probably beating a dead horse, but........

A couple months ago I was driving back from working on a machine about an hour away. All of a sudden, I thought I was dying. Heart palps, breathing was off, felt like I was going to pass out.
It felt like it took me forever to get home. When I did, my wife took me to urgent care. They checked all my vitals and bp was elevated, hooked up EKG and doc found an abnormality, nothing too horrendous, but not right. Sent home with appt to see my regular doctor.
Went to appt with blood work before. Only issue was high bad cholesterol, put on atstorivatin? For that. Had a full upper body sonogram and found fatty liver disease, nothing to be alarmed about.
Driving 3 hours to a job on 01/21/15, the worst hell of my life. Got about 40 miles out and started having palps, vision changes, etc. Thought about turning around at every exit but this work had to be done. I made it to my destination and worked for about 4 hours with no problems. Started back and it started all over again. Tingling in legs, thoughts of death, didn't think I would make it back home. I'm convinced I'm going to drop dead of a heart attack even though I have no real heart issues. I made it 30 miles from my house and its like you flipped a switch. Everything was fine. Made it home and had a great dinner.
Went to bed and took a melatonin for sleep. Woke up right around 3 am but went right back to sleep. Yesterday, felt ran down. Stayed in all day. Felt a little dizzy. Took a melatonin last night to sleep and again woke up right around 3 but right back to sleep. Today I get feelings of lightheadedness and tired. All in all feel better than yesterday. Something has to give here. I don't think I can live like this??? Any ideas? Reading this forum helps a lot.

Hi Richard. I totally agree with you that reading this forum is a life saver. Everyone is always supportive of each other, understanding, and never judge. We're our own family here.
I'm sorry to hear about your scare, especially while driving. I actually had the same thing happen to me last Sunday while I was alone and driving on the highway. It's very frightening. I'm glad you went to get checked out and nothing serious was found. It definitely sounds like you were experiencing an anxiety attack behind the wheel. I'm also proud of the fact that you pushed through and completed your work just fine. I know that it is definitely very frustrating to live with and more so not knowing if/when/where it may happen again. Based on your doctor's finding, I think you can be assured you aren't going to drop dead of a heart attack. The palps, vision changes, tingling in the legs is all anxiety. Your body is just pumping adrenaline because of the "fight or flight" instinct. I would recommend checking out the resource page on this site. There is a lot of great information there to help you learn to understand and cope with your anxiety. Hang in there and remember we're always here to support you.

Hi Richard and welcome!

Yes, my first experience with panic came seemingly out of nowhere. I was feeling calm...and in fact, thought I was coming down with the mother of all flus. I felt suddenly weak, nauseous, shaky, hot...

However, when forced to examine my overall stress levels of everyday life, I found that yes, I was under a lot of pressure, and this resulted in the A/P.

What are you currenlty doing to treat the anxiety? Have you explored your options? Medication and/or therapy and self-help are most commonly used, and all effective.

We have some great self help links to get you started in our Resources here. (main page, 1st post)  Here are some examples...they are effective if practiced daily!

Self Help sites with breathing/relaxation exercises instructions

Panic attack relief exercises:

 

http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/73076/34334/breathing-lessons/

http://www.healthyplace.com/

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4405003_breathing-exercises-panic-attacks.html

http://www.psybersquare.com/anxiety/panic_relax_I

If you find you need more help, talking with your doctor about either meds, or therapy (or both!) should be your next step.

Keep posting with us. We do understand, care...and support is key!

Scaredy Cat