and I mean............
 

:yay_jump: laughter that comes from your toes, and laugh so hard that your side feels like it's splitting and tears come out of your eyes. Big deep belly laughs at stupid, silly things. I still have panic episodes now and then but remember find humor somewhere and it helps. Just remember that stress is basically caused by external source and we put it on ourselves. You can't control what is around you but you do have some mind control over your body. You can choose to let the stress get to you or you can choose to let it slide off your back. I prefer the latter. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I let it get to me but never more than one day. It sounds so simple and believe me, you have to work at it, it just doesn't happen, but it really is simple.
:yelrotflm :yay_jump: :tongue036 :sidesplt: :sidesplt: :sidesplt: :sidesplt: :sidesplt:

It is so amazing that I should come across this topic on here of all places. Lately, I too have been struggling with panic attacks. Mine have been triggered by the subways. At the risk of sounding like a maniac, I have to share my experience with you all. Last week, the northeast and much of the country was experiencing a very strong heat wave. Power failures were a constant threat and the subway platforms turned into saunas. It was estimated that the temps down below were well over 110 degrees. I have always been clausterphobic (sp?) and my greatest fear is getting trapped in a subway tunnel. Friday was the worst day for me. The train got stalled for a few minutes between stations and I had the worst panic attack ever. I felt like the walls were closing in on me, my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and my legs went numb. Even though the a/c in the train was blasting I started sweating and everything started getting blurry and dark. I broke myself out of it by going in my purse and getting a book to fan myself. Slowly my heart returned to normal and I was able to make it to work without fainting. I was terrified and suffered 2 more panic attacks that very same day. Since then I am taking the bus. It is twice as expensive and twice as long a ride but I am so terrified of the trains that I can't even bring myself to go in them. I have been riding subways all my life and this is very upsetting to me. My husband probably thinks I am being dramatic and sometimes I get angry at myself for "making myself sick". It is comforting to know that I am not alone in this and that there are other people out there suffering through the same thing. yougetthesmiles, thank you for bringing up this topic at the very time when I needed most to talk about it.

panic
 

Vee...I guess I find it easy to discuss these things because so many people suffer, no one is alone and talking about it makes it so much easier to deal with... I am 60 and what I was ashame of at 30/40 no longer applies..we all find fault with the way the world is..BUT it is so much better in 2006 then when I was growing up and into my 30's..people just did not talk about so much stuff...the 50's really were a great time for me, it really was "Happy Days" and I loved every minute of it..but if your life was not "Leave it To Beaver", you just did not talk about any of it.

I had several Md's tell me it was all in my head..one told me I had panic to get attention...that jackxxx of a shrink convinved me I was mentally ill..and I believed it for awhile..if I was doing that to myself, then I must be really SICK in the head.

God never abandoned me, He was there all the time..I had to "go thorough" to get to the other side..I am a strong woman now because of it..would I pick panic to make me strong..heck no!..but it was the cards I was dealt.
My worst day came and I told God I perferred to die then live each day with non-stop panic all day..I laid on my bed and asked God to let me die right then and there...nothing happened LOL ,THEN I heard a loud thud on the front door..I went to look and it was the new phone books the guy had thrown against the door..
I started looking through the Physician lists..and guess what I saw..Nancy C. Rosenblatt, MD.." Panic and Anxiety disorders ONLY...I called, saw her the next day and that was the first day of my new life...perhaps many think I am sharing too much..but I have had dozens of people confide in me that they have panic and can not function any longer, so it is important to be honest..who cares if people think I am nuts?
Best wishes

your definitely not alone and reading your post brought tears to my eyes, last night I was cleaning my bathroom and all of a suddon I started feeling this pain in my chest like a towel being rung out, it hurt so bad that I had to stop and tap on my chest and deep breath, I have no idea where it came from, I had been fine all day and was having a great day. They just "attack" us out of no where and Ihate it. Like you I hate talking to anyone about it, I think sometimes my hubby thinks I'm whacko, I know he loves me and he tries his best to understand, but he tells me to just go to my happy place and think positive, but sometimes it just dont work.
Your not alone and I'm here for you if you ever need someone to talk to!

My doctor asked me to visit a woman who lived near me who was so bad off..panic can be mild or murder..and hers was awful. She couldn't leave ehr house..and driving was out of the question..so we visited for 3 weeks and finally she was able to get in my car and go to my doctor..now she emails regular, is back teaching school.

There are all degrees of this disorder, some are so mild and can manage fine..even goes away on its own..but the quicker you get on top of it the easier it is to overcome...
Sometimes it is even funny...I used to go to NY with a friend who had such a fear of heights she would just about faint, I had to go in the hotel room first and shut the drapes..we were always on the 35 or 36 floor.....being in NY with her was interesting!!!

Jack has this happen a lot and his has a lot to do with dealing with Parkinsons. Years ago the Dr's wanted to put him on Zanac and other meds to help with the anxiety but we chose not to. He wanted to learn to paint and since I had been painting for years, I taught him, the tremor is all in the left side and him being right handed he was able to take this up, to learn to relax was the key thing in helping him to deal with the anxiety attacks. It was so difficult after we lost Cassie, he became really bad with the anxiety attacks then we got Baby Blessing and she really has helped him. However he isn't able to do painting anymore as the BEAST Parkinsons is robbing him of his strength and energy to do much of anything. I now am going through times of anxiety and find that at the time it is happening, what is getting me through it is to do something I really enjoy, or to focus my mind on something to pull me out of it, that and mostly praying about it helps. God is so wonderful to supply us with our needs. I call out to him so much through each and every day and night too. Prayers for you and the others dealing with anxiety in doing better. Patti

I am a geriatric nurse working with Seniors 75 to 100. They have anxiety attacks all the time. A few Doctors have tried the new Cymbalta, with great results. It can help as it does I see daily and although it is an anti-depressant, it works great on anxiety and on pain, especially nerve pain. I haven't seen many side effects (one patient had headaches)........... We do have to be very careful about giving any Rx's to seniors, this has been totally safe

I have my 1st theropy meeting on Monday and I'm going to go with an open mind. I have been keeping a log book so she can get a general idea of what I'm going through.

This evening my husband and I went out for the evening and coming home it was raining pretty badly, and I started having an attack, I was so nervous, that I felt I was holding on for dear life. Then we were at this used book store and they have a basement, and I was so nervous about being in that building, I thought "what if it fell and I was crushed" just stupid things like that, or driving under a vie-dock, It petrifieds me and I don't know why, I used to be not like this and I just don't understand why I'm like this now.

I know exactly what you mean. A week ago I went with my husband to a doctor's appointment. He was having an MRI and we had to go to the sub-basement of the hospital. As soon as we got off the elevator, I had the worst panic attack. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and like I was choking. I immediately tried to calm down by thinking of anything but where I was. I was able to regain my composure after we went into the waiting room and I spotted a window. It sounds so stupid when I tell people and I get so angry with myself for feeling this way. Like you, I was never this way. I just turned 30 this year and I have read that these things creep up on mostly females in their late 20's-early 30's. My husband is supportive and never belittles my experiences but I feel like such a jerk. Today we went to my mom's and we got stuck in a bit of traffic and I felt myself on the verge of another attack. I focused on the music on the radio and was able to control myself. I am sorry for rambling on like this but I just want to wish you luck with your therapy and hope it can help you overcome this. I wish I wasn't so embarrassed and had the courage to seek help as you have done. You are a much stronger person than i am. Best of luck to you!!:)

1st off, your not a jerk!!!! and I'm glad to hear your husband is also supportive, that really makes a difference. I'm not sure how long you have been dealing with your attacks, but for me it's been around 2 years and I'm 31 !! so were very close in age. I really dont want to have to be on medication, I hope there is some sort of alternative.

If you would like my phone #, please pm me, I have unlimited long distance so I could even call you, I want you to know that talking does help, and if you feel there is no one to talk to, then I'm here for you, even if you just need to get out your feelings.
It will be interesting to see what the theripist has to say. I know at times I feel like a quack and I hate it, I just want to be normal again!!! if there is such a thing!

PLEASE, If I can help, let me know!

I have never suffered anything like this but I did quit my last job because of stress. I got to the point that I was so stressed that I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't quit. It was mainly a boss picking on me relentlessly.

I just wanted to mention also that I recently ran into a lady in a grocery store who had her Yorkie in her shopping cart. She was walking thru the store petting her baby. I admired her dog and she told me that she suffers from anxiety and she has medical permission to have her dog with her the same as a blind person has a seeing eye dog. If this would help you in any way, maybe you could check on it. Best of luck you.

Thank you so very much for your support. You are a very kind person. Just hearing your thoughts and knowing i am not alone has helped me tremendously. I will pray for you that therapy offers you some relief from all of this. Maybe you can learn some relaxation techniques to help you cope and deal with the attacks when they come on. I agree with you about medications as I too am wary of taking them, especially if they have side effects. The worst part of this condition is when the simple things you used to be able to do before, become such an obstacle now. And you never know when an attack is going to come on, your heart just starts pounding all of a sudden. It is awful. I sincerely hope therapy helps you "be normal again". That's all we really want, isn't it?

I didn't read this whole thread, but I was on Wellbutrin and it helped a lot. Big problem was that it messed up my sex drive temporarily and ever since I got off of it, I haven't FELT anything like I did before I went on it. I swear, I don't get as excited about anything as I used to and it kind of hurts. I feel like a shell of my former self. Granted, I don't have anxiety anymore though.

devoted to Lucy!
 

I dealt with panic attacks several years ago and have been on Effexor since that time. They started again (even with the Effexor) when my husband died in October, but are better now.

It's a brave thing to admit something like this is going on. It takes a brave person to admit it and get help. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like a hypochondriac! No one knows until they walk in your shoes!

OK Guys! I'm off to shower and then in 1 hour I have my 1st theropy session, I'm so nervous, I don't know why, I shouldnt be, But I'm afraid she is going to want to put me on medicine. I know it would really help me, but I worry about being on medication.

Everyone, thanks for being so supportive! Again, you guys are just the greatest!