Is this really what a panic attack is or is it something else

[Meriland30]

Since I can remember, I have had what i considered 'panic attacks'. I get them maybe once a year and boy....do they count. They are completely random with no reason, i could be happily watching a movie and it hits me like a ton of bricks. It feels like ..all the sudden, i am severely dizzy. Everything is rotating and pulling me down and the back of my head is buzzing like a tuning fork. I feel like i am on a boat but visually looks like everything is turning counter clockwise. I freak out, pace, and jump around like an idiot to try and 'reestablish' myself cause standing still makes it worse. By now my armpits are soaked, hands clammy. I fear i am going to pass out and freak out even more. Eventually, within a minute or two..it subsides (sometimes completely but sometimes it mildly lingers) and I feel about as weak as a newborn kitten ...tired, shaking. I've had this sort of experience since i was 9 and i am 30 now. Is this a typical panic attack pattern? I thought it was all about palpitations, breathing, and freaking out ...not....what i do.

[Meriland30]

After 45 views and no replies i guess it is unusual....

[Carys]

Its kinda hard to know to be honest. I mean what you describe could be a panic attack, but if could also be vertigo, or low blood sugar or any number of things which affect a person on a temporary basis. I guess if its once a year, which is very spaced apart, then its hard to be ready to check yourself out during one. If you genuinely don't feel stressed or anxious before it, and can't find a trigger for it, then maybe its worth discussing with a doctor ?

[Scass]

It could be. They generally affect people in different ways.
I used to get very shaky and dizzy, sweaty, stomach aches, wobbly vision, breathless. So many unpleasant symptoms.

Do you suffer from anxiety?
What’s making you think it might be a panic attack?


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[Meriland30]

It could be. They generally affect people in different ways.
I used to get very shaky and dizzy, sweaty, stomach aches, wobbly vision, breathless. So many unpleasant symptoms.

Do you suffer from anxiety?
What’s making you think it might be a panic attack?


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When i was little i had it happen, went to the doctor and he gave me a paper bag and said i had anxiety. For the next two years i avoided watching any scary movies or medical shows. I have been to the ER around 10 times last year alone due to thoughts of appendicitis, brain tumor, ALS, CJD, AIDS, Stomach Cancer and lost 2 jobs. I refuse to take medication cause i am afraid it will make me dizzy. I avoid airplanes, and boats cause they make me nervous and i fear i have Mernieres or that disease where you feel you are on a boat the rest of your life. The symptoms wax and wane based largely on my anticipation or worry that it will happen.

[Carys]

OK, well based on all that additional information - yes, it sounds like you have some sort of panic going on. Going to ER 10 times in a year is serious amounts of visiting, so although you don't want to take tablets due to having fears of them - what else can you do to try and limit your anxiety? Surely using ER in this was is not a good use of resources.

[Reign]

It's a limited symptoms panic attack. Next time you get this, instead of allowing yourself to get worked up, start writing down every symptom you feel and the duration. Also try to connect the dots - what could have triggered it, when did it start, how long it lasted.
You've had this since you were 9. If you had an illness you wouldn't have survived 21 years without any serious physical manifestations.
Personally I think you should take a ride in a boat and observe of you're actually feeling the same symptoms. If there isn't a boat, try swimming.
You may just have a form of separation anxiety disorder and the idea of being lonely (stranded) is your trigger.