feeling faint

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone else gets these awful feelings, sometimes it is so bad i am too scared to get off the sofa. this of course is making my agorophobia worse as i cannot go out when i feel so bad.
This is the major cause of my anxiety.
I had to force myself to go for a blood test today and thought i was going to have to leave the waiting room, i was hot i felt sick my legs were like jelly and the lights seemed really bright.
Also its not just in certain situations i also feel like it when i am at home.
I just hate feeling so ill.
If you have any advice on how to feel better i would be truly grateful, i have had this for several years on and off and at the moment it is really bad.
Thanks Helen:weep:

Hello Hellen,:hugs:

Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well today. I hope that this soon passes for you. Have you read the tips in the self help section? There are some great ones in there.

I too use to feel this way, until one day I said enough is enough, I am no different from the rest. So what if I have a problem, who is going to notice.
I also keep telling myself that I am ok, and that I will remain ok.

I am currently in the recovery stage of panic anxiety, and yes it's be one hack of a battle, but I will win this, it's not going to beat me.I make myself go out, and do things, an it's getting earlier each time I go out.

Try to stay positive. Hang in there you aren't alone.


Take Care
Believe:flowers:

I Believe That We All Will Get Better.

Hi Helen :)

Sorry to hear you are feeling so low at the moment.

I used to get a lot of panic attacks, which manifested themselves as feeling very faint. With the feelings of faintness, I also used to get sweaty, trembly, numbness and tingling in my hands and feet, and would feel sick and shaky. I lost all confidence - couldn't go into shops, out with friends, work...etc etc. Horrible.

There are times when you feel so faint, you cannot believe that you don't actually lose consciousness. The thing is, that you never do. Believing that is the key really.

Fainting is the body's mechanism for making us lie down. When our blood pressure drops, we need to restore the blood supply to our brains, so our bodies make us faint so we lie down.

With Panic attacks, our blood pressure rises, and so, you are actually less likely to faint when you are panicking, than at any other time. It is virtually impossible to faint during a panic attack.

We feel dizzy with panic because of the surge of adrenaline we get. It's that old fight or flight response.

I know how hard it is, really I do, and I wish I could help more. All I can suggest is that you slowly try to increase the amount you sit through the panic, and don't run from it. The more times you cope with it, the better it gets, and you learn how to put it in it's place :yesyes:

There are some excellent books around which explain it all in depth, and I think understanding what's happening is vital. I have a lot of books, including a small booklet a therapist gave me which is brilliant, from the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre:

http://www.octc.co.uk/index.html

it is called 'Understanding Panic', and I thought it was good.

Anyway, best of luck and I hope you are soon feeling perkier xxx :flowers: