Is This a Panic Attack?
Is this a panic attack? If this is your question then you probably are painfully aware of a certain experience
. Everything seems okay; Events are proceeding routinely. Suddenly with no warning, your sense of normalcy collapses!
Your heart begins racing, and every beat, every flutter, is exaggerated. Breathing becomes labored, maybe with a feeling of suffocation, and your knees feel like water. People's faces recede, the world around you becoming frightening. There is only you and this terrible crisis. You fear you are having a heart attack, or you are losing your mind, and the sense of impending doom is overwhelming. A pressing need to get urgent assistance overrides everything else, and the words that run through in your mind are, "I think I am dying!"
In my case, I was at a reunion dinner...a jovial occasion. Just as the waiter began to bring our lovely food, my surroundings started to feel nightmarish and I felt myself detaching from my surroundings. In the span of the next horrific 5 minutes, I experienced all I just described. Within 15 minutes we were on our way to the emergency room. I was certain we would not make it.
They injected me with a calming drug and soon I was back to normal, relieved I was alive, but disturbed by how such a thing could happen to me. Irrationally, I felt ashamed and humiliated for creating a "spectacle" at the dinner. I didn't want anyone to know it was "just" a panic attack.
Just a panic attack? No one who has experienced this horrific experience would ever refer to one of these events as just a panic attack. They are utterly debilitating and terrifying. What characterizes a panic attack? The onset is sudden and if it is a true panic attack, and not a heart attack, an episode will last anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes.
Symptoms are:
* Palpitations, or accelerated heart rate
* Sweating
* Trembling or shaking
* Muscle tension
* Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
* Feeling of choking
* Chest pain or discomfort
* Nausea or abdominal distress
* Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
* Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
* Fear of losing control or going insane
* Fear of dying
* Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
* Chills or hot flashes
* Weakness in the knees
* Confusion
* Blank mind
* Sensing time going by very slowly
* Feeling the need to escape
So how do you know? Is this a panic attack or a physically dangerous crisis? With a panic attack, the discomfort or pain is located over your heart. If the pain moves to your chest center, and/or down your arms, does not ease within 10 minutes, if you experience more than one episode of vomiting or diarrhea, or you get better but then the symptoms come back, seek medical help immediately. Always err on the side of caution!
Don't feel hopeless. Help is available! There are useful methods to deal with and improve this limiting condition. Understanding is power. And do NOT be ashamed! Millions of individuals share this challenge with you. There are panic attack strategies to assist you in regaining your more healthy life. Freedom from panic attacks is possible!
Is This a Panic Attack?
By: Carolyn Blake
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