Is this a panic attack? Please help.

[peanut]

Hi, I am new and found this board while I was looking up panic attacks. I am 37 years old and used to get mild panic attacks, heart racing, feeling like your not there, sweating palms and then exhausted. I do smoke and ocassionally have a drink, not lately though. My father passed away from lung cancer at the age of 73 and my mother passed away from a heart attack at the age of 46. Two years ago I had a stress test and an angiogram done because I had a mild pain on my left side. Everything came out fine.
About a month ago, at night I had a flutter feeling in my chest and then a hot surge that lasted only a couple of seconds, my heart was pounding/racing and I had real bad trembling shakes and was cold. It lasted about 10 minutes and scared me. The next day I still felt bad. I felt like there is something in my chest, maily under my ledt rib that should not be there. A couple days later the same thing happened. I went to the doctor told him everything that happened and he listened to my heart and lungs and said I was fine. I do not have health insurance anymore. A couple times after that I have felt my heart pound, like it was going to jump out of my chest and I would feel the hot surge but can kind of calm myself down. I feel very nervous most of the time and I have that feeling that something is still under my rib. I was just wondering if this was a panic attack?
Thanks!

[angie3077]

Hi, It sounds like a panic/anxiety attack to me. With the unfortunate deaths of your close family members I think it could be due to stress or even if you think things are not bothering you, inside they could be.
I don't know about everybody, but with my panic attacks I always have real hot flushes, this is one of the most horrible symptoms for me as I do not cope well with heat, and the same goes for going really cold too. You said you had these tests done a while ago and I think you should be reassured that they came back normal, that is great news and should put your mind at ease. It sounds like the heart flutter that you had all of a sudden heightened your already elevated state of anxiety and the mind and body can play horrible tricks on you when you are in that mode. Your Doctor has checked you over and seems to think you are fine too, this is very good and you should beleive him. All it takes is one thing to happen and then our thoughts take over and as I said the mind/body can play tricks and make us feel that there are things there that really are not. Of course if this feeling you have under your ribs does not go away then go back and see your doctor again, but I think that you will be fine and you need to beleive that too and hopefully your symptoms will subside. Hope everything works out for you.

Angie

[peanut]

Hi Angie,
Thank you so much for your reply and support. I have been very stressed out lately and worry about everything, I really need to work on calming down. It has been quite a while since I had the mild attacks, at least a few years ago. Maybe it just all built up. As long as I know there is nothing wrong, just panic, I can usually calm myself down.
Thanks again and I am sorry that you suffer from them also!