Hey Rock i hope you post often i could use the support,need more guys here..Anyways i love your posts it wss cool how you broke it down like that,that was tight..I can never find my triggers but usually its a health problem that makes me nuts,it going to find WHERE YOUR WEAK AT AND ATTACK.so lets say your afraid to fly than it would keep you grounded if it feels heart like than you will be a heart nut like outlaw here..it will find your fear and expose it..We are strong,but it makes weak,but stronger in the end,because we are fighters..Hugs to all..Later.. outlaw

Hi Caitlin, Thank you very much for your post. I was about to go offline when I noticed my best friend was online so stayed to talk with him for a bit and listen to some music :) I can't remember what I was thinking when the attack came on. I just know it was really hot...then next minute bam, attack. However I do understand where you are coming from, and I will do my best to think about my thoughts next time, and write them here. It's good to hear from you, as it appears from your first post that you're kind of in the same boat as me at the moment. I also feel that I was always strong earlier in life, always full of confidence...so these can be such a huge blow. I will pay attention to my thoughts a lot more next time when the attack happens :) Right now I am feeling a lot better thank you

Hi Rock, try to remember what you were thinking when the panic started tonight... were you thinking about how you hadn't had an attack yet, and perhaps how you "should" or inevitably would have one? Any negative self-talk that you wouldn't even notice if you weren't paying attention? I find that if I have had a good day, or if I notice I can actually breathe (I have had breathing problems for 4 days straight now) then the negative self talk starts - it's quiet and unassuming but it's like a hard-wired habit and it will bring you down every time. As soon as you start getting those sensations - heat, tingling, etc, stop your thinking patterns and pay attention to them - tell yourself you are a strong person and say to yourself that you can have this attack or not have it, either way you will come out ok. Focus your thoughts on things that comfort you - your child, your fiancee, your faith, whatever makes you feel strong and healthy. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but over time it really helps to pay attention to the thoughts you are having during or just prior to your attacks. Also, I think doing what you did - getting online and talking about it, is a great idea. Also perhaps try working thru the 12 step program on this website, I plan to start it soon myself. Everything will be ok. I think I'll go make myself some tea too!! Caitlin

Don't mind me, just having a personal battle with myself here :) I read the post I just did 5 minutes ago and it makes me amazed as I cant picture the tensing of the arms etc. Isnt that weird? It was only 5 minutes ago, but it feels like a whole different person. I mean, I'm still having the attack I guess....no...no wait...at this point it's the adrenaline from teh attack. THe attack is gone yay, I just feel drained now. Writing on this messageboard helps me. I feel I will be posting often. Please, excuse my ramblings. I will basically be typing exactly what is on my mind, as I battle with myself over these things. God, I cant believe how much my mind has changed in FIVE MINUTES. I feel like I was very sad 5 minutes ago to let the attack get to me. I feel a bit cooler, but more importantly I feel calm. Okay. The adrenaline is draining me. I'm gonna go lie down and hopefully go to sleep. Lets hope I dont post anymore tonight :)

Well I figure I'll try and post here each day, and maybe there'll be something that someone will read and be able to say, to help me. Today I went to the beach with my fiancee and son. It went well, with no attacks. It went great actually. The whole day went great. Then tonight we went to bed at 11 and watched some TV...and it happened. I started just getting really, really hot. Like super hot. My fiancee on the other hand felt it was quite cold, especially with the fan on. Of course the heat has started my panic attack, and now as I type I feel my arms tensing up, my neck/throat getting tight. Basically I feel like....yep, you guessed it, I am going to die. I have taken some advil liquid gels in the hope that they will help me with the temperature issue(in case its from sunburn ~ too early to really tell if I got the s'burn). I also am going to try and sleep downstairs bebecause I cant sleep upstairs beacuse its so hot. Okay just made myself some green tea too. Starting to calm down a bit now, I want to try and hold out from ativan if possible as I don't want to be reliant on it. Yet o the other hand, I wonder if thats my problem. I'm scared to rely on it like I once did, because I keep thinking my doctor will cut me off it(when I get a resident doctor they give me a heard time). Oop here comes a chest pain. I stop and lsiten to my heart beating to make sure it still is(sigh) and of course it is, but of course it doesnt really calm me down that much. i am feeling tired too but know if I go lie down I will get worse. I think. Oh I dont know. I just hate this so much :(

To everyone like you guys i was in control i posted in another thread..It came on when i was 20,than got xanax i went back to what The Rock said pop,a pill and never really felt bad.if i did,the pill would surely take care of it..well 2 plus years ago itt quitt doing that..i became a health nut from heart problems to cancer issues my life is terrible.. My daughter is 2 and i want the alone time but im like what if i freak,i wont be able to watch her,she could put something in a socket..i could die,and she would be here alone..Drinking used to work for me for anxiety,but that is wrong route thats a terrible route drinking and panic sure dosent mix..I will have my life back right..By God i WILL...u know.. The symptoms feel real so you cant be like how people expect us to react ok,it will pass..when you feel like your dying or something isnt right,you fight it,no way around it..hope i helped..you guys are tough.. outlaw

This is my first time here, I think I registered 2 years ago but then never posted, decided I should be strong enough to overcome this myself. Things did get better, but now, I am losing my ability to cope again. I totally understand your symptoms and your fears. I have a beautiful little 2 year old who I absolutely live and would die for, and I stayed home happily for a year and a half with him. But now, I worry about extended periods alone with him for the same reasons -what if I die and he is here alone with me, what if I have a panic attack and I am the only one here to care for him? The wonderful thing is, so far, he is the only thing that instantly brings me back from the edge - I can be feeling an attack coming on and as soon as he appears I am totally focussed on him. That's another reason why I don't think this is a chemical imbalance issue, at least not in my case. I think you should reconsider the intensity or frequency of your workouts - yes they are healthy but they also inevitably trigger physical effects which are normal and harmless, but to folks like us we fear they are not normal and far from harmless. You may want to take it easy - find a pace and frequency that causes little to no physical worries for a while, and then build up slowly. Also, if alcohol is associated with the onset of your disorder, maybe consider limiting yourself to one drink - not because you think more will harm you but because you recognize it as a trigger for your fears. But, maybe that's bad advice because I'm saying you should avoid things. I had my first attack 3 years ago when I was 27. I can clearly identify why I had it - I was about to speak at a conference and I had been internally thinking about how fat I was getting, how useless I was, how no one would ever want me... I psychologically and unwittingly convinced myself that I was pathetic. I was a very confident person but was coming out of a string of bad relationships. Then I tried to get up and speak in front of my peers... well you can guess how that went. Prior to that I had total confidence in public speaking situations. Now the mere thought of that makes me nauseous. The attacks were very sporadic for a long time, and triggered by more and more minor things - being stuck in a situation I wo

ROCK, I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS YOU DO .LATELY I HAVE BEEN LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME. GINA

Long story short, four years ago I had my first major panic attack. It was due to basically over-abuse of my body(alcohol mainly), and I was 20 at the time. I went on Paxil for 6 months, but when I had a horrendous attack while on that I gave it up and was switched(at my request) to Ativan. Things got a lot easier, because it was a case of "Oh, having panic attack symptoms? Hey just pop an Ativan and I'll be fine". This helped me to the point where I would have a minor attack once a month tops...and even then it was a case of either taking the ativan, or KNOWING I could take the ativan and I'd be okay. So living a panic attack free life, it really surprised me when the attacks started up again...with a vengeance. Three months ago I started getting them, and they got to the point where they were every day. I'd never experienced it so severe before. They were disrupting my life. I couldn't get to sleep many nights, and at work if I went in I'd get an attack there. I tried quite a few things to help me out including going to a stress counsellor as I have a wedding coming up, some financial issues etc and figured it may be stress(although I don't feel stressed). I also changed my diet, eliminating pop completely, only drinking green tea, and cutting cigarettes down from 10-15 a day to 3-5 a day. Two weeks ago, I had a great week. No panic attack the whole week. Monday-Friday I was fine. Perfectly fine. It was so great. The ONLY thing I can think I did different at that time was I exercised a bit more, doing a lot of abs workouts at night. Saturday during the day I did good, then at night my buddy came over and we had a few beers. While it wasn't a lot, the next day I felt a bit hungover, and the attacks ended up coming that day. Monday, I was back to my regular panic attack schedule of one a day and it has continued all the time up to today. I don't understand it, and that is why I am writing here. I mean, these are not stopping me from going out or anything. I still go to work. At lunch I run a good two miles. However when they come on, I just can't cope at all. I can't get my goddarn head around the fact that it is all mental. Just today for example...I got to work fine, then I started feeling shortness of breath. All mor