I wouldn't wish Panic Attacks on anyone, but the sad truth is that they *do* happen.  So, why do they happen?  What do they feel like?  How do you cope with them?  

Well, the answers aren't that easy unfortunately.  They can happen for various reasons but basically (and without getting too technical) it's something that gets triggered in the brain that makes you panic because your brain thinks you are in danger.  I don't know very much about the medical side of them atm (so bear with me while I do some more research) but from what I've found out so far, they can either be caused by a situation - something happens around you that makes you panic, or they can be caused by hormones and all those other weird complicated things that go on in the brain and when they kick in that makes you panic too.  

What do they feel like and how do you cope with them?  They are really hard questions to answer because there isn't a set way that they make you feel and there aren't any sure-fire ways to help you to cope with them... it's different for everyone.

The first time you have a Panic Attack it can be incredibly scary - especially if you don't know what is happening or how long it will last.  I've listed some of the most common things that you may feel if you are having a Panic Attack, but please bear in mind that Panic Attacks really are as individual as the person and if you are at all worried about what you are feeling or experiencing then *please* talk to your doctor about it.

Signs you may be having a Panic Attack (at least 4 of these that you don't usually experience):

So, how do you cope when you have a Panic Attack?  Again, it's different for everyone but there are some things you could try:

One of my friends, Julie, has Panic Attacks and she has kindly allowed me to share her story on my website.  Thank you Julie!  

"I started suffering from Panic Attacks in around 1987. They were really bad,
hot/cold sweats, palpitations, terrible claustrophobia, physical abdominal
pain.  I couldn't sit still, couldn't stay in the house, it felt like the walls
were going to close in on me. Getting out into the fresh air helped a
little. The worst symptom for me was a terrible fear of going to sleep at
night. I would be convinced that if  I went to sleep I would never wake up
again. The thought of dying terrified me.

I didn't know at the time that I was having Panic Attacks,. I didn't know
what it was, I just knew that I felt awful, and so scared. This went on
every three to four weeks I would be an awful mess for about a week. I would
have up to 6 or 7 panic attacks a day at the height of it. I couldn't
describe it to anyone, felt that no one understood, how could they when I
didn't??

I suffered in silence until I met my husband in 1989. He actually did
understand a little of how I was feeling. He didn't know what it was either
but did try to help when I was going through them.  For nights on end he
would drive me around for miles when I was in the grip of an attack to try
to work thru it.

My GP had only ever given me anti depressants. I couldn't take them as they
just made me sleep. They didn't do me any good personally. Then one day I
went to work to an important meeting with my boss's boss and halfway thru
found myself in floods of tears. Then the shaking and the sweats and the
claustrophobia started and I had probably the worst panic attack I had ever
experienced.  It was horrible. My boss, who knew nothing of any of this
until then, was wonderful. She sent me to a private homeopathic doctor who 
was wonderful. It was her who put a name to what I was suffering. She
diagnosed a  hormone imbalance. She prescribed me medicine, 4 drops in a
cupful of water every morning, I wish I could remember what it was called!

I took this medicine for 3 months, and I felt wonderful. In that time I
didn't have a single attack. Then I discovered I was pregnant, and
throughout my pregnancy the attacks stayed away. About 8 hours after my son
was born  I was hit by a major attack. I laid in the hospital bed and was
terrified. It was 1am and I just wanted to escape, I felt so awful. The
shakes, sweats and claustrophobia, all the symptoms. I wanted to pick my
baby up and run away from it but I couldn't. I laid awake for hours until
sheer exhaustion set in, terrified to sleep.

The medicine the doctor gave me  straightened the hormone imbalance out, but
having a baby had thrown the hormones out of synch again. Acknowledging at
least part of the cause does help, its one step on the road to hopefully
conquering the attacks.

The other thing that causes them, for me, is being in a situation that I
cannot have control over. I hate traveling, especially flying.  I do it but
I cannot leave solid ground without the help of tranquilizers. Its because
I know that if something goes wrong I am powerless to do anything about it.
If  they would let me into the cockpit to fly the plane myself I would be
fine cos I would be in control. This is linked to the fear of dying. I get
nervous when someone else is driving, especially on a motorway. I hate to
read or hear bad news, cos  I will worry myself into an attack.

The things that I find help me deal with and get through an attack are to
keep telling myself that it is partly because of the hormones. I can
"breathe" my way out of an attack - sometimes. I have to get out of the
house, just anywhere.

I don't know what the cure is, I wish I did. I do know that I don't suffer
quite as much as I did originally, but the attacks are still there, I just
try to ride it out as best I can."

When I have Panic Attacks they are slightly different for me.  Unlike Julie, I don't know why mine happen... they aren't always because of the situation and I've never had any kind of help (medical or otherwise) to deal with them.  Here is my story:

"For me, a Panic Attack is when my heart starts racing and pounding in my chest, my chest tightens up and is really painful, I can't breathe properly although I'm not hyperventilating, my hands get really clammy and tingly, my legs feel really heavy and feel like they are made of jelly.  

Although I've felt like that many times now, it still scares me a bit when it happens 'cos I know that if I don't get control of myself and the situation, the attack will get worse.

If, for whatever reason, I can't control it, then I start getting even more panicky and worried which makes it even worse, but there's no going back now... I can't stop it when it's gone this far, I just have to ride it out.

The next thing that happens to me is my chest gets tighter and tighter and it gets harder for me to breathe so I start hyperventilating, I get really hot and really cold at the same time (I know that doesn't make sense but I don't know how else to describe it).  I get very hyper but at the same time I can't be bothered to do anything.  My mind starts racing... lots of thoughts going through my mind at a million miles an hour, I can't concentrate and I don't know where I am... I feel like I'm going to die...

Then I collapse.

When I come round I'm usually very disorientated and scared.  I want someone to hold me and tell me everything will be O.K but I can't stand anyone being close to me when I'm like that.

As I gradually remember where I am I start calming down.  I'm usually incredibly tired after an attack like this but my mind is still racing and I'm still really hyper. 

As the time passes I start calming down and start relaxing a bit.  My muscles relax, my heart stops pounding, the tingling in my hands starts to go and everything starts getting back to normal."

 


powered by FreeFind

Tell A Friend!
Type In Your Name:

Type In Your E-mail:

Your Friend's E-mail:

Your Comments:

Receive copy: 

 

Copyright Mandy 2000 onwards - All Rights Reserved