First Time Panic Attack. Passed out and more...(please read)

[BAM]

Hello fellow members,

About 8 months ago my gf passed out from vasovagal syncope, basically when she sees her own blood she gets sick and passes out. She was explaining the story to me and I felt whoozy and very very anxious. I didnt know what the anxiety was and I just tried to distract myself. Similar occourances have happened because of pain since.

Last night I saw something gory and got very anxious and whoozy, this time it was worse then before. I leaned to my gf and said im sick and the next thing I remember my gf is screaming at me thinking i passed out as a joke. I WAS SO OUT OF IT WHILE I WAS PASSED OUT I WOKE UP THINKING SHE WAS YELLING AT ME FOR PISSING ON THE COUCH(which I didnt). lol... when i woke up the anxiety almost immedietly subsided...

this morning I was actively thinking about what happened and i had no anxiety. I stupidly drank more caffeine then I normally ever do. at around 11 pm I thought about it again, this time was different, i felt whoozy, which made me VERY anxious. me being nervous about passing out made me much more nervous. I left work sped home to be where I felt 'safe' my couch, by myself. The drive was very scary, I was scared I would pass out and crash.

Nothing else mattered, only laying down on my couch where I couldnt pass out.

Its about 5 pm, 6 hours since. I have spent the entire afternoon studying GAD. I found one particular site very informative: panicaway.com and comforting, however, I dont know if I want to pay for the full version. has anyone used this website and found it helpful?

I have come to the conclusion that I cannot control these feelings, I must just accept that they are my primal insticts, irattional fears that cannot be rationalized(seems rationalizing only makes it worse). I want to nip this in the bud, before it takes over my life.

Although I now understand that I cannot fight these feelings, I feel a bit enlitened. However, I still cannot relax, I am extremely anxious and my heart hasnt stopped once all afternoon, even though I am feeling much more comfortable about not passing out.

I could use any help or advice, thanks for your time.

Mike

Cliffs:

-Got anxiety and passed out last night for the first time ever
-Today I am extremely anxious in public thinking I will pass out
-I have had small bits of anxiety before but notttthing even close to this.

[Veronica H]

Hi Mike

It is the fear of the way you are feeling which keeps the cycle going. There is a brilliant book by Dr Claire Weekes called 'self help for your nerves', published by Thorsons. This is available from the NMP Shop. I cannot recommend this enough as it really explains why we are feeling this way, and how we can recover.

Veronicax

[sandy35]

Hi just to say that if i have watched something gory or watched people having injections on the tv then i have felt very sick and faint and anxious. I have to look the other way now for the fear of having that feeling again.

[BAM]

Hi Mike

It is the fear of the way you are feeling which keeps the cycle going. There is a brilliant book by Dr Claire Weekes called 'self help for your nerves', published by Thorsons. This is available from the NMP Shop. I cannot recommend this enough as it really explains why we are feeling this way, and how we can recover.

Veronicax

Thank you, I will look into the book. This is very hard for me to deal with. I am missing my 2nd day of work.

Hi just to say that if i have watched something gory or watched people having injections on the tv then i have felt very sick and faint and anxious. I have to look the other way now for the fear of having that feeling again.

so you have passed out as well? how has it been since? are you gaining control of this? good to know i am not alone.

[sandy35]

Hi yes i have and have felt very sick but this is going back a couple of years now. If something gory comes on tv now then i quickly look the other way. No you are not alone as i won't watch anything that involves plastic surgery as i did on this morning once and as i say i felt physically sick and faint.

[skylace22]

I can relate to this as I went with my sis to have her blood taken when she was pregnant - went to give her moral support and made the bad decision to watch - I ended up laid out on a trolley - luckily I didnt faint but it was v embarrasing!!
I think when you have experienced something like what you went through it can make you anxious that it might happen in public - I fainted at work once and wouldnt go out for a few weeks afterwards and got panicky. I would suggest reading up info on it - knowledge is power. Dont look at anything gory if it is going to make you queasy - and as for the fainting - I buy those lucozade glucose sweets (yummy!) so if I feel a bit dizzy I take one which generally helps

PS: to the poster who said about the plastic surgery on This Morning - I watched that and went green - yuck!

[BAM]

good advice guys! I actually signed up with panicaway.com, i read the entire e-book today. the $70 was sooo worth it. Not only do I feel infintely better about passing out, I am understanding that I have a negative thought process that needs to be re-adjusted. I highly suggest you guys try the website.