first panic attack? [Archive]

meeno

05-01-09, 22:59

Notator

05-01-09, 23:16

My first one ended in an ambulance ride, lots of wires attached to my chest and general mayhem... And then utter bafflement 6 hours later when they told me there was nothing wrong with me, go see a doctor to get some help calming down!

Yep, they can be embarrassing - they seem to know when to strike for maximum effect"!

And last but not least, you're quite right...worrying about them is a vicious circle! Try to remember the hugely larger amount of times that they DON'T happen, keep positive and fight the buggers with all you've got!

Vanilla Sky

05-01-09, 23:23

Hi meeno, my first panic attack? I ended up in a+e i thot i couldnt breath and i was dying iv been there a few times since then and im still not dying! ( hope not anyway ) you will get familiar with the symptoms and always remember to focus on your breathing, take slow deep breaths ( thats why i was hyperventilating i was breathing so rapidly ) nothing will happen to you just work through it..... easy for me to say now... just keep telling yourself it wont last long you will find your own way of dealing with it and remember your not alone youl find help and support here maybe see you in chat sometime love paige x

meeno

05-01-09, 23:27

thankyou for your replies - helpful and kind :). I think I was lucky to have a teacher with me who has suffered from anxiety, she knew exactly what to do, because as you said I also thought I was going to die and possibly dying was a better option lol!

CABelieve13

05-01-09, 23:32

I feel your pain i really do.
My first was on a bus, even though i think it started an hour or 2 before.
It was the last day of school before christmas break back when i was in 7th grade.
I was feeling very very hot for some reason, and just kinda anxious, but i didnt think anything of it. then my stomach started to twist and turn. iI tried to call my dad to come get me, but he couldnt, so i had to ride the bus. I told my bus driver i didnt feel well and sat in the front of the bus. I was shaking a little. But then he handed me one of those Sick baggies they have on the bus (I was emetrophobic) and that set me off.
I started having dry heaves, i couldnt breathe, i was shaking and crying.
I was so scared i lept over my seat and sat in the middle of the 2 seats on the floor..................................holding my bus drivers hand.
It seems so dramatic when i remember it, i just remember being so afraid. Proves how severe my emetrophobia is lol.
I am in school still 2, and i know what it is like to have anxiety/panic attacks in class.
Ive somewhat learned, it may not be the be the best, but i learned to hold my anxiety deep inside until a free moment, when i ask to go to the bathroom. I take the long way and take deep breathes. Then sit in the bathroom a minute and calm miself and go back. I dont have to be 100% relaxed, but at least enough so i can control it.
Hope that helps.

meeno

05-01-09, 23:37

hi CAbelieve, I'm sorry to here of your bad experience.
I will definetely remember the bathroom idea, thanks, a quiet place to compose yourself. I guess it's bad in school cause the kids don't understand and are all so nosey lol!
I wasn't aware until today of all the other aspects of a panic attack, with the numbness etc which makes you more scared! I suppose it's something you have to experience...

minihaha

05-01-09, 23:39

my first panic attack happened at work (on a day when it was very hot and i felt really tired and hadnt eaten breakfast or lunch) my immediate reaction was to flee the office - i had to ask a colleague to get my bag for me - and i went home, once i got home i ran to bed put the duvet over my head and had the shakes and cried for about 2 hours till my husband came home and when he did he couldnt get any sense out of me as i had tried to fight the panic myself and failed.

Please dont feel embarassed about panicking in front of others , i know its so much easier said than done but having people round about you when you panic can help, especially in your case with a teacher who recognised what was happening to you and has probably stopped the panic gettign worse without you realising it.

Best of luck , i hope you feel better soon

Dublin_Man

05-01-09, 23:49

just try not no dwell on it

more u think of it the more strenght u give it

its over with now try forget it

CABelieve13

06-01-09, 00:18

I used to actually get so tense, my fingers, especially my thumb, would like pop in and stick there until i relaxed. Ive also hyperventilated to the point where i inflammed the cartilidge in my chest where it would hurt soo bad, but when i pushed on it, it would pop and then not hurt for awhile.
kinda entertaining haha......
My friends dont understand, and when this first started in 7th grade, i actually lost friends because they were afraid to be near me, because i was very uneasy and was just...not me.
I gained them back but with my anxiety going nuts yet again im afraid what will happen.
Plus, i am small for my age, but i was so anxious that i burned up calories and was really under weight. And it wasnt that i didnt eat, because i ate alot, but i just burned it up so quickly.
7th grade..i weighed 65 pounds. Thats really bad. Thankfully i gained it back, but when your that tiny rumors get spread.....
lol but i understand where your coming from as far as school.

Wenjoy

06-01-09, 09:30

Hi - my first PA started on a hot bus - since then if I am anywhere hot and stuffy I immediately start to panic and hyperventilate so I keep water with me and splash it on my face much to the amusement of people around me!! Wenjoy x

Reggie

06-01-09, 20:49

My first panic attack happened 2 weeks after the death of my daughter, I was pregnant at the time and I just woke up in the night with the daddy of all panic attacks about 2am. My husband called my mom and she took me to hospital, I was vomitting, I couldn't breath it was horrible - to be honest, if I'd have stopped breathing for good I wouldn't have cared, I panicked until about 7am when I fell to sleep exhausted. :weep:

Panic for whatever reason is a terrible thing, it's completely debilitating whilst it's going on. I feel for you being at school and having a panic attack, I hope your teachers are supportive.

meeno

06-01-09, 23:03

thanks again for the kind words. :) hearing of other people in similar situations really helps to calm, but i do feel for each of your bad times and give you my best wishes.

CA, if you don't mind me asking what grade are you in now? unfortunately i understand the rumours issue. :|

been pretty shaky since the first one, like non stop. another issue in school today but i got by without first aiders this time... just sat it out.

LACEYA1961

07-01-09, 00:55

okay so i'm new here not too sure of how everything works, sorry if this is in the wrong place etc!

at school today i had my first full blown panic attack.. wasn't too good. hyperventilating, shaking, numb hands, all that jazz. my teacher wants to know what set me off, but to be honest it wasn't anything in particular? i always feel pretty nervous and especially about the stupid little things. but normally i can calm down, but we've been off christmas and i'd forgotton just how busy and loud things can get in school.

i'm pretty scared now that it'll happen again cause it was just so embarrasing! and i know stressing is making me worse but it's a vicious circle i guess..

what was the first time like for you guys?

Hi, Meeno!

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. My first time ended up in an ambulance and then on to the ER. Luckily I was at my husband's doctor's office with him for HIS appointment when this happened. I couldn't stand up and my blood pressure was sky high, couldn't make my tongue work nor my arms. And it kept hitting me in waves...like it would settle down some then hit again over and over. I honestly thought I was dying. I was giving instructions to my husband on what to tell my kids, etc. His dr came in and had a look at me and he thought I was having a stroke which scared me even more. Well, four hours later I'm in the ER and was told I had a panic attack. They gave me a huge shot of valium, took a cat scan and sent me home. I think I had attacks before this but didn't recognize them for what they were...they always hit me in the car. Now I know what they are and the more knowledge you receive about them the easier it is to handle better. You know that saying "Knowledge is power" well that's true. I feel for you, hon, as does everyone else on this forum. I've received tremendous insight and help here.

Take care,

Lacey

sallad

07-01-09, 03:38

You know, I think when I was maybe 6 years old it happened. I used to tell my mom that sometimes I felt I was outside my body. I remember walking down the hall in my Grandmother's house and then feeling myself 'floating'. My heart was racing, my hands were sweaty...etc
I don't think I had it much after elementary school until days after my graduation from university. I was driving to visit my parents a province away and spent 8 hours going in and out of attacks [yes, I have parent issues! :)] It is interesting to think back on how it started. I wish you well and send healthy vibes.