I need advice help anything!?? Sorry its long!

[Rs33]

I everyone..I have been dealing with panic/ anxiety for about 3 months....my mind is constantly running and I never used to be like this I was never in fear of much I loved life and loved everything about it....To tell you a lil backgroud my husband was deployed over seas for about 5 months I was perfectly fine up until a month b4 he was going to return...I had horrible reccuring thoughts that he wasn't going to make it home they scared me but nothing ever happened(physically) So I started getting sharp pains when I breathed in where it was hard to breath for a couple days I finally went to the E.R and they did X-rays mmm ultra sound of my heart and some other organs and blood test and EKG...they told me everything was fin and I probably just pulled a muscle so they were about to discharge me and my heart rate the whole time I was there was between 48-55 ( I work out and do a lot of cardio so my heart rate is lower and I am only 23) Anyways....b4 they discharged me I was telling my  mom look I can controll my heart rate if I relaxed my heart rate would drop to about 48-49 anyways all of a sudden I got the urge to pass out and I panicked and my heart rate jumped 150 ....they told me It was anxiety/panic and I would be fine it happened a couple more times while I was there when My heart rate was about 76-80 and then I felt the urge to pass out so I know it wasn't due to a low heart rate.....I was then discharged and this continuedfor about a month with fainting feeling foggy head shakey sweaty...dizzy nauseasness...head pains shooting pains my body would go numb my head would feel cold, I get stomach aches bad ones, pulsating feeling in my stomach I get super crazy heart palps....I wore a heart monitor for a month and they still have not contacted me with anything yet...But I get sharp shooting pains in my chest everywhere in the middle the sides and I also get a lil short of breath at times (which my doctor keeps on telling me its panic) CAN YOU PANIC EVERYDAY? I feel constantly in a fog or a dream like state and the last week I have had weird head pains or headaches that shift from behind my eyes to the back of my head....also my fear is that I have a brain tumor and I am going to die and then I have the fear of after life and whats next and it just continues I can't enjoy life like I should I am constantly fearing that the world is going to end.....does anyone feel this way? I feel as if I need a full body scan to make me feel better I dunno what to do I am scared that if I go get medicine to help me that it wont help...I feel as if I am literally trapped inside my own body!!  I wanna be me again!! Also sorry this is soo long my husband has returned home and I haven't had as many pass out feeling but my head just feels foggy and not hear and tight and I still feel dizzy or sometimes sick. Also when he retruned I was doing a lot better and about a week of him being home I had found out that a friend of mine back in high school was in a car accident and died and the other that was in the car is in critcal condition still in a coma and things started going down hill again........sorry for all this I just mostly want to know has anyon felt this way and if you have did medicine work for you ect?? I want to be normal again (I also have a 11 month old lil girl and I want to enjoy it not dread everyday I wake up to deal with this....( And no I would never think of killing myself no way I am freaked out by death) Someone give me some advice or tell me your story and how you feel now if you better??? PLEASE!

[Tee_8879]

another good tip is to not research the meds ure taking if u trust ure doctor....there is a really good reason why ure doc givs u the meds.....i know people wana know what the meds hav in them and what side effects they have....trust me....its good u check on what ure taking but for depression....its not a good idea to look it up as it made me worse than i thought....like i found out that my meds can make me hav withdrawals by being addicted to it and coming off them....... or worse, seizures etc....hu wants to know dat if u hav depression?
The biggest trigger i found is the FEAR OF DYING.....they told me to think of my family and how much i loved them....i did...but then i thought of how much they would miss me if i died...so i got worse....my trick is to think of sumting i really love or enjoy that cant die...like my transformer car(which i am proud of)....playing games on my computer...watching my favourite sport....i did heaps of these and know im in my 2nd day feeling great....i feel that good....i still think about dying but i am able to replace those thoughts with new ones...it works

Most of all...get proper rest...im tired now so bedtime...GOOD NIGHT ALL

NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS CRAP...GOD BLESS U ALL AND TAKE CARE...HOPE U GET BETTER SOON!

[Tee_8879]

Hi there....i had 1 panic attack (for the 1st time)  last week and my anxiety lasted from then until yesturday....its my first time and i thought i was dying...had my self checked out and im fine.....only problem after attack was feeling light headed 24/7 until yesturday...today i am sweet and i feel the energy once again...if anyone wants to chat...email me on tangata_8879***@**** found ways to help my mind relax without taking any pills...i was given meds for depression but thank GOD, never needed it as i quickly found ways to get better.....1st, you have to admit that u have anxiety or depression as this can be the reason why some people get worse and therefore, takes longer to come out of...(after the blood test and all and u find out ure ok)...2nd, u have to figure out what triggered it, (there is usually more than one) for example....work, relationship, being someone that is always busy, trying to be that one person who will do anything for everyone and forget about taking care of ureself, taking things that can harm ure health....like me...what triggered my anxiety was when i was trying to giv up smoking (this includes all the build up of stress from work & looking after my bed bound mother)and everytime i had one, i kept thinkin that it was eating my heart so much thats all i thought about and so...as soon as i sparked up, i couldnt stop thinkin about my heart being eatin...lol
3rd, u have to make the necessary changes even if it means quitting ure job....like i did....it felt good to rest for a bit more than usual knowing that i can spend more time with my family and focus more on what makes me feel good....if ure job is so important then maybe u shuld take leave and work on how u can make other changes...(URE HEALTH IS NUMBER ONE! NO JOB CAN REPLACE THAT!) surely u can find sumtin else

[nursegirl6572]

Im glad you got some reassurance at church, many people turn to their faith as a way to help with anxiety, and it works.  

Just keep fighting the good fight, you'll get there!!

Thanks for updating us.

[Rs33]

Thank you all for your responses :) it helps to know people are in the same situation, b/c while you go through this it feels like your alone and the way you feel can fee scarey at times....so hearing stories or what your thought is makes me feel a lil at ease....I did end up going to church today and it felt really good.... the fears I have were actually what was being taught in church today so it helped a lot it was like god telling me its going to be okay you will be okay and don't fear and listen to what the pastor has to say and this is best as I can describe it....so going today felt really good. Also I was wondering if anyone gets head pains there short pressure or sharp pains in the front of my head middle or back pretty much everywhere haha they come and go they don;t last but a second? Thanks!!

[CassCore]

Hello!  First of all thank you for you and your husband's wonderful dedication to our country. My fiance is going into the army and so I'm sure I will soon be in your shoes soon. BUT I am already in your shoes with Panic Disorder. The lightheadedness, nausea, heart palps, headaches, rapid breathing, sweating, increased heart rate....all that good stuff I totally understand. I have the worst trouble at night...a lot of times I go to bed feeling fine and wake up with these symptoms and it freaks me out because it catches me totally off guard. I do take medication and I have gone to counsling and read a few books about dealing with panic disorder. Learning how to breathe and talk yourself through a panic attack is key. Telling yourself "These are just uncomfortable symptoms related to panic and nothing else, they will go away if I just accept them and let them run their course" The more fear you have of the actual attack the worse the attack is and the longer it lasts I've found...I am by no means perfectly able to deal with my panic attacks everytime with ease, but this does help. I do get attacks during the day in class sometimes...normally when I feel like I can't escape from where I am without being embarrassed. I recommend finding something that calms you down to do when you start to feel a panic attack coming on. I normally take a bath or shower...read a book, get on medhelp and talk to people :) haha...but really take your mind off of what is going on. I am glad you're going to the doctor. I encourage you to ask him/her about an antidepressant (not that you are depressed but they are handled by the body much better long term than something like xanex) and then a shorter acting med like clonazepan. I take zoloft 100 mg 1xday and clonazepan as needed...for me that is most often at night. Zoloft has worked miricals for me but it's not the same with everyone!! Good luck dear and I hope that you find relief...please keep us updated!!

[anxietygad]

I have had generlized anxiety disorder and soical anxiety for the past 2 years, but have done CBT, thought therapy and tried different medication, prescribtion and natural. The medication helped me but made me feel so tired but CBT has helped, I still have constant anxiety but I'm able to control it, 6 months ago it was hard to leave my house but now I goto school which has really helped with my constant thoughts because my mind is on my school work not my panic.

My anxiety disoders started after I had a problem with my heart and I stopped doing things that would make it go fast and it developed from there.

I panic everyday, so yes it is possible. When you feel like this do anything to get your mind off it, take a walk, breathing really helps, try googling mindfullness, also meditation helps, you can get free podcasts from itunes.

I also feared that my anxiety was something else, but you have to except that all the tests have been done and your healthy and also anxiety panic can not harm you. Try this site http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=46, for some self help workbooks, there all free.

It ***** when you just want everything to go away but you don't want to die, the best advice I ever was told was that not to get annoyed at having anxiety and tell it to go away but to accept and it will fade over time, this worked for me knowing this.

I want to be me again but I have accepted that this is something I have to live with for the time being, I don't let it control my life, I do what I want to do, but I still carnt go on long tips which i am working towards. It is all about baby steps, I was afaid of going to the shops for ages so I went there with a support person for 20 times, then by myself until I felt comfortable and one day I did it and didn't realise that I had no panic at all, I was so proud and that is what you will have to do, praise yourself for doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable and realise that anxiety can not harm you no matter how horrible it makes you feel.

Its hard being a parent with anxiety but I get through each day the best I can and I have hope for the future. Therapy helps and teaches you ways of coping.
xoxo

[nursegirl6572]

You're welcome...that's what were here for!  Feel free to post as much as you want...just add it on to your already preexisting thread.

Sounds like a great game plan.  Many people report a huge success with the addition ( or reaffirmation) of their faith.

Please keep us in the loop...we want to know how you're doing!

[Rs33]

Thank you so much for reading my post...I appreciate your feedback so much... I think I am going to contact my regular Doc tomorrow to get to what my next step is maybe meds and to talk to someone....also I think I need to recconect with god I have lost touch over the years and I need to have my faith back seeing how a lot of my panic and anxiety is death and what comes after it...thank you so much for you answer. I wish I could post a question every 10 min and feel reassured haha but I know I would be the crazy one in this forum. Thanks again!

[nursegirl6572]

Hello there!  Sounds like you've really been having a rough time...hopefully I can reassure you a little bit.

While your "cardiac" symptoms were certainly scary....they are very classic symptoms of anxiety and you've had a VERY thorough work up that would have discovered a problem if there was one.  The holter monitor is a great test because it allows the doc to see patterns and would most definitely catch anything worrisome, like an arrythmia.

Unofficially, sounds as though you have panic disorder with a bit of health phobia mixed in (again, very common).  Now that you've had yourself checked out physically...you need to try to accept that indeed what you're dealing with is anxiety, and be assessed by a psychiatrist who can give you a proper diagnosis.  The onset of panic attacks is very typical of what you explained...you had a major life changing/stressful event (your husband being deployed)...and while you were coping well, one day...BAM!  Out of the blue you started having these problems. Which is very much how it works.  The same kind of pattern happened to me right before I was Dxed with Panic Disorder.  Went away to college, and being very much a "homebody", I anticipated a rough transition. Well,I did GREAT the whole semester, and just when I thought I had easily adjusted to my new life....I had the mother of all panic attacks that convinced me I was crazy.

You asked if one can have a PA every day?  Absolutely!  Some people initially have them several times a day until they address their anxiety.  There are many treatments out there for anxiety that are very effective.  Once you get an eval with a p-doc, he/she can recommemd different approaches.  Of course, medications are a popular choice, and I personally have been helped tremendously by meds since I was Dxed.  If you decide to try a medication, be sure that you also participate in therapy as well, b/c while meds are wonderful for helping to control the symptoms and lessen the frequency and intensity of the attacks...therapy is vital in LEARNING about anxiety and arming you with coping techniques.

Just hang in there...perhaps pick up a few books about anxiety disorders,panic disorder...just to start learning about it...I think you'll probably be amazed at just how much you'll relate to.  That's another thing...you are FAR from alone....there are many of us in your shoes...just know that you won't feel like this forever.  With a little work and patience working through a treatment plan, you will be feeling like yourself again.  Just be patient as it sometimes takes a little while.  Doesn't seem fair, b/c panic strikes what feels like "overnight", we should be able to be rid of it that fast too!

Please keep us updated...we care and will help you as much as we can!