Another trembling soul joins your ranks...

[suzannacorfu]

Hi everyone,
I'm Suzi, 53 (hard to believe) from the UK and living in Corfu. My one cslim to fasme may just be that I have had an anxiety attack in almost every country in Europe (haven't done Spain yet but hey there's still time...).

Panic started 8 years ago got better, got worse, got better, got worse...
Every time I dip down into panic I feel like an absolute FAILURE, I mean what sort of person cannot go into a supermarket right??
Then I have to remember that since having panic I have:

Fought it alone
Moved to a different city
Changed careers at 48 years old SUCCESSFULLY
Moved to different countries
Moved again
Helped a whole load of people
All of the above...alone while dying every day of stroke, heart attacks, cancer (that would be headache, indigestion and some phlegm lodged in my throat to normal people!!)

At lunchtime today I was a quivering mess and now I'm back laughing again telling my story to you guys.
One thing I have found is that it's impossible to have a panic attack while you laughing. So I suppose we can deduce from this that my problem isn't REALLY the panic...I'm just not laughing enough!

Please don't think that this is a facetious post guys. It's a serious debilitating disorder, no-one knows this better than I do BUT bear with my humour...it's what's keeping me going.

Anyway that's me...Suzi

[nomorepanic]

Hi suzannacorfu

A huge warm welcome to nmp.

You'll get loads of advice and support here and make some lovely friends along the way.

Best wishes

[daybyday]

:welcome:

[Vanilla Sky]

Hi and welcome to NMP :welcome: Paige

[YvonneBelle]

Hi Suzi,

I enjoyed your post (and your humour) :D

Hope you get loads of help here. My mum suffers with anxiety/panic attacks due to a specific incident that happened years ago (terror attack) and although she has improved over the years she says they happen at the most inconvenient times and when you would least expect.

She told me a story about a guy who did really well, went somewhere strange, coped, felt really pleased with himself then went to the post office, saw his usual boring clerk and totally panicked for no apparent reason. There is sometimes just no way to understand why.

I've seen her heart beating almost out of her chest and seen the sweat on her top lip, clammy hands.... it's not fun. :lac:

I once had a panic attack (thought I was having a heart attack) for no apparent reason. I've never had one since and had never had one before but I still wonder about that. I ended up phoning NHS direct. I couldn't quite believe it afterwards (I don't suffer with anxiety normally) but at the time it felt so real and it's no fun.

:welcome:

Yvonne

[Going home]

Hi Suzi and welcome. Alot of people will relate to what you say. Its so unfair isn't it that we can manage to do all the extreme things like moving house, cities and countries, getting on and off planes etc, and cope well because we think we've recovered, only to be hit by panic sitting eating a cheese sandwich at the kitchen table :huh: what's that all about?

Anyway, you're in good company here, and alot of us ladies on nmp blame it all on the hormones...lets face it, they've had alot to answer for over the years :D

Anna xxx :welcome:

[Baggs]

Welcome to NMP most gracious and wonderful one. All my love. Baggs xxxxxxxxxxxxx