Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton
Typically most people think of panic attacks as like having a heart attack or having these extreme symptoms. But all my panic attacks have always been different.
They are like I have the flu.
Why I know this is because I never HAVE the flu. So, if I feel like I have the flu, usually it is a panic attack.
So you say, how do you know you don't have the flu? Well it never progresses like the flu should.
Typically I start feeling like
- dizzy;
- heart pounding
- increased heart rate
- chills
- having to go #2 more often
- unreal like I am surrounded by air that makes things hard to move.
- often, even if I use calming effects, it will not release easily. Medication is the only thing that will knock it back.
I find this makes things difficult for me because they aren't typical. I mean if this happens at work, I just get to suffer because the symptoms aren't enough for anyone to really think I am having an issue. If I go to the ER they don't recognize it as a panic attack and I feel like that is pointless.
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The list of symptoms you describe do not sound different at all. You're description as feeling like you are catching a flu is unique, but I'm no expert by any means.
I have a sort of standard list as well that is similar to yours, but I don't get the idea we all experience the same thing. My symptoms can also vary a bit. There are certain things that cause me great distress. Sometimes mine start with an immediate spike in pulse/heartbeat followed by a hot "rush of blood to the head" vertigo feeling. When that happens, I feel terror. Thankfully, these are usually very short.
Mostly, I have panic attacks often throughout the day. It's almost as if it is happening so often that it's hard to tell where one ends and another begins. The symptoms with these are more similar to yours. Maybe this contributes to your feeling like you are getting sick?
At any rate, you're not alone. I'm sorry you experience these in such a prolonged way. It is a terrible feeling.