Don't panic!!!! (My Experience of Anxiety and Panic Attacks)

Member Name: kiss_me2070

Product:	My Experience of Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Date:	05/11/08 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nothing

Disadvantages: Feel really scared like your going to die, may suffer from these regularly dis-rupting your life!

The doctors never told me that I suffer from panic attacks but me and my friend are convinced this is what I suffer from occasionally.

***MY FIRST EXPERIENCE***
I was staying at my boyfriend's and I woke up at 3am, and I could feel my heart beating very fast and I also felt sick. My hands/fingers were really tingly and felt itchy!

I managed to get out of bed and went to the bathroom, where I came over very hot and sweaty, I can describe the feeling, but I felt so scared. My heart felt like it was doing over-time and I honestly thought I was going to die! I was physically sick and this last for about 15-20mins.

***MY 2ND EXPERIENCE***
I had got up out of bed and had eaten breakfast and done everything like normal and when I was in the middle of drying my hair I felt my heart racing again and my fingers/hands were tingly again. I thought to myself . . 'Oh No, Not again'. I came over very hot and sweaty again and it was harder to breathe. I was again physically sick and the whole feeling of this last for about 30mins. After this I felt very shakey and out of breath for the rest of the day.

***MY SYMPTOMS***
* Heart Racing
* Very Hot and Sweaty
* Feeling very sick and actually physcially sick
* Tingly fingers/hands & I also suffered from tingly Lips
* Difficulty Breathing

***GOING TO THE DOCTORS***
I explained to the doctor my symptoms and he asked f I had been feeling anxious about anything? I told him I was under a lot of stress at work, but didn't have anything else on my mind that I could remember. He booked me in for an ECG with the nurse for the following week.

***WHAT IS AN ECG?***
An ECG is a test that measures the activity of the heart. The pulses made when the heart is beating is recorded and shown on a piece of paper and will show any problems with the heart's rhythm. It's totally painless, all they do is put some sticky pads onto your body and clip wires into them to take the reading which normally takes a few minutes.

***GETTING THE RESULTS***
After having my ECG the nurse said it looked fine, but would get my doctor to look at the results to double check. I went to the doctors again to discuss my results and he decided to refer me to the hospital to double check things.

***AT THE HOSPITAL***
I went to a local hospital and they took my weight and my height and asked questions about any medication I was on and if I had been eating properly, etc. They conducted another ECG test which also came back fine. They told me I wouldn't need to go back anymore, as I seem fit and healthy. I felt relieved!

***A FEW WEEKS LATER***
I receive a call from the hospital saying they would like me to go and have a heart monitor fitted for 24hours so they could monitor my heart over a longer period. At this point I was a bit worried as they had told me everything was fine and I wasn't expecting to have to go back.

***AT THE HOSPITAL***
I had some sticky pads stuck to my chest and a monitor which clipped to my belt, and a really long wire which I had to try and stuff down the side of my trousers! I was to wear this monitor for 24hrs and then go back the same time the following day to get it removed.

***THE RESULTS***
After having the monitor removed, I then had to wait a few weeks for my results which came back normal. The monitor showed a normal, healthy heart-beat.

***FINAL WORD***
No-one ever explained to me, what could be causing me to have these out-bursts which made me feel like I was going to die! I told my friend about it who also suffers from panic attacks and she said it sounds like I also suffer from them too! I've read about it on the internet and all my symptoms match to those of a panic attack.

Luckily I have only had 2 of these attacks in the last 8 months. I really feel for anyone for has these regularly as the feeling isn't nice and I can put my hands up and say when this happened to me I've never felt so scared in my life!

Summary: A feeling you can only experience and not describe!!