Hello. I think I'm having panic attacks

[Pansypoppy]

I'm not even sure if I'm having panic attacks, but I think I might be. I have uncomfortable palpitations most evenings...no reason and I'm not feeling at all stressed. I occasionally feel as though somebody is pushing hard on my Adams apple, choking me. It used to frighten me, but now I'm used to it. All this is OK; I can tell myself there's nothing really wrong. What's really getting to me is this: The last twice I went to London for the day (and I love going to London), I spoiled everything by feeling so ill I thought I might die. Seriously. Each time I was fine in the morning and then we went for a meal. I didn't eat a huge amount and had one glass of wine. About an hour afterwards I started to feel ill. Nausea, chest pains, a feeling that however much I breathed in, I couldn't get enough oxygen. This continued for hours, through a walk, a theatre trip (I kept thinking I was going to throw up and it was horrible), the train ride home. Yesterday was the worst...by the time I got home I could hardly breathe and my husband called an ambulance. Before the ambulance arrived, I felt better. I rang them and cancelled. Is this a panic attack? Everything I've read says it doesn't last long, but this was hours.

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Pansypoppy and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[thejohnny]

Hey there, yep it most definitely sounds like a panic attack, the feelings you have described regarding your Adams apple/throat and feeling that your not getting air into your lungs are classic symptoms and although very scarey they are just sensations and can not harm you.
You also stated how long you felt weird for and felt something was wrong or may happen, I can assure despite what Google says on the matter panic attacks don't always last 10-30 minutes they can last a lot longer especially when you first experience them as they are a big shock and you need time to recover and process what happened.
I am not a doctor but having suffered thousands of panic attacks I can honestly say that everything you felt and thought I have experienced many times and it has never been anything physical or anything that is going to harm me just a big horrible panic attack.
Please don't worry as from what you have said it has only been a few times and hopefully it won't ever happen again it can be 100 and 1 things that can trigger it ( do not use Google ) nearly everyone in there life's will experience a panic attack or at the very least high anxiety and most will have a couple of episodes and it never raises it's ugly head again. I wish you all the best and try your best not to dwell on it and the next time you have a night out don't spend the night waiting for it to happen just enjoy yourself and you just might surprise yourself.

[Confetti]

Do you think of anything in particular when you're caught within the awful attacks? There must be something that triggers and feeds them, I know it can be multiple things that are present longterm or just fleeting things that jab you nastily but it does help to get to the centre of each attack and try to understand where the power emanates from. Many hugs :hugs:

[Pansypoppy]

Many thanks to those of you who replied. So good to know that I can describe these feelings and people know what I'm talking about and understand. In reply to the question regarding what I was thinking about....each time (it has happened a few times now) I begin by feeling sick .....it nearly always comes on, if it's going to, about an hour or so after a meal. Then I'm afraid I'm going to get an attack of IBS (it has happened in the past). Then, of course, the symptoms magnify. Then I start to feel terrible because I feel I'm being just like my Dad (who had terrible "attacks of nerves" as it was called in those days which made days out very difficult and my Mum very fraught). Then I get afraid that I'm going to be just like my Dad. And all this time, it's getting worse. But I'd never had the shortness of breath before this last episode...that was an all-time first and very frightening. And, weirdly, my throat just kept filling up with mucousy gunk that I couldn't get rid of and it was almost choking me. Is that normal too?
Sorry to go on about this, but I really really want to get to the bottom of it. This kind of think ruined my Dad's life and I don't want the same thing to happen to me. Thank you again to everyone.