saphiry
07-06-2016, 12:23 PM
Hi everyone,
I'm new here and like most of you, I need advice.
I'm 28 years old, female, and I've had my first panic attack ever this past Sunday night. It is the weirdest thing ever, because after talking to friends about it who say they've had panic attacks before, it doesn't really sound like a normal one to me.
Let me explain- Sunday afternoon I went out with friends, we went to a relaxed music festival, and I felt absolutely great, had a lot of fun. We didn't drink much, I only had one big class of wine, so I wasn't even tipsy. All of us did have two lines of cocaine though. Before you say anything- Yes, I know that cocaine is bad for your health, and so is alcohol. It's just a thing I do sometimes when I go out, I never take a lot, and it has never affected me in a bad way at all.
Anyways, after taking the second line, I started feeling weird. Like wanting to throw up, and I felt really dizzy and unreal. I then told my friends that I'll go home. As soon as I got home, it got worse. I couldn't really breathe, had to force myself to breathe deeply, even opened a window because I felt like I couldn't breathe inside. It got worse. My fingers started getting completely numb, then my whole hands. My heart was pounding so hard I thought my chest would explode any second. It was hard to talk or even think. I felt like something bad is going to happen. I lay down on the floor and tried to breathe, tried to get better, even though in my head I was thinking I'm having a heart attack. After like half an hour I got a bit better, and I went to bed, tried to sleep.
I couldn't sleep. I kept rolling and rolling, being unable to breathe. I felt like if I fall asleep I will either throw up and choke in my own vomit or just stop breathing and die. At one point I couldn't take it anymore, I stood up and started walking through my apartment, then I opened the window again to get fresh air. Suddenly, it got way worse. My hands got numb again, this time the numbness went up till my shoulders, it was tingling and hurting at the same time, I couldn't even move my fingers or arms at all, everything was so stiff. Then it started on my face. My face got so numb I swear I couldn't even feel it at all, plus I couldn't even move my mouth or lips to talk. My heart pounded like crazy again, and I felt like something is sitting on my chest, making me unable to breathe. I got very scared of my life, I really thought this is it, I'm dying. I somehow managed to leave my apartment and get a cab, went to the emergency room, where I almost broke down. I was so close to fainting and I couldn't even tell the doctors what was going on, since my face was completely numb and I couldn't get a single word over my lips. Everything was so unreal and I must have looked like a complete nutcase. I was in a hospital bed for like an hour and they gave me some valium, slowly I started to feel better. I managed to go home.
Monday I felt dizzy, tired and exhausted all day, I couldn't even leave my bed. Monday to Tuesday I slept almost 12 hours, and I thought that Tuesday I felt a bit better. I even went to the grocery store which is 20 min walk. Then, today, Wednesday, it got worse again. I woke up after sleeping 12 hours again, feeling dizzy and tired. I forced myself to go for a walk in the sun, which was extremely exhausting to me. I started feeling so dizzy, sick and nauseous that I had to sit down for a few minutes before I could keep walking. My legs were incredibly weak and wobbly and my heart rate to high for such a normal walk. It got a bit better again when I came home, I even agreed to go for a coffee with a friend next to my place, no big effort, so I thought. I wasn't even afraid to go, I didn't think I'd have another panic attack. Once I had my coffee and we sat down at the table it all started again. The area below my rips started hurting, I got very dizzy and it was hard to even follow the conversation. Every word was so exhausting to me. I felt like throwing up suddenly, so I got up and went to the bathroom, where I didn't throw up. Back at the table, my heart started pounding like crazy. Like so loud and fast that I felt like my chest could explode. At that point I go scared I'd have another full-blown panic attack right here at the table. My hands started sweating and trembling. I swallowed a Valium pill quickly (the doctor gave me two at the hospital), then I told my friend that I need to go home and lay down again.
Now I'm back home and feel a bit better again. What on earth is going on with me? I've never had mental issues before, never really dealt with depression or anxiety I think (well except of the fact that I have stage fright- I get incredibly nervous if I have to talk in front of people, and I always wonder if I sound stupid). I'm usually an outgoing, friendly, funny, curious person that isn't afraid of a lot of things. I also eat healthy and exercise a few times a week. I don't know what I should do. After this second episode today I start getting worried that next time I'm with friends, I'll have another panic attack. I've already read about breathing exercises, but I tried them and it didn't seem to help. I just wanna feel normal again and not exhausted and being scared of more panic attacks.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks
I'm new here and like most of you, I need advice.
I'm 28 years old, female, and I've had my first panic attack ever this past Sunday night. It is the weirdest thing ever, because after talking to friends about it who say they've had panic attacks before, it doesn't really sound like a normal one to me.
Let me explain- Sunday afternoon I went out with friends, we went to a relaxed music festival, and I felt absolutely great, had a lot of fun. We didn't drink much, I only had one big class of wine, so I wasn't even tipsy. All of us did have two lines of cocaine though. Before you say anything- Yes, I know that cocaine is bad for your health, and so is alcohol. It's just a thing I do sometimes when I go out, I never take a lot, and it has never affected me in a bad way at all.
Anyways, after taking the second line, I started feeling weird. Like wanting to throw up, and I felt really dizzy and unreal. I then told my friends that I'll go home. As soon as I got home, it got worse. I couldn't really breathe, had to force myself to breathe deeply, even opened a window because I felt like I couldn't breathe inside. It got worse. My fingers started getting completely numb, then my whole hands. My heart was pounding so hard I thought my chest would explode any second. It was hard to talk or even think. I felt like something bad is going to happen. I lay down on the floor and tried to breathe, tried to get better, even though in my head I was thinking I'm having a heart attack. After like half an hour I got a bit better, and I went to bed, tried to sleep.
I couldn't sleep. I kept rolling and rolling, being unable to breathe. I felt like if I fall asleep I will either throw up and choke in my own vomit or just stop breathing and die. At one point I couldn't take it anymore, I stood up and started walking through my apartment, then I opened the window again to get fresh air. Suddenly, it got way worse. My hands got numb again, this time the numbness went up till my shoulders, it was tingling and hurting at the same time, I couldn't even move my fingers or arms at all, everything was so stiff. Then it started on my face. My face got so numb I swear I couldn't even feel it at all, plus I couldn't even move my mouth or lips to talk. My heart pounded like crazy again, and I felt like something is sitting on my chest, making me unable to breathe. I got very scared of my life, I really thought this is it, I'm dying. I somehow managed to leave my apartment and get a cab, went to the emergency room, where I almost broke down. I was so close to fainting and I couldn't even tell the doctors what was going on, since my face was completely numb and I couldn't get a single word over my lips. Everything was so unreal and I must have looked like a complete nutcase. I was in a hospital bed for like an hour and they gave me some valium, slowly I started to feel better. I managed to go home.
Monday I felt dizzy, tired and exhausted all day, I couldn't even leave my bed. Monday to Tuesday I slept almost 12 hours, and I thought that Tuesday I felt a bit better. I even went to the grocery store which is 20 min walk. Then, today, Wednesday, it got worse again. I woke up after sleeping 12 hours again, feeling dizzy and tired. I forced myself to go for a walk in the sun, which was extremely exhausting to me. I started feeling so dizzy, sick and nauseous that I had to sit down for a few minutes before I could keep walking. My legs were incredibly weak and wobbly and my heart rate to high for such a normal walk. It got a bit better again when I came home, I even agreed to go for a coffee with a friend next to my place, no big effort, so I thought. I wasn't even afraid to go, I didn't think I'd have another panic attack. Once I had my coffee and we sat down at the table it all started again. The area below my rips started hurting, I got very dizzy and it was hard to even follow the conversation. Every word was so exhausting to me. I felt like throwing up suddenly, so I got up and went to the bathroom, where I didn't throw up. Back at the table, my heart started pounding like crazy. Like so loud and fast that I felt like my chest could explode. At that point I go scared I'd have another full-blown panic attack right here at the table. My hands started sweating and trembling. I swallowed a Valium pill quickly (the doctor gave me two at the hospital), then I told my friend that I need to go home and lay down again.
Now I'm back home and feel a bit better again. What on earth is going on with me? I've never had mental issues before, never really dealt with depression or anxiety I think (well except of the fact that I have stage fright- I get incredibly nervous if I have to talk in front of people, and I always wonder if I sound stupid). I'm usually an outgoing, friendly, funny, curious person that isn't afraid of a lot of things. I also eat healthy and exercise a few times a week. I don't know what I should do. After this second episode today I start getting worried that next time I'm with friends, I'll have another panic attack. I've already read about breathing exercises, but I tried them and it didn't seem to help. I just wanna feel normal again and not exhausted and being scared of more panic attacks.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks