does anyone have more panic attacks at night? ever any light sensitivity? melisa

Hi Floridabound, My first attack happened 13 yrs ago. I didn't become into the agoraphobic stage badly until about 5 years after that, it slowly crept up on me, I continued to work, but about 3 1/2 years into it, I wouldnt drive anymore, only short distances from my house, my husband would have to drive me to work, then pick me up in the afternoon ( luckily we both worked in the same city some 15 miles away- but our working hours differed about 2 hours from each other). Anyway, it finally became agoraphobic, and I sought a specialist after seeing other doctors, after about 6 months, I was recovered, driving on my own again-to work and later at a job that was 40 miles away and no longer agoraphobic. I did well for some years after that, maintaining control over my panic attacks. I slid back here recently, but recognized my trigger. Im back into somewhat of an agoraphobic state, but making progress everyday, with goals, and working on it. I have a much more positive attitude to reaching these goals, and not beat myself up, if I can't achieve one overnight, I know it has to be done in baby steps, as before. But I know it can be done. I have been there!! Sincerely, Trish

Hi Trish, I just joined the group, and was wondering how long you have had this disorder. I've had it on and off most of my life. The first time it lasted for 1 1/2 years then went away. Then, the 2nd time I got it, it lasted 2 1/2 years. But this time, I've had it for 16 years. And at the present time, I have a difficult time going out anywhere. floridabound

Hi Ann, Yes most definitely, as your are "focused" only on that. Also your ears up to your shoulders is causing the neck aches. I tried that as I was reading your post, which I could only do as I was sitting down, not standing. Took too much energy to hold up my shoulders in a standing, walking state. So this leads me to believe your probably sitting, all tensed up, when this happens. So your already in a heightened anxiety phase then, so do the abdominal breathing. Before your thoughts start to focus only on checking your breathing,etc, which is keeping you in a anxiety/panic phase. It will feed into your anxiety. I would try to keep myself moving around the house, if in fact your sitting more than moving, when you find your tensed up. Do you know how to do the abdominal breathing technique? Trish

Hi Trish, I try to not get tensed up and try to relax my shoulders. My shoulders are always sitting up at my ears. I check my breathing a lot which seems to be shallow, but is it just shallow because I am checking it. Does that make sense. If I focus on my breathing and my tension, is this feeding my anxiety and the panic cycle. Maybe I panic because I am checking???

Hi Ann, Thanks for sharing more on your symptoms. This is perhaps one of the most perplexing for us to understand, because some doctors, just say, its panic attacks, symptoms of it, and really don't explain to us, how the domino effect works. Not until I saw a specialist, did he explain this to me. This is perhaps the most crucial for us to comphrend, as it provides us with answers to understand what is happening. When our bodies go into that fight or flight response, without coping skills for panic. This is what is happening. 1. You get muscle ache, or weird movement in your head- this leads the thoughts to the what if, ie the tumors, or hemmhorrage,etc. 2. So now your body is in the fight mode, natural if we were truly in a bona fide situation, ie attacker, its a natural preparedness that would happen, for us to fight off such an event. 3. Your breathing is return, constricts to the upper chest and not the abodominal breathing when we are at a relaxed state. 4. The breathing then leads to heightened hyperventilation, taking in more concentration of carbon dioxide than oxygen. ( This is not to be confused with fainting, as it is extremely rare for someone to pass out in a panic attacks, actually to pass out, you need an extreme drop in blood pressure, which in our case, gets spiked a bit, naturally as our bodys are still in the fight mode.)This is the cause for dizziness and smothering feeling. 5. The constriction of redirecting the breathing to the chest, causes more rapid heartbeat. 6. The rapid heartheat, in return, cause the blood flow to be directed to larger muscles, the thighs, etc., therefore we get the tingling sensation in our extremities, fingers, hands, where larger muscles are not present. This is just a basic overview that was told to me by my specialist. I also wondered myself, how much my body could sustain, day after day, and he referred it to the same, as when men and women are at war. They face this daily, we feel the same physical symptoms, although theirs are in real event. But as we all know, many survive the day in and day out events of wartime. And it not until they come back, that so many are diagnosed with PTSD, not all uncommon than what we are going through. It is just that in the last 10 years, that mor

Hi Trisha, Thank you so much for your reply. I feel a panic attack coming on when my head starts to feel strange (like the muscles in my head are moving). I hope I dont sound as if I am mad, but it is hard to explain. Then I dwell on these feelings, panicking about what they could be, ie brain heamorrage, tumour, stroke. I start to hold my breath alot as well. If I close my eyes, the room feels like it is spinning. I just get so frightened. I have started to get a tingly feeling down my left arm within the last couple of days too, which is beginning to freak me out. Any advise or ideas. Thanks for listening

Hi Ann, Easier said than done. I would paraphase what your doctor told you to this- Accept that you have panic disorder, then you are better able to cope, and take some control over them. It is our natural instinct to fight a panic attack, as it is happening. Kinda saying accept the attacks, is like "yeah, bring it on, this will be so much fun"-NOT. You have gone to doctors and Im sure they have ruled out any other illness. So we need to stay educated and work on coping skills. The trick is to learn to nip those first few symptoms, rather it be the smothering feeling, or whatever usually beings yours, before it gets to a full blown panic state. I dont know what your first usual normal symptom is, to tell you how I cope. But if it was the smothering for example, I force myself to do the breathing excerises, before my mind takes over and bam, bam, bam, the domino effect of panic sets in with all the symptoms, and fear of dying. Many of us have the total sudden, out of the blue attacks, but most wee can also bring on ourselves, by letting the domino effect of anticipatory attack take over. Example, most of mine are during waking hours too, much like you. When we are awake and aware of our thoughts, letting the negative thoughts prevail over the more positive ones. If they truly were all out of the blue, how does the panic know when to find us? Why not suddenly in a middle of a sound sleep?- This is the way you can identify if your having more anticipatory attacks by what is going on during the day, your thinking process, what are we doing to distract ourselves to keep those thought processes and worrying at bay. Please let us know normally what your first symptoms usually begin with, and maybe we can work on it one step at a time. Keep the faith, hun. I have had this for 13 years, was quite well for sometime, didnt keep up my coping skills, and slid back. So Im starting again myself. But I have alot more knowledge of my disorder now. I still get fearful, but nothing like it was when I was first diagnosed, Im not out searching for some medical reason, and was able to identify what causes this to creep back in. Keep us posted. Trish

Thank you so much for your replies. I have been suffering from panic attacks for over 2 and a half years now. I have been to the doctors numerous times and tried a dozen different anti-depressants and beta blockers, but nothing works. I see a clinical psychologist once a month which helps. I signed up to the Panic Program back in April and worked through the program, and it seemed to help. I was still having some panic attacks and feelings of anxiety but I was able to stop them becoming full blown attacks. I cannot seem to do that anymore, and have been having these frightening attacks for about the last 3 - 4 weeks. I just get so scared that they are not panic attacks but that I have some deathly illness. I saw my pyschologist yesterday and he has told me that the best way to beat this is to accept the panic attacks and not to fight them. I find this so hard. Does anyone have any advise for me. Thanks for reading.

Hi Ann, Definitely try to use the program here with the diary, your thoughts, your symptoms, even keep one at home during the day. You will see patterns emerge after a few weeks, that will help you identify your triggers and stressors. You mentioned this happens about one hour after you get up in the mornings till you go to bed at night. It is good to document when your not so on edge, or plagued with the anxiety in full force. I noticed my stressors was being rushed in the mornings, I have two children myself and needed to prepare myself more. Also I identified that when my husband left for work, prior to him leaving, my anxiety would rise and stay that way, and I literally would count the hours till he got home, and dreaded the days after he was off, just the thought of him being gone again (He is my most safe person), he gets home and my anxiety slowly winds down. I have seen my doctor and gotten back on my medication, and have seen a great improvement. Im not cured by any means, but I have a very much more positive attitude and approach to work on getting better everyday. My husband works night shift, and I have even accomplished being able to stay home alone without my kids (they were on sleep overs), and that was a big step for me. Please keep us posted!! Trish