I have been having attacks way too often lately.. I completely understand how you feel with your wife not grasping it ( thankfully my fiance and my mom have learned what it is like from reading up on it and going to psychiatrist appts with me) some people around me don't get it. I end up making excuses as to why I can't go somewhere that might trigger it so I don't have to try to deal with anyone. I have actually lost a couple jobs due to panic attacks. I know certian things/ days, and hormones will trigger them so if I even felt a little "off" I would call in to where I was working in fear of them finding out that I have this Panic disorder and me getting embarassed and/ or making a fool of myself when one came on. I hope this helps you out a little bit..

i can relate to your experience also. i have been having a period of pretty much constant panic attacks and anxiety for about a month now. i know how it takes everthing you have just to get thru each day. as we speak i have been trying to get a good relaxing breath for about 1 hour. i know that if you are down eventually you have to come up. i have a similar experience with my spouce. she tells me my talking to her about my illness doesnt affect her but everytime i do she is more stressed out so i dont talk a lot to her about it. using this forum for support has been very helpful.you arent alone.

Hey, I also have been having tons of panics this past month. I figure it's due to the stress of my pregnancy & the flare up of my eye disease. However, I will admit that I don't believe that is the full reason. One of the things I've been dealing with recently is opening up myself to feeling emotion again. I used to be totally numb. Since I started to teach myself how to feel again the panics & anxiety skyrocketed. It's really hard to let your nerves & your body feel again after keeping in emotion for many years. A part of this process has also been coming to terms with my biggest fears, which has been of course the MOST difficult thing I have ever done in my life. To truly face all my deepest fears...this is what panic attacks demand from us. I noticed though, that everytime I don't shy away from it (the panic & fear that set it off), I become a lot stronger afterwards. It's really hard though, of course when we are in the moment of panic.

Hi yes i can relate to this.. In march my attacks started and before i got on medication they were almost every day.. And they would last for hours and that just made me exhausted.. Also i dont have the support. My family is great but they cant really understand and my husband just told me that i would be ok and that i was not going to die.. Be strong he would say.. WTF.. how can i be strong when i feel like my body is betraying me soooo bad. I feel for you i really do.. But you are not alone..remember that

I can relate too. Often the panic attacks come out of nowhere. You can be having a great day too and it still happens.

Just try and let the attacks happen. I know this is a lot easier said then done but its' fighting attacks that can lead to further attacks happening down the road.

Also, I know what it's like having a partner who doesn't really understand. This isn't something we can just switch off. I noticed at one point my partner couldn't handle my trying to talk with him about what I was going through and he seemed to spend more and more time out. Things have improved now.
Hope you'll be ok. You are not alone a lot of us can relate.

Thank you for the responses. It is nice knowing Im not the only one out there, though Im sorry you are all going through the same things.
Kristenl
Im glad to hear you have people who will look into things with you. Im sure it must help knowing someone loves you like that. Ive lost a job before too. I cant say it was because of my issues but it certainly adds to the anxiety knowing how easy it is to get booted. It's always in the back of my head now that its a possibility.
Randy1472
I am so sorry to hear how long youve been going through this. I usually have a couple episodes a month that last just a couple days and its not fun. I cant imagine how hard it must be to be living in it for so long with no relief. I feel for ya and so hope you can come out of it soon.
Shannonn7
How long were you numb for? Your experience actually made me think that even though were all in a miserable place emotionally, at least were all feeling. And if were all feeling so awful it must mean that we have deep passions somewhere not such a bad thing. Sort of like how the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference is the opposite of love. If you hate, it means you love something. If youre indifferent, it means you love nothing. So thank you for that and good for you for putting in the work thats not so easy.
JBuydos
Does medication help? I used to take something a couple years ago, I cant remember what it was but I didnt feel like it did much for me. I never followed up with trying anything else. I feel like there are two things that I need in order to eventually overcome this. 1) having the support of someone who understands and 2)being able to feel good about myself. Sadly I dont have those in the capacity I need. My wife says shes there for me and in a sense she is, but she doesnt get it. I need her to run to my side and get in the fight with me but instead she acts like Im all in my head and avoids me. She waits for me to dig myself out and says see Im still here Yeah, at least thats something.
Sharethelight
How do you just let the attacks happen? And I dont mean to turn this into a partner bashing thing but I know what you mean how some just cant handle it. I can understand that its an awful lot of negativity for them to deal with. For someone who doesnt go through it, it has to be a tough thing to face. My wife ends up avoiding me and I can see sometimes that I drag her down. I dont know if she resents me for it or not, but she might. It turns out that most times when I am feeling so bad I end up having to make her feel better. It doesnt seem fair. I wish shed see that I need her to do for me what I do for her.
Anyway thanks guys, I really appreciate you being there.

Hi Friend. I have coped with severe panick attacks for over 12 years now. Panick attacks suck!! I know how hard this is to deal with. I also have panicks sometimes triggered, sometimes out of the blue....Have you been to a doctor? A therapist can help. Meds can help as well...Trazadone can help to sleep, and zoloft has really helped me. However, I still have severe panicks like you do. You are not alone. Would your wife go with you to see a doctor, or a therapist? I am sorry that she is finding this hard for her to deal with your panicks, ask her how does she thinks you feel??? People who have not gone thru horrific circumstances, cannot comperend what we go thru. It's an disorder nobody wants to have, we did'nt sign up for this!!!!! My panicks can also last for a couple of days....But usually, they last for a few hours, or one day....If I did not have meds,I woulb be worse!! Sometimes, my attacks are triggered, but sometimes they are not. It's hard to control what happens in your office....Get up and walk around for a bit, this will give you some relief, and maybe by that time, it will be quiet again. I have also have had a lot of panicks myself, heat and humidity have alot do with attacks as well. You are not alone!! This web-site will help you so much, it has helped me, and I am new as well. My husband is pretty understanding, we have been together for 8 years now. A few years ago, I was walking from WalGreens to the parking lot to my car. All of a sudden, bam! a panick attack. I could not move, literally. I called my husband, and he said just put the key in the ignition and come home. I told him that was a monumental idea, and why Did'nt I think of that!!!!! He got the message. I know it's not that easy for him, but I was this way before he met me, and I was very truthful with him. I am on disability now, why do'nt you try to get disability too? I now volunteer, have a part-time job that is not stresssful, and I am a free-lance artist!! Things will get better for you , it does take time tho.You are stronger than you think!!! Stay strong, and you can write me back anytime you want to. God Bless You.......

Your post may have as well been written by me it is so dead on to what I experience. It's due to anticipatory anxiety. Basically, we become so fearful of another attack that we worry ourselves into having them. From what I understand, a rush of adrenaline that causes an attack only lasts for about 10 minutes or so, which is a relief to know. But, of course, constant worry can cause another wave of adrenaline which causes this constant state of anxiety. I've actually become agoraphobic because of them and have lost one job due to this. It is a very difficult thing to overcome, but totally treatable. You may want to speak to your doctor about a medication that can help to stop the onset of a panic attack such as a benzo, although I always recommend them for only short term use as they are hard to come down off of (for me at least). Many of these episodes for me have been the result of waking up in a panic. Since the body uses adrenaline to wake us and people with panic disorder are oversensitized by the adrenaline, it's easy to see where the problem lies. During those times of panic, I just tell myself that this is nothing but adrenaline and that not only does it cause me to feel physically awful, but it also interferes with my thinking in imagining panic which is really not there.