Panick Attacker?

[mad1]

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[This message has been edited by mad1 (edited 01-07-2002).]

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by mad1:
Who here also like me can suffer very mild ‘panic attacks’?

Anyone?

The reason Im asking is to see if Im not alone ……..my prob is restaurants esp………..I freak out and want to run out, esp if Im sitting with strangers…I get very uncomfortable……..ok perhaps this may not be seen so much as a panick attack, but its beginning to get to me……..like my mum would say, ‘ok, lets go to a restaurant together’, now that’s all very well, but I know her, not strangers so how on earth can that help…………………has anyone been here? I just sit and dwell to much on the situation, feel my throat getting tight over panick therefore lose my appetite……..its getting me down badly, I feel anyone I meet now or mates I have to avoid this situation………………

I don’t want therapy, I think therapy is for those who feel completely beaten by it, and Im not, its just now I haven’t been out to a restaurant for absolutely ages………………..and due to that length of time have become scared and actually lazy about it…………..I keep thinking pple judge and question on what and how much u eat, etc…I feel they are prying and questioning too much, I think I had that once before which put me into this mode…..(I know, ur all prob laughing or confused!!!!!!!! )

It is all in the head prob, its how to overcome, so has anyone else out there been down the same road, or something similar?????????

Well I could no more walk into a roomful of strangers and act 'normal' than I could fly to the moon. I also go to insane lengths to avoid anyone who makes me uncomfortable. Don't know if that counts as a panic attack.

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"The animals, baby"

[Zooman91]

Well, my panic attack usually consists of the room getting very hot, and sometimes, my vision blurs for about 2-3 sec. It passes fairly quickly once I realize there is nothing to worry about. If that doesn't happen, then I won't be sleeping for a while.

[DebbieSG]

I don't get them -- except my hands shake when I have to give speeches in front of people and when I perform playing violin I sometimes mess up because I start thinking of what others are thinking or how I'm doing rather than concentrating -- but I have a book to recommend to you: it's called Painfully Shy by Barbara G. Markway and Gregory P. Markway (sure it's on Amazon).

It explains exactly what you're going through, and tells how you can overcome it.

Don't be afraid to ask for help...

[Discoteque]

Maddie (((hug))) I have them too. And they are NOT mild!

(long!) I have a fear of heights, but it's weird, it's only in certain instances...and this has parlayed itself into a fear of BRIDGES. I had my first panic attack years ago while going up the inside stairway of a very high church spire inside a beautiful old church that is a tourist attraction in my former hometown area. I literally could not breathe, had to stop and sit down, could not move, and had to *cling* to my boyfriend--with my eyes shut--while he carefully guided em down the stairs.

the next one came when I took a wrong highway exit, and ended up going over a VERY HIGH connecting ramp...it was all I could do to concentrate on getting over the bridge, without starting to scream hysterically and not be able to stop!!! VERY frightening.

Ask Moonie about my experience in Long Beach...we were exhausted, it was after 2 back to back U2 shows (Vegas/LA3), and the "short cut" to get to Long Beach was over not one but TWO extremely HIGH bridges. I saw them looming in the distance and started to cry!!! Poor Moonie thought I was a lunatic....I just had to shut my eyes and deal with it till we got to the other side.

I have dreams about driving off bridges a lot too, which doesn't help any. Fortunately, I live in a flat city, so even though there are highway ramps, they're few and far between...and I try to steer clear of them! I know it's an irrational fear, but when it's happening, it doesn't seem irrational at all!! I just have to force myself to cope....

hope you will be able to overcome your fears as well, Maddie...I can totally relate! I am uncomf. in crowds/strange people as well... I gues that's why I love my on-line life/friends....I don't have to deal with any of that face-to-face stuff!

Disco

Originally posted by mad1:
Who here also like me can suffer very mild ‘panic attacks’?

Anyone?

The reason Im asking is to see if Im not alone ……..my prob is restaurants esp………..I freak out and want to run out, esp if Im sitting with strangers…I get very uncomfortable……..ok perhaps this may not be seen so much as a panick attack, but its beginning to get to me……..like my mum would say, ‘ok, lets go to a restaurant together’, now that’s all very well, but I know her, not strangers so how on earth can that help…………………has anyone been here? I just sit and dwell to much on the situation, feel my throat getting tight over panick therefore lose my appetite……..its getting me down badly, I feel anyone I meet now or mates I have to avoid this situation………………

I don’t want therapy, I think therapy is for those who feel completely beaten by it, and Im not, its just now I haven’t been out to a restaurant for absolutely ages………………..and due to that length of time have become scared and actually lazy about it…………..I keep thinking pple judge and question on what and how much u eat, etc…I feel they are prying and questioning too much, I think I had that once before which put me into this mode…..(I know, ur all prob laughing or confused!!!!!!!! )

It is all in the head prob, its how to overcome, so has anyone else out there been down the same road, or something similar?????????

[hermes]

Well I could no more walk into a roomful of strangers and act 'normal' than I could fly to the moon. I also go to insane lengths to avoid anyone who makes me uncomfortable.

I'm the exact same way.

The thing is that I'm not really afraid of new situations or anything like that. I'm almost an idiot when it comes to trying new things. But I have a hard time handling large groups of people or getting adjusted to people who I don't click with.



[This message has been edited by hermes (edited 01-03-2002).]

[senrab]

You sound like you have social phobia (or social anxiety disorder); not panic attacks, because you said you have trouble meeting strangers, and you are worried what people think when you eat etc. Panic attacks are just random outbursts of breathing trouble, rapid heartbeat and you feel like you're going to die.

I have had social phobia for years; it's ruined a lot of my life. I was very reluctant to go to therapy but I did and it really helped. I have been able to get rid of a lot of the fears I had, but I am still not all the way there yet.

There are helpful medications you can take in order to improve your mood just enough so that you are able to handle your problem the rest of the way - like Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Buspar etc. They slow down the overproduction of certain chemicals in your body, because when your body makes too much of these chemicals, in this case serotonin, you feel anxious. I am on Paxil, and it has halped a lot. The medications are not a silver bullet, however.

I hope this has been of some help to you.
Good luck, take care.

Originally posted by mad1:
Who here also like me can suffer very mild ‘panic attacks’?

Anyone?

The reason Im asking is to see if Im not alone ……..my prob is restaurants esp………..I freak out and want to run out, esp if Im sitting with strangers…I get very uncomfortable……..ok perhaps this may not be seen so much as a panick attack, but its beginning to get to me……..like my mum would say, ‘ok, lets go to a restaurant together’, now that’s all very well, but I know her, not strangers so how on earth can that help…………………has anyone been here? I just sit and dwell to much on the situation, feel my throat getting tight over panick therefore lose my appetite……..its getting me down badly, I feel anyone I meet now or mates I have to avoid this situation………………

I don’t want therapy, I think therapy is for those who feel completely beaten by it, and Im not, its just now I haven’t been out to a restaurant for absolutely ages………………..and due to that length of time have become scared and actually lazy about it…………..I keep thinking pple judge and question on what and how much u eat, etc…I feel they are prying and questioning too much, I think I had that once before which put me into this mode…..(I know, ur all prob laughing or confused!!!!!!!! )

It is all in the head prob, its how to overcome, so has anyone else out there been down the same road, or something similar?????????

[Ormus]

I really don't like to admit this, but I think I'm in the same boat as you. I have found myself, over the last few years, slowly retreating from the public. Now I'm not as bad as to say that I'm never in public, but I find myself quite uncomfortable around "new people." What I've done so far is to just ignore what I've felt...to force myself through these situations which I know are not going to hurt me. Once I get to know these people, I'm fine.

I can understand your qualms against therapy, but--trust me on this one--I would get it soon. "Therapy" does not mean you are crazy or insane. It may help you get over it through talking or it may find out you have a chemical imbalance and then you can get it corrected. You sound like you have "Social Anxiety Disorder," but I am not in a position to diagnose. In that case, there are treatments available. My point is that doing absolutely nothing will only make it worse, and if you wait too long, you may get like me and start regretting the years wasted on the panic attacks.

Anyway, if you'd like, we can talk via e-mail off the forum. Or whatever. The door is open.

Ormus

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"Then she was in the helicopter, and it was rising, and I had not gone with her, and I never saw her again, none of us did, and the last words she screamed down at me break my heart every time I think of them, and I think of them a few hundred times a day, every day, and then there are the endless, sleepless nights." - Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by hermes:
I'm the exact same way.

The thing is that I'm not really afraid of new situations or anything like that. I'm almost an idiot when it comes to trying new things. But I have a hard time handling large groups of people or getting adjusted to people who I don't click with.

[This message has been edited by hermes (edited 01-03-2002).]

The worst part is when you get into this mental cul de sac of thinking someone hates you because you said something stupid, or they looked at you a certain way, or something. In fact you've probably barely registered on their consciousness, and you know this, but it doesn't stop the second-guessing.

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"It wouldn't be a cry from the heart
or a high, hurtin' wail
we could look down and laugh now
I'd be all together
I'd be totally removed..."

[mad1]

.

[This message has been edited by mad1 (edited 01-07-2002).]

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by mad1:
I do, I always think pple are looking and laughing...........its all in the head of course, but human nature can make u feel uncomfortable.................


And as Ormus said, yes, I have stopped going out clubbing, etc because Ive been in too long, 10 years ago all this would never have crossed my mind..........I just cant seem to socialise, I freeze..........if I met u all tomorrow, gurantee u all would be chatty to each other while Im running out to go home, for comfort............and it would make me cry too, thinkin u lot can chat and do that, have somethin to chat about and well, and Im at a loss!!!!!

Im not the party animal some in here assumed, quite the opposite, and on days when I dont give too tosses about my apperance, I want to tell pple looking at me to feck off..........though they are not looking AT me, if u know what I mean, lord something must be very wrong with me........

When in pubs and that I stay in the corner and even with mate/s feel alone cause Im not a drinker, etc, whatch others enjoy themselves with their boys etc, having fun, while in there I still feel on the outside................


me nervous!

I call meself sad really, I do tink its laziness that I wont up and fight it, though no matter how hard and high ya try the rung halfway up gets broken somehow......

Probably best to ignore it all, really. My take on life is that most people's opinions of you actually are based on quite superficial perceptions. So why bother trying to impress, noone gives a shit anyway.

[mad1]

Ok some moderator delete this thread please, it may go somewhere it shouldnt go, and I dont want that.....thanks.!

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by mad1:
Ok some moderator delete this thread please, it may go somewhere it shouldnt go, and I dont want that.....thanks.!

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[Ormus]

mad1...e-mail me if you'd like, okay?

ormus@(nospam)xeidon.com

Just remove the "(nospam)" portion, obviously. Why did I put it in? Sad to say, there are programs that filter millions upon millions of pages looking for e-mail addresses to spam. And I hate ads!

Ormus

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"Then she was in the helicopter, and it was rising, and I had not gone with her, and I never saw her again, none of us did, and the last words she screamed down at me break my heart every time I think of them, and I think of them a few hundred times a day, every day, and then there are the endless, sleepless nights." - Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet

[tiny dancer]

Senrab you are so right about the symptoms of panic attacks. Believe me from one who has been there. Medication and the therapy are a big help.

[Lilly]

I am told I have mini panic attacks by my doctors. I have really bad heart murmers during, before, and after major tests and things of that nature. Yep. My heart likes to flip out on me. Sometimes all the valves close off and the chambers of my heart are like a vacuum until it gets back on track. It feels like someone has flaming rusty razors and is jabbing them into your heart while its writhing in acid. Not a pleasant feeling at all. I also have an eccentric heart where it doesn't really keep a steady beat, not for too long at least. I've never heard of anybody else having it though, so I think my doctors made it up. So, to answer your question, yes. I have panic attacks...sort of...

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On your knees boy!

[Hans Moleman]

I suggest looking into a possible Magnesium deficiency on many of your parts. Lilly, you almost sound like a classic case of it. I would highly suggest getting it checked out by a nutritionist/chiropractor/kinesiologist.

An estimated 70% of Americans are Magnesium deficient, because of American food processing and the overcooking of food. However, it is a highly important mineral, and a classic case of deficiency is extreme anxiety/panic. Traditional doctors are likely to ignore this, however, either because they aren't trained to check for vitamin/mineral deficiencies, flawed testing procedures (blood tests can often give false positives in checking for vitamin/mineral problems), or the sheer fact that traditional medicine still likes to paint it as quackery.

Melon

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"Oh no...my brains."

[Salome]

Originally posted by mad1:
Ok some moderator delete this thread please, it may go somewhere it shouldnt go, and I dont want that.....thanks.!

are you sure?



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Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

[mad1]

Well I would say yes Sal, cause Kieran said something that made me sit up and realise about my being on this forum........just keep it up for others to share amongst themselves then..............ta

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by mad1:
Well I would say yes Sal, cause Kieran said something that made me sit up and realise about my being on this forum........just keep it up for others to share amongst themselves then..............ta

This is probably irrelevant, but when I referred to 'you' in my early posts, I was NOT talking about you personally. I know nothing about you, after all. So as long as that's not the problem...


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"I could walk into this room
and the waves of conversation
are enough
to knock you down
with the undertow

soooo alone..."