Panic Attacks Support Group
A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than thirty minutes. Symptoms include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation, and sensations of choking or smothering. Panic attacks can be very sudden, appear to be unprovoked, and are often...
Long story short I finally was put into the hospital and had a heart cath done. There are no blockages, but my ejection fraction is at 45% which is low but not life threatening. I am working on losing weight and rebuilding my strength.
Now for those interested in the panic part of this. I have been having chest pain for a month. I went from being fully mobile to barely being able to use a walker to get to the bathroom 1-2 times a day and the rest of the time I was in a chair or in bed, I could not move or breath well. The doctors told me it might not be my heart BUT put me on beta blockers, Imdur, and calcium blockers along with some type of ACE inhibitor... (not all at the same time but over the course of the month that is what we tried.) I had some horrible reactions to the drugs... many so painful I had HAD to go to the ER. So panic set in every time a new drug was added, or a new test was ordered. I went to the ER 4 times. The first ER doc took me kinda seriously and got a cardiologist "on the phone" to put me on meds to be safe. The next ER doc shot me up with ativan and booted me, he had that look, "Hey another fat person with panic attacks, GTFO." Discrimination against people that are over weight and those of us with mental conditions runs rampant in the medical community. The 3rd ER visit the doc was nice but had no clue so more ativan and another boot. Finally the 4th time I called 911, and asked to be taken to a different hospital. (Since doing the same thing over and over getting the same result at the first hospital was just dumb) The ambulance crew said the hospital I needed to go to was SO busy they were not taking ambulances. So my poor mother had to drive my weak 34 year old can't breath or walk butt to the ER and wait 3 hours to be seen. Finally the doc admits me and the cardiologists order a heart cath BUT since I have been trying to get healthy and lose weight, my blood thinners caused my bloodto be 3 times too thin and they had to reverse it with vitamin K. (Also because of this I was FREEZING on a 85 degree day, shivering under a blanket). Doctors try to explain things, but a heart cath is basically having a mini camera run from your groin to your heart. Only issue is they cannot knock you out because you NEED to make a decision while there is a camera in your heart on what type of heart stent you want IF they find blockages. AND they do not explain anything about it until you have been medicated to "relax" a little, while the procedure is going on. Well my heart came back with no blockages, so I demanded answers to why I am having chest pain and refused to leave the hospital. So they sent in mega $^%&* doctor to explain to me it is too expensive to get me answers and I needed to leave since I was "stable". After ALL of this stress panic, and torture, I was kicked out with NO answers (nearly in tears.)
Got lucky. They pulled me off almost all the heart meds. I felt like crap day 1 at home. Panic and fear set in but the valium helped (yes I took my 2 a day valium in the hospital). I got really lucky and my primary care doc saw me the day after I got out of the hospital. He doubled my acid reflux med I was on and then game me a double dose of another acid reflux med on top of that. The doctor that kicked me out of the hospital said I probably had sleep apnea and said my asthma was causing severe chest pain... (WRONG). My primary care doc also took me off the last heart med i was on and said it was pointless.
Day 2 I CAN WALK and BREATH for the first time in a month. We do not know for sure yet but here is what happened...
I have chest pain, unknowingly caused by GERD / acid reflux maybe. This mimicked a heart attack in pain levels sending me to ER. To be safe I was put on heart meds. These lowered my normal blood pressure of 120/80 to 88/45 and did not allow the proper amount of oxygen to reach my muscles. The cramps from the unknown and still unproven GERD persisted crushing my chest and my muscles weakened and it was exhausting just breathing PLUS adding in fear and panic. Valium helped, because it calmed the panic a little BUT really helped by relaxing the muscles in my chest tightened by the GERD allowing me to breathe.
I have an appointment with a upper GI specialist in mid OCT (earliest I can get in) hopefully that will give me some real answers. Though the best way to combat GERD or severe acid reflux is eat right and exercise. Now that I can breathe again I can do the exercise part. I have been eating low sodium, heart healthy for 3 weeks and have lost 23 lbs (just getting started)
I have gone through yet another chapter of medical hell, but I feel like I am coming out of the other side. FINALLY. I am not 100% sure this is over, but I only took 1 valium in the last 4 days and that was because I spiked a fever after I got home and was scared. Any fever after a medical procedure (inside your heart) is concerning and my doc sent me to the ER. (YES AGAIN time number 5 in 30days) No infection though, they think I picked up a virus at the hospital, which makes sense. So tylenol is keeping the fever in check and back to the doc next week if it is not gone in a few days.
I cannot begin to count the number of panic attacks I have had this month, I got through some of them on sheer will alone, some with the help of meditation, some by going to the ER, and some with valium. When you know and are being told your life is at risk it is SO hard to control / flow with panic attacks.
Now that I feel safer, my "fix" or attempt to reduce the percentage of health panic to normal panic is as follows:
1.Get in shape (exercise)
2. Eat GOOD foods, no more fast food poison.
3. Continue therapy and work through my anger at the medical system, anger at the panic, and anger at myself
4. Meditation at least once a day for 15 minutes
Honestly, I think a lot of my panic comes from my health and weight. So eliminating the fat and weak muscles should reduce the panic.
After that I can begin to deal with the being away from my "safe zone" panic and the panic I get in crowds or at jobs (the Trapped panic). That type of panic TRICKED me into shutting myself away from the world. Then I lost most of my friends or they moved on with their lives. I became sad and lonely so I shoveled in the junk food. I got HUGE. I was 375 lbs at my top weight. My health got worse and doctors misdiagnosed me because of my weight (which is my own fault that I have to take responsibility for). All of this last 14 years of medical problems from genetic blood disorders, genetic immune disorders, panic attacks, weight gain, has my life in shambles. BUT I am still alive, I am still a good person, I still care for others, I still get to smile and laugh, I still get to enjoy the things I love. So I have to feel grateful that my heart is ok and I am not out of the game yet. Time to get serious, quit screwing around, and make the most of the years I have left. Yep, prolly haven't had my last panic attack yet, but screw it... rather have a panic attack than a heart attack.
Stay strong everyone, I wanted to give up so many times over the last 14 years of this hell, but I made some positive impacts on some peoples' lives and hope to continue to help others. What doesn't kill us does not always make us stronger... but what doesn't kill us gives us the chance to enjoy this gift that is life.
Now for those interested in the panic part of this. I have been having chest pain for a month. I went from being fully mobile to barely being able to use a walker to get to the bathroom 1-2 times a day and the rest of the time I was in a chair or in bed, I could not move or breath well. The doctors told me it might not be my heart BUT put me on beta blockers, Imdur, and calcium blockers along with some type of ACE inhibitor... (not all at the same time but over the course of the month that is what we tried.) I had some horrible reactions to the drugs... many so painful I had HAD to go to the ER. So panic set in every time a new drug was added, or a new test was ordered. I went to the ER 4 times. The first ER doc took me kinda seriously and got a cardiologist "on the phone" to put me on meds to be safe. The next ER doc shot me up with ativan and booted me, he had that look, "Hey another fat person with panic attacks, GTFO." Discrimination against people that are over weight and those of us with mental conditions runs rampant in the medical community. The 3rd ER visit the doc was nice but had no clue so more ativan and another boot. Finally the 4th time I called 911, and asked to be taken to a different hospital. (Since doing the same thing over and over getting the same result at the first hospital was just dumb) The ambulance crew said the hospital I needed to go to was SO busy they were not taking ambulances. So my poor mother had to drive my weak 34 year old can't breath or walk butt to the ER and wait 3 hours to be seen. Finally the doc admits me and the cardiologists order a heart cath BUT since I have been trying to get healthy and lose weight, my blood thinners caused my bloodto be 3 times too thin and they had to reverse it with vitamin K. (Also because of this I was FREEZING on a 85 degree day, shivering under a blanket). Doctors try to explain things, but a heart cath is basically having a mini camera run from your groin to your heart. Only issue is they cannot knock you out because you NEED to make a decision while there is a camera in your heart on what type of heart stent you want IF they find blockages. AND they do not explain anything about it until you have been medicated to "relax" a little, while the procedure is going on. Well my heart came back with no blockages, so I demanded answers to why I am having chest pain and refused to leave the hospital. So they sent in mega $^%&* doctor to explain to me it is too expensive to get me answers and I needed to leave since I was "stable". After ALL of this stress panic, and torture, I was kicked out with NO answers (nearly in tears.)
Got lucky. They pulled me off almost all the heart meds. I felt like crap day 1 at home. Panic and fear set in but the valium helped (yes I took my 2 a day valium in the hospital). I got really lucky and my primary care doc saw me the day after I got out of the hospital. He doubled my acid reflux med I was on and then game me a double dose of another acid reflux med on top of that. The doctor that kicked me out of the hospital said I probably had sleep apnea and said my asthma was causing severe chest pain... (WRONG). My primary care doc also took me off the last heart med i was on and said it was pointless.
Day 2 I CAN WALK and BREATH for the first time in a month. We do not know for sure yet but here is what happened...
I have chest pain, unknowingly caused by GERD / acid reflux maybe. This mimicked a heart attack in pain levels sending me to ER. To be safe I was put on heart meds. These lowered my normal blood pressure of 120/80 to 88/45 and did not allow the proper amount of oxygen to reach my muscles. The cramps from the unknown and still unproven GERD persisted crushing my chest and my muscles weakened and it was exhausting just breathing PLUS adding in fear and panic. Valium helped, because it calmed the panic a little BUT really helped by relaxing the muscles in my chest tightened by the GERD allowing me to breathe.
I have an appointment with a upper GI specialist in mid OCT (earliest I can get in) hopefully that will give me some real answers. Though the best way to combat GERD or severe acid reflux is eat right and exercise. Now that I can breathe again I can do the exercise part. I have been eating low sodium, heart healthy for 3 weeks and have lost 23 lbs (just getting started)
I have gone through yet another chapter of medical hell, but I feel like I am coming out of the other side. FINALLY. I am not 100% sure this is over, but I only took 1 valium in the last 4 days and that was because I spiked a fever after I got home and was scared. Any fever after a medical procedure (inside your heart) is concerning and my doc sent me to the ER. (YES AGAIN time number 5 in 30days) No infection though, they think I picked up a virus at the hospital, which makes sense. So tylenol is keeping the fever in check and back to the doc next week if it is not gone in a few days.
I cannot begin to count the number of panic attacks I have had this month, I got through some of them on sheer will alone, some with the help of meditation, some by going to the ER, and some with valium. When you know and are being told your life is at risk it is SO hard to control / flow with panic attacks.
Now that I feel safer, my "fix" or attempt to reduce the percentage of health panic to normal panic is as follows:
1.Get in shape (exercise)
2. Eat GOOD foods, no more fast food poison.
3. Continue therapy and work through my anger at the medical system, anger at the panic, and anger at myself
4. Meditation at least once a day for 15 minutes
Honestly, I think a lot of my panic comes from my health and weight. So eliminating the fat and weak muscles should reduce the panic.
After that I can begin to deal with the being away from my "safe zone" panic and the panic I get in crowds or at jobs (the Trapped panic). That type of panic TRICKED me into shutting myself away from the world. Then I lost most of my friends or they moved on with their lives. I became sad and lonely so I shoveled in the junk food. I got HUGE. I was 375 lbs at my top weight. My health got worse and doctors misdiagnosed me because of my weight (which is my own fault that I have to take responsibility for). All of this last 14 years of medical problems from genetic blood disorders, genetic immune disorders, panic attacks, weight gain, has my life in shambles. BUT I am still alive, I am still a good person, I still care for others, I still get to smile and laugh, I still get to enjoy the things I love. So I have to feel grateful that my heart is ok and I am not out of the game yet. Time to get serious, quit screwing around, and make the most of the years I have left. Yep, prolly haven't had my last panic attack yet, but screw it... rather have a panic attack than a heart attack.
Stay strong everyone, I wanted to give up so many times over the last 14 years of this hell, but I made some positive impacts on some peoples' lives and hope to continue to help others. What doesn't kill us does not always make us stronger... but what doesn't kill us gives us the chance to enjoy this gift that is life.
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