Hey seattlepoet,


I am also sorry to hear your medical experiences have been pretty horrible for you. When I had my very first panic attack (I was 15) I thought I was having pain related to a heart attack. I also had trouble breathing and became extremely nauseous. It was as if someone was sitting on my chest!

I went to the clinic that night afraid that I was having some major heart problem and the doctor reassured me it was stress and anxiety which caused me to have a panic attack. I was extremely confused, I wasn't under any kind of stress!

Well, this went on for years, it was as if I had chronic panic! Eventually I ended up at a psychiatrist who told me that even though I didn't FEEL as if I was under stress, I certainly was. He said that my brain was registering stress and thus my body was, too. I went onto a few medications to get my anxiety under control. Those worked for awhile...but I continued to feel this way more often than not.

The fear of physical illness was terrifying, which only made the anxiety worse. I have tried meditation, deep-breathing, retreats, various medications, self-medicating with alcohol (don't try this), psychotherapy, counselling, psychiatry and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Later on , I had gone to the doctor feeling fatigued, light-headed and dizzy with extreme chest pain. The dr. suggested some blood tests to check my thyroid, blood sugar and iron turns out I was extremely anemic! Perhaps these are a few things to look at.

The doc put me on Iron and b12 vitamins supplemented with vitamin C (however don't take iron at home on your own without a doctor's advice, it can be toxic!). My panic attacks are generally few and far between now, although my anxiety is still quite high...

I continue to do daily exercise, practice proper nutrition and get a good night's sleep. I talk and write about my stress and anxiety, take quiet time to deep-breathe and reduce tension, use natural supplements, and do what I can to reduce stress in my life. Although we sometimes don't think we're under stress, we may be! The body has a strange way of reacting to psychological stressors, whether we're conscious of them or not! Our bodies are trying to tell us something. This world is extremely stressful!

I would suggest to some different medical opinions (when it is affordable -- unless it's an emergency of course). Look deeply at all the stressors in your life, is anything making you extremely stressed, nervous, tense and anxious? A counsellor would be a great place to start once all medical problems are ruled out.

Also, do you have any other symptoms?