JoyofClimbing
01-07-07, 18:14
Well, I'd just like to say first that this is an amazing website! I'm going to tell you my story, then I'm going to ask a bunch of questions about anxiety and fainting and how/why they are related.
I am a male, and 17 years old.
I developed anxiety/panic dissorder back in February one night when I was sick. I suddenly had intrusive thoughts of me and everyone I know dying. It was really horrible, but I didn't think much of it. Suddenly, I felt worse than I had ever felt before. My heart had been beating fast and hard, I got up from bed and walked around the house. I found my mom in on the computer, and I suddenly felt different. My heart beat became very slow, and I felt very weird. I thought, "This is it, I'm dying." I started panicking, but my mom said I should put my head down (I started seeing sparkley things on my eyes). After a couple seconds (which seemed like LOT longer of course) I immediately felt better. My heart started pounding, but it was like an adrenaline rush.
My mom has fainted before, so she said it sounded like I came close to it. I had never experienced coming close to it before. Something wasn't right, I'd heard my mom tell me what it's like to faint, but this seemed different. It was a panic attack.
Over the next couple weeks I developed anxiety symptoms (but I didn't know what it was.) So, I went to the doctor to see if anything was really wrong. He had me get a blood test. Now, I've never been really bothered by needles, but this time was different. Getting the blood drawn, it suddenly started to hurt, I felt the same horrible feeling as before (heart getting very slow), only worse. I went blind from things on my vision, and it lasted for a much longer time (it probably felt much longer). But, the same as earlier, when it was over I felt better than before.
I don't know if I actually fainted that time, but it was definitly the worst feeling. I felt like I was almost dead. This has been the source of my anxiety and panic attacks to this day.
My recent panic attacks have had different flavours: Some are long, some are short, some feel like I'm going to faint (my heart slows down and I get that horrible feeling), some are just scary.
Now, here's what I want to talk about: Why do only a few people faint in a panic attack and most don't? Why do females faint and get anxiety more than males?
The only time I've come extremely close to fainting or fainted was getting that blood drawn. Blood doesn't bother me, and I haven't felt that bad before. So, was it just a really bad panic attack, or fainting? What's the difference between them? Is fainting a psycological thing like anxiety, and can it be beaten the same way?
I'd like to know if the people who do faint during panic attacks do also faint from other things. If so, why do some people faint more than others?
I'd like to discuss this with all of you, so that we might find answers to this thing that's so strange to me. I don't want to be someone who faints, and so far I've only found that panic attacks (at least that one time) and getting blood drawn have caused me to come close to fainting. Does anything else cause you to faint?
Anxiously awaiting answers :shrug:,
James
:hugs:
I am a male, and 17 years old.
I developed anxiety/panic dissorder back in February one night when I was sick. I suddenly had intrusive thoughts of me and everyone I know dying. It was really horrible, but I didn't think much of it. Suddenly, I felt worse than I had ever felt before. My heart had been beating fast and hard, I got up from bed and walked around the house. I found my mom in on the computer, and I suddenly felt different. My heart beat became very slow, and I felt very weird. I thought, "This is it, I'm dying." I started panicking, but my mom said I should put my head down (I started seeing sparkley things on my eyes). After a couple seconds (which seemed like LOT longer of course) I immediately felt better. My heart started pounding, but it was like an adrenaline rush.
My mom has fainted before, so she said it sounded like I came close to it. I had never experienced coming close to it before. Something wasn't right, I'd heard my mom tell me what it's like to faint, but this seemed different. It was a panic attack.
Over the next couple weeks I developed anxiety symptoms (but I didn't know what it was.) So, I went to the doctor to see if anything was really wrong. He had me get a blood test. Now, I've never been really bothered by needles, but this time was different. Getting the blood drawn, it suddenly started to hurt, I felt the same horrible feeling as before (heart getting very slow), only worse. I went blind from things on my vision, and it lasted for a much longer time (it probably felt much longer). But, the same as earlier, when it was over I felt better than before.
I don't know if I actually fainted that time, but it was definitly the worst feeling. I felt like I was almost dead. This has been the source of my anxiety and panic attacks to this day.
My recent panic attacks have had different flavours: Some are long, some are short, some feel like I'm going to faint (my heart slows down and I get that horrible feeling), some are just scary.
Now, here's what I want to talk about: Why do only a few people faint in a panic attack and most don't? Why do females faint and get anxiety more than males?
The only time I've come extremely close to fainting or fainted was getting that blood drawn. Blood doesn't bother me, and I haven't felt that bad before. So, was it just a really bad panic attack, or fainting? What's the difference between them? Is fainting a psycological thing like anxiety, and can it be beaten the same way?
I'd like to know if the people who do faint during panic attacks do also faint from other things. If so, why do some people faint more than others?
I'd like to discuss this with all of you, so that we might find answers to this thing that's so strange to me. I don't want to be someone who faints, and so far I've only found that panic attacks (at least that one time) and getting blood drawn have caused me to come close to fainting. Does anything else cause you to faint?
Anxiously awaiting answers :shrug:,
James
:hugs: