The Scariest Panic Attack EVER!

[HDogg]

Earlier today, my husband and I decided to go to the beach and have a picnic and fly kites. It was 75 degrees with clear blue skies.


We get almost there, and suddenly I'm gripped in a panic attack with an intensity I have never felt before. My fingers clamped shut in a tight fist--and I literally couldn't move them! My feet tingled. My cheeks, eyelids and tongue all tingled. At one point, my husband was basically yelling at me to take a Xanax, but I couldn't even swallow if I tried! I couldn't open my mouth. My tongue clamped down. It was the strangest sensation. I couldn't talk or anything.


I finally calmed down and told my husband to take me home.


It was the most terrifying, out-of-mind experience of my life. I thought I was going to throw up too. I had the fingers clamping up like that right before I v*. I don't know if it was severe hyperventilation. But that was the closest I've come to going to the emergency room.


Now I just feel so depressed. Severe panic attacks really drain you. [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[angles]

aww that sucks sometimespanic attacksjust pop up out of nowhere for me too when i least expect them to. it sounds like you're ok now thoughsojust be grateful its over! i thinkwhen we're going to do something that we're going to enjoy (like going to the beach) our minds subconsciously just want to piss us off and have a panic attack and ruin everythingbecause we're stressing that something will go wrong. i dontknow if that makes any sense..

[marycontrary]

I am sorry you had to deal with that. I hyperventilate when i have a panic attack and yes the tingling sensations are from the intake of too much oxygen. One time my whole head was tingling so much that it felt like it was detached from my body and floating around. That was the scariest attack for me.

[ginger_saves]

Oh you poor girl! I'm sorry that happened. ItIS a terrible feeling and I feel your pain. It drives me crazy when my best friend doesn't truly understand my anxiety/panic disorder issues.I have panic attacks almost everyday and I am so exhausted by the end of the day from fighting them. With them,I always feel like I was running froma grizzly bear or something-after the adrenaline calms down andmy heart stops racing,my body is beat and my muscles ache like hell. My chest also would feel very achey after from not breathing properly. Keep taking the meds when you need to. As my doctor said to me, there is no need to suffer if there is help for the emergency situation.

[andee]

So sorry for you. I have had those and they s#%&. I always get N* with them and that makes it twice as bad....try to take some time to relax now and forget about it ( I know that is hard)....</font>

[daffodil]

Oh, that's awful! I have had a panic attack like that, and it is terrifying when your whole body just locks up like that. I hope you are feeling better now!

[angel13]

Man, that sucks...isn't it just typical, the way they ALWAYS happen at the most inappropriate times! I had one like that in the shopping mall once. It just took me by surprise. I suppose because it was such a beautiful day, and I was feeling so good, this little voice in my head said to me "Hang on...this is all TOO good...something's gotta go wrong..."


Maybe that's what triggered yours? You might have been so concentratedon making it aperfect day, that you subconsciously started worrying about all the bad things that *could* happen (v*, n*, etc.).


The most severe one I ever had was exactly how you described - fingers clamping up, unable to swallow, the tingling, etc. Itsa horrible feeling [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]


Anyway, I hope you feel better. Don't give up on the picnic though - try it again. Don't let emet win this one!


~Jules
Edited by: angel13

[punchbuggy]

sorry you had to go through that, dotn worry things always get better with time[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[gemini72]

OMG


I've had those. Tell your doctor. He will give you a Xanax that will dissolve in your mouth. I have those. No water needed. Just for episodes like that.


Hope you are feeling better!


Nichole

[6pksummer]

What caused it....hope you are feeling better.

[HDogg]

I still don't know what caused that. It was the weirdest attack I've ever had. I've had bad attacks where I felt sheer terror and thought I was losing my mind. But this one caused the numbness and clenching I never had before. It was crazy.


So having that kind of reaction was "normal"--at least, as far as panic attacks go? It was the most terrifying experience of my life. It was even scarier than when I actually v*! I thought I was going to pass outor have a heart attack and die on the spot. It sucked. [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[tcsarah]

Yea panic attacks are the scariest things and they aren't necessarily the same as each other. You probably already know this but could you try carrying a paper bag around with you to breath into just incase this happens again - it will help. Some people confuse panic attacks with a heart problem when they first experience oneand are rushed to the hospital, only to be told they 'just' had a panic attack. Shows how intense these things can be. Most important thing to remember is though that a panic attack can't kill you, and it will pass.


I had my first panic attack at eleven years old in a crowded school assembly hall and wondered what the hell had just happened to me. I never told a soul about them either (I always managed to hide them well). For many years I really thought that I was either going mad or had something seriously wrong with me.