told my husband that i want to be around him as little as possible (luckily he's leaving the country for 2.5 weeks next monday).

i feel like my body and mind are going crazy at the same time and i just want it to stop.

[Crafty]

I was diagnosed with panic disorder in 2001, I think it was. I used to get awful panic attacks, so much that I'd have to kind of crouch on the floor from time to time at the grocery store, and I began to suffer from agoraphobia and had a hard time even leaving the house.

For me, the only thing that worked was Paxil (I was also suffering from MAJOR depression). Within four days of being on Paxil, I felt better than I'd felt since the depression started when I was 13. I'm not saying antidepressants are for everyone, but for me, they put me at 0, where I'd been somewhere in the negative numbers before that- they put me on an even starting base so I could react positively (or negatively) to the happenings in my daily life in a normal way, not with the depression and anxiety and panic disorder clouding everything. Does that make sense?

And once I was at that even starting point, I could take a look at the reason I was having panic attacks. In my case, it had a lot to do with my depression and how that and I appeared to the outside world. I'd learned growing up that I had to appear perfect at any given time so that everyone would think my life was perfect. If I appeared to not know my exact next step, someone might think I was less than perfect and then my whole facade would crumble. Thus, the constant strain to appear perfect, and the worry that I wasn't, caused the panic attacks. I figured this out one day on a trip to the library, one of my first out of the house by myself after the depression began to lift. The library had been a safe place, but I had a panic attack there. I sat down at a carroll to think about it, went over my thoughts just before the attack had started (I had found the two books I wanted and then wondered what else I should look for). It was that, "I don't know what I should do next" that triggered the attack.

I'd never been so happy to have a panic attack before! I don't think I would've gotten to that place had I not been back to a neutral place that Paxil had given me.

The best advice I can give you is to not fight the attack. Don't give into the thoughts that feed the attack. Start some positive self-talk, all the time, but especially when you feel the attack coming on. Repeat a phrase to yourself in calm times that you can also repeat during the rough times, something like, "I am strong and capable of handling anything," that kind of stuff. Sit down if possible when you're having a panic attack, focus on one central point, and repeat your mantra. Think of positive things. Try to take deep, calming breaths.

Also check out the self-help section of whatever book store is the nearest to you. There are a LOT of really great books out there about panic attacks, anxiety and such that can help. I can't remember the ones I had, but there were a few that really spoke to me, and hopefully you'll find ones that speak to you too.

Best wishes to you. You can get through this!

[Naturalyst]

Please, take the antibiotic for your UTI. You don't want to be dealing with illness on top of all else right now.

The root cause of panic attacks is biochemical - the body's survival instinct of "fight or flight" gone wrong. Why that happens is still a matter of intense study.

In addition to taking medication when panic kicks-in, you can learn to avoid your triggers. That's going to be a journey of getting to know yourself and looking at the construct of your life. Psychotherapy is a tool you may wish to consider to help you become more self-aware.

Most importantly, I think, as you learn about panic attacks you'll find peace in understanding what is happening - that you're experiencing a surge of adrenaline, you're not "crazy", you're not dying and it will pass.

It's been twenty years since I first had a panic attack. I carry medication and knowing relief is in my handbag helps me feel in control/safe/prepared. But, it's been many years since I've actually needed to take medication. (I get a new prescription every year just because the pills have turned to dust from jostling in my handbag for a year.)

There is a big difference in how I react to panic attacks now, compared to my first experiences. They don't scare me anymore - I don't panic about having a panic attacks. In other words, I feel the effects of the adrenaline rush and do a quick assessment as to whether it's appropriate - like, checking to see if a lion chasing me right now? Since there never is a lion in pursuit, I stop worrying and struggling against it. Here's an example of what I mean -

The last time I experienced a panic attack, my DH blanched when he saw my hands shaking, the sweat beading on my forehead and the rate of my breathing. I told him not to worry, that I was either in the midst of a panic attack or a heart attack - we'd know which in a few minutes. (I didn't think I was having a heart attack, my words were just a poor attempt at humor ... sometimes, I can laugh at the absurdity of a panic attack). DH needed to sit for awhile after MY panic attack passed. It took him longer to recover.

Trust that it will get better with self-awareness, the safety net of medication and understanding of what is actually happening.