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jenfromdenver
08-07-08, 18:11
howdy gang,

i have been dealing with this panic attack nonsense since about the begining of the year. i am taking medication, in counceling, groups, etc. i'm doing everything i'm "supposed" to be doing but it doesnt seem to be getting much better.

Last month I had one panic attack that blew up. The month before that I had three. So by that standard I am improving, but I still feel panic every single day.

I have physical symptoms that just are not going away. the chest tightness, a burning feeling in the muscles, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, headaches, dizziness, a feeling that im losing sight in one or both of my eyes, or they wont focus, shaking, and chronic heartburn and stomache upset.

panic is triggered by the symptoms, the symptoms are triggered by panic/anxiety. how do you break the cycle?

i wake up with these symptoms, i go to bed with them. i have tried relaxation techniques, exercise, yoga, meditation, chanting, various mantras, chigong, and on and on but nothing seems to really help. the exercise does not make the chest symptoms worse, so i think thats a good sign, but they do not go away either.

does anyone have a suggestion to ease them? i feel like if i can find a way to break the cycle here things will start to get better.

Cathy V
08-07-08, 18:20
Hi there and sorry you are suffering so much at the moment. Did anything in particular happen at the beginning of the year to cause this? any extra stress in your life for example? Often this is the reason, but if theres no reason you can think of then i do sympathise with your frustration. You're obviously taking the right steps to try and sort it out but it wont happen overnight, and you have to give therapy and meds enough time to help you.

Have you suffered in this way in the past or is this your first bout of anxiety and panic?

jenfromdenver
08-07-08, 18:47
I've always been kinda high strung and neurotic, but no this is the first bought of panic i've experienced. at the end of last year I had a blood clot scare, which sent me on a health kick, i quit smoking, started exercising, all of that. and then BAM, this happened.