Why am I getting intense seconds long bursts of panic?

[italiancookie]

This has been a theme for me the last few years, and I've posted about it before, but since I've been in a healthy, happy relationship, it's subsided a ton.

Tonight however, I had the most intense attack I've had in a while. I was on the computer doing some research, when suddenly the fingers in my right hand went numb (pins and needles) and quickly followed with blind panic. So intense that I felt like I had to get up and run and cry for literally no reason. My body felt cold, like I'd just had a shock to my system (because I guess I did haha), and I felt super brain foggy. But the panic subsided in about 30 seconds, and then I just felt generally weird.

My mom has epilepsy, and so seizures have always been my worst fear, and I know they can appear like this. But I've been tested many many times with in office EEGs, take home EEGs, and also two four day stays in the hospital. And just two weeks ago I had a genetic epilepsy blood test and it came back negative. So I feel like I've had many signs point to it not being seizures, but when something like this happens, especially after so long....it's really hard not to freak out.

Does anyone experience anything like this? Weird bodily sensations and blind terror for a very short amount of time? Not like a normal panic attack where you feel you're having a heart attack.

(Also, completely unrelated and stupid, but does anyone know how to add tags to these posts? lol)

[bbanxiety]

Hi there,

I made a post about this a few weeks ago and had a few replies.

healthunlocked.com/anxietys...

Personally, I had this happen quite a few times and I've had it happen for no reason at all.

I have two tonic clinic seizures as a child and nothing since then, I'm now 28 and starting a few months ago I started having normal panic attacks, I wound myself up after they ended into thinking they were seizures and ever since then that thought hasn't left my mind.

I have shot myself in the foot by doing so much research into epilepsy and seizures that I have convinced myself that the sudden short burst of panic is a simple focal seizure.

But what is also key for me to remember is that I'm so primed now to think that any form of anxiety and panic is a seizure, that my hypersensitivity body reads to any tiny ounce of anxiety and panic as "it's got to be a seizure", which then propels my anxiety into orbit.

I've spoken to quite a few people about this, and they have said that this happens to them quite a lot. At first, I didn't believe it, so I spoke at length about it and it seems quite normal, I just think the difference is is that they don't frequently talk about it.

I had an EEG today and I'm awaiting a final consultation with my doctor to conclude what may or may not be happening.

All I know is, since I've been attending to my mental health issues, it's quietened down quite a bit. And also, one more piece of reassuring information for you, I was prescribed anti epileptic drugs at my initial consultation due to my history of seizures as a child just as a precaution. Guess what? I still get these short bursts of panic now and again.

[italiancookie in reply to bbanxiety]

Thank you for this! It’s always incredibly reassuring to hear these stories. I hope you get some answers as well