Worst feeling ever.

[SgtPepper]

Last night I experienced the worst feeling ever in my life. I was laying in bed shutting my eyes and then my heart started pounding and racing really hard as to where I could feel it. I started feeling like I was going to pass out so I sat up. My girlfriend woke up and asked me why I was breathing hard. I didn't notice I was though. I told her to turn the light on and then he nausea hit me. I was also quivering uncontrollably. I wanted to go to the E.R. but I have no health insurance yet. It felt as though I was going to puke, pass out, and possibly something else. After it went away, it kept coming back the rest of the night until I finally got to sleep, but it was not nearly as bad as those times.

I am a 19 year old Female who weighs 155. I did have 4 cans of soda that day which is quite unusual for me. (there was a dinner thing going on) I do not take any meds. I have has a panic attack before but this felt much different. My father has high blood pressure. I've has a heart murmur when I was a baby. [Sorry don't know if you need to know any of that]

Should I have gone to the hospital or does anyone know what that was?

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

I think you should certainly talk a doctor about it.  I don't have enough info to say whether you need to go the hospital, you will have to use your own judgment on that one.  The most likely cause of symptoms like that in a 19 year old is a panic attack, it is also possible that it was a heart rhythm issue. The shaking makes me lean toward panic attack, but it is difficult to say.  Caffeine can be a trigger for panic attacks, but you know that -- it is probably why you mentioned the 4 sodas.  Avoid excess caffeine and talk to your doctor about it.  If this is the first time this has ever happened, it is unlikely that you can catch it on a monitor.  Probably worth checking an EKG at the very least, other tests depending on what your doctor thinks.

I hope this helps.