Question:
Betsy, I sat down on the bed, and just yelled for them(her and my husband) and they came in…I told them I was having a very hard time breathing and felt like I was going to die, and then I started crying. I remember saying I was going to die and she was upset, my husband, who has been through this whole mess with me before, just holds my hand and talks to me. I have had them in stores or out somewhere and can pretty much contain acting out, I just breathe heavy until I can get the hell out. My friend has never been subjected to anything like a panic attack so I guess it may have scared her? I don’t know. Now, she is really good with them, she can talk me right through anything. I think it takes a lot of exposure and knowing the person *will not* die to become a partner in helping that person through it. Sort of like, Panic Attack Lamaze, hey, a new concept! LOL Hope that helps! Cheryl
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – One time I had one and my best friend(who is now married to my husband’s brother:o))and she was so scared she sat on the floor(I was sitting on the bed with my legs hanging down) and hugged my leg What did she observe about you? When I’ve experienced panic attacks around other people, nobody even knows anything is wrong. Its like my own private hell. Nobody has a clue until I say something. What was it that scared your friend? Betsy
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have got to a point in over 12 years of dealing with AD and PA, I just say "Come on. You want in so let’s do it. I know what’s coming, and the more I try to stop it, the worse it gets." I have reached a point where I can have intense anxiety and except for a rapid pulse that might be observable by my shirt thumping as my heart pounds, nobody notices. I see people at all stages of PD and I especially feel for those who have had only a few and wonder what the hell this thing is. I can’t explain without writing a book how I got to where I am. But somehow, I’ve made a truce with Mr. Panic.
hey jake youve discovered paradoxical intention-when you ask for it it goes away-sort of like sex with a spouse eh? Once that truce gets tested once too often and you dont fight the anxiety but just say ok give me all you got and it sort of tries to but cant-youve won the war-and it will happen LM
Response:
What is your attitude towards your panic attacks? Do you fear them, try to talk yourself out of them, try to control them, try to prevent them, try to "float through" them, respect them, accept them, try to "get along" with them, try to co-exist with them?
All of the above! ;) I try to take risks, in a ‘measured’ way. I don’t go to Target alone if I know I’m likely to panic – it’s too big, too many people, etc. But I try to take myself to the bank and the grocery store when fewer people are likely to be there. I do avoid some situations all together, though they are decreasing in number. I’ve gotten better at dealing with the PAs when they happen – used to take me 3-4 or more hours to calm down from a big one (rapid heartbeat and thoughts, irregular breathing, etc). I try to do more and more of what I want to do, respecting my limitations and pushing them sometimes, when it makes sense. I am more easily able to ‘float through’ them now than I used to be. My self-talk has changed and is more positive now when they are happening. I don’t know… sometimes I think I’m fooling myself… when I think about how I spend my time, places I go, I realize that most of my time is still spent at home, though I am able to do more now, go more places… it’s still not a ‘normal’ life. <sigh I have more energy than I did, depression is no longer a concern for me, it’s the anxiety. That’s a BIG change! I want it better NOW… but some things just take time. I am not known for my patience. :/ I try to co-exist with my disability, honoring that these are my limitations now, but keep pushing myself forward. And what is the "Panic Monster"? Is it something other than yourself? Does it "attack" you, as an epileptic seizure might? Or, do you have some control over it?
I don’t think of a ‘panic monster’. I guess because my diagnosis is PTSD, I know where my fears are coming from (which past experiences are triggers) and more or less what to do about them (as much as anyone can). I don’t blame myself or my family, anyone or anything else for what is happening to me… it just is, and my goal is to find a way through it. It will not always be. I have made progress, some days are tough. I still have limitations, and that might be the hardest thing for me to deal with. take care, Renee "Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." – Henry Ford
Response:
I have got to a point in over 12 years of dealing with AD and PA, I just say "Come on. You want in so let’s do it. I know what’s coming, and the more I try to stop it, the worse it gets." I have reached a point where I can have intense anxiety and except for a rapid pulse that might be observable by my shirt thumping as my heart pounds, nobody notices. I see people at all stages of PD and I especially feel for those who have had only a few and wonder what the hell this thing is. I can’t explain without writing a book how I got to where I am. But somehow, I’ve made a truce with Mr. Panic.
Response:
Panic attacks control me. I am "lucky" to have limited symptom panic attacks-but they are gruesome enough. I hate them and really am glad someone invented the benzo’s. Ellen
Response:
try to "float through" them,
i’ve heard this term used a lot. What exactly does it mean and how is it done? Betsy
Response:
One time I had one and my best friend(who is now married to my husband’s brother:o))and she was so scared she sat on the floor(I was sitting on the bed with my legs hanging down) and hugged my leg
What did she observe about you? When I’ve experienced panic attacks around other people, nobody even knows anything is wrong. Its like my own private hell. Nobody has a clue until I say something. What was it that scared your friend? Betsy
Response:
One time I had one and my best friend(who is now married to my husband’s brother:o))and she was so scared she sat on the floor(I was sitting on the bed with my legs hanging down) and hugged my leg What did she observe about you? When I’ve experienced panic attacks around other people, nobody even knows anything is wrong. Its like my own private hell. Nobody has a clue until I say something. What was it that scared your friend? Betsy
The same with me, Betsy. Only people that know me REALLY well know when I am having high anxiety. But that might be, too, because they know what situations will trigger me.That’s why it’s so difficult to explain that I am Ag to new friends. "But you look so normal." I hate it when they say that. I AM normal. Alittle goofy, perhaps, but normal nonetheless. Karen
Response:
What is your attitude towards your panic attacks? Do you fear them, try to talk yourself out of them, try to control them, try to prevent them, try to "float through" them, respect them, accept them, try to "get along" with them, try to co-exist with them? And what is the "Panic Monster"? Is it something other than yourself? Does it "attack" you, as an epileptic seizure might? Or, do you have some control over it? Chip
Response:
Hi Chip, A great question. I feel that the "Panic Monster" is what happens when I allow a panic attack to take control of me instead of me taking control of it. I believe that I am totally capable of controlling my anxiety before it becomes a panic attack. Not always of course, but a lot of the time. I have to "face the fear" and remember what is the worst thing that could happen to me. It’s hard but it’s doable. Will they ever go away totally – I don’t think so. I just have to learn to live with it. Take Care, Debby 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is your attitude towards your panic attacks? Do you fear them, try to talk yourself out of them, try to control them, try to prevent them, try to "float through" them, respect them, accept them, try to "get along" with them, try to co-exist with them? And what is the "Panic Monster"? Is it something other than yourself? Does it "attack" you, as an epileptic seizure might? Or, do you have some control over it? Chip
Response:
Hey Chip, Your questions are very thought provoking…well, my panic attacks get me so agitatied, I become very afraid. After I really feel depressed and then anger sets in. During the panic I am have so much impending sense of doom, there isn’t any way to control it. I can try my best to *prevent* them…One time I had one and my best friend(who is now married to my husband’s brother:o))and she was so scared she sat on the floor(I was sitting on the bed with my legs hanging down) and hugged my leg. I started laughing at the craziness of it all…I scared her, I can’t imagine what it looks like to *un-PA* people. I am not sure if this helps, I know everyone has a story or a different way of experiencing this weird illness. Good luck to you Chip, with all of your questions(and they are always therapeutic to answer) you should write a book. Cheryl
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is your attitude towards your panic attacks? Do you fear them, try to talk yourself out of them, try to control them, try to prevent them, try to "float through" them, respect them, accept them, try to "get along" with them, try to co-exist with them? And what is the "Panic Monster"? Is it something other than yourself? Does it "attack" you, as an epileptic seizure might? Or, do you have some control over it? Chip
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