help please.

[KayleighJane]

Have been suffering with anxiety/panic attacks since january and since they started I have convinced myself that I am going to stop breathing and die, this makes my breathing/anxiety really really bad and I have had enough. This thought of "I cant breathe/going to stop breathing at any minute" has taken over my life, its become a phobia almost, I cannot think of anything else.

Everything I do is affected by this, I am too terrified to be on my own incase I stop breathing and die, I'm too scared to go round the shops, scared to drive, even scared to talk lately as I keep getting a fluttery/blocky feeling in my throat and this makes me again think I am about to stop breathing.

I am scared all the time, all day, Every day I think its the end and then its not. If I cant feel any air whoosh through my nostrils when i breathe I start to freak out and think I'm not breathing and then I start to panic and go dizzy and feel like I am going to faint. I think I am going mad. I take citalopram and propranolol and although these have helped combat some things, this breathing issue has become a real problem and I am wondering if anybody else feels the same or has been through the same?

I am due to go back to work tomorrow and I am convinced that I am going to die driving to work or at work or anywhere I happen to be at any time. I am having such negative thoughts and would appreciate any kind of advice.

A very scared Kayleigh x

[jothenurse]

You will not stop breathing. You body is built that this would not happen. It is just your focusing on it that is causing those feelings. Try to distract yourself and focus on other things.

[KayleighJane]

thankyou, the thing I don't understand is that how can I be breathing normally when I feel as though I am not breathing at all? I don't understand :weep: so my body just couldn't stop breathing at any point?

[leah026]

[QUOTE=kjane;825780]Have been suffering with anxiety/panic attacks since january and since they started I have convinced myself that I am going to stop breathing and die, this makes my breathing/anxiety really really bad and I have had enough. This thought of "I cant breathe/going to stop breathing at any minute" has taken over my life, its become a phobia almost, I cannot think of anything else.

Everything I do is affected by this, I am too terrified to be on my own incase I stop breathing and die, I'm too scared to go round the shops, scared to drive, even scared to talk lately as I keep getting a fluttery/blocky feeling in my throat and this makes me again think I am about to stop breathing.

I am scared all the time, all day, Every day I think its the end and then its not. If I cant feel any air whoosh through my nostrils when i breathe I start to freak out and think I'm not breathing and then I start to panic and go dizzy and feel like I am going to faint. I think I am going mad. I take citalopram and propranolol and although these have helped combat some things, this breathing issue has become a real problem and I am wondering if anybody else feels the same or has been through the same?

I am due to go back to work tomorrow and I am convinced that I am going to die driving to work or at work or anywhere I happen to be at any time. I am having such negative thoughts and would appreciate any kind of advice.

A very scared Kayleigh
Hi my name Is Leah i'm from south yorkshire I want to try and help you with your anxiety I know exactly how you feel as I am the same not so much with the breathing but in other ways Ive had every symtom going but they are not symtoms they are sensations that your mind and body does when it thinks its in danger its the fight or flight response. I have had anxiety for over four years and it really has got me down Ive been to every doctor even the hospital they all told me the same thing that there is nothing wrong with me its just anxiety I seriously thought there was no help for me but then I sat down one day and thought and i know this may not help but it did for me at the end of the day we are all going to die at some point but whats the point in thinking about it everyday your only going to make your anxiety worse you are not going to stop breathing or pass out or fall down because your legs feel weak and your certainly not going to die no one has ever died from anxiety. You need to work out exactly what it is that scares you and what set your anxiety off in the first place then and i know its bad but then you need to put yourself back into that scary position this is what ive started doing and believe me its helping me. when i go to the corner shop or the supermarket i am so scared but i continue with what im doing if im standing then i continue to stand if im walking then continue to walk just carry on doing what it is your doing its for your own good I dont know if what i am saying is helping you but i hope it is this is one of the best things i ever did i went to boots and bought (kalms) they are great for stress and anxiety they make me much better and then i can do the things i want try them they are non addictive and they help you sleep better at night and you will feel refreshed in the morning jut give them a go they may not work for you but what have you got to lose ( nothing ) If they don't work then go and see your general practitioner and tell them that you need help with it they will provide the best care you need. dont be scared of going to the doctors like i did i thought they we going to laugh at me or think am mental NO they dont do that they deal with this all the time if you really need someone to talk to you can email me my email address is leahncleo35@hotmail.co.uk and i'm probably not meant to put my number on here but oh well i will if it helps people my number is 07554547658 just try what iv said ok hope i helped you but remember you are NOT going to die or anything like that ok

[laineystod1]

Hi, this is what my fear is at the moment :( I think im going to stop breathing and get the fluttery blocked feeling in my throat,almost as if there is a lump there, its awful. I started crying in the middle of the petrol station yesterday because of this, then I had severe palpatations, even had the pains down my left arm, convinced myself I was going to die there and then. Luckily my sister was with me and managed to kind of calm me down and drive us home. Anxiety is evil :(. Im 25 weeks pregnant at the moment and my doctor has stopped all my medication :( I was on Citalopram before and occasional Diazepam 2mg which I am struggling without. My attack yesterday caused me to have contraction type pain :wacko: I went to the chemist today and bought some bach rescue remedy as its the only thing i can think of that I can take in pregnancy, I have to keep telling myself that it DOES work and its not a heap of crap like I previously found! You are not alone hun and I know how frightening this is but it does pass. If only i could tell myself that sometimes! xxx

[BrotherJ]

Hi

I'm new and have just joined , I can't even begin to tell you how close all your symptoms are to mine , I've never had to deal with anything like this before but I am slowly finding out that breathing exercises do work ( yes even when I feel as if I'm going to stop breathing ) I found that if I can get the first couple breaths right and concentrate on counting ( 4 sec in 6 sec out ) that I can help control the severity of the attack but not make it go away entirely , a warm cup of fruit tea helps me as well , just by sipping it slowly and blowing to cool it down .

[KayleighJane]

hi all thanks so much for your kind responses they were most helpful :) xxx

[KayleighJane]

Hi, this is what my fear is at the moment :( I think im going to stop breathing and get the fluttery blocked feeling in my throat,almost as if there is a lump there, its awful. I started crying in the middle of the petrol station yesterday because of this, then I had severe palpatations, even had the pains down my left arm, convinced myself I was going to die there and then. Luckily my sister was with me and managed to kind of calm me down and drive us home. Anxiety is evil :(. Im 25 weeks pregnant at the moment and my doctor has stopped all my medication :( I was on Citalopram before and occasional Diazepam 2mg which I am struggling without. My attack yesterday caused me to have contraction type pain :wacko: I went to the chemist today and bought some bach rescue remedy as its the only thing i can think of that I can take in pregnancy, I have to keep telling myself that it DOES work and its not a heap of crap like I previously found! You are not alone hun and I know how frightening this is but it does pass. If only i could tell myself that sometimes! xxx

thanks for this, I cry alot because of this particular symptom because like you said anxiety is so evil, I don't know what happened to me, last year I never worried about anything like this, I used to love going out, going to work, driving, socialising - now I am too scared to do anything, so to hear that you cried at the petrol station makes me feel better in a way for not being the only one to cry in random places at random times :)

[xJust_Sarahx]

Hiya,
Yes i am exactly the same. All i can focus on is my breathing - it takes over my life completely. I dont dare leave the house much incase i get out of breathe and cant catch it and die, i walk slowly, dont rush to get the phone etc - basically i will do anything that will avoid me getting out of breathe. I cant sleep at night without having some background noise because i feel like i am breathing to fast or that my chest is wheezy and that triggers a panic attack off etc. I have 3 kids and i feel i cant do things like "normal" people do with kdis because of the way i am. I cant take them anywhere or go anywhere alone because i feel like i am going to stop breathing and die. I could just be watching a film or anything and i will just start panicing. Its the worst feeling ever, and i am convinced everytime that i have developed asthma or something. I have been diganosed with a panic disorder and currently having CBT with a concellor. If you would like to chat sometime about things then feel free to message me.

[KayleighJane]

Hello everyone, Just thought I would say that I got through my first day back at work yesterday, haven't worked in 5 months but i got through it, dont know how but I did. Felt awful driving home though and felt really let down and disappointed when I got in but i guess its one small step at a time really. x

[scaredstiff695]

wow im normal lol....im suffering with these symptoms of breathing uts nice to read im not alone bu8t nice that others suffer this terrioble obsession

[freya]

i am on propranolol, for panic attacks, and one of the side effects is a feeling of "unreality", where the body and mind feel slightly separated, i get this, and sometimes it makes me feel like i have to remember to breathe, as if my body would forget to. please be assured, you are not going to stop breathing, this feeling isn't real, the body will breathe by itself when you are asleep, or unconscious, and so will also breathe while you are awake also. panic attacks are horrible, really horrible, but each attack WILL pass i promise x

[KayleighJane]

i am on propranolol, for panic attacks, and one of the side effects is a feeling of "unreality", where the body and mind feel slightly separated, i get this, and sometimes it makes me feel like i have to remember to breathe, as if my body would forget to. please be assured, you are not going to stop breathing, this feeling isn't real, the body will breathe by itself when you are asleep, or unconscious, and so will also breathe while you are awake also. panic attacks are horrible, really horrible, but each attack WILL pass i promise x

thanks freya :) I didn't know that this is a side effect of propranolol so thanks for the info, I go through times of not feeling "real" and feeling like i'm doing things but don't feel like in reality I am if that makes sense? its crazy though how all day I concentrate on breathing yet when I go to bed I go completely back to normal its like my body resets itself or something lol xx