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What does your panic feel like?

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Posted 5/30/2008 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
The first thing I notice when I start to have a panic attack is when I am face to face with a trigger.  Then I feel my face become pale and my heart begins to pound.  Once I get to this point, there is no reversing what will happen next.  My face becomes flushed and I get hot, my hands tingle, and I feel like I want to crawl into a hole and hide.  I also have air hunger at times when I am not having an attack.  What are your symptoms and how do you cope?  Thanks.  I am new to this and I love that there are forums where I can talk to others who know how I feel.
Posted 5/31/2008 12:46 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Trekker (I hope it's ok to call you that)

WELCOME! I am so happy that you have joined us here at HW. I get a lot of the same things as you. Head pounds, heart pounds, nausea. No fun. Can you describe "air hunger" for me? I assume it is not being able to breathe?

The hand tingling is probably lack of oxygen due to your air hunger.  Anxiety is difficult to live with, but we learn how to get by.  Keep posting, let us know how you are feeling.  I look forward to hearing more about you :-)

Posted 5/31/2008 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the welcome! Yah, you can call me Trekker.

Air hunger means being able to breathe, but not being able to get satisfaction with a breath. I could sit there and inhale until my eyes water and I still feel like I need to get a satisfying breath. When I was younger and suffered with this, the doc told me to get those strips you put on your nose while you sleep (people use them for snoring). That did not really work and I have not sought help for it since. Hopefully a reduction in my anxiety will help with this problem.
Posted 5/31/2008 1:08 AM (GMT 0)

 Hi Trekker!

I think I get "air hunger"..it's when I hyperventilate (ouch).  You are breathing in/out but it feels like suffocation yeah? I try to work on that by counting, five in, hold, five out.  It seems silly and basic but it brings me back to here and now.  Possiby it takes away from the right now of anxiety and helps you get in touch with another emotion. Please keep posting and let us know how you are doing :-)

Posted 5/31/2008 11:12 PM (GMT 0)
Trekker,

Yep, air hunger is my biggest sensation these days. That's a much better way to describe it than "shortness of breath." Because for me, I can tell that I am breathing, even my little med devices (pulse oximeter and peak flow meter) register fine, but I feel like it's not doing any good. And, yes, for me too, once that kicks in, it's hard to stop the anxiety avalanche, because I become convinced that I'll pass out or suffocate.

I also get a sort of chilly feeling in my chest and (very, very rarely) a sense of disconnect.

I was diagnosed and am now being treated for acid reflux, which caused an awful lot of my breathing symptoms. So now that I know they are the result of either reflux or anxiety, neither of which can hurt me, I consciously chant that to myself until I can get a grip again. It's not easy, but it's been working lately.

Good luck and keep posting! We're glad to have you here!

percycat
Posted 6/1/2008 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hey percycat,

Thank you, and I'm sorry to hear that you get the same feeling. A craving for oxygen, despite being able to get a breath, is a scary thing and can make anxiety worse, you know? Hopefully your reflux will not cause you too much trouble. Just remember that it is easily treatable! Some tips that you probably already know but may help:

Don't eat close to bedtime
Do not lay down after eating
Avoid alcohol
Avoid spicy foods or foods you know make symptoms worse
Elevate the head of your bed if possible
Posted 6/1/2008 9:49 PM (GMT 0)

Trekker,

I get the fight or flight response from the adrenaline surge.  I want to run away, I feel very antst and agitated if I am having a panic attack. 

Panic attacks are short times of intense fear and anxiety, I try to remember they are self limiting and just breathe as I keep repeating "I am ok" I may have to get up and leave the area I am in.  My last attack  was in a restaurant. The need to escape was overwhelming so I tried not to run................ devil ...but I did leave and went outside to the car.

Take care
Kitt

Posted 6/6/2008 8:28 PM (GMT 0)

When I first had panic attacks I had chest pain, numbing of the extremities, air hunger, racing heart, blurred vision, muscle weakness, shakiness, chills, sweating, and the fight or flight feeling.  Now that I don't have anxiety on a daily basis, I have two lingering symptoms that I get when I am overtired, stressed, or in an environment of which I am uncomfortable in. They are a skipped beat feeling in my chest and a quiver in the soft spot of the throat. Both last about a split second.  Both are disconcerning.  I have learned to deal with both of them so I don't flip out and make a mountain out of a mole hill leading to a full blown attack, but just wish I could learn a way to prevent them altogether.  Any ideas? I know that the skipped beat feeling is common among anxiety sufferers.  Does anyone else get the quiver in the throat?

-Soul

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