1st post. just to ease myself.

[alex_anonymous_]

Gosh, i dont know what to do anymore...
Everyday now I've been getting panic/anxiety or something.

here are my symptoms..
cold, sweaty hands.
difficulty breathing
dizzyness
noise/light sensitivity
tightness in my stomach
i get jittery and cant concentrate
i get like a hot flash and flustered
and the worst  part is my hands and forearms get tingly and cramp up like they are asleep and they get really cold and sweaty.

it just *****, i dont have health insurance so it scares me more because i would like to get checked out..

ive been getting, like, smaller anxiety/panic attacks for a few years and i got it checked out...
one doctor said i was fine, one said i had low potassium, one said to talk to a therapist.

but the thing is, is, when i get them they just happen.. no event or thoughts or anything trigger it. i could be watching tv... it starts..at work ... it starts... laying in bed... it starts... walking, eating, DRIVING... EVERYTHING
and it really really blows..

please someone tell me im not the only one

[lynn57]

Many generic anxiety meds are extremely cheap.  If you can just get into a clinic or a doctor that will let you make payments, the rest will come. If you are having a panic attack, emergency rooms have to treat you regardless of income.  Usually they will give you something to fill out if you have no insurance.  Your charge should be very minimal if anything.  Also the ER usually has a list of agencies they can refer you to upon leaving.

[RubyWitch]

You are not the only one by a long shot. Spend some time reading the posts on this forum and you'll see there are hundreds, thousands of us who suffer with anxiety and panic. Which is what your symptoms point to.

It is one of the most frightening aspects of these disorders that they DO come out of left field, for what we perceive as no reason.
But there IS a reason. When we sense danger or any kind of threat, our bodies produce adrenalin, an extremely poweful hormone, which kicks our entire system into what is known as the "fight or flight" mode. It gives us a massive boost of energy to either fight for our lives or run away........escape from the danger. This is a survival instinct we've had for millions of years and it works really well. Except when our bodies "misfire" a blast of adrenalin into our systems for absolutely no reason. There is no danger. There is nothing to fight or flee from. We're watcing a movie and scarfing popcorn when suddenly this overwhelming fear hits us. Our hearts start pounding, our blood rushes to our "core" to feed our major organs and that can leave our extremities feeling weird and numb and tingly. We take shallow breaths which causes hyperventalation, which in turn causes us to feel dizzy, lightheaded, strange, a feeling of derealization.........like we're not really "in the moment" can overcome us, and it's a scary feeling, we feel/believe/know that something really terrible is about to happen, a sense of doom that is horribly real, and for many of us that is the belief that we're having a heart attack because the panic can also cause chest pains or we think it's a stroke or that we're going insane.

So, that is the short version of Panic 101.

Of the three doctors you apparently saw for this, I'd go with door.......I mean, doctor #3. Therapy. But if you have no insurance for a doctor, you won't have any for a therapist. I really hope that changes for you soon. Living with these disorders can be a nightmare.

Anxiety and panic really DO blow and they blow really big time. As I said, you are not alone and I hope that soon you can see a doctor and a therapist to begin to get this under control.
If you read some posts here, you will find many things that other folks do to help themselves cope with these attacks. There are breathing exercises that will help restore the oxygen to carbon dioxide ratio that gets out of whack when we hypervenatlate. There are many relaxation exercises you can do, there are some natural/herbal remedies you can try. And you can write to us any time you feel the need for some support.  We're always here.
Peace
Greenlydia

[nursegirl6572]

Welcome to the forum.

I WILL tell you that you're not the only one...not by far.  There are millions of people suffering with chronic anxiety/panic.  Heck, just browse this forum.

What you describe are almost textbook symptoms for panic disorder, and what you're experiencing are most likely panic attacks that are ranging in severity.  The "out of the blue" characteristic is very common with anxiety disorders, and actually one of the criteria that psychiatrists use to diagnose an anxiety disorder.

You've received some suggestions thru the years, like therapy.  Have you tried any of them?  If so, what was the outcome?

If you haven't already, the best starting place is at a psychiatrist who can properly assess and diagnose you, and give you treatment options.  Now, with your insurance situation, I understand that that isn't as easy as it sounds.  You DO have options, however, it may just take some work and patience on your part.  Start calling the p-docs in your area and explain your predicament.  Ask if they offer any kind of financial aid, or even if they can recommend any public resources for you.  They're out there.  The yellow pages (government/community pages..they are blue in our books) also has a lot of info on resources, including toll free hotlines that are very helpful.

You need to start somewhere and start addressing the anxiety.  Time to start pounding the pavement and see what you can find out.  With treatment, you can overcome much of this and start getting back to life as you know it.

Hang in there and let us know how it's going!