Advice please

[Bambi]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could offer me any advice that i'm not cracking up and it is panic attacks i'm having.

I have suffered with panic attcks for the last 12 years after the birth of my first son I had them pretty bad and it took me years to control them and not let having one bother me.

However, I had another baby in April this year and they seem to have started again :weep: I always find it happens when I am laid in bed trying to get to sleep, they usually happen when i am just nodding off and I wake with a jump and my heart starts beating really fast, then i begin to feel anxious and nervous.
The same happened to me last night but then I just couldn't sleep no matter how much I tried to relax i could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my heart felt like it was in my throat, I was cold, and felt like i could breathe properly. Eventually I fell asleep but I have woke this morning feeling like my chest is tight and i feel nervous and panicky still.

Sorry that turned into a bit of a ramble i'm just really worried.

[ladybird64]

Hi Bambi and :welcome:

Nope, you're not cracking up.:)
It certainly sounds like anxiety/panic attacks that you're experiencing, particularly as you've had the same thing before when you had your first baby.
I used to have something similar, I've got a feeling it's something to do with the fact that as a new mum we are supposed to be on call 24/7! Seriously, I used to sleep very fitfully and always woke with a hell of a start..did I sleep through the feeding time, is the baby ok..you know the feeling. :)
When you try and relax it always seems to have the opposite effect so no wonder you're edgy today, it's all the adrenaline that was pumping around your body.
It might be worth mentioning this to your health visitor, maybe she will have some suggestions? Hope you manage to get some rest today. :)

[STEPHYUNO]

Hi there, my name is Stephen and I endured so called panic attacks during my twenties, so I can empathise with you, the good news is that you are not alone and this is a very common condition in the modern world.
When this happens you think you are the only one in the world and that no-one would understand, but when I started looking for help I realised that I wasn't alone, unless someone even a doctor has experienced this feeling they don't really know what it is like, but we know that it can really affect our lives if we let it.
Psychologists and doctors relate it to the primative fight or flight response which still exists in humans, but as we do not have to fight a wild animal or run away, that adrenalin lies within us and has nowhere to go, this can manifest itself in panic attacks and stress and does in many people.

So we all have the potential to suffer these and also there is plenty of help to overcome them.

Some things I would recommend are and some may be more practical than others for you, excercise, especially in the evening, (this will help to use up that nervous energy and provide a better chance of sleeping, hypnotherapy, (this can just help you relax and reinforce some positives, sharing with others who understand, (a bit like what you are doing now)speak to a doctor that you can talk to and get reffered to a cousellor, (this is just some one you can talk to that can offer practical advice)
Perhaps try a herbal remedy that justs take the edge off any anxiety.
The main thing is to realise that you are not alone, though I know it feels it when this happens, but you can and will take control of this, and even if you do get that feeling, please don't beat yourself up, just make it less and less each time, till you can feel confident and assured in any social situation. All the best, Steph x