Treating Panic Attacks and Social Phobia Posted: 01-29-06 10:44am
This story jumps a bit back and forth
different countries, bear with me. i was
on a 10 month trip to asia.,
I have been told I have Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder about one year ago after
being trapped in a 32nd floor apartment in
asia during a 4.7 earthquake which shook
the building for more than a minute. I
then had to sleep in the same apartment
for the next 2 months due to financial
restrictions. I used to lie in bed almost
every night and get "rushes" where i
thought it would happen again and my body
would tense up in expectation of the
"event". A few days later I had a HUGE
panic attack which lastet about 3 hours, i
was walking around town freaking out
prayinmg to god to take me and let me
die.. i had chest pains and got these
"rushes" that convinced me i was preparing
my body for a heart-atack. i went to the
emergency room in taiwan, they did chest
xray and EKG and everything came back
normal.
I then went to Hong Kong for a month,
during that time i was sitting in a
restaurant one evening and suddenly just
felt lightheaded and weird. The next 2
weeks were spent in bed, i was so weak i
could almost not walk.. i felt heavy,
pains in my body, went to the doctor, he
said it was some sort of flu, i took meds,
didnt really help..the condition just
slowly got better. Then I flew back to
taiwan for 2 months to work as an english
teacher. I had mild panic and anxiety
feelings sometimes esp at night sleeping
in the same apartment. also sometimes
before teaching i would get this feeling
pass through my body which can only be
explained as a sheet going through me that
made me convinced i was about to have a
stroke or faint. nothing happend. Then
that same weird feeling came again of
being weak, i went to the doc.. he said my
throat was sore and gave me strong
meds..í lay on the couch for 3 days and
got better after that.
I then went to thailand where i witnessed
a friend of mine get hit by a drunk driver
literally one meter from where i was
standing talking to her, she miraculously
came away with no serious injuries but as
it happend my whole body froze, my chest
just immediately seized up and felt
totally bloated and stiff..i sat in panic
and confusion for over a good hour before
i got back to remote normality. Then I
went to thailand for a holiday and spent
one week alone in a hotel room having
panic attacks almost every night, walking
to the emergency room to have my heart
seen to, they took blood (found some virus
but said notning serious), etc..
everything came back clear. THis didnt
stop me getting insane panic attack alone
in the room and walking about 3 kilometers
at midnight to the hospital only to talk
myself out of going in when i got there
and returning to bed to try and sleeop
with the help of some beer. I also had
this persisting dizziness feeling that i
had had for about 3 months now.. not
vertigo spinnig but more an unsettled
feeling, sortof SUrreal or weird sensation
when walking around in shops or crowded
areas or just walking.. made me feel
bizarre. NOt once did i actually fall or
faint. I went to the ear specialist and he
said it was labyrinthitus and put me on
beta histine and stemetil. it helped
slighlty. I mention here that i have had
tinnitus already for 5 years and wondered
if he missunderstood and thought i had
only JUST started having tinnitus.
anyways.
Then i flew back to europe, mianly to get
a real opinion of my condition. My doctor
was not very thourough in seeing me but
just said its post tramumatic stress
disorder and that i should rest and try to
get back to a normal life. This didnt work
too well since i live at home iwth my mum
who is suffering much worse than me and
she exhausts me. then i went to denmark to
work with some friends, and found myself
getting exhausted by the slightest things.
i felt like fainting, felt weak. no rael
energy, depressed..etc.
now i go through weeks of feeling pretty
ok, then i have days of extreme fatiugue,
feeling of chocking when i try to talk to
people and have to breathe in deep and
hold my breath to be able to speak. i feel
pains in my chest, my left nipple feels
very sensitive, i have a tense feelikng in
my stomach... i then get more panicky
whenebver the symptoms worsen and get
convinced i am about to die. I just wonder
why its been almost a year now and i
havent felt "normal".. not full energy,
not full happiness, not focused or
determined.. just weak, and scared.
I have been abck to the doctor many times
and he says the same thing all the time,
its anxiety, its nerves, its stress.. but
i cant believe that.. íts jujst bizarre
but the answers dont seem to be
realistic.. how anxiety can cause so much
weakness and pain? can it?
Sorry this is incredibly long but this has
been going on so long it is rúining my
life. i also dont know what steps i am
supposed to take? I am 28 eat well and yet
have so little energy and get exhausted
easily... is it chronic fatigue syndrome?
but there was a period of 3 weeks in
october last year where i went on tour
with a band and had to work incredibly
hard and sleep very little but i had
almost NO symtoms and no tiredness.. only
afterwards did my symptoms get bad when i
came home. I am SO SO SO confused.
It doesn't seem that you are suffering
from some post traumatic stress disorder
because I don’t see any trauma in your
case. The symptoms you mentioned are not
caused by any real disease. I believe you
are suffering from panic attacks and
social phobia. It is a kind of
anxious-depressive neurotic disorder. I
recommend you to find yourself a good
psychiatrist or mental health professional
because your problem is very complex and
you will need expert help.
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