I have been through a lot these past 6 years but thought I moved through them and coped fairly well ... even my CHF diagnosis, divorce,death of two loving dogs, loss of income BUT on Disability :) thank God ... But I thought I was coping. Out of the blue afew months ago I woke up and withen 10 minutes I was in a Full blown Panic Attack and my brother called 911 and I spent the day in the hospital. Two months later AGAIN !!! ... 3 weeks after That I woke up and Again the anxiety was overwhelming me and Panic was creeping up fast I CALLED 911 this time Then I called for my brother to help until they got here. This last time I spent 5 days in the hospital but they also gave me a couple anxiety pills plus modified my heart medications ... I am afraid to go to sleep and afraid to wake up ... waiting and wondering when where and why the next crippling HELL will overcome me. Since I have been home I have suffered through two days of fighting these rising anxietys and have resorted to NEEDING to take my clonazepam three times to avoid the spike to full Panic Attack.
I know I need to go to town (after taking a pill I feel) and meet new people hit a few churches and hear what they have to say and meet people there and get medical therapeutic help somewhere ... Since my disability pulled me from work and bankruptcy closed my little gift shop I have very little human contact up here on the little mountain I live ... Guess I need Friends and the support they can give ... Feel so much like a Failure for all that has happened these last 6 years and that I am sure helps the anxiety grow ...
It sucks .... Haven't played any of the games I have been playing since I got home from the hospital this time. I go outside and see the beauty of the world and feel the anxiety creeping up for no apparent reason ... Anyone been through this and their attacks stop ... I can't rely on pills to mellow me all the time so I can Live ... Seems I am always afraid and waiting for the next attack. This is Hell.
I'm sorry, I know this isn't Game related otherthan the fact I cannot Play any Games at this moment and ... I don't know ...
Sorry ... But anyone been there .... ? Suggestions ..? HOPE ??
I feel like such a woos .....
I was believing my MIND could Control my body and HEAL my heart and other problems but seems that idea backfired and now my MIND is taking control and making things worse ... so close yet so far ........

PEACE

i have had panic attacks, too. it gets better, even though i know it doesn't feel like that right now. you are not a failure! anxiety disorder is an illness, just like any other illness, and that doesn't make you a failure.

in general, it's very important to keep going to good doctors, and to go to counseling, and to keep taking whatever medications your doctors prescribe. if a medication helps you, and if you are taking the prescribed dose, then there is nothing wrong with "needing" that medication. i know we all wish we could just tell ourselves "feel better!" but sometimes medications are necessary. but if any medication makes you feel woozy or sleepy or dizzy or anything else that could affect driving, then you shouldn't drive after taking them until those side effects wear off. i sincerely hope you feel better soon. :)

I'm sorry, my heart goes to you. I had and still have anxiety problems. There was a time when my panic attacks were so bad I couldn't control my heartbeat and felt like I was dying. I was having underlying stomach problems that set off attacks really bad where the paramedics were at my house almost once a week and I was going to the clinic or hospital twice a week. It a horrible and scary experience that I would not even wish upon my worst enemy if I even had one.

I still get anxiety attacks just not as frequent and severe as I used to. The only advise I can offer is try to be around supportive people and even pets help. Maybe finding something to occupy your mind. It's really tough I know, however there are ways to lessen the attacks besides pills. It's just a difficult road to find out your own way to do that.

ps: since you mentioned your brother, i wanted to add that you shouldn't hesitate to ask for the help of any family member who is a positive influence in your life. often times, unless we ask them for help, even the people who care about us the most honestly don't know that we need help, or don't know that we still need help if we "seem better" to them.

Wow. I hope things get better for you man. I guess I can relate my story. I had a bad experience once and it left my lungs feeling like I wasn't getting enough air. Most of the day I would feel fine and even could workout like running or weight lifting. But as soon as I thought about the experience I had or sometimes out of the blue, it would feel like I was not getting enough air. At first I went to a lot of dr's figuring the experience damaged my lungs somehow. I got the finest body scans 2008 could provide and all the scans, blood, and urine tests came back normal. I went as far as to get my own oxometer and peakflow meter to check my breathing (my readings came out good). I figured out that this problem was in my head when I took oxometer and peak flow readings during these attacks and the scores were good or better than normal. I'm not sure if these were anxiety or panic attacks (a snowball chance in hell it was a real physical problem), but they seemed to go away after I suffered a serious bout of pneumonia. I guess being in a situation where breathing got real difficult sort of reminded my body the difference between imagined loss of air and real loss of air. If you can afford it, I highly recommend a psychologist or therapist that specializes in cognitive therapy. A big chunk of these issues is not so much a physical defect or virus attacking the mind, but rather a defective coping mechanism of the mind.

On the bright side it sounds like your halfway to getting over this. You recognize an attack when it's coming and know consciously in your mind that what your experiencing isn't real. When you start feeling like your about to panic you need to find a way to remind yourself that it's just a "panic attack". As far as the medication goes, if you can, keep working with the dr to get the meds just right and let him or the person know whats working and not working for you. No two people experience attacks, let alone mental issues exactly the same, so it stands to reason dosage and exact medicines would be real different between sufferers

Actually my brother and I are getting closer since these attacks started ...
He moved in shortly after my ex-wife and I bought this place; with his two kids ... Years later they were still here and with his *white drug* problem on one hand and not wanting to have the kids move out of this Safer environment ... well, that caused some stress to be sure ... one reason it is just me and my brother and niece and nephew living here now ... BUT he has done much better and has straightened himself out ... all is well pretty much but like I said we are actually acting much more like brothers now. Something GOOD always seems to come from something bad :)

THANK YOU Everybody ....
Just knowing I am not alone and ... you know what I mean ... We are Family here and I THANK YOU ALL.

I will get through this and I KNOW I WILL BE STRONGER because of it ...
PEACE
& Thanks

THANK YOU THANK YOU this is encouraging that you feel I am halfway through this ... Thanks

Hi, I had wrote a long text but decide to not publish it, even though I trust my GOG community to be receptive enough, it's too personal..

My advice is, follow closely and hang on to the medical assistance you have, do whatever is making you feel "useful" as a dignified, valuable human person.

I just want to say, you are important and life has still good to come, I wish you out of your hell and at peace.. Bless you.

Thanks
Yeah, I realize my loss of friends since my disability and loss of work and Bankruptcy and loss of my little Gift Store has left me pretty much Alone with no real friends or even human interaction ... Yeah, I got to start going to town and start doing more than Grocery Shopping ... Meet people, join groups, Maybe Start My Band :) .. go to churches and hear what they have to say and meet People there ... Getting out of this house (CAVE) is important; yes ...

And oh yeah .... my one surviving dog and I are getting real close ... Just petting her and doing things with her help a lot ...

I'll work it out ... I am sure ...

THANKS

Thank You ...
I thought about that NEED to feel useful and worthwhile earlier today actually ... and I think it helped get me through the day .... I taught my niece how to make Meatballs ... and chocolate Pudding from scratch ...

Teaching her made me feel (not so worthless) ... and made me feel like I DO have some useful purpose here ...

THANK YOU

My brother also has panic attacks. He gets them while he's driving fast, like in a highway.

My brother is the last person on earth one would think who would be getting panic attacks from driving fast. He's always loved driving cars, preferably fast, and he's always been a bit a bit stupid reckless in life. Not the sort of person to worry or fear things. Just goes to show that this disorder has nothing to do with one's personality. It's a disease. And it doesn't make anyone a failure. My brother is very dear to me, just like you are to your brother, panic attacks and all.

Thanks
I hope your brother gets better ... Without taking my pill I'd be AFRAID to drive at this point ... and then I have three hours to get back home because then it makes me a bit *drowsy ... you can say ...* .. but I can't imagine having an attack while driving ... That must be horrible ... Wish you both well ...............

He's doing much better after he found the right medication. It took a little time because the side effects were not tolerable, but the meds he's got now are doing the trick without any bad side effects. He just had to try out several different ones to find the right one.

I thankfully don't get too many tanic appacks.

(pardon me if anybody wanted to be serious.)

That's a lot to cope with and whilst I don't get panic attacks (I used to just shut down) I can sympathise with how debilitating they must be. Going through a daily routine must be nigh on impossible if you're always wondering when it'll next strike.

I'm no psychologist but it sounds like a reaction to the trauma you have and are experiencing. Hopefully, you can identify and pinpoint the root cause resulting in the right kind of therapy to resolve it.

In the meantime, you have my respect for being brave enough to bring it up and believe that it's a pretty good forum to provide moral support when you need it.