Rayjay,

first, just for the record I too believe that faith is central to healing.

I also bekieve though that god/allah/yahweh/buddha etc give us at least some means to help ourselves. The first is to recognize when we have a problem & 2nd to seek help, the 3rd thing though is the hardest - to take action to help ouselves.

Yes, many people have the same or similar symptoms to yours, sometimes the eyes being out of focus or having swirling lights where you can't see anything else are what is called "visual migraines", no pain just a hell of a problem especially if you're trying to drive as I was this morning!!

I suffer from almost all of the things you mention to some degree & at various times. Yes, I too have felt like i'm dying but have now become more used to all this & know i'm not, but it still feels awful & can be scary at times.

Panic attacks - come in all shapes & sizes - so you may be having a panic attack without realizing it ( or without realizing the cause). Also sometimes I find & my dr also said that these attacks can come on after the situation that caused the stress has been resolved, so in other words you stay "strong" deal with the issue, then when you relax you sort of collapse from holding it all together.

All that said (& I don't think you're dying or have anything serious wrong, but i'm not a dr) I do think you should discuss your symptoms, how often they occur, under what circumstances & where, with your dr just in case, this should also help to put your mind at ease.

In terms of dealing with these problems, relaxation techniques are the best, go to your library or health centre & get some books &/or tapes in the mean time, try taking slow, deep breaths, sitting down & having a cold drink, removing yourself from the situation if that's possible & appropriate.