panic attacks

[melody1209]

I know it’s silly, and I’m trying not to freak out, but I heard from both my friend in <st1:State w:st="&#111;n">Virginia</st1:State> and my mom in upstate <st1:State w:st="&#111;n"><st1lace w:st="&#111;n">New York</st1lace></st1:State> yesterday, and they both told me that they caught a sv over the weekend. My mom is an emet too, so to hear that she was sick and v* all night long makes me nervous, because if it can happen to them, it could just as easily happen to me, right? They said that they felt fine before they went to bed, and woke up feeling like they had to v* with barely any warning. Last night I kept waking up afraid that I was going to wake up feeling like I had to v*. I had panic attacks all through the night, and barely got any sleep. I’m a wreck this morning. My boyfriend has been asking me if I’m ok since yesterday, and he knows about my emet, but I feel like I really am overreacting. I wish I had something I could take to ease the anxiety. Sometimes I wish I could just v* and get it over with. It’s like the longer I go without v*ing, the more scary it becomes for me.

I’m so tired of being scared and having panic attacks L

[tayda]

Don't really know what to say, but noticed you didn't have any replies.


I find what works best for me is being outside..and always having purell... it's soooo cold here right now... (I brought the pups for a walk this morning... and my eyes were blurry when I went inside.. it was like my eyes were freezingoutside.. BUT THE AIR IS SO CRISP, CLEAN, AND REFRESHING... as long as I'm outside, bundled up.. and DOING something... I can usually temporarily over come anxiety... though sometimes a nice bath does the trick too.. or just sitting in a hot shower on the floor..


Either way.. clean and purell often.. and you will be fine. I can't help you w/ the v* thing... but KNOW that if you absolutely need to v* your body WILL do it... unfortunately.. BUT YOU WILL LIVE..


I"m sure you will be fine though.. just take care... exersice and drink oj and eat right

[kylie_0607]

Hi I had the same thing the other night. It is always worst at night. But what I tell myself is that once I ahve got through one night and didn't v* then it wont happen again because nothing happened when I thought it would. I usually try and take my mind off it. Can you read or watch tv without waking anyone? But I totally understand and sympathise it has happened to me many times esp in Decemeber which was when I last had an sv last year.

[dord]

We are all scared of tired of this phobia. I am like you and the longer I go the more afraid I seem to get. I even count out how long it's been for hubs and son to try and gauge when it will happen again. It's crazy - I can rationalize how stupid it is for me to do it, none of us know when it's going to happen, only that it is. Every person on this board including me is going to V again, probably a few times in a lifetime and we will survive it. Does that help my panic....no. For me right after I've been sick I feel such calm and relief, like I'm free for a few more years. You're not alone in how you feel by any means. Talk with your Mom, I think you're pretty lucky to have a Mom who has this phobia (although I certainly wouldn't wish it on anyone).

[hippybamagirl]

I can relate - I tend to wake up in the middle of the night and just feel so relieved that I feel OK. I really just need to sleep through the night - I hate flu season!


I just remind myself that before my emet was really bad I was awful about using purell and washing hands before I ate. I never caught anything. The other thing that I think of is the time when my roommate caught a 24 hours SV and I caught it a day later and NEVER V*'d - I just felt horrible for a day. I also try to be careful at work and Purell after I touch elevator buttons and door handles.

[redapple]

i'm so sorry you're going through a rough time. i've had so many
nights like the one you experienced...but i survived them all.
you did too! this is a very rough time of year.



you know the 'rules', be comforted by them! if you train yourself
not to touch your face, it will be next to impossible for you to get a
virus.



here for you.

[melody1209]

Thanks everyone. I've been able to sleep better since that night, but i still get those panicky feelings of doom every now and then. redapple, i also had an sv a couple of years ago, and everyone living on my floor in my dorm was v*ing, but i didn't v* once, so i figure, if i can survive an sv without v* while living in a college dorm, i can probably make it through this winter season without getting an sv or v* at all.


I try and tell myself, if it happens, it happens. That's my rational side talking, but the irrational emet part of me just panics.