Question:
(some snipping of my own post) ** Joel, did your panic attacks return before or after you lost your job…..and with the addition of a new family member, me thinks me sees a pattern here.
(more snipping of my own post) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve gotten used to living with PA’s. It wasn’t until I lost my job that they once again began to interfere with my life. I was having distinct episodes 2 or 3 times a day for a week after I lost my job. My wife had yet to give birth. I went to my gp and asked to go back on Zoloft, which I’ve had success with in the past. Now, 3 weeks later, the episodes are down to 2 or 3 a week and I’m of a better mentality to handle them. I don’t think that you can be "cured" of PA’s. Maybe I should just speak for myself. I think that for some unknown reason I have been blessed 
with them and live with them the best that I can. Sometimes they are worse than others and require some outside assistance ie: meds, therapy. Right now I’m at a low point. I know that I took my unemployment as an inability to care for my family. Even though my wife has been supportive and we are financially sound,I didn’t take too well to it! Now that the PA’s seem to be under some sort of control, I can get my attitude back into working order. So what pattern do you see developing Elliott?
** Hi Joel, the pattern I saw, and seems that you confirm, was similar to past experiences of mine. At a time when I had PA’s under control, they started up again. At the time that they did, I had several things going on in my life that were "uncertainties" that added to the "so called" normal stress. My brother and I had just bought the business we’re in (debt city for 10 yrs) and right after that, we lost our largest income company. A new sense of responsibility hit me which I didn’t anticiapate, along with the debt and loss of income. It was soon after that when my PA’s started up again. The pattern that I thought I saw, and that you seem to confirm, is that your PA’s didn’t start up again until *after* you lost your job. That in itself is a real life change, and life changes (even good ones) can increase stress. With a child on the way, there was an added stress (a good one) but with a baby on the way, and out of a job, you got a bit of a double whammy. Those who have never suffered from a PA would probalby have been hard pressed to keep it *together* under those circumstances. Being prone to PA’s however, the return does not seem unusual (either in your case or mine). I’m sorry you feel at a low point, but I am glad that the PA’s are easing up. Yes, get that attitude back into working order, in whatever way works best for you. I agree with you that you can never be "cured" of PA’s, and I too, speak for myself. I think that by knowing how to deal with them as they pop up, is the key to recovery and a relatively anxiety free life. Many here have shown that they are now "rid" of the beast, but even they have to deal with it "once in a while." They seem to have found the ability to "not let it get out of hand" when the symptoms appear. *I hope that will be the case for the both of us.* That’s my story and I’m sticking to it……EJK — The food here is terrible, and the portions are so small.
Response:
Hi there! I’m Joel. I just found ASAP and really like what I see. I was diagnosed with having panic attacks 7 years ago. My wife and I just had our first child, Alec (he has his own site at http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~chg/alec.html), I was fired from my job of 7 years 6 weeks ago!, and I’m wondering why I’m having pa’s again(yuck yuck . My doc put me back on Zoloft. It worked when I used it once before. While my wife is soooooooooo reassuring and supportive, I find comfort in the fact that there are others out there who understand what I go through. I look forward to future postings. Ciao
** Hi Joel, nice to see ya! It’s great to have a good support person, isn’t it, but as you say, there is still no way that she can *really* understand, having not experienced a panic attack herself. Hey, I’m just catching on that about once a month, my wife has hormonal swings;) You ladies out there, how often have you tried to tell your "male" companion about PMS, or just the normal "flow" of things. I know that I’m sympathetic, and even keep track of the time of month, so that I can be prepared, but do I understand it….A BIG NO. YOU’RE NOT ALONE…….EJK — The food here is terrible, and the portions are so small.
Response:
I’m Joel. I just found ASAP and really like what I see. I was diagnosed with having panic attacks 7 years ago. My wife and I just had our first child, Alec (he has his own site at http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~chg/alec.html), I was fired from my job of
** Gary, I’m sure you were going to say (once you got off the sofa) that you wondered what kind of child they had? The kid was born with a web site? Is there now a new evolutionary gene that we are beginning to pass along? Now that we have learned how to walk, talk and make fire, I guess building web sites is, well, just 2nd nature. Oh, they just grow up so fast these days-:). ** Joel, did your panic attacks return before or after you lost your job…..and with the addition of a new family member, me thinks me sees a pattern here. If you don’t mind, why not give a bit more information about when the PA’s started up again, probably beginning with when you found out that you were expecting a visit from the stork. Better still, just advise *when* the panic attacks started up again, with a time reference to these two events. YOU’RE NOT ALONE……EJK — The food here is terrible, and the portions are so small.
Response:
** Gary, I’m sure you were going to say (once you got off the sofa)that you wondered what kind of child they had? The kid was born with a web site? Is there now a new evolutionary gene that we are beginning to pass along? Now that we have learned how to walk, talk and make fire, I guess building web sites is, well, just 2nd nature.
My son is very advanced you know Oh, they just grow up so fast these days-:). ** Joel, did your panic attacks return before or after you lost your job…..and with the addition of a new family member, me thinks me sees a pattern here. If you don’t mind, why not give a bit more information about when the PA’s started up again, probably beginning with when you found out that you were expecting a visit from the stork. Better still, just advise *when* the panic attacks started up again, with a time reference to these two events.
I’ve gotten used to living with PA’s. It wasn’t until I lost my job that they once again began to interfere with my life. I was having distinct episodes 2 or 3 times a day for a week after I lost my job. My wife had yet to give birth. I went to my gp and asked to go back on Zoloft, which I’ve had success with in the past. Now, 3 weeks later, the episodes are down to 2 or 3 a week and I’m of a better mentality to handle them. I don’t think that you can be "cured" of PA’s. Maybe I should just speak for myself. I think that for some unknown reason I have been blessed with them and live with them the best that I can. Sometimes they are worse than others and require some outside assistance ie: meds, therapy. Right now I’m at a low point. I know that I took my unemployment as an inability to care for my family. Even though my wife has been supportive and we are financially sound,I didn’t take too well to it! Now that the PA’s seem to be under some sort of control, I can get my attitude back into working order. So what pattern do you see developing Elliott?
Response:
** Joel, did your panic attacks return before or after you lost your job…..and with the addition of a new family member, me thinks me sees a pattern here. If you don’t mind, why not give a bit more information about when the PA’s started up again, probably beginning with when you found out that you were expecting a visit from the stork. Better still, just advise *when* the panic attacks started up again, with a time reference to these two events.
I’ve gotten used to living with PA’s. It wasn’t until I lost my job that they once again began to interfere with my life. I was having distinct episodes 2 or 3 times a day for a week after I lost my job. My wife had yet to give birth.
** Hi Joel; Boy, I remember this post (was awhile back). The pattern that I saw is what you describe. The loss of your job, especially while "expecting" IMO, acted as a stressor that increased anxiety and thus the panic attacks. I too have been in a similar situation (not the same circumstances), so saw a similar pattern. When I thought that I had panic under control, I was involved in several situations that were "very" stressful and BAMM, the attacks became more severe and frequent again. I went to my gp and asked to go back on Zoloft, which I’ve had success with in the past. Now, 3 weeks later, the episodes are down to 2 or 3 a week and I’m of a better mentality to handle them. I don’t think that you can be "cured" of PA’s. Maybe I should just speak for myself. I think that for some unknown reason I have been blessed with them and live with them the best that I can.
~snip~ ** It’s always best to speak for yourself, as I am, but I happen to agree with you; as I don’t think I’ll be "cured" of panic disorder, but be able to control panic attacks. As I think that the "depth" of panic disorder is different for each individual (recent articles I’ve read have indicated that some cases are much more difficult to treat; and results vary, especially in chronic cases), I can only hope for the best. For me, the best may be long term remission and the ability to recognize panic and be able to control it. OTOH, it may be that the best I can hope for is that I’ll always be "somewhat" limited by this disorder, and deal with it as best I can. Only time will tell. ** Glad you’re doing better. Another recent article made it clear that reducing these "stressors" in our lives is "one" of the elements in taming the beast. While I know that I’ve worked hard to eliminate "many" of them, I think we both know that life doesn’t always work that way;-) — Used wisely, your 2
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