Are these actual panic attacks?

[Sajuuk]

Hello dear members,

I've joined this forums simply because I can't take it anymore. I am feeling bad almost all the time. I am uncertain whether it's just anxiety/panic attacks, or something more.

Throughout the day, I am feeling dissociated. I am feeling as if it's not actually me doing the talking, walking, and all interactions, but some automated part of me, and I, the conscious part, hover somewhere behind, ready to leave at any moment. Everything seems strange and unnatural. I know this might be derealization, but I am afraid I'm losing my sanity...However, this has been going on just for a few days, 4 or 5, and not more.

Before all this, I've been to the ER, I thought my heart stopped beating. I felt as if I were about to faint (I've NEVER fainted in my entire life), my fists started clenching, jaws shut, then my fingers froze in an open palm position, and my lips contracted, and I couln't control them in any way. That happened at the ER and lasted for a minute at most. Hearing was well, and so was vision, so it was not a stroke, thankfully.

Throughout the day, I feel like my vision is blurring sometimes, my ears become plugged, and I feel some kind of pressure inside my cranium, then again, the fainting feeling kicks in, but I never actually faint. My hands go cold because I become agitated, sometimes I feel like I can't feel my heart beating, other times I feel it racing, it's weird, but I fear something more serious. Yesterday night I could feel some sort of sensory rush, like an electric jolt through all my teeth, and then I felt like fainting. An hour later, my heart was pounding so hard, I could feel my pulse in my jaw, and if I left my jaw free, the teeth would touch when the heart pulsed, so heavy was it beating.

I don't know what's happening to me. My bloodwork was fine, normal magnesium and calcium levels, everything was ok. My organs are fine (ecography), my thyroid is perfectly fine. EKGs and oxygen levels in the blood said that my heart was fine too, even when I was at the ER.

Even now, I feel numb, derealized. I want to defocus my eyes, I feel like I'm fully automated, and it is not me who's typing, although I KNOW it's me.

Please, tell me if this is just anxiety. I can't get quick help since I need health insurance, and it won't be done until Friday...

[rhar]

I get very similar symptoms.
I used to feel faint ALL the time. Now I get it off and on.

I get blurry vision, feel off balance most of the time. Sometimes I feel as though the ground is wobbly and I can't walk.

I find it near impossible to concentrate on things and feel like my vision cannot focus.

[Sajuuk]

I get very similar symptoms.
I used to feel faint ALL the time. Now I get it off and on.

I get blurry vision, feel off balance most of the time. Sometimes I feel as though the ground is wobbly and I can't walk.

I find it near impossible to concentrate on things and feel like my vision cannot focus.

And are you completely sure it's anxiety? I feel like I'm going insane, I'm a little scared, I don't know whether this is real or not anymore...What if I died and this is just a world simulated by my comatose brain?

[sweetypie]

When you're having a panic attack, it always feels like you are dying. Even if you know better enough to know that it IS a panic attack, that you are having, there is going to be a part of you that's afraid that it isn't a panic attack. I've had panic attacks off and on my entire life. I usually know when I am having them, but I still sort of doubt it and fear that the symptoms will get out of control and kill me.

But I'm positive from reading what you wrote that you are suffering from anxiety. You're not dying or dead.

Having problems with breathing and heart problems are very common with panic attacks. And when you're stressed out, it's common to get muscular problems as well. I've gotten spasms and cramps in various parts of my body because of anxiety.

I get derealization when terrible things happen to me. I don't have it all the time, but I do get it when people start physically or verbally abusing me, for instance. It's your body separating your mind from the situation to help you handle it. I've been abused a lot of times in my life, so this is what my brain does now and I hate how it feels. I also hate it because it makes me get really quiet, so while most people might normally be yelling at someone back who is insulting them or punching them back, my mind is wandering some place else until I am able to leave the situation. I'm staring at what is happening, but not really there.

You're not losing your sanity when you get derealization, your mind is just trying to protect you as you try to cope with these feelings you are having by letting your mind escape for awhile from reality, if that makes sense.

[Sajuuk]

I'm really, really sorry to hear about you, sweetiepie :( I really hope you're fine, and you will be fine forever.

Also, does anyone know, is there a permanent cure for this? Once this stressful period is gone, is it gone for good, or will it come back at some other point in life?

[HealthAnxNut]

I'm really, really sorry to hear about you, sweetiepie :( I really hope you're fine, and you will be fine forever.

Also, does anyone know, is there a permanent cure for this? Once this stressful period is gone, is it gone for good, or will it come back at some other point in life?

I'm sorry this is happening to you. We have all been through it, and it is terrifying. It's horrible to know intellectually that there is nothing wrong with you, but your body is behaving as though there is something VERY wrong. Unfortunately, that is anxiety. To answer your last question, it is different for each person. Some people have episodes, and go a long time between episodes. Other people have panic attacks every day, and other people live with "mild" symptoms every day, but don't always have panic attacks. It really varies so much. I'm glad you are reaching out - it really helps to know you aren't completely insane. Or, at least, you aren't insane alone. ;)

[kelseyt]

Hello dear members,
Throughout the day, I am feeling dissociated. I am feeling as if it's not actually me doing the talking, walking, and all interactions, but some automated part of me, and I, the conscious part, hover somewhere behind, ready to leave at any moment. Everything seems strange and unnatural. I know this might be derealization, but I am afraid I'm losing my sanity...However, this has been going on just for a few days, 4 or 5, and not more.



This is definitely derealization, don't worry you aren't losing your sanity its perfectly normal to have this with anxiety.

I feel like everything around me is a cartoon and not real when my anxiety is bad.

This page may help you somewhat http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/derealization

[shelley15]

I get very similar symptoms. I used to feel faint ALL the time. Now I get it off and on. I get blurry vision, feel off balance most of the time. Sometimes I feel as though the ground is wobbly and I can't walk. I find it near impossible to concentrate on things and feel like my vision cannot focus.

I feel faint all the time to, and just recently felt really off balance I'm so scared there's something wrong with me and my eyes don't focus then my legs don't want to walk anymore then I think I'm going to faint I can't stand feeling off balance, how did you make it go so you don't have it all the time?

[Sajuuk]

Is there a permanent cure for this? I don't want to get hooked to benzodyazepines...

[rhar]

I feel faint all the time to, and just recently felt really off balance I'm so scared there's something wrong with me and my eyes don't focus then my legs don't want to walk anymore then I think I'm going to faint I can't stand feeling off balance, how did you make it go so you don't have it all the time?


I have exact symptoms. I had the fainting feeling daily and all day (even worse when sitting and talking to people) for over a year. I think I am learning not be afraid of it and it has slowly faded. It has taken a bloody long time and has been horrendous.

I still get the off balance feeling and feeling like my legs won't work. The feeling is so hard to describe, almost like my brain is swimming in my head and sometimes I feel like my eyes will roll back into my head if that makes sense. I used to react so badly to all these symptoms that is suffer repeated panic attacks ALL day.

I think I am slowly, I mean very slowly, learning to manage them better. It's only recently I find I'm not focusing every minute on what my body is feeling and that has taken like 2 years almost. I now find myself daydreaming into space which I could never do because I was so focused on every single bodily sensation.

[rhar]

Oh and I haven't taken any meds. I wanted to try and get through it. It's been really hard. Doesn't happen overnight or in a month or even a few months.