Fear of fainting. Anyone?

[Bonnibelle]

Does anyone else have a fear of fainting? I have since my panic disorder started after I was attacked last year. I'd feel so light headed in shops that I'd start to shake and my heart would race, I became agoraphobic. I slowly got better and I've been doing really well until this week.

I'm really not great in the heat but I've noticed I've felt quite anxious late afternoon, I feel hot, I stay out of it as much as I can, drink plenty and have fans on in the house. Wednesday I felt a little light headed but I started shaking and got frightened I'd faint. I'd not slept well so I was probably just exhausted. Then last night about tea time I'd been feeling anxious since I picked up the children, it was just too hot and I was scared I might faint. My usual fear when it's this hot. I had a shower to cool off and sat down in the dining room whilst the kids played in the pool. I was watching them and felt alot cooler. Then suddenly I felt a little light headed, probably just anxiety but I panicked I would faint so I went more light headed, so then my heart raced and I started to shake:( I took rescue remedy and tried to appear calm incase the children noticed. I had a weird tingling/pressure feeling on the top of my head, just the right side which then panicked me more that I was going to faint. This went on for a few minutes. Luckily my husband then arrived home and managed to get me to relax. I wasn't a full blown panic attack but the shaking and racing heart because I felt slightly woozy has left me really upset me scared it will happen again. I always go light headed when I am anxious and I always panic when I do, but for some reason this week when it's happened twice I really panic:( usually I can just lie down or sit and it passes,, maybe the heat is making my fear of fainting worse. I just hope the light headedness is my usual anxiety.

My husband says if you're going to faint you don't feel light headed for that long, it's so quick that you've no time to panic. He also said the tingling pressure feeling on one side of the scalp is just anxiety and tension because I panicked. Can anyone relate to this fear? I'm just worried my panic disorder is coming back. I really can't enjoy this heat, I worry being in the sun too long because I feel so ill.

[aggiecuttler]

hi the feeling of being faint i get with panic also, i think it is lack of oxygen in the system do you get numbing in the extermities like feet and hands this is another sign, its horrible thinking you are going to hit the deck, i feel like i need to throw water over myself to bring myself back to reality try to limit your time in the sun seems a good idea, it feels smothering and you can not escape hence the increase panic, hope it gets better for you blessings

[Bonnibelle]

Thank you. Not I don't get the tingling, well not until I actually Panic. I'm not over breathing or anything when the light head feeling starts but I never have. I guess that's why I worry it can't be anxiety.

[Pinktel]

Pearl, try adding the mindfulness and the cognitive training from the horizon documentary I have linked everything on a recent post.

[Kim51]

Hi pearl, I also have this fear it is my main panic issue, because I thought I was going to faint when I had my first panic attack 15 years ago it has stuck in my head. It's only because I get so light headed that I think I will faint, I never have but it still doesn't get the thought out of my head. I also have the fear I am going to be sick it got to the point where I was carrying a bag round to be sick into, silly I know but it was a safety blanket for me. Hope you have a better day today xx:)

[Bonnibelle]

Thanks Pink x

Thanks Kim. I think I'm just worried why I go lightheaded lately, its like I can bring it on before any other anxiety symptoms hit so its not caused my hyperventilating or anything like that because I'm breathing fine. I just felt light headed just now, had to work at it to not panic like I did last night. Not panic that its anything other than anxiety, not easy when you've the fainting fear. X

[Shelly15]

I could of write this, fainting is also my biggest fear and has left me unable to go in shops or in any public places incase I faint. As soon as I get to a public place my heart starts racing and I feel faint and wobbly. So I avoid going out and it's left me feeling so anxious all the time. I'm scared that the feeling faint is not anxiety and that I have an illness so I worry constantly and my muscles are so tence in my shoulders and head and the pains I get are annoying and I worry about every single pain. Have you tried CBT?

[Bonnibelle]

I had CBT many years ago for health anxiety. I was so much better but I have the odd blip. Last year I was attacked by my brother and I started being too scared to go out, when I did I went light headed which then caused me to panic in public places that I was going to faint. I'd start to shake, heart race, go hot etc..... I overcame it and after months of being agoraphobic I've done really well. I still worried if I felt light headed that I'd faint but the feeling hardly happened as I felt better. It's week I've had anxiety, probably because its my period week and this awful heat. I think ie been worried that in the heat, plus my period that I may faint so I'm hoping that's causing underlying anxiety that's causing the light headed spells. I hope so anyway.

I just felt light headed now, felt anxious, legs felt like jelly as I was worrying about the feeling, panicking I'd faint. I didn't panic as much as last night. I didn't shake or heart race, I just felt. Little wobbly in my legs but the light headed feeling was pretty horrible and lasted -15 minutes so I guess it is anxiety as I've been worrying all day that it might happen again. Plus it's day 2 of my period so I feel pretty yuk, that's not helping.

Thanks for your help xxx

---------- Post added at 14:10 ---------- Previous post was at 14:04 ----------

I am really sorry to read that, I've been where you are. Have you read Dr Claire Weekes books? I've read 2 and they really helped me to get back out there xx

[Shelly15]

Mine started when I was giving birth to my son I lost so much blood that I felt faint and thought I was going to die, so now every time I panic I feel faint and think I'm dying :( I've been doing CBT and found it was helping till a couple weeks ago a close family member passed away so I'm worse than ever, CBT isn't really helping now. I've ordered the dr Claire weekes book hoping that will help. I find that my period makes me less anxious. Just wish the faint feeling would go its draining me feeling tired all the time. Do you take any medication?

[Freaked]

The heat's probably exacerbating your symps a bit alright. Even people who've never had panic can feel very weak and dizzy in the heat, and it can cause hyperventilation. You're unlikely to actually faint if you keep yourself hydrated and cool, and if you are afraid, try to lie down or sit somewhere supported with your legs up off the ground and remember to slow your breathing. Try drinking an electrolyte drink cos you lose salts in sweat as well as water. I fainted a month or two back (not from anxiety), and it wasn't so bad. Didn't get much warning though other than feeling generally weak all day, but that's very unlikely to happen to a healthy person.