My top three panic attacks!

[davjon]

I'm still new to this site though I've written a couple of blogs (anxietyuk.healthunlocked.co...

and anxietyuk.healthunlocked.co....

As you'll see from my first post, I try and bring humour/positive thinking into my anxiety. This got me wondering about the best (or most humourous) panic attacks I've had, therefore here's a list of the top three:

3: Any recent time driving over Briton Ferry bridge (maps.google.co.uk/maps?rlz=...

For some reason I started fearing the motorway over this bridge. It's not straight and has a curve (if they'd built it straight I'd be ok!) and you can drive 70mph on it. However, the last time I went over it, I did about 20 mph and the old biddies were overtaking me and beeping the horn whilst my wife was trying to stay calm. Now it has affected me driving on the motorway.

2: Morrisons shopping. Was on my own and did the shop and was in the queue. Put the shopping on the belt and had the panic attack. I rushed out and left everything there! Outside phoned my wife who calmed me down and I managed (only just) to walk back in and go to the check out. Thankfully the very kind people behind me and the check out girl had bagged my items and were wondering where I was. I only just managed to get there and pay for the items whilst muttering thanks and explaining that I was having a panic attack. Managed to get out of there and home.

1: The best one! Got up and went downstairs to do something (had a drink the night before) and came back up really anxious and worried. Checked my pulse and couldn't find so went into a full blown panic attack as my heart was stopping or stopped! Told my wife what was happening and sat up in bed. Brought back down to earth by my wife pointing out that my heart couldn't have stopped as I was sitting up in bed and alive! She's a woman so she's got to be right! Lol

[mia500]

Omg no: 2 and 3 are ones that I have experienced as well,I thought I was the only one,got up one night and couldn't find pulse like you I thought my heart had stopped,I nearly called a ambulance but stopped myself and then didn't sleep for the rest of the night.walked out of stores many a time and refuse to buy something from a store if there is long queue and I get fidgety and anxious about standing around waiting idle as it brings on negative thoughts.

[Mandy26]

I have to say as much as these would have been horrible things to go through at the time this did make me laugh! I've experienced number 1!

I think the main one for me is when I took my worst attack at work, it was also my first so I had no idea what was happening. Because I was around all of my colleagues I was trying to pretend I was OK so when somebody walked past me in the lobby I would stand up straight and smile like nothing was wrong, then when the door closed I'd crumple into a heap, hand on my chest almost crying...until someone else came along...up I stood, beaming smile. If anything I probably looked a bit mental!

[yaddy]

aup mate. I can certainly relate to no.2 a few weeks ago I was in a subway with my partner to get some thing to eat, it was a small but very busy branch the que wass quite long but went down really quickly. they had so many meal deals on some finishing at different times and then in no time I was at the counter the women asked me what I wanted? I frooze the women was staring at me as were the people in the que and my partner asking if I was alright I just couldnt make a decision started to sweat threw the money at my partner barged through some one who was paying at the other side of the counter ran downstairs to there seating area and sat in the corner shaking till my partner came down to calm me down.

[davjon]

I think it shows how 'normal' we all are. It is horrible thinking that you're the only person that it happens to.

I can laugh about them now but obviously at the time I wasn't! Lol

My doctor told me not to worry about my heart, as I'll be the first one to know it's stopped! Lol

[Meerkatz]

My worst one I had was in A&E. I went tachycardic and they rushed me into Resuss, stuck a canulla in me - did bloods - wired me up for ECG. Took them over an hour ro calm me down. Not surprising it took so long after what they did to me!!!! Scariest moment of my life (so far).

[Hidden]

hi ive had number 2 and 3, i went through a phase of constantly checking my pulse and counting my heartbeats, i dont really do it now but when i first started with panic attacks and anxiety i went to the hospital a couple of times thinking i was having a heart attack, even went up in an ambulance once my blood pressure was so high and my heart was beating so fast they took me up to get checked out i was in such a state then for months afterwards i was obsessed with checking my pulse if it was faint and a bit slow i thought my heart was failing and if it was fast i was in the grip of a heart attack i can smile to myself now at my wild overreactions but at the time it was terrifying x

[davjon]

How did you stop checking it? I only ask because I've developed a bit of OCD over doing it.

About a year ago I was doing the front garden and bent down and rose up, all of a sudden I felt faint so went out the back to sit down. I was feeling weak and knew that my heart was going a bit fast.

Cut the story short I started to really panic because it wouldn't slow down, I couldn't breathe properly and was waiting for the pain to come in my chest and for me to die.

We called an ambulance and they checked me out and the paramedic said my heart was doing 240 bpm. He hooked me up to the mobile ecg etc. To stop it, he asked me to blow and on a syringe really hard. I did and it dropped down 100 straight away. They took me in to the hospital and did checks etc and sent me home when my heart got down to 100 bpm.

They didn't tell me why it happened and that is playing a part in my anxiety. I don't class it as a panic attack but as heart palpitations. Though it was most probably anxiety.

[Hidden in reply to davjon]

hi i just stopped doing it over time as i learned to control my anxiety better and the panic attacks subsided, they told me at the hospital that rapid heart beat and palpitations were brought on at the time by too much noradrenaline being pumped into the body and was a classic symptom of panic and anxiety but for a long time i wouldnt listen to anyone else and thought i had a serious heart defect, but it did stop and i dont even think about my heart rate anymore or check my pulse it sort of went away on its own or maybe i just found new things to worry about! i also used to think i was getting pains down my left arm the slightest tingle down my arms and i used to think im about to have a heart attack that would make me panic and make my heart speed up i was in a vicious cycle and didnt realise at the time was being very self destructive but that is what anxiety does to you x

[Bramwell]

It get that sometimes.

The blood rushing from your head and you feeling faint if you jump up quickly from bending, squatting or kneeling.

I've had it all my life and in fact, I can remember at school groups of us would deliberately keep doing it until we fell over half-faint!

[davjon in reply to Bramwell]

It's something we all get but I've found myself being too afraid to bend down on occasions.

My heart used to race when I was younger, in my teens but it never bothered me as a few deep breaths and it went back to normal. Didn't even go to the doctor over it and I've since found that it can be common in teens.

The big problem at the moment is that I'm worried it will happen again and I won't be able to stop it and then we have to get the ambulance or worse. Imagine that happening in front of loads of people, that's the fear I have.

Perhaps I just need to be brave and hope it happens again so that I can deal with it and get the confidence from sorting it out once and for all.