Completly New at this - and Scared

[IamStrong]

Hello,
I've recently started suffering from panic attacks. As it turns out i have a panic disorder. Complete shock to me as i am a very laid back person (apart from being shy maybe in social situations, but even then i play it cool) I'm on prozac for 3 weeks now and klonapin. thankfully, the mentally nervous feeling is diminishing. It was so bad in the begining i literally didn't leave my bed for a week and a half.
But my problem now is my breathing and tightness in my stomach/chest - which ihave had for THREE YEARS! I have always thought something was realy wrong with me. i have had ever test under the sun from my doctors and they always said i was completely fine, which made me feel like i was going crazy. Now it's becoming clear this might be an anxiety issue. the problem is, altough mentally i'm starting to feel better. the breathing is still bad. can't take deep breath, always yawning, feel miserable because of it.
Does anyone else have this problem or know what i could do. i've been trying progressive muscle relaxation, body scans and deep breathing techniques for about a week now.
Feel free to ask for more info if i haven't been specific about anything.
Thank you all for being here. I was so glad to find i'm not alone

[el-k]

Hi IamStrong,
 I experience the same breathing issues and chest tightness. It's not a fun thing to live with, but I have been told by many that it is stress related. Read the article linked below which was provided by Pan. It's very informative and explains a lot about why we feel like we do. I hope it helps and I hope you start to feel better soon.


http://www.breathingwise.com/stress-and-overbreathing.html

[IamStrong]

Thanks, that was really helpfull. It all seems to fit except for the "overbreathing" part. I have noticed myself holding my breath on occasions. I wonder if that would cause the same problems? Who knows. On the one hand, i fell like i'm very lucky that there appears to be nothing "wrong" with me - Says the Doctor. But on the other hand, I have tried so hard to get rid of this through different excercises and techniques and nothing changes, that i feel like there is something wrong with me and they just haven;t figured it out. I know that sounds stupid and fits in with the whole panic disorder to begin with. I guess i need to learn how to accept that it is related to panic disorder. I mean it all fits. I first got the breathing problem when we were going to visit my inlaws, then i t went away. got it again when i changed jobs. again when they came to visit us. and now it just stays. it is worse in the morning, like my mental anxiety problems.... I know it fits together so well.. Why can't i just accept it. That my diphragm isn't just broken somehow and that it is stress related!! I wonder does anyone know of specific diaphram relaxing excercises?

[el-k]

I've turned to a therapist who is trained in specific calming breathing strategies. I've only just started, but he is practicing the exercises with me. I've never been very good at follow through on my own so having someone walk and talk me through this is what I need.

[nmrx]

I'm not sure what you can do but years ago I had the same problem with pains and having every test done that there was... eventually I stopped thinking about my pains (mainly in my abdomen-- I had more of a hypochondria problem) and they didn't bother me anymore.

I notice with chest discomfort etc, the more I pay attention to it the more it bothers me..
I don't know if that would be the same with you but if you have had tests done for everything it might not be anything serious. I think not worrying is a huge factor to feeling better.
To relieve tension I am loving chamomile tea. And also doing 30 minutes of exercise a day I find really makes a difference, makes you feel more in control. Those are simple things you could do that could make a difference.

[IamStrong]

Yeah I do Know that i make it worse by thinking about it. But it defienetly a physical problem. I have been working on it and it seems that i cannot get the muscles in my abdomen to relax. My diaphragm i think. I wonder is there special Relaxation Techniques for that area. If i try really hard i can sometimes make it relax by moving around and trying all sorts of different positions. Anyway, I do hope it doesn't last forever cause i'm doing good with the mental nervous feelings but this won't stop. Thanks for your replys

[abeja_reina_1989]

i just finally was forced to the conclusion this month that i have anxiety/depression/ocd.. i knew i had all of these things in the back of my mind. but, it means so much more for a doc to say it.. cuz i always thought it was just in my head and that i was over-reacting.

mine got to the point, where i took like 12 days off of work in a row
and then i even quit my job bc i kept going in and just couldn't do it. id start crying/just sooo sooo scared that something bad was going to happen.. like a customer was going to yell at me or something. i knew i had nothing to worry about but couldnt help it.

i know what you mean about the breathing.. sometimes i feel like my lungs just aren't as big as they were b4.. like someone's sitting on  my chest  or something.. not insanely bad but it makes me nervous non the less.

stomach tightness for me is a pretty much 24/7 thing. i just always feel nervous, even when i don't feel that i truly am. it's confusing.

i try to distract myself sometimes. exercising/talking to my friends.. or even forcing myself to do things that make me nervous to let myself kno that they're not scary at all

i also like reading The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook.. it's been such a great help to me. my bff is reading it and my doc and therapist both use it. so ya.. i lucked out there!! i would check it out... it really explains things for ya