Hyperventilation?!

Hyperventilation?

Today I received some bad news (turned out ok) and started crying. The news wasn't life or death or anything, but about something I cared about deeply. After a few seconds of trying to stop crying (I was embarrassed) I couldn't stop and instead started hyperventilating. It was terrible. Suddenly I had flashbacks of hyperventilating as a small child while I was hyperventilating! Anyway, it took me about 15 minutes to stop, and even now (almost two hours later) I still am having to force myself to breath slowly or I can feel it coming back on. Where does this come from? Why does the body do this--It was obviously a reaction to stress, but like I said, I haven't hyperventilated in at least ten years, probably closer to 15. Also, I have had much worse news before over the years and not had this kind of reaction to it. Thanks.

I've been there. I know what you're going through.
I learned to keep a paper bag with me at all times [a brown lunch-bag size] and breathe into it when the hyperventilating starts. That way I got more carbon dioxide into my lungs to counteract the extra oxygen from the hyperventilating.
My problem was overload of several major stressors in my life all at once. My hyperventilating sometimes came on me during sleep, and it ended up putting my muscles into tetany - paralysis. Very scary. I went to see the doctor about it.
Good luck to you. [I carried that paper bag w/me for about a year before the problem stopped.]