DoubleTap
01-23-2014, 06:48 PM
Hello everyone. I'm not one to really get on online forums, but for this community I feel morally obligated to share my experience in case it might actually help someone else suffering from panic attacks or general anxiety.
I have defeated panic attacks and GAD.
Little bit about myself....I am a 39 year old father of 4 (11, 9, 6, and 4). Married for 13 years to the most amazing wife anyone could ever imagine (and she's hot!) I have served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 19.5 years. Two tours in Iraq one in Afghanistan. I've got two master's degrees and have been very successful in my career. I stay physically fit and generally eat a healthy paleo diet. I have been through some of the most stressful situations one could possibly imagine (combat, life threatening situations, seeing people killed, etc...)
I have never been more scared in my life than when I experienced panic attacks.
I'm not sure what caused my panic attacks, but I think it might be linked to a bad reaction to an allergy medicine called Zyrtec. I've had 3 or 4 major panic attacks, one in which I was certain I was having a heart attack and that I was actually going to die. I ended up laying down on my bed while my wife called the ambulance. I told my wife goodbye and that I loved her, because my heart was pounding out of my chest and I was certain that I was going to die within the next few minutes. When the EMT's got there, my heart rate had decreased to 134. Went to the ER and all that, neighbors watching me get loaded into the ambulance, which was so embarrassing! Felt so sad that my kids had to see their dad get carted off by EMT's (great guys BTW). ER ran all the tests, and were impressed at how healthy my heart was, lol (I run alot). They even ran the bloodwork, etc.. Doc came in and told me there was nothing wrong with me, and that it could be an anxiety attack, but for some reason, he was hesitant to say that I had a panic attack (weird). Gave me some lorazepam that lasted about 4 days, and they worked well.
My anxiety manifested itself through panic attacks and a fear of being trapped and enclosed. A few nights I had to go outside and sit on the porch because I felt to claustrophobic in my house. I even started to feel claustrophobic in my car driving home to work. Whenever my boss would come talk to me I would start to feel trapped and my heart rate would spike. I even had to go outside my office building and stand behind the dumpster to avoid a panic attack. I made up a story about my wife being sick so I didn't have to take a business trip, because I was sure that I wouldn't make it through a flight. This all happened over the course of several weeks. I felt like I was losing my mind, and that I was gonna get locked up in a mental facility, which scared me even more! I was even scared to do research on my problem on the internet for fear that I would discover that I was seriously screwed up. BTW, no one is "screwed up". You're all normal!
SOLUTION: This is what worked for me. One night I was intensely googling panic attacks and symptoms and came across Barry McDonagh's "Panic Away". Ladies and gentlemen......."Panic Away" worked! I actually started crying in bed because, as I read his Panic Away ebook, I realized that I didn't have mental disorder. I literally went through his One Move technique while I was sitting there in bed and it worked. OMG! It was so awesome! Tried it the next day while I felt one coming on on the way to work...it worked again! I had run out of Lorazepam by the way, so I was drug free. I started screaming in my truck out of sheer joy and elation that I had beat my panic attacks. I was screaming, "I BEAT YOU MOTHER F*$##ER!!!, I BEAT YOU!!!" lol. I followed Panic Away's method for reducing and eliminating general anxiety disorder as well. I haven't had a panic attack in over two years. I have felt very anxious a few times with the oncoming symptoms, but as soon as I engaged the mental trick the symptoms melted away. And every time I beat an oncoming anxiety, I feel so victorious like I've just scored a touchdown at the superbowl. It empowers me. I am stronger now mentally. I am even mentally stronger now than I was before I had panic attacks.
BTW - The first time you try the one-move technique, it will be very scary, but you have to embrace it and be brave. If you get scared and try to fight it, you will lose. You have to have the mentality that, "I don't care about the consequences, I'm just going to mentally embrace the fear and the symptoms and let them overtake me, and I'm going to ask for more! BRING IT ON!!! BRING IT ON!! I LOVE THIS SHIT!!!! BRING IT ON!!! I WANT MORE!!! (screaming this in your head btw, lol).
This is not a plug for the Panic Away method or anything. This is just what worked for me. There's probably other methods out there that work. I like this method, because I think that dealing with anxiety with drugs just makes things worse, for me. For my own personal situation, I think that drugs are just a crutch, but that's just for my own personal situation. I can't speak for other people. The American medical field is way too quick to prescribe drugs to solve problems that can easily be solved with eating healthy food and exercise. You have to solve this at the root of the problem. I don't take any drugs ever anymore, except for the occasional Motrin for muscle or sinus pain. Oh, I've figured out how to beat sinus problems too, so let me know if you want my solution to that as well. I do actually think that there is a link between some sinus problems and anxiety.
Please feel free to shoot me a message if there is anything I can help you with. I know how hard this is and I want to help.
Sincerely,
Ross
I have defeated panic attacks and GAD.
Little bit about myself....I am a 39 year old father of 4 (11, 9, 6, and 4). Married for 13 years to the most amazing wife anyone could ever imagine (and she's hot!) I have served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 19.5 years. Two tours in Iraq one in Afghanistan. I've got two master's degrees and have been very successful in my career. I stay physically fit and generally eat a healthy paleo diet. I have been through some of the most stressful situations one could possibly imagine (combat, life threatening situations, seeing people killed, etc...)
I have never been more scared in my life than when I experienced panic attacks.
I'm not sure what caused my panic attacks, but I think it might be linked to a bad reaction to an allergy medicine called Zyrtec. I've had 3 or 4 major panic attacks, one in which I was certain I was having a heart attack and that I was actually going to die. I ended up laying down on my bed while my wife called the ambulance. I told my wife goodbye and that I loved her, because my heart was pounding out of my chest and I was certain that I was going to die within the next few minutes. When the EMT's got there, my heart rate had decreased to 134. Went to the ER and all that, neighbors watching me get loaded into the ambulance, which was so embarrassing! Felt so sad that my kids had to see their dad get carted off by EMT's (great guys BTW). ER ran all the tests, and were impressed at how healthy my heart was, lol (I run alot). They even ran the bloodwork, etc.. Doc came in and told me there was nothing wrong with me, and that it could be an anxiety attack, but for some reason, he was hesitant to say that I had a panic attack (weird). Gave me some lorazepam that lasted about 4 days, and they worked well.
My anxiety manifested itself through panic attacks and a fear of being trapped and enclosed. A few nights I had to go outside and sit on the porch because I felt to claustrophobic in my house. I even started to feel claustrophobic in my car driving home to work. Whenever my boss would come talk to me I would start to feel trapped and my heart rate would spike. I even had to go outside my office building and stand behind the dumpster to avoid a panic attack. I made up a story about my wife being sick so I didn't have to take a business trip, because I was sure that I wouldn't make it through a flight. This all happened over the course of several weeks. I felt like I was losing my mind, and that I was gonna get locked up in a mental facility, which scared me even more! I was even scared to do research on my problem on the internet for fear that I would discover that I was seriously screwed up. BTW, no one is "screwed up". You're all normal!
SOLUTION: This is what worked for me. One night I was intensely googling panic attacks and symptoms and came across Barry McDonagh's "Panic Away". Ladies and gentlemen......."Panic Away" worked! I actually started crying in bed because, as I read his Panic Away ebook, I realized that I didn't have mental disorder. I literally went through his One Move technique while I was sitting there in bed and it worked. OMG! It was so awesome! Tried it the next day while I felt one coming on on the way to work...it worked again! I had run out of Lorazepam by the way, so I was drug free. I started screaming in my truck out of sheer joy and elation that I had beat my panic attacks. I was screaming, "I BEAT YOU MOTHER F*$##ER!!!, I BEAT YOU!!!" lol. I followed Panic Away's method for reducing and eliminating general anxiety disorder as well. I haven't had a panic attack in over two years. I have felt very anxious a few times with the oncoming symptoms, but as soon as I engaged the mental trick the symptoms melted away. And every time I beat an oncoming anxiety, I feel so victorious like I've just scored a touchdown at the superbowl. It empowers me. I am stronger now mentally. I am even mentally stronger now than I was before I had panic attacks.
BTW - The first time you try the one-move technique, it will be very scary, but you have to embrace it and be brave. If you get scared and try to fight it, you will lose. You have to have the mentality that, "I don't care about the consequences, I'm just going to mentally embrace the fear and the symptoms and let them overtake me, and I'm going to ask for more! BRING IT ON!!! BRING IT ON!! I LOVE THIS SHIT!!!! BRING IT ON!!! I WANT MORE!!! (screaming this in your head btw, lol).
This is not a plug for the Panic Away method or anything. This is just what worked for me. There's probably other methods out there that work. I like this method, because I think that dealing with anxiety with drugs just makes things worse, for me. For my own personal situation, I think that drugs are just a crutch, but that's just for my own personal situation. I can't speak for other people. The American medical field is way too quick to prescribe drugs to solve problems that can easily be solved with eating healthy food and exercise. You have to solve this at the root of the problem. I don't take any drugs ever anymore, except for the occasional Motrin for muscle or sinus pain. Oh, I've figured out how to beat sinus problems too, so let me know if you want my solution to that as well. I do actually think that there is a link between some sinus problems and anxiety.
Please feel free to shoot me a message if there is anything I can help you with. I know how hard this is and I want to help.
Sincerely,
Ross