Panic? An old friend

Hello everyone,

So, I used to have very very mild panic attacks when I was younger (stress runs high on both sides of the family) and now after all of this dizzy stuff I seem to be having them more and more like never before. I was convinced for a long time there was something more greater going on and all tests so far are… you guessed it… normal! They’re getting worse. So crippling to where I can’t breathe or talk without feeling like I’m going to faint or actually do faint. I was in the neurologists office yesterday and had one right there, in the middle of talking… so embarrassing!! Now, after coming off some medication, does anyone have any tips? For now I want to avoid any sari/AndI medication. I’ve had some bad allergies to some. Giving myself a clean slate. I haven’t left bed since the attack yesterday, have so much dizziness and so much fatigue. I feel like hell. Thank you for any advice!! :cherry_blossom::tulip:

Agh, I’m sorry Kels :frowning:
I know that feeling where it’s random and crazy intense.

I try to go for a drive for mine which helps me focus on that even tho I have that nauseous feeling. As of lately the diet is somewhat working but weather patterns / changes permitting still messes me up and I get the random what was that feeling too. I try to stay fed and hydrated always or I’ll suffer. Not sure if any of this applies to trying to help but I’m trying :grimacing:
I just posted the migraine diet I was given by Yale University to James’ thread. Have a look and see if that may help. I know you’re very busy with school and that added stress will def kick the stress / anxiety/panic into high gear.

Oh and are you trying any supplements specific for migraine? B2, magnesium, coq?

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Hi Kelsey,

Anxiety and panic ruled my life for months. Read every book and took Zoloft. I found a book by claire Weekes called " hope and help for your nerves" very useful. The net net of the book is if you feel like fainting give yourself permission to faint. By fighting the anxiety you give it more power over you.
But letting it do its thing and observing calmly it passes. Easier said than done.

Hang in there , your brain will be conditioned to soon stop panicking and accept this condition for what it is. Also it helps to live one hour at a time instead of thinking how tomorrow will shape up. Things will get easier, try to move around the house instead of being bed bound.

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Yes my experience was much the same. Dreadful anxiety that made my stomach churn for hours. And I’ve had one panic attack. This thing is so testing psychologically.

I’m not certain what worked but I agree with Vignesh that as you get used to the condition the anxiety slowly decreases. Once you’ve experienced nearly every symptom this thing can throw at you several times you start to roll your eyes with boredom :). It really helps to get through a few relapses and you realise you can get back to your best (post big bang) condition yet again and sometimes improve on it. That stops you fearing relapses.

It also helps that once you find a good medication to control symptoms a big step improvement will take place and anxiety will calm a lot.

Finally there will definitely be improvement in the underlying condition but that can take months/years. Nevertheless when you look back at yourself 6 or 12 months prior you will see obvious steps forward. Again this helps you realise things just get generally better albeit very slowly. Unfortunately you will probably hit relapse after relapse which test your resilience but inevitably you should improve as you will find the relapses last less and less time and are less severe.

I’m always very keen to understand the medical journals and occasionally still it can pique my anxiety but rarely. In any case if you are having a bad phase of anxiety I would stay away from Dr. Google for a while. Only look when you are on top of it.

And you always have us to moan to and together we can laugh about the stupidity of it all and how we humans are amazing but not perfect and sometimes we get ill; that’s just being alive for you.

One ENT once said to me “ears aren’t perfect, I’m afraid”. That helped me get things a little in perspective.

One GP nurse told me “ears take a long time to heal”. That was helpful too.

My neurologist said to me once “Don’t give up”. The implication being that things eventually get much better. And so far she’s right :slight_smile:

And as many on this forum have said “This too shall pass”

You can use this experience in the future to build much better empathy for others and their suffering. It seems a surprising number of people suffer. You will be a wiser person. You will also understand yourself much better. The other huge positive for me is I’ve found I take more pleasure in the simpler things nowadays. It’s wonderful to sometimes go for a walk and look at nature and simply marvel at it!

Your current relapse will be gone in a few days max. Get out there for a walk as soon as you feel able. Being upright is actually really important as it reduces head pressure and helps healing. It may be uncomfortable to begin with but I always find I feel much better after half an hour of walking. So make it a long one :slight_smile:

I will add my hug to those from others.

James

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Thank you so much! It’s definitely a pain in the ass. I feel like I go one step forward (yay improvement!) to now, 20 steps backward and I’m like the worst I’ve ever been. I feel like trialing all these meds has my brain going crazy. And two doctors telling me completely different things is frustrating too! Lol :sweat_smile:

I will definitely try out that suggestion of diet. I noticed too that if I don’t eat on time or don’t have enough water I feel all loopy and fuzzy in the head more. Thanks for the suggestions!! Hope you have a great weekend :grin:

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Also I do take those supplements, I take a multivitamin as well as those and magnesium. Not the B2 though, I was actually looking at the B-complex but not sure!

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It’s tough when my significant other and friends make me feel like I’m overreacting. I just hate this illness so darn much and wish it was a quick fix, like a surgery, and you’re reset. I hate thinking into the future honestly and knowing I may be like this forever. Thank you though, honestly it really means a lot. I hope you have a good weekend too!! I appreciate the kindness. I wish there was a way for us to all meet up and be all dizzy together LOLOL it’d be quite funny. @Space_Cadet @turnitaround

Cheers to you all!

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Thank you so much James, ahh there must be salt in the air, because my eyes are WATERING :cry: LOL. No but seriously, I really do appreciate it.:cherry_blossom: As I stated above, it’s so so frustrating. I hate that it turned my life around to a complete 180, I can’t work at the moment so I feel like nothingness. BUT, I always tell myself that the small things you can conquer in the day DO mean everything, because your life is not equivalent to someone that does not go through this or have a chronic illness to nag you down daily and make you constantly fearful. :angry:

I’m majorly stressed because I have two doctors telling me two different things, two different treatment plans and I want to scream at both of them. Hahaha I might pick back up and start at square one with a new one, such as Dr. Hain in Chicago, but who knows. All I know is I am very glad I found all of you guys. We’ve all been there for each other at our lowest points, being positive is hard but anyone who is badass and empathetic and as strong as you guys are, takes lots of mountains to climb and lots of hurdles to overcome. Thank you, thank you, I really wish one day we could all meet up, you’ve saved me from some dark times. Much hugs and THANK YOU again :relieved: :tulip:

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