Panic Attacks and Anxiety

[proudparentjen]

I just want to know when I can feel normal again? It has been almost 3 years and yet I still have panic attacks and anxiety. I do not feel like the same person at all. Any advice? I have tried Lexapro but it makes me sweat..LOL Am I going crazy?

[LovinLife]

I tried ativan, then xanax and that seemed to work better for me. I'm only 3 months past diagnoses, but can tell a huge difference. it's funny that you wrote this thread bc I was just thinking today, "will i ever put this behind me and be normal again"...i had started feeling normal again, but have been feeling bad again lately and it's hard not to panic ab it. are you on any kind of hormones that could be making it worse. during both pregnancies i had panic attack during the major hormone changes, and certain BCs would do that too....

[proudparentjen]

Thank you both for your input. I hope that one day I can overcome this sense of not being able to breathe. To me, that is more crippling than the PPCM. It mainly happens when I get ready for bed, then I have to get up and pace the floor to try and calm down. I do have a low dosage of Xanax but I hate to keep taking meds just to feel normal. It is so aggravating and my husband does not get it. I decided to go back to school after having my son and after taking pre-reqs for 2 years, I was accepted to the Dental Hygiene program for this fall. I am so excited except I will have to quit my job to attend full-time days which I am afraid is going to stress me out more now because of having no money for 2 years. I know it will get better but for some reason I always feel like I am waiting for the bottom to fall out from under me. I was also told I cannot have anymore children, I have a 15yr old daughter (no problems with having her) and my 2yr old son, but now I feel like my "clock" is ticking...I know I am rambling but no one else understands all of the things I am feeling except for you ladies on this website. I am so thankful to have found you. I do attend a church regularly which is great and has helped me a great deal but I cannot seem to overcome the anxiety and panic feelings I have every day. To look at me you would not know it, but I get nervous just talking to people now. Why is that?

[Erin]

Have you tried taking walks in the evening? I know it sounds almost too simple or easy of a solution, but I promise you that a casual evening walk or stroll on a treadmill will do wonders for the type of symptoms you describe.

Hope you feel relief soon!

ETA: Oh, it just crossed my mind -- in another thread I was telling Tish about the Magnesium I take (recommended by my urologist for kidney stones) -- it has a wonderful calming effect and I take it before bed and it helps me relax and sleep better. It's called Magnesium Plus Ionic Fizz and I get it at my local health store. Just another thought.

[proudparentjen]

Thanks! That is a great idea. I will try both :)

[carrob]

I'm so glad you posted this......because I was just going to post something about this as well. I guess we NEVER truly quit worrying about our hearts. Since my Mom's been so sick the past couple of weeks with a clot in her heart, I've been having chest pains and tightness. And, at times, it's really hard to breathe. I've been faithfully checking my vitals, and I know it's nothing more than stress and anxiety.....

My doc has prescribed some Xanax for me.

I try doing breathing exercises while am at work and also prayer.....as I know that's the best medicine right now.

[proudparentjen]

Yeah nothing really helps me. I have chest pressure and tightening all the time. The fact that I HATE my supervisor and want to hurt her probably doesn't help matters. :)

[LovinLife]

LOL that's funny, at least you have someone/something to focus on other than PPCM :) don't go hurting people!! breathe.......

[proudparentjen]

I would love to do Yoga, how do you guys find the time between work, school and kids? I am quitting my job in August for school so hopefully then I will have a little bit of "me" time and I can try it then. I do have palpitations but my cardiologist said I am just "aware" of my heartbeat...yeah right. All of these years without feeling my heart beating in my throat and all of a sudden...there it is..It must be in my mind! I used to feel normal and now I am nervous all the time - it drives me crazy. I will be starting the dental hygiene program and I am told they are all about presentations and community teaching so I will have to get over my anxiety real quick I suppose. I am also severaly chlostrophobic now too and will have to somehow get past wearing a mask all day. I just started back on the Lexapro last week, but I am cutting the dosage in half and just taking every other day to see if that will help with the panic attacks. I hate taking meds so we will see. Thank you both for your input and advice. Oh and by the way, I did not hurt my boss yet! She is such a witch though. I am also on myspace: www.myspace.com/jhedgcoe

[GPhiB]

reezlemom - I saw that you said you hated the not able to get a full breath feeling. Did you have this even after your EF was improving and close to normal? Was it associated with anxiety/panic attacks? I've been having problems with the not able to get a full breath feeling since I was diagnosed. My EF is improving it was at 48% in January. I go back in July for another echo. My primary care physician thought my breathing issue might be mild asthma. Your comment has me wondering.

[reezlemom]

reezlemom - I saw that you said you hated the not able to get a full breath feeling. Did you have this even after your EF was improving and close to normal? Was it associated with anxiety/panic attacks? I've been having problems with the not able to get a full breath feeling since I was diagnosed. My EF is improving it was at 48% in January. I go back in July for another echo. My primary care physician thought my breathing issue might be mild asthma. Your comment has me wondering.


Yes. I had it even after I went over 60% and still get it on occasion. My cardiologist says it has absolutely nothing to do with my EF.

It can DEFINITELY be associated with anxiety and panic attacks. It's a very common symptom of an anxiety sufferers. Here's a good site (http://www.panic-anxiety.com/panic/attacks/symptoms/) about it.

[Erin]

Shannon -- I recently started yoga because of you and I love it. Thank you!

[Erin]

reezlemom - I saw that you said you hated the not able to get a full breath feeling. Did you have this even after your EF was improving and close to normal? Was it associated with anxiety/panic attacks? I've been having problems with the not able to get a full breath feeling since I was diagnosed. My EF is improving it was at 48% in January. I go back in July for another echo. My primary care physician thought my breathing issue might be mild asthma. Your comment has me wondering.

I continued to have shortness of breath for at least few months after my EF went up to 55%. Don't know why, but it seems to be fairly common.

Do I remember correctly that beta blockers may cause or be associated with shortness of breath? Don't quote me, I may be wrong...

[manda]

just saw this thread, and my not being able to breathe deep enough, very similar to what sent me to the ER and began this whole mess, recently ended up being due to asthma..... a side effect of lisinopril.... just FYI

[JAMESFETT]

Very interesting! It is rare to have lisinopril have an asthma side-effect, just because of the way it works. But it is common to have beta-blockers do so, again, because of the way they work. Carvedilol, a newer generation BB can still do that, but less commonly than the older BB. Anyway, you are over that. Good!

JD

[manda]

actually my pastor started lisinopril and it gave him asthma as well, and the same thing happened with others i know too... my pcp said it was normal.... weird. excited for my stress echo tomorrow to see how things are going!