Am I having a panic attack?? ...or what?!
Question: A year ago I had to get a procedure done on my heart .. I would say it was surgery. But..it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me in my life. Ever since then ive been so afraid it was going to happen again.. The doctor even told me it shouldnt happen again. But everytime when im alone and I feel one bit of pain or I cough or just anything so stupid and thats prolly not even a big deal.. i freak out. My heart starts raising, I cant consentrate, My hands get sweaty, and its like i get really scared. But then if I try to do something else and get my mind off of it , it will go away. Having the surgery has made me scared of going back to the hospital and going through that again. I dont think anything is wrong with me im only 22.. I dont know if im having a panic attack because I get so scared or what. I know that its just my mind playing tricks... like when you act like your sick or think something hurts on your body and it really doesnt and then it really does start too.
Answers: A year ago I had to get a procedure done on my heart .. I would say it was surgery. But..it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me in my life. Ever since then ive been so afraid it was going to happen again.. The doctor even told me it shouldnt happen again. But everytime when im alone and I feel one bit of pain or I cough or just anything so stupid and thats prolly not even a big deal.. i freak out. My heart starts raising, I cant consentrate, My hands get sweaty, and its like i get really scared. But then if I try to do something else and get my mind off of it , it will go away. Having the surgery has made me scared of going back to the hospital and going through that again. I dont think anything is wrong with me im only 22.. I dont know if im having a panic attack because I get so scared or what. I know that its just my mind playing tricks... like when you act like your sick or think something hurts on your body and it really doesnt and then it really does start too.
Sure sounds like a panic attack.
Panic attacks are short lived. Remember this the next time you have one, and time it. Better yet, count your pulse until the panic attack is over. If your heartrate doesn't go above 180 per minute, you have nothing to worry about, just keep counting your pulse rate (it's a trick - it gives you something to do). You can also breathe into a paperbag. People hyperventilate when they're panicking. Breathing into and from a paper bag raises the amount of CO2 in your blood, which directly counteracts the dizziness and tingling produced by hyperventilation. A hot shower also helps, and if you have to, curl up in a fetal position in bed. All these things work.
If the panic attacks really bother you, therapy and medication can help. Something else that helps but which takes a while is yoga - after several months of stretching and deep breathing exercises you begin to develop a sense of serenity.
I myself am 22 and have had panick attacks. What you describe does sound like a panick attack to me.
Fortunately there is help out there for you. Try talking to your doctor or seeking therapy to learn methods of avoiding attacks and calming yourself through one when they arise.
It is acutally not uncommon for someone to experience symptoms of anxiety or depression after they've had any type of proceedure done on their heart or their brain. Please get help, you should have to feel this way for another day :-)
I think you should talk to your doctor about this. You are obviously worried about it and even if it is panic and nothing else, it's still as real to you as anything could be and you need to take care of it.
So, call your doctor or I will worry about you, too!