Panic attack put me in Hosiptal!

[Jay]

I had a very very odd experience today. I was working away when I started to feel a little strange, I got hot, started to shake, struggled to breath and got a pain in my chest. I was rushed to hospital by a work mate and after a few tests was told that I had probably had a really bad panic attack. The odd thing was that I felt fine seconds before and although there is a lot going on at the moment I didn't feel like it was getting on top of me.

I also still have a pain in my chest... odd.

oh and it looks like it gave me bad spelling as well.

[staffsMike]

That happens to my gf.. Not much you can do beyond attempting to calm yourself down.

They wont do anything for you really.. unless you actually stop breating I suppose.. but it's never been that bad for her.

[pollaxe]

I had exactly the same thing about three years ago during a bout of insomnia - though I wasn't hospitalised. I ended-up on my hands and knees waiting to die, I was convinced I was having a heart-attack. I felt absolutely fine seconds before it happened then whoomph it came out of the blue. When I didn't die and gradually came back to 'normal' I thought myself "I wonder if that was a panic attack?"

I did some research and found that it had been. I'd been through a lot of stress over the 18 months before it happened and some other stuff afterwards and I went through a series of them for some time but never as bad as the first one. Weirdly, knowing what they were helped. One of the things I found out was that it's the body's way of coping with a lot of built-up tension, almost like a pressure cooker.

Panic attack sounds such a mundane thing but when you're in the middle of one it's the most overwhelming thing you can imagine; bloody horrible. I've cut down on stimulants (caffeine in my case) and tried to limit stressful things and I've been much better since. I still will get the odd flutter but nowhere near as bad as they were. Have a think about making some lifestyle changes if you can Jay, they are very debilitating and sometimes the fear of them can bring them on again. Some people only ever have one - I hope you're the latter!

[chuckskull]

Sorry to hear that mate, my mum suffers terribly with them.

I had a few a while back during a particularly grim part of my life. I don't mind admitting the first one scared the hell out of me. I was fine up until right before too and having a pretty normal day. All you do is try and stay calm really and let it pass. It gets a lot easier once you understand what's happening. Still not pleasant though.

After that little spate I never had them again. I hope it's just a temporary thing for you too. My advice would be use it as an excuse to relax for the evening, just one evening away from your worries can make a big difference mentally and your body deciding to mainline adrenaline, without consulting you, can take a good few hours to recover from physically.

[sammyc]

Have a think about making some lifestyle changes if you can Jay, they are very debilitating and sometimes the fear of them can bring them on again. Some people only ever have one - I hope you're the latter!

Yeah it is one of those things that if you can break the cycle of fear, that's half the battle [from experience of friends that have had similar]. Easy to say I know though. If you can hang on to the knowledge it WILL pass & isn't going to 'get you' then ipso facto you will be contributing less conscious panic & thus help defuse things. Hope you don't have a repeat, just try & remember that it feels a lot worse than what it signifies; and you've been given a good looking-over, & feel reassured hopefully.

[Syd]

For about a couple of years I kept getting 'shooting' type pains in the left side of my chest, both at times of stress and not. My job is pretty full on at times so I put brushed it aside, as you do, and cracked on. Until 1 day about 18 months ago, just before an appointment the pains came and got progressivley worse. It got to the point that like you one of my colleagues drove me to the hospital. I was there in A&E in a gown for 2 hours - they checked my heart, blood and xray'd my chest - I was petrified, thought that was it........... Until I was given all clear, must have been a panic attack.
Time went on and I kept getting the chest pains - less aggressive than that last ime but still worrying. Several trips to the doctors and diagnosis of stress and muscular pain. In the end I did some research on the web and found alot of info out there on anxiety related chest pains. The advice if you start getting them, initially stay calm - I know it's east to say but it does help. Also stretch - arms up to the sky until they touch above your head and push them up to gently stretch your chest - yoga is also meant to help, but aside from a bit of wii fit I don't do the yoga!!!

I have stopped drinking coffee, tea instead. But the real key for me was to stay calm and don't let yourself get too agitated - along with the stretching I have reduced my issue to a very manageable condition - maybe once a month if that - and it used to be every other day.

I hope this helps - I do understand how worrying it can be

[TAKTAK]

I suppose it is just one of those things, it may never happen to you again...

Are you okay now? (apart from lingering chest pain)

Just keep something that is soothing (to you), nearby

[666moe666]

I used to have these when i was in around year 4-5 which made me around 8-9yrs old.
The doctor put it down to me worrying about stuff cause my mother was dying/died.

[Stoo]

Jay, do you have a sister who runs a pub?

Was at our usual bolt-hole this lunch time and she had a call from her brother with exactly the same thing..

Spooky.

[KidChameleon]

I used to have mild panic attacks a few years ago. The worst one came as I was walking through town on my own. I've never really liked crowds and it was particularly busy that day. I ended up standing in an alcove between some shops, facing the wall. I was shaking badly, sweating, had the feeling of imminent crying. It's horrible, especially when you know lots of strangers are watching you. Facing a wall helped - if I can't see them, they can't see me sort of effect. I often used to wear a baseball cap for the same reason.

[Jay]

Jay, do you have a sister who runs a pub?

Was at our usual bolt-hole this lunch time and she had a call from her brother with exactly the same thing..

Spooky.

lol.. no, it wasn't me. That is strange though!

I'm off to the Doctors on Monday too see why my chest still feels really odd.

[Agent]

Hope you're ok mate, shout if you need anything

[0iD]

My dad suffered all his life. Hope you're ok chap

[jim]

I had one about twelve months ago at my sixth form, after an asthma attack. Same as pollaxe, I thought I was having a heart attack or something similar, and each part of my body starting from the extremities and moving inwards felt like it was shutting down - really terrifying when I had no idea what was going on.

Although I have to say, once I'd recovered I was pretty chuffed that I'd had a paramedic sent out to sort me out, made me feel like all that VAT I'd paid over the years had gone towards something

As a few people have said it shouldn't be anything to get too concerned over regarding future attacks - as long as you can calm down you'll usually be alright, or at least that's what I was told after mine. Keeping your breathing regulated and slow is about the best thing you can do most of the time, and of course having someone make sure you keep hold of the situation is always very useful, as it's very easy to drift out.

Hope your chest stuff gets sorted out, and with a bit of luck you won't have another one any time soon - they certainly aren't a lot of fun.

[Flash477]

Hope you're ok mate, shout if you need anything

same here mate

[Rave]

Never had a panic attack myself, but my wife's cousin's girlfriend had one at our house after a party. She was fine, having a good time with us all, then suddenly she was shaking and hyperventilating. I was drunk, so probably not quite as helpful as I could have been, but we just held her hands, kept talking to her and reassuring her that it was 'just' a panic attack, and she came round soon enough. Been fine since AFAIK, although we only see her at family occasions.

Hope I never do have one, it looked very scary for her. TBH though, although my job can be bastard stressful at times, I'm a smoker so it it gets really bad I take a fag break and calm down. And I hope you're alright Jay, good luck mate.