complete change of symptoms

[emster]

i was wondering if anyone could relate to or explain this?
i either read somewhere or was told that although the symptoms of panic and anxiety vary from person to person, the way an individuals body responds to stress always follows the same pattern and that you always get the same symptoms as youve had before.
when i suffered from panic attacks the first time arround i had mainly heart and breathing realted symptoms, they went away for a while + when the panics came back they were replaced with mainly head and digestive and muscular symptoms all the palptitations etc have completely gone and my heart seems to be the only part of my body that does stay calm, even though the panic attacks i have now are worse and more intense than they were then.
not that im complaining about their absence of course, but what could have caused it to change so much?

[static]

Hi Emster, It could be that you have previously come to terms with the older feelings therefor they are not heightened by the attacks, the newer feelings may be the cause of the attacks perhaps, and this could be the reason that they are more prominent. I have went from chest pains and wierd feelings in my arm, to now 4 years later having popping or electrical feelings in my head and my neck is very bad also.

I can only think that my chest has eased off because as i said i am aware of that from my previous experience.

Just a thought, let me know how you get on.

Cheers,

D

[spiritofnow]

I can relate to what you are saying....
My symptoms changed after nearly two years of panic free. Before they were breathing related, fear of fainting and heart racing stuff etc etc. Now they have affected me in a horrid way. Like being trapped in your own head - detached from the world and myself. You can research your symptoms as there are many.......The amount of stress is the key and obviously what the route cause is for your panic in the 1st place. Panic is always just a by-product of whatever caused it and then becomes a cycle that we unknowingly repeat by our negative thoughts. Understanding is Knowledge and knoweldge gives us wisdom...xxx

freeyourspirit

[emster]

in other words does that mean that i got used to and unafraid of the old symptoms, and am more affraid of the new ones because they are strange? and are the symptoms which you are most afraid of generally the more prominent? i suppose that would make sense
another strange thing is that last time i wasnt in the least bit agoraphobic, (the opposite in fact - i couldnt stay in the house without a panic coming on) but now i have agoraphobia quite badly. I find this really odd.

[spiritofnow]

Hey Emster, I am certainly no professional, but I do have a theory on all of this.
I guess you had become desenseitised to your last symptoms and when the panic returned a wonderful new set of symptoms have emerged. I think it is important to remember that this cycle of panic becomes fearing the panic as appose to realising what is causing it! We have to remember that we are generally creating this, e.g - my personal fear is of going mad and so when I am stressed that is now my trigger and the panic takes on that form. I guess we become distracted away from what is causing this in the 1st place and only concentrate on the panic - good distraction technique eh? So really we need to concentrate less on our symptoms and more on the route cause otherwise we will be forever in this cycle.
Ananorlogy for you; Okay a girl is walking down the street and there is a big hole infront of her - she falls down it and brakes her leg. Okay so she is walking down the street after mending her leg and is feeling well again. She sees the hole and is terrified that she may fall down it again and feel the same pain. She doesn't walk around the hole or try to step over it she just stands and strares down it remembering how she previously felt....After some time she seems to see holes everywhere, she becomes so fearful of her first encounter that she decideds its actually better not to go out at all. She becomes so fearful of her fear that her leg may as well be broken. Until she conquers the initial fear her mind will create other obstacles for her to become afraid of!
Hope that helps you xxx


freeyourspirit

[devon_guy]

I know exactly how you feel, my symptoms seem to go through a cycle, at the moment its visual disturbances which I have never had before. I think the thing about being desensitised to previous symptoms could be right.



What's for you won't go by you