Panic, Argh!

[yogacat]

Does anyone have experience with Panic Attacks?

So the other night I was rushed to the ER, I thought I was on the verge of dying. I have had panic attacks in the past, but this one was the absolute worst. Everything kept getting dark and I was shaking uncontrollably, I felt my entire body was shutting down.

I recall trying to take my blood sugar (sometimes I have low blood sugar) and I couldn't grasp the needled tip. It felt like I was blacking out and I kept inserting the lancet into the pen wrong.

I think at one point I was in and out of consciousness. I remember taking deep breaths, but it wasn't helping. Once I arrived at the ER and tests were done, the doctors eventually gave me a sedative to calm me down. I was told I had a severe panic attack and nothing medically was wrong with me. It was a scary and traumatizing experience. 

I am supposed to go camping with my best female friend from 11 years old and now I'm hesitant. It's a drive along the coastline and up into the mountains, which is like 2-3 hours.

On this trip, we are also meeting a group of other friends, 20 other people to be exact. I am a bit nervous that I will have another attack in front of them. I don't want to ruin anyone's good time or be a burden. I'm thinking, if I have one, how will I escape, and how will my friend (who is driving) even know how to assist me?

Plus, I don't want to be embarrassed or judged by others. She knows about my panic attacks, but I don't want her to have to take care of me the whole time. It's her birthday!! I also don't want to miss out on this trip and the memories we will make together.

I am seeking advice from those who have experience with panic attacks. How have you coped and managed your panic attacks in social situations? How have you explained your condition to others? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance. 

[catfeeder]

How soon is the trip?

[yogacat]

2 minutes ago, catfeeder said:

How soon is the trip?

End of August 😳

[Batya33]

I am so sorry you experienced this and it's so very scary! Does writing about it help? I'm glad you are back home. What I would do - since you're 6 weeks away from the trip - can you reassess how you're doing in a few weeks or is there an issue with like payment of a deposit or if you don't go it will affect others and they need to know sooner? I'd hate to have you miss it.  I've had similar attacks in the distant past - and yes I've heard it feels like a heart attack or worse. Again I am sorry. I'm glad you're settled in back home.

[Seraphim]

Yup , I do and have a panic disorder. 

[yogacat]

1 hour ago, Batya33 said:

I am so sorry you experienced this and it's so very scary! Does writing about it help? I'm glad you are back home. What I would do - since you're 6 weeks away from the trip - can you reassess how you're doing in a few weeks or is there an issue with like payment of a deposit or if you don't go it will affect others and they need to know sooner? I'd hate to have you miss it.  I've had similar attacks in the distant past - and yes I've heard it feels like a heart attack or worse. Again I am sorry. I'm glad you're settled in back home.

Thank you. And I'm sorry that you've had to go through something similar. Writing about it does help, not so much because it allows me to process my emotions, but to say, I have this, this is what it does, and now I need to get over myself and focus on moving forward. 

I have to book it sooner rather than later...

I suppose I can always get air lifted out lol.

The thing with panic, which most people that have it knows, is that avoidance does not really help. You dread the situation and it only feeds the anxiety. You can try desensitization, more and more exposure, but at least for me, it doesn't seem to help quite as much with the big doses of anxiety.

It does help little things. 

I was involved in a life and death situation so I know where it stems from. And as of recent, it's been an accumulation of back-to-back extreme pressure. 

I was walking through the Gay Pride Parade not too long ago in West Hollywood and I plopped myself down right in the middle of the street, because everything was turning dark and sound was like people talking through the other end of a long tunnel.

Fortunately I was with my cousin who knows all about it and handled it so well, when I started to whimper around the same time a crowd of 100 people started to surround me, so he jumped up telling them "nothing to see here, keep on moving," "give her some room" and here we are, and so forth.

I also had one while I was driving us through the Lincoln Tunnel with a best female friend.

Afterwards, she was like, "what the hell just happened?"

We busted out laughing afterwards because we were stuck in the same spot for like a half hour. And of course it's comical now, but later I felt really horrible to have put her through that. When we pulled up to the drive way, we kind of laughed about it.

She then goes "well I thought you might be dying or something but you're just hyperventilating." 😅

[ShySoul]

Sorry you experienced this. I wouldn't say I've had a full panic attack, but I used to get feelings that made me question if I was. I just knew I needed to get away from where ever I was at and take a breather by myself. 

It's still a few weeks away, so try to focus on staying calm and taking care of yourself until then. If nothing else happens, you're probably safe. If it repeats, then ask yourself if you really feel up for it. Your health is the most important thing. Your friend will understand if its a matter of your health. I'm sure the last thing she would want is for you to go if you aren't up for it. It would suck to miss the memories, but there is always other memories you can make together.

How have you dealt with this in the past? Is there anything that has seemed to make you feel better before and lessen the anxiety?

[Seraphim]

Look for this thread of mine from years ago. Lots of good things from people in that.

[LootieTootie]

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you YC! I know my husband had one when we first started dating. He was having lots of anxieties and stress when he moved here with me. Do you know if your panic attacks are trigger by stress?

[Kwothe28]

13 hours ago, yogacat said:

I am supposed to go camping with my best female friend from 11 years old and now I'm hesitant. It's a drive along the coastline and up into the mountains, which is like 2-3 hours.

 

Beware of the bears!!!! 😁

Also, have you tried breathing exercises?

https://www.verywellmind.com/abdominal-breathing-2584115

I dont have panic attacks but I do have anxiety from time to time. Deep breathing helps a lot.

[Batya33]

Have you tried Weil method 4-7-8 breathing -it helps me in many stressful instances and helps me recenter/get back to sleep. Also Seraphim gave excellent suggestions -right on target.

If you think the planned trip is too strenuous and too remote can you do a different trip on your own or with a different friend that is less so? I really hate to see you miss out on this planned trip and I understand you don't want to be a burden.  My concern would be that if you don't get enough sleep on the trip -which seems likely given the type of trip that might exacerbate -you're more disoriented/vulnerable.  

However I also wonder whether a total change of scenery might actually decrease the risk of panicking -you're not in a crowd, or driving through a tunnel (my friend's first ever panic attack happened on a crowded Manhattan street maybe 7 years ago or so -she'd lost her parents in the last couple of years, in traumatic ways and suffered a late term miscarriage shortly after.  She believed she was having a heart attack (she was in her 40s).

I had something similar in 1999.  I was in a really important business meeting.  I didn't have to speak but I had to look professional in front of a really important person.  I was sleep deprived from doing so much prep and planning for this meeting.  Then I found out my junior person messed up a really important part of the prep and it meant my boss and this person would be kept waiting.  Boss was -very unhappy.  All of a sudden I felt so out of it, dizzy, disoriented but I couldn't leave, couldn't show it -so I focused all my attention looking out a window where the sky was blue.  I wrote nonsense on a pad of paper- anything to distract -I was trapped.  It finally passed. Horrible -and not nearly as bad as what you described!

So if you are camping and out in nature -does that sound like it might be overall more calming and sort of get you out of the typical triggers?

[yogacat]

56 minutes ago, Batya33 said:

Have you tried Weil method 4-7-8 breathing -it helps me in many stressful instances and helps me recenter/get back to sleep. Also Seraphim gave excellent suggestions -right on target.

I am actively working on incorporating mindfulness and deep breathing techniques to help me cope with these situations. It's a long process, but I am determined.

Being in nature has its own charm that can sometimes calm me down during tense situations. My recent trip to the ER, my panic attack hit me unexpectedly without any apparent triggers. It was the most intense one I have ever had and lasted for a couple of hours.

While being surrounded by the wilderness and fresh air can bring me peace and a sense of connection, the thought of driving through treacherous roads to get there fills me with anxiety. It's a constant struggle between my desire to be in nature and my fear of reaching there.

The only thing I can deduce for the sudden panic attack, is in the last 6 months: I've moved, lost a client, school decisions, Dad's stroke, and my dog got gravely ill (he recovered, thank goodness).

I suppose it was the accumulation of all these major life changes and stressors that finally caught up to me in the form of one big panic attack. 

56 minutes ago, Batya33 said:

I had something similar in 1999.  I was in a really important business meeting.  I didn't have to speak but I had to look professional in front of a really important person.  I was sleep deprived from doing so much prep and planning for this meeting.  Then I found out my junior person messed up a really important part of the prep and it meant my boss and this person would be kept waiting.  Boss was -very unhappy.  All of a sudden I felt so out of it, dizzy, disoriented but I couldn't leave, couldn't show it -so I focused all my attention looking out a window where the sky was blue.  I wrote nonsense on a pad of paper- anything to distract -I was trapped.  It finally passed. Horrible -and not nearly as bad as what you described!

That's great that you were able to make it through your meeting even though you were feeling so awful. I guess in these types of situations we are forced to concentrate and focus on something other than how we're feeling.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the mention of feeling "trapped," --> that's such a big part of it, at least for myself. The feeling of not being able to escape the situation.

2 hours ago, Kwothe28 said:

Beware of the bears!!!! 😁

Also, have you tried breathing exercises?

https://www.verywellmind.com/abdominal-breathing-2584115

I dont have panic attacks but I do have anxiety from time to time. Deep breathing helps a lot.

Bears, Lions, Tigers, oh my! 🤗

Managing a panic attack can be helpful with breath work, but sometimes they can be so overwhelming that nothing seems to alleviate them. My thoughts continued to race at an unstoppable pace, and my body shook uncontrollably. It didn't feel like a heart attack, it just felt like my entire body was shutting down on me.

Oddly enough, I am not too bothered by coming into contact with real wildlife. However, the idea of driving on narrow roads with steep cliffs on one side and sharp drops on the other terrifies me. The mere thought of it causes my heart to beat faster and my palms to sweat.

Surprisingly, I had expressed a desire to go kayaking in the Florida mangroves, despite the presence of alligators, during my last visit to Florida. My friends thought I was out of my mind for even considering it. I've even gone snorkeling and swam with sharks before, but for some reason, driving on these roads makes me incredibly anxious. 

😝

12 hours ago, Seraphim said:

Look for this thread of mine from years ago. Lots of good things from people in that.

Thank you! I will check it out!!

[catfeeder]

The breathing technique suggested by @Batya33 or one called 'square breathing,' among others share one thing in common, you count and hold, so your focus needs to shift away from the emotional part of your brain to the rational center in order to count. But the key about these methods is to practice them regularly so that they become second nature before you actually need them. Some people also incorporate a routine with beads, like a Rosary, or anything sensory and comforting like a smooth stone or a soft piece of fabric.

However, given the closeness of your friendship, I'd girl'splain the experience and raise my concerns about the drive and the remote location. I'd ask whether we could maybe consider a location a bit less challenging, and see what she says. I'd have some alternate locations researched and ready to propose.

[Seraphim]

Look up “ grounding techniques.”

[Seraphim]

Dang can’t use past for the page needed. 

[Batya33]

48 minutes ago, catfeeder said:

The breathing technique suggested by @Batya33 or one called 'square breathing,' among others share one thing in common, you count and hold, so your focus needs to shift away from the emotional part of your brain to the rational center in order to count. But the key about these methods is to practice them regularly so that they become second nature before you actually need them. Some people also incorporate a routine with beads, like a Rosary, or anything sensory and comforting like a smooth stone or a soft piece of fabric.

However, given the closeness of your friendship, I'd girl'splain the experience and raise my concerns about the drive and the remote location. I'd ask whether we could maybe consider a location a bit less challenging, and see what she says. I'd have some alternate locations researched and ready to propose.

Yes I also practice - actually the last few months I found a minute each morning while my coffee is brewing to practice.  Not when I'm anxious.  Very true, Catfeeder.  

[yogacat]

Thanks all!

I've practiced grounding techniques, breathing, etc. for a better part of 15 years. The amount of adrenaline that floods the body during a Panic Attack is huge and not something that you can immediately counter or even counter in a matter of minutes.

A few days ago someone said to me that grounding by itself isn't a panic attack cure. While I don't agree with that statement there is some truth to it. Panic attacks are symptoms, Panic Disorder is actually a distortion in thought process and the two have to be addressed both separately and in tandem.

To get to the bottom of panic disorder, or any other anxiety disorder, you have to get to the roots of it.

Which, I've tried.

I've dug and dug and I connect some dots but others, I feel, are still elusive.

My doctor will not prescribe any anti-anxiety medication, they actually prescribed me a beta blocker that I am to take now if I am in the midst of a panic attack as an intervention to stop the attack by blocking the adrenergic receptors that are causing me distress. 

@Seraphim , I checked out your link, I am so happy that you have found some helpful information and resources to cope with panic attacks. While I may not be able to take any anti-anxiety medication, I am going to try some of the other suggestions provided in the link.

[Seraphim]

My doctor changed my med last year. I take mirtazapine now and I sleep great and almost no anxiety and panic . 
Clonazepam has nasty nasty withdrawal and hard to get off of . I did it though. Apparently, they know now it can be a factor in developing dementia. It is also as addictive as heroin. 

[yogacat]

Thank you!

I am taking my stroke inflicted father out for a walk and some tacos at this nearby little Taco truck. He loves tacos and has always been such a hard worker and was the glue that kept our family together. Even though he has lost so much due to his stroke, he still finds joy in simple things like enjoying a good taco. I am grateful for every moment we get to spend together, and I hope today will be a special day for him.

And, it will allow me to get some exercise and fresh air as well...

As we walk, I can see the joy in my father's eyes as he sees the colorful taco truck and smells the delicious food. I help him sit down at a nearby table and go up to the truck to order our tacos. My father loves his tacos with extra salsa, so I make sure to ask for plenty of it.

As we wait for our food, my father and I chat about his favorite memories of working hard to provide for our family. He always tells me how much he loves and appreciates our family, and how proud he is of all of us. My heart fills with love and gratitude for this amazing man.

[Batya33]

2 minutes ago, yogacat said:

Thank you!

I am taking my stroke inflicted father out for a walk and some tacos at this nearby little Taco truck. He loves tacos and has always been such a hard worker and was the glue that kept our family together. Even though he has lost so much due to his stroke, he still finds joy in simple things like enjoying a good taco. I am grateful for every moment we get to spend together, and I hope today will be a special day for him.

And, it will allow me to get some exercise and fresh air as well...

As we walk, I can see the joy in my father's eyes as he sees the colorful taco truck and smells the delicious food. I help him sit down at a nearby table and go up to the truck to order our tacos. My father loves his tacos with extra salsa, so I make sure to ask for plenty of it.

As we wait for our food, my father and I chat about his favorite memories of working hard to provide for our family. He always tells me how much he loves and appreciates our family, and how proud he is of all of us. My heart fills with love and gratitude for this amazing man.

How wonderful.  Enjoy and I so appreciate how  you shared this. (My husband likes a particular taco food truck that now also has a standalone restaurant -he took our son and his friend there Friday!)

[yogacat]

53 minutes ago, Batya33 said:

How wonderful.  Enjoy and I so appreciate how  you shared this. (My husband likes a particular taco food truck that now also has a standalone restaurant -he took our son and his friend there Friday!)

Thanks! I wish it was Buc-ees!!
😃

PS. This doesn't help my panic but I went for a short walk with him. When he came inside, he fell. So, I feel Tacos will have to wait. ☹️ But. He's adamant about going so fingers crossed!

 

[Batya33]

5 minutes ago, yogacat said:

Thanks! I wish it was Buc-ees!!
😃

PS. This doesn't help my panic but I went for a short walk with him. When he came inside, he fell. So, I feel Tacos will have to wait. ☹️ But. He's adamant about going so fingers crossed!

 

Oh I'm so sorry. I hope this brightens your day some -my friend works security at a nursing home.  He just texted us that his front desk phone rang. He picks up, and cannot hear the elderly resident. So he immediately dialed the nurse or caregiver stationed on that floor and they found that she had fallen -she is being treated.  Such a great thing he did.

[rainbowsandroses]

On 7/13/2024 at 1:47 PM, yogacat said:

I was told I had a severe panic attack and nothing medically was wrong with me. It was a scary and traumatizing experience. 

Hey @yogacatI just saw this thread, wow that's scary!  Do you know what triggered it?

I've had panic attacks in the past due to the severe anxiety I used to experience before I learned how to manage it.  I once did not sleep for nearly 5 days (on a manic high) and yes my brother took me to emergency because I became so panicked at the thought I would never be able to sleep again (among other stressors), I was actually delusional, I literally couldn't breathe or focus, I was sweating and my heart was racing so fast, it was the scariest thing ever!  

My doctors advised me that people can actually die from lack of sleep and next time to seek help sooner than 5 days!  

They kept me overnight, gave me meds to sleep and monitored me throughout the night.  I ended up becoming addicted to the anxiety and sleep meds, but that's another thread.😄

I am glad it wasn't anything more serious!  Perhaps this is a wake up call to take a look at your life and make some adjustments?  Begin a caretaker is extremely difficult!   Along with everything else going on, like work, family issues, trying to have some semblance of a social life which is important all add to the burden.

Anyway, take care of yourself and have fun on YOUR camping trip!!!

 

 

[Seraphim]

21 minutes ago, rainbowsandroses said:

Hey @yogacatI just saw this thread, wow that's scary!  Do you know what triggered it?

I've had panic attacks in the past due to the severe anxiety I used to experience before I learned how to manage it.  I once did not sleep for nearly 5 days (on a manic high) and yes my brother took me to emergency because I became so panicked at the thought I would never be able to sleep again (among other stressors), I was actually delusional, I literally couldn't breathe or focus, I was sweating and my heart was racing so fast, it was the scariest thing ever!  

My doctors advised me that people can actually die from lack of sleep and next time to seek help sooner than 5 days!  

They kept me overnight, gave me meds to sleep and monitored me throughout the night.  I ended up becoming addicted to the anxiety and sleep meds, but that's another thread.😄

I am glad it wasn't anything more serious!  Perhaps this is a wake up call to take a look at your life and make some adjustments?  Begin a caretaker is extremely difficult!   Along with everything else going on, like work, family issues, trying to have some semblance of a social life which is important all add to the burden.

Anyway, take care of yourself and have fun on YOUR camping trip!!!

 

 

Oh goodness I hear you. I have been like that. It is actually a medical emergency. 

[rainbowsandroses]

11 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Oh goodness I hear you. I have been like that. It is actually a medical emergency. 

I also experienced something called "depersonalization."  I recall looking at myself in the mirror on or around the third day (72 hours no sleep) and not recognizing myself not just looks wise but not even knowing who I was, it was the weirdest feeling ever, different from amnesia.  My doctors diagnosed it as depersonalization. 

Did you ever experience that?   That lasted for several days even after I got sleep and panic attack resolved.

Anyway, I have gone through a lot over the years mentally and in a REALLY good place now, thank goodness!!😂

Take care of yourself Yoga!!!