Up until about five years ago I had no idea what a panic attack felt like. I have always had an extremely stressful existence with family and whatnot, but who hasn’t. Well over the course of a few months I was feeling really tired and run down all the time so I went to my doctor to try and found a reason. Other than being tired I was fine. Since diabetes and thyroid issues run in my family that is the first things they tested for. Well it turned out that I had an underactive thyroid, or so they thought. I took the medicine for a few days and started to feel weird. I was freaking out at work and crying all the time, having crazy thoughts, (classic panic) so I went back to the doctor and he said it was normal to adjust to the medication and increased my dose of thyroid medicine. Well this just made it worse, so I went to another doctor and she took me off all the medication, saying that my thyroid was fine; however it didn’t help I was still feeling anxious and crazy. So she put me on anti-depressants, because she thought I was just depressed, well how many of us get depressed when we know there is something wrong with us, but the doctors all say were fine. Of course I was depressed I was a walking time bomb. Well the anti-depressants helped, but anxiety would rear its evil head time and again, with no explanation. As I said I never had any problems before my thyroid was messed with, and now I do. When these “attacks” occur it is not a single incident, this feeling will last all day; getting better or worse based on what I am doing that day.

 

So now it comes and goes, disappearing and reappearing months at a time. I can go several months without an incident, and then all of a sudden I am a basket case that can’t function. I, myself have discovered over time that these attacks come in waves along with my menstrual cycle. I never know when it’s going to happen, like I said it’s very sporadic. My hope is to find others like me that can be of some support during these times, because I rely so heavily on my husband (who doesn’t get it, but is extremely supportive) and I am afraid that it will ruin our marriage. I just want to know that I am not alone and that what I am feeling is not crazy or just “in my head”.

 

I have found that yoga and water aerobics help a lot. It helps to focus my mind on one thing instead of several small things. I have a great husband that is always there, even if he thinks it’s in my head and if I would just put things in perspective and focus it will be fine. Which we all know is easier said than done. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I hope I could be of some help to others, or find others to help me.