advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
kidagakash
Newly Joined
kidagakash has no updates.
 
Member Since: Sep 2019
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1
3 yr Member
Default Sep 10, 2019 at 07:32 AM
  #1
This is going to be a long post but I want to paint the whole picture so that you guys have as clear an understanding as possible.

I witnessed what I believe to be a panic attack but it seems more severe than that. Is this "normal" for a panic attack?

My sister always has had this "shake" where her hands would tremble/shake since she was a kid. Nothing severe where it's noticeable but you can tell it's there if you look closely at her hands.

According to her, it has gotten worse now that she's almost 30. some days are good and some days are worse. she never went to the doctor to confirm what was wrong, because she feared the news.

The panic attack occurred over the weekend. She traveled out of state for a birthday trip with a friend. There was a lot of stressors for her that weekend.

1. she was still working from her laptop. she's very highly in demand as a manager that oversees logistics and operations of the northeast region and often has to respond to emails and phone calls.

2. she was out all night, partying with friends, drinking as it was a birthday trip. (she usually doesn't drink and party unless it's a special occasion).

3. she's moving into a new apartment once she returns from her trip.

4. She just completed her first week of classes as a full time student, shes taking 15 credits this semester for a biology degree

5. the morning of her panic attack: one of our dogs got severely attacked and had to be taken to the hospital... (probably the biggest stressor! btw he's doing great recovering!) (she got her panic attack 17 hours later after hearing about the dogs).

According to her friend, her shakiness was bad and gradually got worse throughout the rest of the day. my sister was dropping drinks and couldn't feed her self (I think maybe she also had low blood sugar because she didnt eat), and had to use 2 hands to steady herself and she was having random spasms in her hands, arms and legs kicking. (she's admitted she was drinking more to help her relax but obviously that has the opposite effect). this would happen in public with a group of girls that she didn't really know, so she was feeling very embarrassed. So that was also a stessor that I think agitated her panic attack. my sister absolutely hates losing control or having people see herself lose control.

My sister ended up leaving early because her spasms were so bad, she was so upset worried that she ruined the birthday dinner and ruined everyone's nights because she couldn't control herself. And as she's getting more and more upset, her body was just doing it's own thing which I think triggered the panic attack.

By the time they called me, she was crying uncontrollably and hyperventilating. when I asked what was wrong, she said she couldn't breath and she couldn't control her body. it took us a few hours to calm her down . but during this episode, she was repeating herself. like okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okayy, I never seen her like that before (she's had emotional outbursts before that lasted a few hours but this time felt different). she could barely say anything because she was crying and hyperventillating so much except that she couldn't breath or that she couldn't control her body. We tried to distract her with her favorite song, which kind of worked until she couldn't remember the next lyrics and that kicked up her panic again. It was like she retreated into her own head because she was looking off to the distance, repeating words or phrases like she was stuck on a loop. and her friend had to say her name 3 or 4x to get her attention.

I eventually thought of her dog, so I took my phone (we're facetiming on our iphones) and I take her dog outside and start playing fetch with the dog. This made my sister happy to see and it almost immediately calmed her down enough to go to sleep.

THe next morning, my sister woke up and she remembers everything. Though she says she can't really pin down when it started or how it ended. But she does remember how she was feeling and thinking during it. ANd she said it felt like it was only 30 minutes or so but the whole thing took a few hours. She's very embarrassed and kind of wants to put it in the past and move on. But she's going to go to the neurologist. SHe's fearful that she has Parkinson's or something similar to that where as she gets older, her shaking will get worse and she won't have a normal life. She says it's difficult for her to explain but she felt so embarrassed and so scared that her shaking was so bad it was like her body just started acting on it's own volition and in her mind, she took a backseat and was just observing everything. She was aware, she could hear what was going on but her mind was no longer in control. She said it was like her mind/subconscious separated from her brain and her brain had to repeat words or kick uncontrollably so her mind let it.

I think what happened was a panic attack but it just seemed so much more severe. Especially when we couldn't get her attention, she was rocking back and forth, and when she responded to us, she would repeat her answer in a loop. like her friend was telling her "Take a deep breath, from your stomach. Count to 10" and my sister would just say "i'm trying, im trying, im trying, im trying" a good 10x times or so.

She's set an appt with a neurologist this week to look into her shakes. But I think she should take up therapy again. I was researching CBT and I think that might be the best route. She has suffer from depression since early teens and I believe she has been diagnosed as borderline personality by her therapists.

But was it a panic attack?Or something more/worse?
kidagakash is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
Mendingmysoul

advertisement
BeaFlower
Grand Magnate
 
BeaFlower's Avatar
BeaFlower has no updates.
 
Member Since: Feb 2014
Location: Europe
Posts: 4,804
10 yr Member
4,439 hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Sep 10, 2019 at 03:16 PM
  #2
Hi and welcome to PC!
In my personal opinion, it sounds like a panic attack. The stressors that you mentioned could have caused it, especially since they were all together. Talking to the doctor will surely be the best thing, however. Also therapy could help. Hope things will improve

__________________
"I'm not beautiful like you. I'm beautiful like me".
BeaFlower is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
Mendingmysoul
GlassCloud
New Member
GlassCloud has no updates.
 
Member Since: Oct 2019
Location: Canada
Posts: 8
3 yr Member
4 hugs
given
Default Oct 17, 2019 at 09:20 PM
  #3
The repeating thing is my normal in my opinion. I've been experiencing what I believe to be panic attacks on a fairly frequent/daily basis, and when they're in their high point/peak I often do the same... I repeat words/phrases because the repetition serves to calm me a bit, and also because I'm way too overwhelmed to offer quality conversation/to think in a deep or critical way... the "word loops" more so almost become like a mantra. I do the same thing physically, where I'll rub my face or legs in a certain pattern repeatedly. It's a coping mechanism. As for the spasms, to me that's a lot more odd for a panic attack, especially if she normally/chronically has them. I do definitely shake/shiver during my attacks when they're bad enough, but it's the equivalent of shaking when you're cold... I wouldn't define them as spasms. So that specifically is what seems like it could potentially be something else (although that certainly doesn't mean she wasn't having a panic attack, it's quite possible she did but that the spasms are a manifestation of something else). Either way, I hope she's okay.
GlassCloud is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:48 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.