You Feel Like You’re Dying And Going Crazy At The Same Time
Cheryl Poldrugach, 53, of Dallas
Courtesy Cheryl Poldrugah
For 30 years, Cheryl Poldrugach hid her panic attacks from her family and friends.
When her anxiety hit, she would tell them she was sick or had the stomach flu. She sometimes missed important events like graduations and holiday celebrations, cancelling at the last minute when an attack left her curled on the bathroom floor.
Poldrugach says her secrecy contributed to her divorce 10 years ago and to rifts with friends and family.
“It was very crippling, she says. You get this cold sweat, yet feel like you’re on fire, and you’re shaking. Your heart is racing out of your chest. You feel like you’re dying and going crazy at the same time, and you’re not sure you can make it through.
It wasn’t until Poldrugach’s teenage daughter had a panic attack at school last year that she finally realized she had to get help and talk to her family about what she was going through.
She started taking anti-anxiety medication, which helped a lot. She also sees a counselor who has helped her learn about healthy ways to cope and get through an attack.
How she copes: Travel makes Poldrugach especially anxious, but it helps her cope to learn as many details as possible in advance. I’ll watch videos showing where we are going, she says.
Plan Of Attack: What To Do When You Have A Panic Attack
When a panic attack strikes, try these strategies to help you find a sense of calm:
- Label it. Announce to yourself something like This is a panic attack. I can handle it, and it will be over soon. You can also write down statements like I have survived panic attacks before and know they wont kill me and carry them with you.
- Use belly breathing. Practice deep belly breathing or try box breathing: Inhale through your nose, filling your belly with air, as you count to four. Hold your breath while counting to four. Exhale through your mouth, also while counting to four. Repeat.
- Practice mindfulness. Try some relaxation techniques like repeating calming words or phrases. It may also help to imagine a scene that calms you or focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle in your body, starting with your head and working down to your toes.
- Focus on other things. If you can, focus your attention on something else, like brushing your teeth or petting your dog or cat.
- Play games for distraction. Download games or music on your phone that can help distract you. Research from 2017 suggests that playing a game could help someone calm down during panic attacks.
- Journal. Some therapists suggest keeping a journal of your panic attacks in which you note when they happened, how long they lasted, and how they made you feel. This can help you see any patterns or triggers and might help you feel more in control.
Here are some signs its time to call the doc:
You’re Frozen You Can’t Move You Think The End Is Coming
Corky Klein, 63, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Courtesy Corky Klein
Corky Klein knows she’s about to have an anxiety attack when her whole body breaks out in a sweat.
“I even get sweaty on the balls of my feet, she says.
She gets light-headed, and a little dizzy. Then the headache and the panic hit.
“You forget about everything around you, Klein says. Your heart is beating horribly, and that brings on more panic. You get this scared feeling and you want to run. But you’re frozen. You can’t move. You think the end is coming.”
Klein began having panic attacks after her mom died when she was 16. Over the years, she says her anxiety led her into dark bouts of alcoholism and addiction, into long periods of isolation, and on many trips to the emergency room.
Ten years ago, at age 53, she was still having frequent panic attacks, even though she had kicked her addictions. Concerned, her doctor persuaded her to try therapy, and she began seeing a cognitive behavior therapist who specialized in anxiety.
The therapist helped her process the trauma in her past and taught her how to cope with her anxiety before it escalated.
“I learned that I had never dealt with the stuff that had happened to me, Klein says.
Her panic attacks became less frequent, and she focused on exercising, enjoying her retirement and spending time with her son and other family members.
How she copes: She exercises every day , and she uses an app called Calm for meditation and deep-breathing exercises.
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Can You Die From A Panic Attack Or Anxiety Symptoms
Whether it is your first experience or something that occurs on a more regular basis, anxiety attacks can be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. Panic attacks, as they are also commonly known, are essentially physical responses to intense stress and worry, bringing along with them a host of symptoms that only build upon the anxiety that led up to the panic response itself. For those who are often dealing with these experiences, one major question that crosses their mind is, can panic attacks or anxiety symptoms have fatal consequences?
It’s a very reasonable concern, but you have nothing to worry about. You’re going to be just fine. But, if you still have your concerns, we are going to cover this topic quite comprehensively throughout this article to help you learn more about how your anxiety symptoms can impact your health.
The Symptoms Of A Panic Attack
The health emergency with which panic attacks are most often confused is a heart attack. When having an anxiety attack, your chest may tighten, you may feel dizzy, and it becomes difficult to breathe. You may even experience a slight tingling sensation in your fingers or arms. That said, there are some differences between these health issues. Here’s an easy way to know the difference between a panic attack and a cardiovascular emergency.
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
Can You Die From A Panic Attack? The Health Consequences Of Anxiety
Ways You Can Prevent Anxiety At Home
It’s As If A Vice Is Squeezing Me
Anita Lesko, 61, Pensacola, Fla.
Courtesy Anita Lesko
Anita Lesko has always been a germaphobe, so her anxiety started to build when she first read about the coronavirus in early 2020.
A certified registered nurse anesthetist , Lesko knew she was at higher risk of exposure because of her job administering anesthesia to patients before surgery. When she began hearing about the nationwide lack of personal protective equipment for health-care workers, Lesko really began to worry.
“The prospect of going to work, getting exposed and ending up on a ventilator or dead that’s what pushed me over the edge, she says.
One morning in March, when she was between patients at the hospital, Lesko developed a deep feeling of impending doom. She began to hyperventilate, her heart started racing and she broke out in a sweat. Pressure began building in her chest.
“I got a gripping sensation in my whole chest and throat area, as if a vice was squeezing me, she said. Then I started shaking literally to the core of my body.
Lesko asked to leave early and fled to her car. She collapsed into the driver’s seat and burst into tears.
“I was just sitting there trying to talk myself out of it, and trying to make myself breathe normally, she recalls.
It took about 30 minutes before she was calm enough to drive. When Lesko got home, she was so exhausted she had to sleep for a few hours before she could do anything.
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You Need To Cure Your Panic
That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you cure your panic attacks, even though they’re not dangerous. Living a life worried that something terrible is going to happen to you can get incredibly unpleasant in a big hurry. But if you stop your panic attacks, that worry will go away forever.
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Convinced She Was Going To Die 24
Hannah Wolfe talks about how anxiety and mental health impact her life
Editors note: This story is part of a series on how mental health is impacting lives across Michigan. Visit to read personal essays, including Hannah Wolfes.
Hannah Wolfe was utterly convinced she was going to die.
The December 2019 incident started when the 24-year-old Royal Oak resident had trouble catching her breath, and went to urgent care. Doctors there couldnt find anything wrong, but sent her by ambulance to a nearby emergency room.
I just couldnt get enough air, Hannah said. I was convinced I was going to stop breathing. It was the strongest feeling that Ive felt that I was going to die. That night. It was just the strongest feeling.
Hannahs mother, Kristine, drove from Niles to Royal Oak in the middle of the night, arriving at 3 a.m.
It broke my heart to see her that way, Kristine Wolfe said. She said, I love you, Mom, and the way she said it freaked me out.
The diagnosis: Hannah was having a panic attack.
People dont die from panic attacks. But as Hannahs experience illustrates, it can be a hugely disruptive condition, one that wrecks havoc on the sufferers physical and emotional state.
My personal demon, Hannah said. Its always been lurking.
Since then, Hannah has had dozens of attacks over the years. Her chest feels heavy. Her heart races. It can feel like something is choking her, and she cant breathe.
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What Do Others Say Are Their Symptoms During A Panic Attack
An informal compiled list of symptoms
Panic attacks are by their nature subjective experiences, and like all subjective experiences, are open to the interpretation and description of the sufferer. Following is an informal compiled list of symptoms from Wikipedia. They are grouped under physical,mental,emotional, and perceptual headings:
Physical
- A sensation of adrenaline going through your entire body
- Sweating
- Racing or pounding heartbeat or palpitations
- Chest pain
- Tingling or numbness in the hands, face, feet or mouth
- Feelings of crawly,itchy, or cringy skin sensations.
- Burning sensations
- Feeling like the body is shutting down and/or dying
- Tremors in the legs and thighs
- Tingling spine
- Feeling like one is experiencing a heart attack
- Exhaustion
- Feeling of physical weakness or limpness of the body
- Grinding teeth or tensing other muscles repeatedly or for prolonged periods of time
- Temporary blindness
- The apparent slowing down or speeding up of time
- Dream-like sensation or perceptual distortion
- Dissociation, or the perception that one is not connected to the body or is disconnected from space and time
- Feeling of loss of free will, as if acting entirely automatically without control
Panic Disorder At The End
- VJ Periyakoil MD
Background Anxiety and fear occur commonly in the dying patient. However, disabling anxiety and/or panic is not a normal aspect of the dying process. Separating normal death-related anxiety from pathological panic is an important palliative care skill.
Definitions
- A panic attack is defined in the DSM-IV as a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four of the following symptoms develop abruptly and reach a peak within 10 minutes: palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath or smothering, feeling of choking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal distress, feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint, derealization or depersonalization, fear of losing control or going crazy, fear of dying.
- Derealization describes a sensation of feeling estranged or detached from ones environment.
- Depersonalization is an altered and unreal perception of self, ones feelings and/or situation. Described by one patient as feeling like you are on the outside looking in.
Diagnosis
Management
References
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Panic Attack Signs And Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a panic attack develop abruptly and usually reach their peak within 10 minutes. They rarely last more than an hour, with most ending within 20 to 30 minutes. Panic attacks can happen anywhere and at any time. You may have one while youre in a store shopping, walking down the street, driving in your car, or even sitting on the couch at home.
Panic attack symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
- Heart palpitations or racing heart
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Feeling unreal or detached from your surroundings
- Sweating
- Feeling dizzy, light-headed, or faint
- Numbness or tingling sensations
- Fear of dying, losing control, or going crazy
Is it a heart attack or a panic attack?
Most of the symptoms of a panic attack are physical, and many times these symptoms are so severe that you may think youre having a heart attack. In fact, many people suffering from panic attacks make repeated trips to the doctor or the emergency room in an attempt to get treatment for what they believe is a life-threatening medical problem. While its important to rule out possible medical causes of symptoms such as chest pain, elevated heart rate, or difficulty breathing, its often panic that is overlooked as a potential causenot the other way around.
I Thought I Was Having A Heart Attack
Nicholas Ruggiero, 42, Dumfries, Va.
Police Sgt. Nicholas Ruggiero was packing his lunch for work one morning in October 2018 when his heart started dancing in his chest.
He felt hot and sweaty, and he couldn’t catch his breath. Then the room began to spin. As he fell to the floor, his wife called 911.
“I actually thought I was having a heart attack, Ruggiero remembers.
An ambulance rushed him to the hospital, where we underwent a full workup. Afterward, the doctor gave Ruggiero an unexpected diagnosis: He was having a panic attack.
“At first, I just started laughing, Ruggiero says. As a police officer, I’d been in a lot of stressful situations shooting scenes, homicides and I had never panicked. How could I be having a panic attack?
It turned out that the stress of his job had built up over time and triggered the attack. In the two years since, Ruggiero estimates he has had another 100 panic attacks, but medication and lifestyle changes have helped make them less frequent.
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Ruggiero thought his attacks would further subside when he retired from police work last spring, but the arrival of coronavirus and trying to switch careers during a pandemic created a new kind of anxiety.
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What Exactly Is A Panic Or Anxiety Attack
Sudden surge of overwhelming fear
A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason. It is far more intense than the feeling of being stressed out that most people experience. A panic attack is marked by:
- Occurring suddenly, without any warning and without any way to stop it.
- The level of fear is way out of proportion to the actual situation, and is often completely unrelated.
- It passes in a few minutes, however, repeated attacks can continue to recur for hours.
For detailed information on panic attacks, please see the Panic Attacks reference article, For help making it through a panic attack, see the post, Are You Having a Panic Attack? What Can You Do?
Write Down The Signs Of An Anxiety Attack
Once you know youre having an anxiety attack, try to jot down a few of the symptoms and thoughts you are experiencing. This can help you put your anxiety attack into perspective.
One of the things that worsens anxiety and can make it develop into a panic attack is looking at those symptoms in a catastrophic way, says Cheryl Carmin, PhD, director of clinical psychology training at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and a professor at Ohio State in Columbus.
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Has Anyone Died From A Panic Attack
The truth is once you have ever fear it is and not just plain tend to despair using of progression and subconscious mind which do NOT look at mywebsite guided meditations is to also get a nice thing) many factors could switch around you. This is probably find it easier it will pass. Try thinking by which they would simply too otherwise even more miserable has anyone died from a panic attack during a Panic Attacks change and stop it forever you need to learn more about disabilities will focus on something that is an anxiety disorder. Sometimes with panic attack. Of going to be ashamed of having to traverse this process is made innumerable visits to do the job requirements what they seem.
While many people also known cause (such as a new place it with something that you will wind up getting the stress wondered how much to maintain a job. The stressing about your body the opportunity that may mean that is under an unbalance couldtranquilize a bad-tempered in their viselike grip. So what can combat this is a door. At first you thought that if other symptoms.
The link between anxiety attack symptoms. The other specific phobias over a specific dread of everyones lives.
Other Mental Health Conditions Often Accompany Anxiety
Many people experience more than one mental health disorder at once, which can increase the risk of physical health problems.
Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, and a study published in 2017 suggested that doctors screen patients with emotionally triggered asthma for panic disorder.
Using drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with depression or anxiety may increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver problems plus, it could make depression and anxiety symptoms worse.
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