Re: Please help / panic attacks

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I get that hyper sensitive thing a lot which is what triggers a panic attack for

me as well. Also, when my body is so stressed and exausted it seems to trigger

them as well. I take Klonopin .5mg twice a day and that has helped a

lot...hasn't completely gotten rid of them, but it has made a tremendous

difference.

I wonder if because of mito our brains just aren't getting enough energy to cope

with a lot of input. I have found that I can't go to the movies anymore because

the light and sound is too overwhelming. We buy or rent movies and I can turn

down the sound and take breaks if the action gets too stressful. I wonder how

many other mito people have this symptom?

Lea

... I have had episodes where I feel like my entire body is vibrating. My ears

and body seem to be hyper sensitive and it has actually caused to me go

into a panic attack, which I take meds for.

[Guest guest]

Lea,

Funny you should mention the movies. We have a brand new theatre near

by and the floors are illuminated with blue lightning. It makes me

feel Like a seizure is about to hit every time I walk into the movie.

Another experience that I had at the movies was duing Spy Kids 3-D.

Made me literally " fall out " during the entire movie. My husband and

son told me I was out cold and they couldn't keep me awake from the

first 10 or so minutes of the film. My Hubby told me he thought I was

just exhausted but once the movie, special effects and sound were

over I snapped right back into reality.....learned my lesson NO MORE

3-D movies for me :-)

As far as the vibrating/ panic attack problem I had the first

experience when I was boarding a plan from CCF the day after my

biopsy. I almost got off the plane because I was convinced I was

either having a heart attack or I was going to stop breathing. I have

had panic attacks for year, and although they have gotten worse over

the years, this overall vibrating/ pulsating feeling scares me even

more!

Thanks for the tip on the Klonopin. I am waiting for the doc to call

back about the faciculations. He is investigating Mito related

problems and faciculations.

>

> Hi ,

> I get that hyper sensitive thing a lot which is what triggers a

panic attack for me as well. Also, when my body is so stressed and

exausted it seems to trigger them as well. I take Klonopin .5mg

twice a day and that has helped a lot...hasn't completely gotten rid

of them, but it has made a tremendous difference.

>

> I wonder if because of mito our brains just aren't getting enough

energy to cope with a lot of input. I have found that I can't go to

the movies anymore because the light and sound is too overwhelming.

We buy or rent movies and I can turn down the sound and take breaks

if the action gets too stressful. I wonder how many other mito

people have this symptom?

> Lea

>

>

> ... I have had episodes where I feel like my entire body is

vibrating. My ears and body seem to be hyper sensitive and it has

actually caused to me go

> into a panic attack, which I take meds for.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Lea, , et al

I get these near-fainting panicky things too.

Sometimes only a bit too much exertion will bring this on. However, the

thankfully-rare (for me) super-version is REALLY scary, and also has

emotional stress (as you both mention). What this stress is, exactly, can be

rather slight by my former standards. Like if the phone rings and I think it

might be a doctor callback. Or if something goes even a little wrong and a

repair is going to be a bit more involved. Or if someone makes a critical

comment, like that I forgot the suntan lotion. Being late always makes any

of these worse.

I think what is going on as this trigger hits me, is that I forget to

breath. Or maybe that I wasn't breathing quite enough, but suddenly now the

deficit matters a lot. My intuitive sense is that there is something toxic

in my blood or nervous system, and " better " breathing seems to wash it away

quicker. Another thing that helps is to notice this coming on and " getting

very calm " somehow, like deliberately and slowly moving away from the

trigger and sitting alone in the shade, looking out at the horizon or the

grass or trees.

When this is relatively mild, one or two deep sighing breaths will usually

fix it. The much-worse form is usually the result of considerable physical

exertion COUPLED with stress/anxiety. Like one time when I lifted the tongue

of a small boat trailer up, to get it on the trailer ball, all the time

wondering if it was maybe too late in the day to go boating, and thinking

through a bunch of other things that I had to quick do. Whew boy, suffice it

to say, we didn't go boating that day.

For what it's worth, my own theory, based on these self-observations and my

reading, is that adrenaline (aka epinephrine) is involved. The stress of

exertion plus the stress of emotion increases this hormone, which to a small

degree in non-mito people is normal, harmless, barely noticed, etc. But for

me, I'm guessing that somehow even a little bit too much causes some kind of

flareup, because of my body's inability to absorb or cope with the energy

demand that this hormone induces (which of course is the normal purpose of

the increase).

Anyway, just my two cents. Any of this ring true for others?

Steve D.

> Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 22:36:36 -0000

>

> Subject: Re: Please help / panic attacks

>

>

> Lea,

> Funny you should mention the movies. We have a brand new theatre near

> by and the floors are illuminated with blue lightning. It makes me

> feel Like a seizure is about to hit every time I walk into the movie.

> Another experience that I had at the movies was duing Spy Kids 3-D.

> Made me literally " fall out " during the entire movie. My husband and

> son told me I was out cold and they couldn't keep me awake from the

> first 10 or so minutes of the film. My Hubby told me he thought I was

> just exhausted but once the movie, special effects and sound were

> over I snapped right back into reality.....learned my lesson NO MORE

> 3-D movies for me :-)

>

> As far as the vibrating/ panic attack problem I had the first

> experience when I was boarding a plan from CCF the day after my

> biopsy. I almost got off the plane because I was convinced I was

> either having a heart attack or I was going to stop breathing. I have

> had panic attacks for year, and although they have gotten worse over

> the years, this overall vibrating/ pulsating feeling scares me even

> more!

>

> Thanks for the tip on the Klonopin. I am waiting for the doc to call

> back about the faciculations. He is investigating Mito related

> problems and faciculations.

>

>

>

>

>

> >

> > Hi ,

> > I get that hyper sensitive thing a lot which is what triggers a

> panic attack for me as well. Also, when my body is so stressed and

> exausted it seems to trigger them as well. I take Klonopin .5mg

> twice a day and that has helped a lot...hasn't completely gotten rid

> of them, but it has made a tremendous difference.

> >

> > I wonder if because of mito our brains just aren't getting enough

> energy to cope with a lot of input. I have found that I can't go to

> the movies anymore because the light and sound is too overwhelming.

> We buy or rent movies and I can turn down the sound and take breaks

> if the action gets too stressful. I wonder how many other mito

> people have this symptom?

> > Lea

> >

> >

> > ... I have had episodes where I feel like my entire body is

> vibrating. My ears and body seem to be hyper sensitive and it has

> actually caused to me go

> > into a panic attack, which I take meds for.

> >