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1680450 tn?1306254193

anyone else out there?

I have to ask if there is anyone else out there that goes through the same ordeal that I do. It's almost on a daily basis, and is getting to the point where I feel as though it's taking over my life. For starters, I don't have insurance. Nor will I for some time -- therefore I'm looking to use this site as an outlet for ways to assist myself through this, with the assistance of others that might be able to let me know that I'm not alone in what I'm going through.

I am scared all the time.

When I say this, I mean just what it says above. I feel like I'm scared about all things medical. I'm afraid of dying, to the point that I am checking my pulse all the time throughout the day. If someone invites me and my fiance over for dinner, I always decline. Why? Because I always think that either something has been put in the dinner that may harm me OR I feel like I'm going to have an allergic reaction to the food that they make. That I know of, I've never had an allergic reaction to any sort of food, but I have to one certain medication. I was in the ER for a flare up of endometriosis, and the doctor gave me Benadryl through my IV, which caused my heart to race like it never has. I never had "panic attacks" before this, but it did me in -- at least that's what I think has started all of this. It's a feeling I don't wish to ever go through, but unfortunately, it has since then haunted my every move.

Like I said, I've never had panic attacks before until after this incident. There are days when I'll wake up at 3am and use the restroom, only to start thinking about having a panic attack and one comes on. They do not happen as often as they used to, but when they happen, they scare the living daylight out of me. They last for about 30 minutes, sometimes less or more -- and I feel like I am completely out of control. I am afraid to have panic attacks. So much, that there are times when I try to figure out a way NOT to go in to work, as I am scared that one will happen during my shift.

I just want to know:  Is there anyone out there that has this same issue? Is there anyone that has any good ideas that are at home techniques to help me through this?
Best Answer
Avatar universal
I took some cold medicine a long time ago and it triggered a serious panic attack. The scariest part is that I was unfamiliar with what was going on and I thought I was going to die. You must remember that these attacks will not harm you! While it may feel like they will, nothing will happen and you will be OK!
As far as you being afraid that is totally normal, something bad happened and now you want to avoid any scenario that could bring this up again. It is understandable, but you cannot run from it. The best thing I figured was to deal with it head on. It is like the ocean, you have to get through the waves and get out into the calm sea! Your best bet is to approach it head on, and just remember that you will be ok. I know it is much easier said than done but simple breathing and telling yourself that you are OK helps a lot.. Hang in there, you will be ok.
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Avatar universal
I am 100% just like you! My anxiety all started after a trip to the ER.  Some days I feel I may slip into depression which I do NOT want.    I wear a heart monitor watch..heck  I sleep in it.  People think I am crazy, but Im not!!  What does your HR go to during your anxiety?  I feel for you..I really do.  You are not alone!!  Hugs!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i am 28 and was a smoker for about 13 years... last year around November i decided that my kids were old enough to ask me why i would go outside every 30 minutes.. i decided to quit.. cold turkey broke what was left in my pack straight out QUIT...the next day i felt a huge pressure on my chest... then i started shaking and cold sweating, my heart was pounding through my whole body... i thought i was going to die.. and i looked over at my kids ages 3 and 4 and thought i would never see them again..was it withdrawal?...maybe.. but i have had those episodes ever since. now i get them mostly at night and last about 15 minutes.. and i close my eyes and my husband rubs my back until the shaking passes and all is ok again... my number one feeling on this is to adapt.. find a comfort zone and they will get shorter as time goes by.
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1680450 tn?1306254193
I know what you mean, and I wish I knew where to get a heart thing that you're talking about. I have an iPhone, so I sit there and fool around with the stopwatch app I have on there, count the number of times my heart beats in 10 seconds ten times that by six -- which gives me my heart rate. I know it sounds stupid, but it's the only way I know to calm myself down.

I DO know something else that's helped calm me down in the past. Going online and reading other peoples' stories about what they've gone through and what they've done to help themselves out during one of these horrible "episodes" like we go through.

When I'm going through one of my panic attacks, I always want to just jump in my car and drive to the ER because I think I'm dying. But going online and reading other people and what they've gone through's stories helps me realize that I'm not alone. I figured I would try this site out, since there seems to be so many out there like us.
Helpful - 0
1680450 tn?1306254193
I wish I could sit here and tell you that my panic attacks had something to do with me quitting smoking or going through WDs from a drug, pill, etc. but then I'd be lying. Another thing I failed to mention, was that when I was about 21 years old, I took a piece of Ecstasy pill that was bought for me by an ex-boyfriend. Keep in mind I'd never done any other drugs before that. I had an entire pill in front of me and I bit off a little piece because I didn't want to psyche myself out. Before it kicked in, I started to look up Ecstasy online, and it came up with all these anti-drug commercials that were about people who died from taking the drug at parties, and my heart started to race like it's never raced before. It was horrible. I also think that it has something to do with that -- maybe side effects that will last a lifetime?

I wish I knew the answers..
Helpful - 0
1680450 tn?1306254193
PS:  Does anyone ever feel like there is always something medically wrong with them, or scared that they're going to have something wrong with them each time there is a little ache or pain in their body?
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Avatar universal
You are NOT alone! I experience the same thing daily and go through the same daily "rituals". I check my pulse a lot and will worry about everything related to my health. My very first panic attack was a few weeks after my grandmother passed away. It's a daily struggle, it really is. I remember for a while I was agoraphobic and would not go outside for anything. I didn't even drive for 2 years.

I'm scared yet I don't want to go to a doctor. I finally pushed myself after finding a lump but through a specialist and 2 ultrasounds, it was confirmed it was benign. After that incident my anxiety has come back 10 fold and the rapid heart beating has gotten really bad. Some nights I will be asleep and will wake up with my heart pounding so hard and fast that I can actually feel and hear it in my ears! Naturally after something like that happens good luck in falling back asleep which only makes it worse because you're tired, worried, and sleepy at the same time. Sometimes it will get me so bad that my body starts to get stiff and tremble as if I'm freezing and I'm not. It's so so frustrating.

Just know you aren't alone and chances are you are perfectly fine. I try to tell myself that to get to sleep at night. Sometimes watching something funny on TV will help.
Helpful - 0
1680450 tn?1306254193
So glad I'm not alone in this, seriously.

On nights when I hardly get any sleep because of a panic attack, the next day I'm worth absolutely nothing because I think my heart is working into over time just to try and keep up with me being so tired. It's a never ending cycle!
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1680450 tn?1306254193
Glad to know that I'm not alone. Even if I eat a brownie or something, I start freaking out because I think that it's too much sugar, etc. It's weird -- maybe sooner or later I will get over it. But I have found that talking to other people about it and responding to their posts has helped me out more than I thought that it would!
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