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please help..panic attacks

2

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  • you guys sound like you might be able to help me...
    its never happened before but during this pregnancy ive had two severe palpitation 'attacks'
    they were bad enough that they made me weak and dizzy and i had to get on the floor through fear of passing out and hurting the baby (or myself)
    both times my heart was beating so hard the force of it was moving me, and my OH could see it pumping from the other side of the room,
    it was really scary and i thought i was going to have a heart attack and drop dead!
    luckily my OH is really calming and got me deep breathing and more relaxed and all of a sudden about 20 mins to half an hour later they just stopped and i was instantly fine,
    we went to the doctors and he said it was possibly supraventricular tachycardia (the heart condition that Tony Blair had surgery to correct) and ran loads of blood tests which all came back fine, the midwife was a little stumped too,

    do these sound like panic attacks to you?
    the first one was in june in the morning of the day we were going on holiday, and the other was last week, the morning after i was told im going to need a c section to get this breech baby out.... does this seem significant? two quite stressful situations (even though i didnt feel particularly worried or stressed until my heart started beating 20 times faster than normal)
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    Hi CG,

    Sorry to hear that.

    From what you have said, it does sounds like panic attacks. You have them occurring after 2 potentially stressful events.

    The effects you describe are that of panic attacks. You can have anxiety attacks as well which are more like feeling sick by something, as well as then suffering the panic attack that comes into it.

    Panic attacks don't always relate to such an obvious stressful situation. You can have them when you are asleep!

    I don't want to say something that contradicts your GP because I would have throught he/she would have considered that before tests. So, maybe worth discussing that with them just incase it's something else.

    Honestly, you can't be harmed in anyway by a panic attack. However, they can make other conditions worse e.g. pre-existing heart conditions or asthma. However, even then the actual conditions can be treated.

    There are techniques you can do such as visualisation or muscle contraction which are supposed to work if you do them intensly for 3 minutes or so. Controlled breathing is one of the best as you are over brathing or hyper ventilating. So, sometimes controlled breathing into a bag can help.

    It sort of depends on how the attack is effecting you. Some may make you more nervous & dizzy whereas as sme make your heart race and hyper ventilate.

    Maybe if you are having a very busy time it may be a sign to slow down a bit. The more stressed you are each day, the more likely you could have them.

    I have never had panic or anxiety until I literally snapped from overworking over a period of years. I used to thrive on stress, but we all have our limits and it can happen to anyone.

    Some people get them a lot and others get them when something stressful pushes them over their limit.

    You can get info off the NHS about coping strategies and the internet is full of info on them.

    All the best
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Terrylw1 wrote: »
    I don't want to say something that contradicts your GP because I would have throught he/she would have considered that before tests.

    you might aswell.. the man appeared to have been to the same medical night school as Dr Nick Riviera (hi everybody!!)

    he didnt even mention panic attacks, that is a conclusion ive come too on my own... just wanted to see if my symptoms sounded right to you good people who know what your on about :D

    thanks for your help
  • dorry_2
    dorry_2 Posts: 1,427 Forumite
    ality :wave:

    I used to have panic attacks, had about 3, yak :eek: They are really really frightening. The gp gave me beta blockers first then prescribed 3 weeks of diazepam 2mg. They did work and I finally got to the bottom of the problem. It was the start of perimenpause with me, my oestrogen levels dropped and then your body panics, or puts you flight or fight mode.

    As soon as I got the oestrogen back up they stopped. Mine started when I was 39, dunno how old you are but it can be linked to hormones changing and flutatating, which might be the cause of CG's palipatiions attacks??

    anyway, just becarefull on the daizapam, as they will only prescribe is for a limited time and it is highly addictive:eek:

    I did alot of reading about panic attacks and sometimes, they can also be triggered by you not being able to control something or a situation??

    just some thoughts anyway,

    hth x:j
    'If you judge people, you have no time to love them'
    Mother Teresa :D
  • ality
    ality Posts: 22 Forumite
    thank you.not sure whats causing them im 30 years old went to see a different gp then the one i saw b4 and hes prescribed 3 more weeks of diazepam.and said could have more if needed completely different response then the other doctor.
  • ality - while they don't recommend taking diazepam too long because of the problem of becoming dependant on them, I was actually prescribed them for years, not weeks. I also was given beta-blockers to work alongside them.

    My surgery did much more than just dish out pills, tho. They gave me 7 months of counselling (which in my case was the real turning point for me) and they gave me several private sessions at their stress management clinic where they taught me techniques to help my breath, visualisation tech's etc.

    Because some of the feelings can be so disturbing and frightening, particularly if you are alone with a young child, I think you would really benefit from reading Claire Weekes book called Self help for your Nerves. Most libraries have a copy. That book never left my side for 2 years, as it describes feelings, pains, sensations, even vision disturbances that you might have very clearly. This kept my sanity to read because it reminded me that this was 'just' panic attacks and not heart attacks or tumours or all the other things that had me rigid with fear when the attacks hit.

    I wish you the best dealing with them and can vouch for the fact that things really can improve and you can feel in control again.

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  • ality
    ality Posts: 22 Forumite
    thank you for that i will look that book out.it is realy hard at the moment like you said with my son hes 7 and been there when ive been in such a state hes slept in my room for the last few weeks cause hes scared something may happen in the night.i feel bad for him i used to be able to take him out which im scared to do now.and even in the evenings after school im constanly cleaning or something cause if i sit down for to long i start to feel odd.
  • I was the same ality, sometimes still can be if I'm having a rare bad patch. I found that if I worked through the attack it went far more quickly than if I sat fretting during it.

    A really strange thing that I was taught was to pretend I was a ball of red wax. ( I know, but bare with me!) You imagine that you are melting and gradually spreading out. The aim is that while you are doing this that you start to relax the muscles. If you fight the attack it is said to be much worse so you need to let it wash over you. (hard, isn't it? but its does work beautifully for me).

    I was taught another less effective (for me anyway) one that was pretend you're a bubble, but I'm not even going to go there. Looking like one is bad enough. :rolleyes:

    As regards your little one, if the wax trick works for you then get him to 'play' it too. I used to be honest and say to my little lad that I was feeling icky and needed to play the wax game. He used to lay on the floor and do it too, bless him. Mine were 3 and 7 when mine began and were home all day as I home-eded. It wasn't easy so I feel for you.

    take care

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  • Charis
    Charis Posts: 1,302 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker

    I think you would really benefit from reading Claire Weekes book called Self help for your Nerves. Most libraries have a copy. That book never left my side for 2 years, as it describes feelings, pains, sensations, even vision disturbances that you might have very clearly.

    I also found this a wonderful book, written, I suspect, by someone who had actually experienced the symptoms which can be like a living hell. It might be a a little old fashioned now (written in the '60's) but Dr Weekes' little tips and tricks for dealing with panic attacks are so easy that after a while you hardly realise you are doing them.

    I suspect some of us (myself included) are hard wired for anxiety but reading this book stopped me from becoming totally agoraphobic in the days before panic attacks were recognised and when counselling was unavailable. The advice I was given was "pull yourself together" and I was offered Librium (more like pill yourself together! :rotfl: )

    One of the important things Dr Weekes emphasises is giving yourself time to get well. You are not alone in how you are feeling and you are not going insane, it's simply your body overreacting to stress.
  • mae
    mae Posts: 1,516 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I like the comparison that panic attacks are like a faulty car alarm.

    What I mean is, when we are in danger (say we came face to face with a masked mugger in an alley way) our bodies prepare for 'fight or flight' meaning it prepares to fight or run by pumping blood round out body faster, our hearts starts beating faster etc and this is done automatic by our bodies without us giving much concious thought to it and it is extremely important and helpful that our body reacts like this.

    When you have a panic attack your body creates all the symtoms of 'fight or flight' even though you are in no danger.

    This is where the faulty car alarm comes into it, a car alarm normally goes off if there is a threat to your car but if it is faulty it can be triggered by a car driving past.

    So when you have a panic attack it is a faulty alarm, there is no danger but your body is being over sensitive to something (like the faulty car alarm) and creating all the symptoms of being in extreme danger and fear if that makes sense?

    Sorry I probably could have explained that better I hope it makes some sense.
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