Help! Early this morning I woke up around 12:30 and because I've been experiencing some chest and back pain this week ( I know - I need to go to the doctor, but haven't done so yet, hoping it would go away).... I was already a bit nervous...and then..wham!!! all of a sudden I felt so nervous and anxious, and the adrenaline was flowing through my body. I got up,started walking round and round the kitchen and den area, put on my Ipod headphones, talked to God, sang hymns....tried to "self-talk" my way out of the nervousness. I FINALLY did calm down, and thought it must not have been a heart attack or I would have felt worse instead of better. I came to the message boards around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. and some of the symptoms described here were of a panic attack. Then I became very hot, I took my temperature and it was normal, so I am thinking I actually had a hot flash! I will be 49 at the end of August, and for the past 6 months or so I've been feeling very well, very upbeat,etc.... I use progesterone cream right before I go to bed. I'm wondering if I need to use it twice a day instead of just once a day. I take one 20 mg Prozac pill daily.

I have recently been babysitting quite a bit, and pretty much holding and carrying the baby around the whole time for 4-5 hours...and was thinking that could be the reason my back and chest have been hurting. It seems a bit better today. I haven't been hungry this week either, and even a bit nauseous.

Also, I have been more anxious about school starting . my youngest daughter will be driving everyday and her school is about 25 minutes away and I'm SO nervous about that, plus my oldest daughter may be moving to New York (we live in AL) for a few months, and I'm apprehensive about that, and other issues going on as well. So...all in all... I think I'm just in stress-related mode right now!

I probably need some Klonopin, but I'm also the hypochondriac type who is scared to take new meds..just in case of an allergic reaction or a bad side effect.....what am I going to do with myself? I can't live this way, at least not in a happy manner. I do feel a little less nervous today, but am still battling a bit of panic and scared to go to sleep tonight...what if it happens again?

Help!!! Thanks for your concern...and for these message boards!!!

Sandy

Oh I so now how you feel, the only way to put is that they ****!

It sounds like a typical panic attack for sure.. And yes, carrying the baby around is surely not helping you back. Also keep this in mind, if the baby is in a crib or somewhere that you have to been over to pick up, you would be so surprised that that can do to your chest. I had stabbing chest pains when my son was little, took several drs and be called a hypochrondriac by one , till finally another doctor took her finger, pushed into where I pointed out that I was having chest pains, I about came off the tabled in pain.... then smiled, and said OMG that's it, that's it..... what the heck is that.... She simply said to me, if you can push down and it makes it hurt, it is not your heart. Something soooo simple, but it took 5 dr's to figure it out, and a bunch and bunch of test. So happens I had injured my chest a few years back, and by me picking up my son all the time, had aggrivated that injury. Heck till this day, if I move the couch, or strain myself, w/in 24 ours achy chest.....

Just hang in there, and yes, don't be dumb like I was, if you have medicine to help you with the anxiety, then take it! Panic Attacks left unchecked will surely lead to more panic attacks, so if you feel the anxiety building up, take your medicine prior to a full blown panic attack! For me it is like retraining the mind. The more days, then weeks, and now a few months, that goes by and I don't have a full blown panic attack, the better. With Panic we tend to fear the fear!!!!

Hang in there, and know that I am pulling and pray for ya.... And I truly understand how you feel....

PS - Oh yea, that baby sitting, that ain't no walk in the park either. I have 3 kids in the house right now, and only one is mine, and heck I ain't even getting paid.... Few days ago I had 2 boys, and 2 girls ALL DAY, OMGish by the end of the day, I was like where is my red wine...

Thanks for your reply and your prayers and concern. I know what you mean about "fearing the fear"...because that's what I've been doing all day, and dreading going to bed tonight in case it might happen again. I guess I really do need to get to the doctor next week and have some tests run. My mother has heart problems, and since I'm almost 49...I may already be getting a few problems myself. I haven't taken care of myself in the sense that I have been eating junk foods, and not exercising as much as I should have, esp. this summer so I REALLY need to do better. I know my cholesterol level is usually high, but I don't want to take meds if I can help it. But I do think I could use some Xanax or Klonopin to help me at certain panicky times.

Thanks again for your story and your prayers. I do find support and encouragment here on these message boards!

Sandy

I can certainly relate to how you're feeling, I was in a shopping centre about three weeks ago when I started to get extremely hot and my head started to spin and it felt like my legs had turned to jelly! I had this sense of dread come over me like I was going to drop dead!! I cannot describe how horrific it was, I was convinced I was having a heart attack, the worse part was my 14 yr old son was with me and the look of concern on his face was frightening.

I was taken straight up to the hospital and put on monitors and given oxygen, which helped quite a bit. I managed to calm down and they took blood and gave me chest x-rays, everything came back fine they ordered a MIBI scan of my heart which is a radioactive dye that shows up blockages in the heart, had those done and they were fine. Had ECG'S more blood taken and it showed i'm slightly anemic and that the thyroid meds need upping a little.

Doctor said straight out it sounds like you had a panic attack! looked it up here at this wonderful sight and I'd have to agree. I'll need to go back to the docs though because I have a real fear of leaving the house. I had to drive my son to school yesterday morning and thought i'd duck into the newsagents, I was waiting to be served and felt that feeling come on again!! I had to run out and get in my car and race home, spent the rest of the day in a sobbing mess. This is debilitating me because I need to be able to look after my son,husband and mother!!

I've heard that a small dose of xanax can help, if anybody else has had success with it could you please let me know.

This is a scary time in our lives for sure, God bless and you're in my prayers.......Deb in OZ

Xanax is wonderful if you use it when you need it. I wouldn't up your progesterone until you have some new blood work done. 20mg a day should be plenty but it is possible your Estrogen is now low and you need to up that to balance yourself back out. Call your doctor either way.

ive read many posts on here about progesterone that its great at first and then after some time it builds up in your fat cells and causes many problems with too much...so definitly do not increase......

OH dear Sandy .... I feel so bad for you, I've had similar "episodes", and yes, you always think you're dying .... are we having fun yet? Anyway, yes, I take xanax....it's great! It CAN make you drowsy, but not always. It takes away that dread and fear feeling, but you are still able to "think", it doesn't make you feel "drugged"! So, yes, i would highly recommend it! You definately had a panic attack, and a good one at that. I've had so many bad panic attacks i can't count them, .... then there's the ever present anxiety. Sometimes, all i have to do is start to think about it, and it'll bring it on....geez. But yeah, get some xanax, give it a try .... it actually works!..lol...which is pretty rare for drugs nowadays.

Best of luck to you Sandy, and rem. you're not alone with this!