Panic Attacks Support Group

I know this is a common symptom of panic attacks but this is going on for 4 days now. On and off all day... Can this be a panic attack. I went to the Er again last night and they did and ekg. They didnt tell my anything about what it said they just gave me a nerve pill and sent me home... So what should I do next> Is this normal? PLease help cause I am now in the middle of a panic attack worrying about this...

They should have told you what the results were see a dr. Panic can do alot of things.

hopefulwishful

thank you... Do you think it is poss. for a panic attack to make me feel that away all day?

d020903.. Yes this is a typical symptom of panic and anxiety... I had this symptom for 6 months.. we tend to focus so much on a symptom like this because it is so scary... learn to do deep breathing exercises.. you can find this on most web sites relating to panic.. but the important thing to remember is we keep the symptom going by attaching fear to the feeling.. it will not hurt you and you wont pass out..once I stopped attaching fear to this symptom and used self talk along with knowing it was only from anxiety I was able to rid myself of this.. we also breath from our chest area when we have this symptom or get very anxious and not from our diaphragm area.. I will post some things you can do to help this in another post..Take Care..Son

Smothering sensations and Shortness of breath

These sensations are amongst the more distressing anxiety symptoms. Sometimes it feels as if your chest will not expand to accommodate the air your body needs, other times it feels as if someone is pushing a pillow into your face. The one thing to remember should you experience this is that it is only a sensation caused by exaggerated nerve impulses. These symptoms will not and cannot harm you; you will not stop breathing, pass out or suffocate. Remember that we keep the feelings or symptoms going by feeding into the feelings with fear..fear feeds fear and we keep the cycle going byt doing this...I used to use klonopin at a low dose to help through this symptoms along with understanding that there is no threat or danger only anxiety sympyoms..If you need anything just ask..Son

Begin by lying flat on your back or standing up straight. You may also sit up straight in a chair, if that is more comfortable.

Place your hand on your stomach area.

Breathe as you normally would, and notice whether your hand and stomach rise and fall, or your chest rises and falls, as you breathe.

When you are breathing properly, your chest will stay still while your stomach will rise slightly as you breathe in. When you breathe out, your chest will continue to stay still while your stomach lowers slightly.

Now, slowly breathe in through your nose on the count of five while gently pushing your hand up with your stomach.

Hold the breath for a count of five.

Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of five while gently pushing down on your stomach.

Repeat this process for five minutes.

If the process causes you to begin panicking, stop. Try again later or the next day, but do the exercise for a shorter amount of time. You may need to start with one minute per day.

Increase the length of time each day until you can do the exercise for at least five minutes, two times per day.

If you continue to practice breathing this way, you soon will be doing it naturally throughout the day.

An additional benefit will be that once you are familiar with the exercise, you may do it while experiencing anxiety or at the beginning of a panic attack, and you will feel relief.

Tips:

Do not be angry with yourself or give up if you cannot do this exercise correctly right away. It takes practice. Give yourself time.

Remember: you are in control and can stop at any time. Take it as slowly as needed. If you feel anxious when doing the exercise, build up the length of time as gradually as possible.

It may help to do the exercise with someone else available, in case you do feel anxiety or panic. The best person would be a therapist with experience in breathing techniques, but if that's not possible, a trusted friend or family member may be helpful. Just knowing someone is there can help prevent anxiety or panic. Son

Hi! I'm sorry that you are experiencing this. I know its scary and the more you think about it the worse it seems! If you went to the ER and you checked out okay (which they would've kept you if you hadn't been), I think its safe to say you are. I've been where you are! I went to the ER more times than my insurance wants to think about :o)

Use logic...in other words, ask yourself: If I really can't breathe, why haven't I passed out? Why aren't I blue in the face and truly gasping for air? Think about it! The air your using to say you can't breathe?? Your using it :o) YOU ARE BREATHING!

Another thing, do you have sinus drainage? Maybe a cough? Wearing a turtleneck or choker? Anything that could irritate your throat, airways, or lungs although harmless may effect how you think your breathing because it makes you FOCUS on it when you usually don't.

You are in the panic attack support group, which tells me you know whats going on, which is a great start to overcoming these symptoms. You can overcome this, it will not last forever. YOu will be okay :o)

But in the meantime, I will say a little prayer for you...God Bless!

Thank you all so so so much... The things you all have told me has made me feel better! I am so glad I joined this group! Thank you all so much again!!!!!

It's very normal!!! I've been experiencing that a lot lately and it's a big symptom of anxiety and panic attacks. The ER should've given you some more information about what you're going through! There seems to be a great mess of information on this site, so definitely do some browsing. You'll find that we're all dealing with the same symptoms and hopefully you'll find ways to get through them! Keep posting and talking with other sufferers. You're not alone in this!

I have this problem too! It feels so overwhelming sometimes. Its so nice to know that I'm not the only one in the world who has this!