Hello Rwerin, welcome!
I can totally relate what you have been going through and I can tell you this much that Panic Disorder is very much manageable. Well at the same time I am going to be honest with you, even though you think that you 100% overcame it, it will visit you from time to time. But at that point please don't be disappointed with yourself because it's a tough nut. And I promise you you will learn to deal with it.
I don't know what your feelings are about
medication but SSRI medications are successfuly used to treat panic disorder. I believe especially in the beginning of the treatment medication is very important because it gives you the space to focus on your therapy/CBT treatment.
I give this example to the people who ask why;
Think like this, you have a broken tooth and resulting in unbearable pain. You book time with dentist but you have to wait two days to visit them. You can't sit still with the pain so you have to take meds to ease the pain until you get the real treatment from your dentist. So the treatment which will give you permanent skills to deal with Panic is therapy help and techniques. But you may have extremely hard time focusing on your therapy if you are constantly in panic mode. If you know what I mean.
So that was my experience with panic disorder the first time. I started meds with a rather lower dose, then after 2 months or so I started feeling better so I could focus on my therapy. I was not able to sleep, sometimes 2-3 days in a row, before meds.
There are many options for fighting panic disorder, it can be debilitating but you will learn how to deal with it.
changing your way of thinking (which is something you learn during CBT therapy), meditation and mindfulness practices all help A LOT.
Coping skills and calming yourself when panic comes, most importantly knowing the signs of a panic attack will make you act quicker than you think later on, and you will be able to sometimes almost instantly calm yourself. This will give you the courage to face a new period of panic anxiety and say "bring it on b***h, I know how to send you back"
Just don't focus on how many more times in your life you will experience it or if it's going to go away or anything. Just try to feel good daily, follow every step of coping skills and calming practices. Breathing plays a very important role in calming your body and mind.
Many symptoms of panic attacks are so bothersome and would even make you rush to the hospital.
There are some thought patterns there you can remind yourself when tricky panic symptoms come. Like, when you feel this disturbing head pulsing, shortness of breath, headaches, chest pain, numb exremities, sweating, palpitations, increased heart rate, etc etc, list goes on and on. Test this first, when you feel like you will have panic try to instantly switch your focus to an item nearby, or anything, and ask yourself questions about
that item and answer those. See if your symptoms improve. If they do, yes no need to rush to hospital.
Same as calling your friend or talk to someone at home and give your full focus on the conversation, or at least try. If you notice your headache, palpitations, etc etc is not bothering you anymore, yes, its panic.
so these things you learn by going through the pain, but eventually you will know their patterns and be able to calm yourself easily and faster.
If you ever need anything we are here, many of us go through panic attacks from time to time, if not daily.
Feel well soon, cheers <3