Panic attack??
I am 43 years old and I have never has a panic attack until a week ago. My wife had to take me to the emergency room because I was scared I was having a stroke or something. I woke up at 4am and when I opened my eyes I was in the middle of an extreme dizzy spell and thought i was going to pass out. Within the next 30 minutes I had two more near fainting episodes and hot flashes. I was so scared something was bad wrong that is why we went to the ER. After being seen in the ER the doctor said he thought it was a panic attack. i had never even heard of this before. (panic attack).....now I am having 3-4 episodes a day with dizzyness hot flashes etc etc..........I need to talk to someone
I've had a few panic attacks that were medication-induced. I woke up in the middle of the night just as you did and started feeling terrible. I started developing a fear of being out in public in case i had a panic attack. I couldnt even go to the grocery store. I learned that there were things that I could do at home to help me. I started watching yoga videos on YouTube that ask questions to ponder while doing the half hour follow-along yoga. So questions like "What do you think of tattoos?" just to keep your mind busy while your body uses that extra energy. I still haven't found what to do in public to help me. Everyone has a way to cope that is different. Some people can talk themselves through it. I personally can't so I find moving my body helps. It's a vicious cycle of feeling symptoms and then thinking that you're having a stroke (or in my case dying) that in turn keeps the symptoms going. If you can intervene and redirect one of them it can cut the attack off short. This is just how i cope with it. Hope that helps and that you get input from other members.
I should clarify, when I feel the panic attack come on I immediately turn on the computer and watch a yoga video and follow along. I've tried taking a shower after having a panic attack but that made it worse. Something about the water I didn't like too much, but the yoga was nice and slow. It was almost like a moving meditation that also helped my breathing. Otherwise I had never done yoga or even considered it to be "exercise". It saved my life.
I have found yoga to be very relaxing. I don't really know what to do when panic attacks happen as I have never had one in a situation where I could do anything about it, but of it works for you keep it up :)
Thank you for sharing. It helps me to read about others experiences. After reading much about panic attacks I feel that my situation may be a bit different. My attacks are produced simply with thoughts. I am not having trouble with crowds or any phobias......my attacks just come out of the blue..like while watching tv or working on the computer. My attacks also do not involve any breathing problems. (feeling like I am dying) like you said is exactly what I have. I just used the term stroke because I couldnt find the right word to describe the fear. It feels like I am being turned off if that makes sense.....dizzyness and like the walls are closing in (very scary) and I have hot flash and sweat about my head neck and shoulders. It is obvious to me though that my attacks are provoked by my thoughts.......if I start thinking about it..((It happens)). What bothers me so bad is I am 43 and I have never had this and within a week it has taken over my life.
