View Full Version : Confused! (Same post, New subject)
Hi me again,
i dont know why but i have a constant fear that Im going to faint. It all started when I felt dizzy one day, and panicked because of it, then I felt dizzy because I was panicking and it went round in a vicious circle. I've had that for a while now, and I'm obsessed with looking in the mirror to check if I'm pale, even if I only get at normal bit of dizziness, because I'm terrified of fainting.
I am one for exagerating, but its getting ridiculas, could somebody please tell me you can't faint from panic attacks, because I can't seem to drill it in, neither can mum, and I'm stilled scared now! :(
Chaz xx
hi im fairly certain that you wont faint because of a panic attack i know i never have and have had some horrendous attacks but it is just a feeling and although unpleasant i really dont think you will faint
fan x
hiya Chaz
ive had some awful panic attacks in the past where ive felt like any more and I would faint.
However I have NEVER fainted however bad its gotten.
love Sarah
xx
thx, it's weird sometimes its really easy to tell my-self and other times it just wont get in my brain, i don't even know why I'm scared of fainting I just am, its stupid really
chaz xx
Hi Chaz
Loads of times i have had panic attacks and really thought i was going to faint, but never have. My CBT used to say it was really common to feel that but it hardly ever got to that stage. Just another aspect of anxiety.
Hope you are doing okay.
Lots of Love Sal xxxxx
Chaz,
It is highly unlikely that you would faint due to a panic attack.
Your ultimate fear seems to be of fainting--so any strange feelings of dizziness, in themselves part of anxiety symptoms,-- and your thoughts immediately make you fear that this is where it's heading (ie leading to fainting), which makes you panic more, making you more dizzy----etc.
Maybe distracting yourself from the thoughts+breathing exercises might help?
Why are you so frightened by fainting? Does it relate to an unpleasant experience when you did actually faint? Is it a 'loss of control' thing?
Linda. x
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Rennie1989
08-03-05, 20:23
Hiya chaz
i had nearly passed out, but its just lack of oxygen going to your head, i think, ask meg, lol
nice chatting to you btw
Scooter Girl AKA Jade
nomorepanic
08-03-05, 20:30
It is very rare to faint unless there are other issues going on.
Meg will post the official medical reason for this.
Nicola
Thank-u, there is no real reason that I am scared of fainting, i have never fainted so I don't know why im worried, i suppose its the fact of something ive never experienced before happening which scares me, because I don't know what to expect, and it made me worse when dad told me the bad points of fainting, i guess he shouldn't have :(
chaz xx
I get that when i have an attack but have never fainted i just have to stop what im doing and breathe deeply for a few minutes and it goes away *eventually* but the thaughts of oh my god im going to faint are horrible especially if i get it on the stairs or at the top of the stairs which i have had a few times but im sure you wont as i said i never have yet touch wood
"Tis easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows like a song. But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong"
I had my first panic over 40 years ago, and have never fainted and raly dont understand why cos you realy think you are going too when you get them real dizzy spells? When i have got up at night for toilet and when i get up in the morning I feel so dizzy sometimes I have to hold onto things cos I am too wobbly nut no never fainted. take care. Vernon
A very few people who cannot control the hyperventilation may faint which is the body’s way of taking back control so it can redress the o2- co2 balance in your blood which causes the dizziness to start with.
The good news is that if you’ve not fainted by the time you read this it’s most very likely that you will not do so.
If this is going to happen, it happens on the first panic attack. If you have not fainted to date you will not start to do so- especially now you know what to do.
Hi Chaz
I hope the replies have reassured you hon.
Take care.
Lots of Love Sal xxxxx
hi Chaz,
I have never fainted though I have thought I was going to many times...
Sarah :D
Hi Chaz
I have never fainted, although I have felt that way many times, particularly if I ahven't eaten enough or am in the supermarket.
best wishes
Elaine x
razocaine_07
09-03-05, 01:33
hi chaz, hope ur settling in ok. Anyway, my g/f suffers badly from panic attacks, but with hers, she feels them coming on and faints a couple of minutes later. every time. It really scares her, as you would expect but she had epilepsy ruled out and other things. It can happen but still does no harm.
Raz , you can help her not to faint by really regulating her breathing with her.
Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk
You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance
Hiya
I've only ever fainted once in my life and that wasn't down to a panic attack (stubbed me toe on a door frame lol). I do feel like i'm going to though, i go dizzy and very light headed and i have to sit down but nothings ever happened, touch wood.
Take care
Tracy
x
Have had panic and it's symptoms for many years, my main problem is being dizzy, sometimes from the moment i wake until bed, i still get scared and sometimes can't convince myself it anxiety, but have never fainted, Vernon how you described the night and first thing, that's exactly how i am, scary isn't it? and why?
I have felt like I was going to, but have never. It was during one of my worst episodes. It really scared me, because I was driving and my 3 year old daughter was in the back seat. Are you on any meds? That really helped me.:D
Take care,
tessa
I am really thankful for all you've said, I am now coming to terms with the fact "I won't faint", I keep pushing my-self that bit further everyday, and I am starting to now stand up with-out having to look in the mirror, or check my heart rate.
But days like today put me down, and I almost forget everything I've been told, as I had a pretty bad PA on a school trip, i felt so stupid and just wanted to hide from everyone, I suffered quietly, and kept trying to tell my-self I'm fine and I will not faint, I just need to calm down. I was sat eating dinner shaking in silence, I tried to get through it but the more I hid it, the worse it got. Eventually I told some-one, but at this point I just broke down into tears, I'm just so sick of them, and it ruined a lovely trip out!
Should I have told someone straight away?
Or should I have tried to get along with it for the rest of the day?
I don't want these PA's to ruin my life, they are so scary, hopefully they will go away at some point in the future, and as I'm 14 there's alot to get through just yet in my life, and some people don't understand, it really gets me down! :(
chaz xx
Hi Chaz
You did well in trying to cope with the PA on the school trip, I think you did the right thing by trying to cope and then when you relaised you couldn't you asked for help. You tried to face your fear which is a positive step forward.
You will get better I promise you, they will not ruin your life as we will not let them, ok!!
You take care chuck
Elaine x
Taken from "Understanding Panic Attacks and Overcoming Fear" by Dr.Roger Baker (one of the leading experts on panic attacks).
Myths; Passing Out.
As feelings during a panic attack get stronger, especially light headedness, dizziness, nausea and blurred vision, sufferers are sure that they will fall over or pass out - absolutely sure. They steady themselves or sit down to stop this happening. Other people believe them too; shop assistants or helpful partners find a chair for them or help to get them into the fresh air. I have even come across some self-help books on anxiety that misinform reader that "the worst that can happen is that you will pass out"
PEOPLE DO NOT PASS OUT WITH PANIC (my emphasis). It is impossible to pass out from panic attacks.
There is one exception to this rule. It concerns people who are extremely anxiou with anything to do with medical matters - injections, blood etc. Usually in panic attack the body is getting worked up and tense as the heart rate speeds up, breathing gets faster, sweating increases and so on, and therefore the blood pressure goes up. However, it is when the blood pressure goes that a person can pass out. When some individuals see blood, their heart rate and blood pressure go down. However, this exception to the rule only occurs in a small percentage of people. During panic attacks, a tensed-up person cannot possibily reach such a pitch that they pass out; the body does not work like that. They are too uptight, aroused, and overreacting to be able to faint.
When I wrote the first draft of this chapter, discussing passing out due to panic, I said "there are two small exceptions to the rule". The second exception I was going to describe was for those people who seriously over-breathe during panic. Then I came across an interesting study by three Dutch researchers. They instructed 20 volunteers to forcefully overbreathe for ninety minutes or more. They report "All our subjects hyperventilated to a degree that is above the maximum that human subjects can accomplish (a reduction in carbon dioxide by 55%) and they did so for one and a half hours. None of them fainted and none of them died." This suggests that it is almost impossible to pass out even with very serious hyperventilation, even though the person may feel lighthearted.
Hope this helps. I'd recommend the book, it's really fab. Apologies for typos, I typed it out myself quickly.
Thank-u raindrop, that has helped!
Can i have a view from people who have PA's, do u think i will grow out of them (im 14), or will i have them forever now?
i would just like a second opinion, thx
chaz xx
I think it's up to you. *You* can beat them. I started my PAs when I was 14 ish and I'm 19 now, still suffering. But they are not as bad; when I was younger, I didn't understand, I was dealing with all the growing up teenage-angst thing, which is often underestimated - it's *hard*! You're trying to find yourself and deal with that balance of being independent whilst being crippled with panic. Now, life is a little more in perspective, I know what I'm dealing with, and whilst it is still horrible and frightening, I no longer break down in tears for example, sometimes I'll laugh at myself, even though I feel like I'm going mad.
This can make you stronger, you CAN deal with them and stop them in their tracks, and I reckon it might be easier to do that whilst you're still young rather than set in your ways. I only was able to identify mine relatively recently, whereas if I'd have been a bit more proactive at 14, I might have got over them. *wishful thinking* Two other members of my family had them when they were my age, and they both outgrew them... bizarrely.
Good luck and we're all here for you. RD xxx
razocaine_07
10-03-05, 00:21
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Meg: Raz , you can help her not to faint by really regulating her breathing with her.</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
Hi meg, we tried that but if she doesnt get it out of her system, she feels incredibly ill and always prolongs it for her, but thanx anyway.
a nother bad day, i really trying to get my-self out of these attacks, singing, dancing and shouting at my-self help me, but it seems stupid really, and i cant start singing, dancing, or shouting in the middle of no-where! I feel abit insane doing it.
I even shouted at mum today, i felt so guilty, she said i can't help it, but i could just stay quiet, it happened at my nans house and my grandad was asking me loads of questions, i kept shouting please go away, make it go away, i felt like a was going mad. I couldn't discribe what i felt very well, i kinda felt light someone or something was pushing me down to the floor on my head. I now know im not gonna faint, but i still get scared when it gets bad and i feel really dizzy and light-headed.
Do you get used to them?
like i said im 14 and they scare me as they are new, i have only been having them for 3-4 months, and i am really trying to get out of them, and not think about them!
They mainly happen at night, or near the end of the day, do you think this is a pattern?
any answers?
Chaz xx
hi chaz sorry you had a bad day, try the singing and dancing just in your head it will distract you just the same im sure, you will get used to them and then be able to control them better but it will take a while
fan x
I dont think i have ever gotten used to them i just sit quiet and go over an over in my head saying your fine or think of some music i like or something anything just to change my train of thaughts sometimes it works but sometimes it makes me think about it even more i understand that its scary when you are young i was around 16 when they started and wondered what the heck i had done to deserver them my mum suffered them too when she was younger dunno if they are hereditory or not but if they are it looks like i drew the short straw out of me and my sister.
"Tis easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows like a song. But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong"
you can learn to live with them though and when you do that it does lessen the effect they have on you
fan x
thank-u,
i just hope i do get used to them, or even get rid of them, i not sure if any of them are gonna happen but theres no law against wishing!
Chaz xx
hi Chaz
They wont disappear over night but you will get better and you have the right attitude to get over this. I know that feeling like you feel you are getting pressed to the floor. I a horrible way you do get used to them but it is more that you get used to them and can handle them.
You will get through this hon, you are young and sensible and can recognise how you feel which many of us havent until later years.
Lots of Love Sal xxxxx
Hi Chaz,
My name is Jill I suffered PA anxiaty but since finding this site
I am alot better[^]
My daughter also suffered PA anxiaty, she is 11 and doing very
well.
You are a very strong and sensible young lady, You CAN in time
learn how to make yourself feel better.
There is a saying " be carefull what you wish for because it may
come true" wish away Chaz because I know that one day with
understanding of your illness and alot of hard work and support
it WILL come true, you WILL start to feel better.
I know your scared Chaz, my daughter had a little blip last week
the same as yours feeling strange, this has not happened for a
long time, I will not go into why, that is in another post, but it only
lasted for about 5 mins she maneged with help from me to bring
herself out of it,she knows that it is her thoughts wihich make her
feel worse and the more she fears the symptom the longer it last.
She calls it (mending her mind) she know to distract herself and
think happy thoughts. Its not easy changing the way we think but it
CAN be done.
Please Chaz believe that you CAN learn how to feel better and know
matter what sympton it throws at you it WILL NOT harm you.
TAKE CARE LOVE JILLXXX
Believe it can be done.
When you believe somthing can be done,
really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it.
Beleiveing a solution paves the way to a solution.
i know how u feel i have been having PA since i was 11 and im now 26 for a few years they did ease up for a while but they do come back.
i am getting there and i hope in a while i will be PA free.
had another bad day, it seems to be gettin more regular, thats not gud, but the up-side is, that i am already starting to cope with them well, i felt really bad today, but i know it was the worst it was gonna get, and it cud only get better, im pleased with my-self for coping, but angry for havin them in the first place, they come up at the most aukward of times, it was supposed to be a nice day out with me friends shoppin but it turned into a night-mare!
thx for all ur advice it has really helped,
I am starting to worry, because i think people are starting to think im fakin it, well my friends know its real, its just the other kids at school who dont know me that well, it makes me so mad,:( i just feel like shoutin at em, and saying you try putting up with it!
ever had this problem?
Chaz xx
Appreciate everything said!
Thank-u! :)
glad to hear your finding it easier to cope with it chaz, dont worry bout what people say or think they dont know how real this is im 40 and my mother still tells me to pull myself together huh if only it was that easy, im sure your real friends will stick by you and help you through this
fan x
Glad you're feeling more in control/coping better; that's a really crucial first step.
I've never really let people know about my panic attacks/anxiety. I'll often speak about "stress" getting to me, or when I have to leave certain places, I'll say I "need some fresh air" or "have a migraine coming". I'm sure people think I'm a bit odd, but I quite appreciate the enigma and eccentricity it gives me! I'm probably choosing the coward's way by keeping them a secret from all but my close friends and family, but it keeps me feeling more normal and I don't worry so much about other people's reactions.
You have to remember that for those who don't experience panic attacks it's very difficult for them to imagine how dehabilitating and horrible they are to deal with. Even with some of my closest family, I've had comments such as "Stop making a fuss" or "Get a grip" which just demonstrates that even the people who *want* to understand, simply can't quite get there. Allow people their ignorance. Just remember to have strength and faith in yourself and develop what I (fondly) call the "F*** You" Attitude, which actually isn't as, er, violent as it sounds. It just means not caring what people think, holding your head as high as you can under the circumstances, pushing through what is hard, and not allowing your mind the luxury to feel sorry for itself or upset by things other people have said. Kinda like an armour. MUCH easier said than done, but a good starting place for these situations. Good luck.
nomorepanic
13-03-05, 15:28
Chaz
Is it me or does the topic on this keep changing?
Just wanted to know that I wasn't going mad cos it keeps appearing on the active topics list but you have not made a new entry in it.
Nicola
yeah sorry, i have a have a habbit of changin the name, nxt time ill just make anew post
chaz xx
Chaz, just add onto the end of this one - It keeps it all together which is best, so you don't need to make a new topic if its still along the general same theme of your panics
Thanks
Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk
You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance
nomorepanic
13-03-05, 17:25
Chaz
No problem - just confused me for a while. Like Meg says just add on to this one.
You are also logged on as your mum at the moment lol.
Nicola
oops there we go, ive made a new one anyway, but maybe i'll just add it on still!
chaz xx
This week has been a pretty bad week, I've felt fed up nearly all the time, and I've had a PA everyday, I'm getting really sick of it, and sometimes I just can't cope. I said i am doing well with coping but when a bad one comes along, i just can't handle it!
e.g
I had a really bad one yesterday when out with me friends. We were at the bus stop and it started by the time the bus came i couldn't even pay for my ticket. The people on the bus were staring at me, i just wanted to run away, far away, It ruined a good day out! :(
I always seem to get them when I'm out on my own with my friends, i guess i scare my-self, as i worry about if i have one what will i do my friends don't understand, but the up-side was when i did have one yesterday they were very supportive and held my hand through it. you find out who your true friends are! :)
But i still want to know Why they're getting to regular, and how i can get out of them?
Chaz xx
Deleted new topic, put it here obviously! :D
Hi Chaz
It is best to keep to one post otherwise people dont get the full picture, i thought i was going mad like Nic as it had changed.
Sorry that you didnt feel good yesterday, but i am so pleased your friends understood and helped you through it. At least you know if you are out with then you are in safe hands if you start to feel anxious.
Take care.
Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.
Love Sal xxx
hello chaz, i dont think anybody has ever passed out, when you get dreamy and faint its your natural protective response. all of us have something that worries us, i thaught i was going to literally go mad!!! i havent yet :D it does get easier though. u can email me if you want or im on messenger kim_wilkinson487@hotmail.com
Chaz care what you think and what your family and friends think, others that are not involved in your life, it doesnt count what they think, its just the ones who know and love you.
Love Sal xx
Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.
I know i shouldn't let it get to me, but sometimes it just really makes me so mad, I shouldn't have to prove my-self, which I'm not. If they don't believe me then fine! Even if it gets on my nerves
thx Kimmy I added you to my msn list
Chaz xx
Don't let little things bring you down, make the most of your life!
I know Chaz how hard it is and it is human nature to be hurt by what others think. But just remember you have those around you that love you and will support you all the way and that is what counts.
Love Sal xx
Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.
hi, im startin to fell abit misunderstood, im noticing the people around me are gettin fed-up of me having my PA, but so am I, they're really messing up my social life, and i feel put out by my friends sometimes, they don't mean to, i understand that if they ignore it they will beable to just get on, and thats what im tryin to do, but the big difference is, im the one expierencing it, their not! :(
i'd like to just ignore it and get on with my life too, but its hard sometimes, my friends seem to have taken over me, their off infront while I'm stuck further back tryin to sort out a problem, I find it hard, my friends are supportive, but it can get too much for them too, I just wish i could be normal again, and get on with my life, instead of being behind because of all my worries and problems :(
Wot can i do, i try to put on a smile, but when they're talking about something i don't really know about it gets to me, that im behind, i so badly want to get bak to the way it was! :(
chaz xx
Don't let little things bring you down, make the most of life <-- i'm trying
Just a reply to your question on do you think you will ever grow out of them. Mine always come during major turning points in my life. I had them when I was young and had something traumatic happen to me. Then again when I was 27 and about to get married. And now again at 34 when I was ending a long tem relationship. So even though they haven't completely gone away, I have had many good years. What panic attacks has taught me is that I am not good at dealing with stress. I keep it all inside and when I have reached my limit it comes out the only way it has ever known how to and that is through panic. It can make you feel as if you are going MAD, especially if you are somewhere you feel as if there is no safe place to run to and just break down, like a school trip. Just know things will get better and growing up is suchhhh a stressful time in its self. One thing that does help me is exercise. Take care and hope you get to feeling better.
;)
tessa
thx tessa, i have started to do more exercising, a do alot of dancing, but its hard as i need to put on weight as i am very thin, but doin my dancing helps, so im split between the 2.
Ive been told lots of advice for puttin on weight, but i just don't get that hungary, little and often they say to do, i am now starting to get my appetite back, but it'll take time to get back properly, any more advice.
Also will they be worse through my teenage years, as i am sensitive and easily get effected by stress (tests, exams, finding job), i let it all get too far on top of me.
So i might get better once all the things like that are out of the way?
Chaz xx
Don't let little things bring you down, make the most of life!
hi chaz nice to see you still here and posting hope its all going ok for you
fan x
Its startin to get stupid, Im so Angry with my-self, why do i keep having them, its nearly everyday now, it really gets me down, me, mum, nan and grandad have been thinking of strategies to take my mind off them to get my-self out of them, something to consentrate on, even if its just gettin a drink!
I havn't started the "strategies" yet, ill start 2moro, I'm starting to get a big social life, and PAs are gettin on top of me all the time.
Im so confused I don't even know why I get em, lately my life's been great, (it always has been) people would say Im very lucky to have everything, which i know i am, im very grateful for it, but i guess there has to be something wrong with me, I can't be smart, pretty, have good friends, a good family and have nothing wrong with me, but why now, why at all, I have nothing to worry about, but i still do it anyway, I just wanna break down and cry, if it gets really bad i do, but i stop my-self, if I can.
They seem to be getting worse, i dont know what I can do sometimes, I'll just have to learn to live with em, and if im lucky they might go away!
Chaz xx
Don't let little thing get you down, make the most of life!
nomorepanic
17-03-05, 20:33
Chaz
Read all the info on the website and take some advice from it and you will get there in time
It takes time but it will happen
Nicola
Hi Chaz
It isnt your fault that you are suffering but you will get through this. Regardless of what you have or havent got that makes no difference.
Give it time and hard work from you and you will get there.
We know you want it to get better so you will put all your energy into getting there and when you need us to remind you of that we will always be here to do that.
Love Sal xx
Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.
hi chaz try not to let all this get you angry....as you get angry you fire yourself up causes you to be anxious get a panic its a vicious circle just try to ride them out after each one say out loud "there was another but im ok now!" as each one comes keep telling yourself this
try to get lots of relaxation too nice candles etc that might help
you will get better but it takes time....were with you all the way
fan x
nomorepanic
18-03-05, 20:25
Chaz
Post appearing on active list but no new entry.
What do you keep changing?
Nicola
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