Help...
06-28-2013, 11:00 AM
Hi all, I am new to the forums and have long had some minor OCD problems, but the reason I'm posting is not about myself.
Recently (Last saturday night, June 22nd) my girlfriend and I were walking home from a party when she had a pretty major anxiety attack. Her hands and legs clenched up and she was no longer able to walk. What normally would've been a 20 minute walk home turned into a nearly 2 hour walk as we slowly inched our way down the street, pausing to let her gather herself. In full disclosure, we had both drank a fair amount that night as well as doing a few "uppers" WAY earlier in the night. Besides her legs and hands cramping up, she also reported symptoms of nausea, feeling like her lungs and organs were being compressed, and obviously her heart beating way above normal. She also said that it felt like she had the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling, except times 10 and a lot worse than just normal butterflies.
Anyways, I hadn't seen her since Sunday morning until yesterday afternoon when I met up with her and some of her friends at a bar. They had been drinking a fair amount. Anyways, she had another panic attack, and told me that the some of the symptoms of the original panic attack had lingered on with her through the week such as the queasy feeling in her stomach.
So I just have a few questions.
1. How common is it for some of the symptoms of anxiety attacks to linger days after the actual anxiety attack? I've heard that the actual attack is supposed to last 10-20 minutes, but is it common for some of the symptoms to linger on days after the actual attack?
2. How tied into the attacks do you think the alcohol is?
3. We are planning on leaving for Seattle on July 2nd to visit my friends and family in my old hometown. Obviously any girl would have some anxiety about this (she really likes me and I'm sure is worried about making a good impression), but I'm worried that she is going to have a anxiety attack up there. I realize this sounds very self-serving, but it'd be pretty embarrassing for both of us if all of a sudden things go from normal to her crying and not being able to walk around people she's never met before, and I don't want to put her or me in that position. We also intend to be drinking a fair amount considering it's the 4th of July, but I do intend to keep both of our alcohols consumption to a minimum. Do you think it is worth considering cancelling the trip?
I should also say that I feel like I am part of the root cause of her anxiety. Like I mentioned she really likes me and is constantly trying to impress me or prove herself to me if that makes any sense... My sense of humor can be very jerkish sometimes and I recognize that sometimes what is just a joke to me can really cause her to question herself. I'm trying to work on this.
Anyways, any help or advice would be appreciated. By main concern is that according to her some of her symptoms have carried over past the actual anxiety attack.
Thanks everyone, sorry for the essay but I felt like the more information the better off someone who wanted to answer my questions would be. Thanks again
Recently (Last saturday night, June 22nd) my girlfriend and I were walking home from a party when she had a pretty major anxiety attack. Her hands and legs clenched up and she was no longer able to walk. What normally would've been a 20 minute walk home turned into a nearly 2 hour walk as we slowly inched our way down the street, pausing to let her gather herself. In full disclosure, we had both drank a fair amount that night as well as doing a few "uppers" WAY earlier in the night. Besides her legs and hands cramping up, she also reported symptoms of nausea, feeling like her lungs and organs were being compressed, and obviously her heart beating way above normal. She also said that it felt like she had the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling, except times 10 and a lot worse than just normal butterflies.
Anyways, I hadn't seen her since Sunday morning until yesterday afternoon when I met up with her and some of her friends at a bar. They had been drinking a fair amount. Anyways, she had another panic attack, and told me that the some of the symptoms of the original panic attack had lingered on with her through the week such as the queasy feeling in her stomach.
So I just have a few questions.
1. How common is it for some of the symptoms of anxiety attacks to linger days after the actual anxiety attack? I've heard that the actual attack is supposed to last 10-20 minutes, but is it common for some of the symptoms to linger on days after the actual attack?
2. How tied into the attacks do you think the alcohol is?
3. We are planning on leaving for Seattle on July 2nd to visit my friends and family in my old hometown. Obviously any girl would have some anxiety about this (she really likes me and I'm sure is worried about making a good impression), but I'm worried that she is going to have a anxiety attack up there. I realize this sounds very self-serving, but it'd be pretty embarrassing for both of us if all of a sudden things go from normal to her crying and not being able to walk around people she's never met before, and I don't want to put her or me in that position. We also intend to be drinking a fair amount considering it's the 4th of July, but I do intend to keep both of our alcohols consumption to a minimum. Do you think it is worth considering cancelling the trip?
I should also say that I feel like I am part of the root cause of her anxiety. Like I mentioned she really likes me and is constantly trying to impress me or prove herself to me if that makes any sense... My sense of humor can be very jerkish sometimes and I recognize that sometimes what is just a joke to me can really cause her to question herself. I'm trying to work on this.
Anyways, any help or advice would be appreciated. By main concern is that according to her some of her symptoms have carried over past the actual anxiety attack.
Thanks everyone, sorry for the essay but I felt like the more information the better off someone who wanted to answer my questions would be. Thanks again