Questions & Answers

Thank you Ambience for taking the time to answer and provide some insight. When I went off of my anxiety medicine 8 years ago, I had adopted handling things in the present and not sitting and brooding about them. I had a lot going on back then. If this had happened a year ago, when I had my miscarriage, I would have agreed that the environment I was in was causing stress. I was working at a bank and felt that I was being taken advantage of because I could do every position required on the teller line, but they didn't have to change my pay. I am now a stay at home mom and my husband does very well in his position so we don't worry about money. I am probably less stressed that I have been in years and have adopted yoga as a way to relax over the past few months. I am hoping it was just a one time thing because they are just not pleasant things to go through. I hope that your anxiety and stress levels lessen so you don't have to worry about an attack.

Anyways plenty of relaxation and being in control of your own life helps massively. It helps to react to things at the time rather than let things build up if you are not happy with them. A panic attack is often a build up of stress that hasn't been handled at the time it was supposed to be. Hope you feel better xx

..I have noticed i'm alot more stressed and anxious in pregnancy. It may not be something you are panicking about in the environment- it could also be something in the future or the past. I've learned to analyse what happened recently and in the past and recognize that this could be the cause of my panic.
I also don't use the word panic attack anymore as that makes me stressed just thinking about it. I say i'm feeling uncomfortable for some reason and it reduces the intensity of what i'm experiencing. Using graphic descriptions of how i feel just serves to intensify the experience so i try to soothe myself as much as i can with language especially since i used to find i'd get worked up and say things like

...I never used to do what i wanted to do - i used to do what other people wanted and be easily guided, now i take the approach of only doing what makes me happy. If i get stressed, it's my bodies way of communicating that i'm unhappy with something.

I listen these days and my body has started to trust me and respond to me with kindness. It doesn't mean i can never be in the places i don't want to be or do the things i don't want to do, but i make sure everything comes from my choice so that i don't get fear taking over me because i'm stuck and trapped.

I know the deeper reasons for my panic attacks now- like things that happened in my history, even little things that triggered associations and then more associations from experiencing panic attacks.

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Yes and agoraphobia because of them, but there is always a trigger even if just a thought or emotion that i feel uncomfortable with. I never used to think this. I used to think they crept up on me out of nowhere, but now i look at what in my life is causing them. It could be the film i watched, reflecting on a memory maybe that i wasn't even conscious of at the time etc

I get them in my sleep aswell and actually fell out of bed and nearly went through the window as well as damaging my finger which now won't go back to normal.

I've learned not to accept panic attacks- to not accept the circumstances that are causing me to feel that way. Sometimes this is hard as it's financial worries or something that has built up ontop of me and it can't be changed straight away.

Thanks TrulyBlessed101. I was on weight watchers before I got pregnant so I cut caffeine out then. I haven't had any coffee, soda, or tea in almost a year and a half. And I eat very little in the chocolate dept. The whole three days before I had my attack I was in bed watching movies in between bathroom trips from a wonderful stomach bug so who knows what caused it. Probably just not worrying about the party on the outside but my head is. My ob just said to monitor them and write down when it happens and what I was doing and also my bp and heartrate (have a monitor at home for when my dad is here). He said we will talk about it at my appointment this week.

Yes. I had a history of them several years ago. I agree to be careful of having too much caffeine, that can trigger them. My Doctor told me that a panic attack can also be your body's way of telling you to slow down. He said that sometimes when we are doing too many things physically, and thinking too much mentally, and don't take a break, our body can make us take a break by causing a panic attack. A panic attack is not necessarily about what is going on right then. Mine usually happened a day or so after I had overexerted myself or was really upset about something. It made sense to me. Recently, I was really overly nesting for several days and just wearing myself out. The more I tried to get done, the more panicked and anxiety that I started to feel. I took a day to just relax and keep my feet up and hydrate well, and that feeling went away. Try to slow down some and relax a bit more and see if that helps. Good luck to you!

Thanks ladies! Glad I am not the only one who has experienced this. I just let it ride out with some deep breathing away from my daughter so I didn't scare her. My mom is convinced is it something to do with the virus I had over the weekend or our upcoming gender reveal party on Sunday. She works at a fire station and of course had to talk about it with everyone there. They think it is a drop in bp. She has never had one so she doesn't know what they feel like. And I told her I am not worried about the party because I have awesome friends that are helping me get ready all week. Who knows? We go to the doctor on Thursday for an ultrasound and check up so I will mention it to him. Hope none of you ladies go through any more attacks. They are scary and no fun at all!

I had my first since high school yesterday, was on anxiety meds and anti-depressants from the age of 15 until I worked with my doctor to get off them completely over the last 2 years. I really would like to stay off them, but it's so scary when you have an attack, it really makes you question yourself! Hope it doesn't happen again for you!

Yes, and now that I am pregnant I get them sometimes once a day. Minor ones, but I get them. I used to be on Lexapro a few years ago because one happened when I was driving and I made up my mind that day that I needed to talk to my doctor. Lexapro helped wonders! But....couldnt be on it when we went back to TTC and certainly cant be on it while pregnant. I may consider going back on it after this baby is born because as you know, attacks can be debilitating and extremely scary. Mine sometimes come out of no where, but most of the time its because I have a lot of anxiety....just how I am wired....I worry a lot!

As long as you know its only an attack, embrace it, let it ride out and hopefully they will not happen often. I used to fight it...and things got worse. So I accept its an attack, try to relax and hope it just goes away quick.