First Panic attack, but...

[tayda]

Hi everybody, I'm new here.


Anyways, I went to the hospital Monday night b/c I literally thought I was going to have a heart attack. For seven days prior to this I had had trouble breathing, and then all of a sudden Monday night it hit me all at once. I felt like I was having heart palpitations, I was sweaty, I couldn't breath, and I was dizzy. I really thought I was going to die. I mean I even wrote down the "I love you" note for my 4-year-old son on the way to the hospital. Now I'm only 23 years old. So I get to the hospital, and they get me right in because I've had no history of this before. The doctors did my bloodwork, took all of my vitals, and sent me in for a chest x-ray. EVERYTHING CAME BACK GREAT... however, I still felt terrible. So they gave me 2 pills.. I think it began with an A.. but I can't remember the name... but I know it was categorized as a "benzo" drug. I felt fine after, until the drug wore off.


It has been 3 days since my hospital trip, and I still feel tightness in my chest, and my asthma is kicking in every day. I feel like I'm going crazy and that I'm doing this to myself. Before my attack, I would go for walks, leave the house without my inhaler, and go to school. Now I never leave the house without my inhaler, I have trouble eatting, and I'm afraid every day it's going to happen again. What is the most scary, though, is that I still feel tight.. and my lungs kind of hurt. Has this happened to anyone else?

[SimplyMe]

Welcome to the site!


Could the asthma be making your chest feel tight and the anxiety aggrivating the asthma? I do understand panic attacks tho, I get them too unfortunately and they royally suck. I went to an anxiety specialist and she gave me "coping" skills such as the slow abdominal breathing and changing the negative thoughts and tracking them and then looking back and realizing it was OK. Can you find or have your GP help you find a therapist who could help you to maintain the anxiety rather than the other way around? It really does help alot to have someone understand, believe you and be able to give you tools to help yourself. I hope this helps some.

[tayda]

Thanks for the input [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]I felt really stupid being in the ER with other people seriously ill or hurt, and here I am 100% except not feeling it. I have an appointment tonight with a councelor, but it's only for 30 mins [img]smileys/smilies_05.gif[/img]but I have spoken to a counselor on the phone about the deep breathing and so forth, which helped me out a lot last night b/c I felt another one coming on, but at least then I understood what was happening to me... what a relief. The counselor's biggest selling point that [quote]" You will not die from an axiety attack, or even pass out." [end quote]. So that's reassuring, but I just hope I can find the root of the problem. I hate the feeling of not being in control. I keep telling myself that I'm ok, and that this will pass, but it hasn't seemed to help too much.. it's so wierd.. but hopefully tonight will help. [keepin' my fingers crossed]


Thanks again

[crazy_me_84]

hey tayda,


hope you're feeling ok now. i understand anxiety and know that these attacks can seem terrifying and you relaly believe that something bad is going to happen, but this just makes the anxiety worse. Hopefully its not your asthma causing the symptoms. if you can rule this out, will it make you feel less anxious? that you know its not anything serious. all the tests they did at the hospital must make you feel more reassured though- which is so important for anxiety sufferers. Maybe you could go back to your doctor and aske for a referral to a counsellor/ other therapist, who can see you for a longer amount of time. 30 minutes i feel, is insufficient.


Hope you find a way through


xxx

[bexcelica]

you know whats funny? i was watching ER one night, and a man was rushed into the emergencey room for the same thing as you. So it cant be too uncommon if they acted it out on the show.


I'm sure most of us know how you feel, and I wish we didnt! and I wish you didnt either.


Welcome to the site.

[japa]

This happened to my mom about a year ago. She woke up really dizzy, and she tried to go back to sleep. She got up again late, felt dizzy, looked in the mirror, and her nose was bleeding. She panicked and felt like she was dying, so she called 911. But she had had a panic attack, and everything checked out fine.


I don't know. I thought maybe you would like to hear that you're not the only person this happens to.