Panic Disorder Help

[markiemark]

I have been suffering from panic disorder for about 2 months now.
Symptoms I get are as follows and in order......

1. Tight Chest / throat feels like it's closed
2. Tingling sensation in hands and feet and cheeks
3. Dizziness
4. Sweating palms
5. Dry mouth and numb Tongue
6. Weak and shaking.

These symptoms happen more frequently and I hate them as I am sure you all do to with your experiences. The worse thing is the fight or flight idea. Every time it happens I feel like I want to just run away. I have tried to fight it a couple of times only to have another one!!!!
I have been feeling more comfortable with my gf being here with me, but when she goes to work I start thinking about panicking again. I also have to say I feel more comfortable being at home as I think being out in public makes things worse.
I noticed this today. We went shopping and had a panic attack inside NEXT shopping store. However since I have been home I have managed to calm down a lot.

I just hate the feeling of these panic attacks, hate thinking of my next one, and feel terrible for putting my gf through this. I must say though, even though it may sound wrong that I feel a little more reassured that other people are experiencing the same as me, and it is not just me feeling this way.
Here we can battle through this terrible experience together and get back to our normal lives and kick this panic devil out of our thoughts.

[kittikat]

Sorry to hear you are having such a bad time and rest assured I know exactly where you are coming from. The thing with the 'fight or flight' is that you are not really supposed to do either...it's just the way your body prepares itself for the fear you feel. If you fight, the symptoms escalate, if you flee, you are telling yourself to retreat to somewhere 'safe' every time it happens. I have found through therapy, you need to recognise the negative thinking and stop feeding the panic...easier said than done, but you can make progress. If you 'go with it' and tell yourself it's just anxiety, it can't hurt you....you are not going to pass out...nothing terrible is going to happen...you will find that over time the symptoms, mental & physical symptoms should reduce. In a natural state of 'panic' if you stay in the situation long enough, you will naturally 'come down' anyway. If you start to avoid situations or places that make you feel like this you will end up frightened to do anything and fear going out. This is what happened to me and although I am making progress with the anx/panic, I am finding it hard to overcome the fear of being away from home. You seem to have the right sort of attitude. Have you discussed this with your GP? Are you on any meds? A course of CBT may be beneficial for you. Anxiety & panic is awful and debilitating, but as you say, you are not alone and there are some wonderfully supportive people here ready to help and reassure you. NMP has been invaluable for me, I hope it's the same for you. Good luck.

Kitti :)

[markiemark]

Hi Kitty
I have spoken to my GP about it and he has referred me for some CBT but I have yet to hear from them. He has also placed me on a 24 hour ECG in a couple of weeks just to make sure it's caused by nothing internally.
Not on any medication no.
Well already this site has made it a little easier for me with knowledge of how to react when a panic attack approaches. And of course reassurance from you guys is the best as we all know what we are going through.
Somehow it feels safer to hear from those who have such experiences rather than those who don't know what we are going through.
I hope your progress continues and thank you for replying Kitty.

Markiemark

[kittikat]

Thats great news! The tests are just to rule anything else out really, had them done myself a few years back, all came back fine, so hopefully it will be the same for you :yesyes: You may have a little wait for the CBT, but well worth it in my opinion. In the meantime, gather as much info as you can about anxiety and panic attacks just to give yourself a little heads up and a better understanding of what is happening to you. Let your GF read up too, it will help her to understand a little more & support you through this as it can be very hard for partners to come to terms with what is happening. Best of luck, Kitti.

[markiemark]

I certainly will Kitti and thank you for the advice

Kind regard

Mark