Hello 👋
This is my first post on here, although I'm a long time lurker for the past 10 years on and off. I've always managed to come on read some posts and this reassures me for a while.
However, for the last year it's been more of a constant thing for me. Started off with a panic attack waking me up at night, and then it spiralled from there. I had been extremely stressed before it trying to juggle home working/home schooling/watching constant doom and gloom on the news, so looking back the signs were there, I just didn't realise it was creeping up on me.
Since my first panic attack, I think I've had every symptom possible. Palpitations, pins and needles, dizzy spells, ibs, heartburn, nausea, chest pains, eczema in places I've never had before, jelly legs, buzzing in ears, headaches, sore muscles etc. Most have came and went and have usually only been one or two things at a time before it moves onto the next... Apart from the eczema/itchy rashes... that's a constant.
I had been having panic attacks waking me up from just after I fell asleep on and off for months, they mostly disappeared even though i still felt anxious... I had been getting cbt and I think speaking to someone helped, but they have now started again. I feel I'm anxious about being anxious now. I have this constant knot in my stomach for most of the day. Most of the time I go to sleep feeling OK but wake up either gasping for breath, then my heart starts racing or sometimes I wake up feeling like something bad is happening the pins and needles then start in my hands and then my heart will start racing and I feel a bit woozy and lightheaded. This started last wk and has been a constant every night since. The other night was awful I had no sleep and every time I drifted off to sleep I would wake up in a panic. I took a sleeping tablet the next night that the Dr had given me last time I was in a state and slept all night the next night, but I dont want to do that again as I felt like I had a hangover the next day. I find myself wondering can this really be because I'm anxious or is it something else wrong with me (obviously I Googled and have came up with all sorts of serious illnesses). I feel fine other than constantly thinking about this and having a knot in my stomach. I don't understand why this is happening. I've spoken to the Dr and last time this happened he had also gave me some valium which helped calm me down and stopped the constant palpitations I was getting at the time. Im not really sure how I stop this from happening all I want is to go to sleep and stay sleeping. I used to love going to my bed, now I dread it. I look at photos from myself from a couple of yrs ago and think oh that's when I used to be normal - I don't see an end to it. I have this horrible feeling there is something wrong with me that this isn't anxiety and its something else.
Does anyone else wake up with panic attacks like this?
I've just read all that back and didn't really mean to write as much as that, so thanks for reading if you get this far!
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