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ToniDMB
26-01-04, 23:32
I am a new member, and this site has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! I feel like I am not alone (for the very first time) and I also feel that what I experience is justified. It is absolutely amazing what a our nervous system can make us feel, isn't it. My panic attacks are very physical. I shake really bad, like I just got really cold...I feel extremely faint, I have the feeling that I am not really "there", I feel like I am about to die....I freak out and think I am having a heart attack, brain tumors are exploding, blood clots, I think I have some really bad horrible disease and all I do is ask whoever around me is, "Am I okay or am I dying?" beacause I can't tell...I think I am dying. I cry horribly. My heart palpatates, my pulse is fast, and my blood pressure goes up. I also get really bad head rushes simliar to those mentioned in another thread. The one thing that scares me the most is the spots I sometimes see, but I think that could be related to the fact that I am hyperventalating, don't you think?

From the Panic Attack, I have developed into somewhat of a hypochondriac. I am scared that there is something seriously wrong with me and I don't know it. This only elevates my anxiety. I am driving my parents MAD. If I see a spot on my hand, of if I get itchy, I freak out about it. I need to put my mind to rest. I started to seek therapy and I am going to try my best to deal with these feelings.

Does anyone else experience something similiar? I would love to know that in most of these symptoms I am not alone.

Hugs and Best Wishes!
Toni

Meg
26-01-04, 23:41
Hi Toni

These are all common symptoms: Take your pick !

Cardiovascular
Dizzyness
lightheadedness
rapid heartbeat that I can feel it in my ears
skipping of my heart, like a irregular heartbeat
Chest pain
heart palpitations


Respiratory
Shortness of breath
Can’t get enough air
Breathing quickly
Seem to need more air than normal
Hard to breathe

Sensory/ neurological
a loss of balance
trembling fine and very violent when extreme
spacey
shaky,
Internally shaking
headaches
hot flushes
inability to concentrate
unreality
short bursts of head "buzzing"
intolerant of heat
vertigo
feeling like I'm vibrating or the floor is moving beneath me like at the funfair.
feeling like I'm walking sideways
feel disconnected from reality
Sweating
Can't decide on things, confusion
tingling or numb feeling in parts of my body
sweats and chills
sweaty feet and palms
cold hands and feet
hot face and ears
Tight band around head
Clumsiness

GI
stomach rumbling
Stomach churning
nausea
queasiness
constipation,
diarrhoea,
Nausea/abdo pain leading to vomiting
IBS
Swallowing air leading to vomiting
Heartburn
tension in pit of stomach


ENT
dry mouth
ears ringing
Sometimes hearing loss
hot face and ears
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Fluttering/clicking in the throat



Vision
seeing "spots" or ‘floaters’
double vision
sensitivity to light
Blurred Vision
pressure in eyes


Muscular
tight/lump in throat
weak in the knees
Muscle pain
Chest pain
Cramping
Tight muscles
Neck pain
tight shoulders
Jaw Tightness/Pain

Mood and feelings
I feel very low/sad and tearful after the body symptoms have subsided.
Restlessness
Extreme fatigue
overwhelming thought of certain death
Thoughts of wanting to flee
Terrified I’ll forget who I am
Obsessive frightening thoughts
disappointed in myself which leads to depression and sadness
Highly emotionally charged
Scared out of my mind
Feeling of unreality
Scary thoughts
overpowering feeling of dread
Want to crawl out of my skin
Racing thoughts




Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

love_jaidan
27-01-04, 06:04
Hey Toni
i dont experience what you seem to but i experience many of what meg had just listed.
glad this site has helped you out


Email me anytime love to help

~love jaidan~

tina2004
27-01-04, 08:44
toni everything u say describes me exactly,anything from a little spot to a tiny itch and i think the worst,the minute i get up in the morning i think theres something wrong and like u i need reasurance all the time but even then i always think there missing something,i even get scared if i feel not too bad one day,i wish i could give u answers as too how to help u but the now like u im struggling ,im even too scared to take the ciprimal the doctor gave me incase i die from side effects which i knowdeep down its sily,this site will help u,even just knowing other people feel like we do helps a lot,im gonny go now and get the kids ready for school but if u need to talk to someone who feels exactly the same im always around.

panic140671
27-01-04, 09:02
Hi Toni,

I thought I had wrote the post. I experience exactly the same as you. I panic over everything, thinking this is it, some deadly disease or life threatening illness. Not one day goes by that I dont think that I am going to drop down dead at any minute. I only became a hypochondriac after I started with my panic attacks nearly 3 years ago. Unfortunately for me I feel I am no further forward than when they first started.

I hope we can both help each other out on this.

Take care

angie3077
27-01-04, 15:21
Hi,

I am exactley the same. A Hypocondriac- and have been since the panic attacks started 4 years ago. I too will not take anything the doctor gives me as I worry that I will have a serious bad reaction to it and die! sounds so morbid but that is how I think all day, every day!
Is there anyone that uses this site that 'WAS' like this but has managed to come through and is no longer plagued by these intrusive thoughts all the time, because if there is I would love to know how you done it and how you cope now?I sometimes really do not know how I am not crazy and in a mental hospital as sometimes I feel it beleive me?
But above all I am just tired of feeling this way , I am young and I should be enjoying life, not fearing death/illness all the time, from the minute I wake up in the morning to when I fall asleep at night.

Angie

sadie
27-01-04, 15:56
Hi Angie,

I feel like you too most days too, although mine seem to be the same thoughts over and over again...that I will take a heart attack/stroke/brain haemorrage and die. Even when I write this I know its sounds stupid and unlikely at my age (29yrs) but the symptoms of panic mimic so many serious illnesses that its hard to see fact from fiction.

Anyway I have got so much better this last few months, mostly because of this forum, although i know I have still a long way to go. However i do believe that I will get there one day and so should you. It takes a lot of patience and hard work to get rid of these thoughts of death all the time but it can be done.

Have you read any of the posts on the 'success' thread as there are lots of stories there which show that anxiety and panic attacks can be overcome??



sadie

Lottie32
27-01-04, 16:00
Angie -

Yes Meg (Radar) has been there, and is now "normal".

Although this site is tremendously helpful, and incredibly supportive, I'm afraid that there is no "magic cure".

What may work for one, may not work for another. For example, I have progressed without the aid of any medication. Some people took medication. There is no right or wrong answer.

There are several common themes - accepting you have a problem. Realise you are not mad, 1 in 4 people worldwide suffer from an anxiety related illness. Getting professional help. Taking a course of CBT. Trying to stay postive at all times. Challenging your thoughts. Eating a healthy diet. Taking mineral and vitamin supplements. Reducing alcohol and caffine intake. Take exercise. Make time to relax regularly - yoga for example. Face up to your problems, and don't "sweep things" under the carpet. At all times believe in yourself.

Although it may sound harsh, at the end of the day there is only one person who can make yourself well again - and thats YOU.

I'm not going to lie, and say that it will be easy, because it's not. Think of your recovery a bit like training for a marathon. You start off gently, and train slowly and steadily, making progress. Occassionally, you may pull a muscle, and have to sit on the sidelines for a bit. BUT you will still retain a level of fitness higher than when you started. Keep running the maratthon the goal in your mind, and don't let yourself or anybody else talk you out of it. It's tough, it's hard, there are times when you seem to be slipping backwards, and sometimes you think you'll never reach the finish.

But have faith in yourself, use the help and support available on this site, and I promise that you will soon start to feel better. Once that happens, you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and continue to strive for more.

Good luck and keep positive


Charlie

PinkLady
27-01-04, 20:09
Hi Toni,
I consider myself as a hypo. as well. I have been since I was about 5 years old.
I worry sick at the slightest pain, and of course the more worry I create the more pains I seem to get. I am right now trying the CBT and also seeing a Doctor once a month and so far I know what I need to do and realize I am the one making myself feel this way. I do suggest a mood log to use when you feel your symptons. If you feel the chest pains write them down and then refer back and ask yourself "Is it possible to have a heart attack - yes" it is probable to have one - No" Then write all the times down that you thought you were having something seriously wrong and been wrong about it. I am a better preacher than I am a believer, but this site has made me feel much better knowing someone is there that relates to the way I feel. I do realize we make the decision weather we choose to be happy or sad. We choose to sit or stand, we make decisions all the time. We need to make the decision that we are no longer going to let this take over. Good luck!
I did just see in the list from Meg about a sympton that I thought I only felt and that one is
where the floor feels like it is slightly shaking below your feet - Again - me doing it!
Look at how powerful our minds can be.
Trina

Trina

Meg
27-01-04, 20:26
Hi Trina,

This is the closest I've had reported

feeling like I'm vibrating or the floor is moving beneath me like at the funfair







Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

Hears The Water
29-01-04, 19:30
everytime I come here, I find myself saying "wow, I am not alone!!" By now I should not be surprised to see someone else so simular to me. But I am. I too, need a lot of reassurance. For so long, I thought that the symptoms where from some strange disease. Only in the last month or so have I realy taken it to heart that it is caused by my mind. Just sitting here reading this post I realized that if my mind is powerful enough to make these negative symptoms appear, how cool would it be to harness it to make POSITIVE things start to happen. For example, for so long I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I am obese and when someone my size has a chest pain, it makes you take notice!!! But from reading the posts I realized that this seems to be a very common symptom! That took all the negative power away from the chest pains. Now when I get one I just say to myself, oh I need to stretch. Same thing for the heart palpatations. When I get one now I just say, oh well I need to breathe correctly. I am re-training my body's reactions to the fearful things. It is not easy. Some days I don't do very well at all. Some days I do realy great!!! But my bad days are fewer and less intense and my good days are coming more frequently. I have hope. I have also come to terms with the thought that I may never be what my mind defines as "normal" but I will learn how to cope and if that means that when I am 102 and have a panic attack,I can deal with it successfully, then I am ok with that. If I can ever become "normal" that would be great too. BTW, I find that thought a bit scary, as I have been fearfull since I was a tiny baby. So I have decided to write my own definition of what "normal" is to ME. I am finding it kinda cool, being able to redefine myself.
Anyway, as you can see from all the posts here, you are not alone. I think it is realy realy cool that I can come here for that little bit of "Is this symptom normal" reassurance! This is the only place I have found where I fit right in!!! So cool. Hope this helps.
God Bless you and yours
Debs

Meg
29-01-04, 20:31
Hey Debs,

Really good to hear that you're doing better.

'Only in the last month or so have I realy taken it to heart that it is caused by my mind. Just sitting here reading this post I realized that if my mind is powerful enough to make these negative symptoms appear, how cool would it be to harness it to make POSITIVE things start to happen.'

Absolutely right Carpe Diem (sieze the day). Make the most of each opportunity that presents itself.

Withe the obesity you mention, maybe you might choose to slowly do something positive about that too with gentle adjustments which will give all of you :mentally, physically and spirtually a huge boost too...

I fully applaud your idea of revamping your 'normal ' . I did this once with a girl who was heading towards 40 but was still trying to achieve her day dreams from when she was 21 or so and was consequently getting herself in a bad way. We spent ages redesigning them and it made a massive difference to her..

Good for you , Debs





Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

ToniDMB
29-01-04, 20:31
What is conisdered "floaters"? Sometimes when I think I am starting to get anxious I see a small weird object float up and then I won't see one for a little, and then maybe I'll see it again. They seem wavey and they don't last very long, but it does happen sometimes.

This is panic related right?

I am not having a good day at all. I think I am coming down with the flu, my belly hurts, my head aches, I feel nauseous, my head is fuzzy, and I have a fever and best part is, I am stuck here at work all day. I get scared whenever I get a minor illness and I go to a website like Web MD and look up diseases that might have my symptoms, and I found one, Hepatitis, and now I am scared I have that. This is such a vicious cycle. I am so scared. All I can do is cry right now. Is there anybody out there?

Hugs,
Toni

Meg
29-01-04, 21:02
Hello Toni,

Yup, that's a floater and yes its usually anxiety related !

So you get the flu - have a couple of days of feeling awful and then our miraculous immune system will kick in and make you better. Let nature take its course and support it with supplements, fluids and rest.

By looking up all sorts of horrible things you are hindering your recovery.

You have not got hepatitis or you would not be sitting there right now. You would be scatching like mad, turning a lovely shade of yellow and have lost loads of weight and already been ill for a few weeks - next ?


Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

ToniDMB
29-01-04, 21:11
Meg-
See that is the problem...I have been itchy, not really bad, but on my back and under my neck, which could be allergies,..I can't tell if my color has changed, but I think it has...and I have lost 14 pounds, but I am on a special diet and excersizing and I attribute that loss to that.

Sorry to bug you, I am just scared.
Hugs,
Toni

Meg
29-01-04, 21:18
It would be scrubbing brush itchy and mainly on legs and abdomen, you may not have noticed colour changes but the rest of the world would have . Good you recognise the origin of the weight loss. Well done on that and the exercise.

If you're on a low carb/ high protein it won't help your immune system.



Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

ToniDMB
29-01-04, 21:23
Actually, the diet I am on is the one we put our clients on...I work for a company called Healthy Inspirations. It's a balanced diet, including all the foods from the food group...fruits, veggies, starches, protien, and yes, even some fat. I would think this kind of diet will be good for me, not bad.

Thank you for the calming of my nerves.

Hugs,
Toni

Meg
29-01-04, 21:32
If it's balanced - then really great news as it's working for you !



Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

denni
23-06-05, 23:47
my problem is that when all my panic symptoms started 3 years ago, to reassure myself that i wasn't seriously ill and because i was fed up of going to he docs i would put my symptoms into the internet to search, and convince myself that first of all i had ms, then parkinsons, and now motor neurones disease. of course my blood would run cold as i would lie there at night waiting for stage 2 of the illness to appear. now that i have children, i get the same way about them. i try to relax and convince myself nothing is wrong, so i know its hard, maybe i should have married a doctor!...
Denni x