Almost Died!

[(HAWK)]

Hello,Today I was painting in the sun and it was pretty hot,I was out there from 6pm to 6:30pm when I started getting this cheast pain.I just kind of brushed it off because I just thought it was anxiety,but all of a sudden my head started to spin.Thats when I said enough is enough and started to go back inside.When I got inside I had this overwhelming feeling of death or faintness,I started breathing realy fast and my heart was racing so hard it felt like it was going to explode.When all of this happened I started shaking bad and my mind was racing. I grab Asprin and just chuged them down then ran up stairs to take a XanaX.After about 5 Minutes I started to feel better but good god I almost died!   It was a weird felling though almost as if I was going to black out or lose my mind!


My Q is did I just have a panic attack or did I have a heart attack or sustroke?    I wanted to go to the hospital but my mom just told me to relax!

Also if it was apanic attack why did I have it then,I mean I was feeling pretty fine and then BOOM it hit me?

[(HAWK)]

One more thing after that I feel extremly tierd like all the life was sucked out of me!   

[Xalatimo]

Sounds like a panic attack.  Sometimes they hit out of the blue.  You probably just started worrying and that caused a chain reaction.  Think about it.  You had an overwhelming feeling of death, your heart started racing, and after you took your medication you started to feel better.

[(HAWK)]

Sounds like a panic attack.  Sometimes they hit out of the blue.  You probably just started worrying and that caused a chain reaction.  Think about it.  You had an overwhelming feeling of death, your heart started racing, and after you took your medication you started to feel better.

The weird thing was I have never really felt that way when worring though,plus I felt good to and my mind was ocupid by painting!   Weird maybe it was just a panic attack but man o man was it a bad one I really thought I was going to die.My mom told me to take my blood presure to see how high my heart rate was but if i did that I would have freaked out more because Im sur it was about 190 because i felt it in my neck and it was way to fast!  not like normal wereit is b    b    b    b It was more like this bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

[laa43]

The end result was probably due to a panic attack however you could have been suffering from heat exhaustion as well. I remember one time I was out in the heat/direct sunlight in over 100 degree temp for about two hours and I started to feel sick, racing heart.........because of that I went into a panic attack. You have to be very careful when your out in the heat. Heat exhaustion and worse...heat stroke can easily happen if your not careful. If your ever outside in the sun and heat and you realize that you are no longer sweating anymore....get OUT of the heat!!  stay cool!

http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm

[(HAWK)]

The end result was probably due to a panic attack however you could have been suffering from heat exhaustion as well. I remember one time I was out in the heat/direct sunlight in over 100 degree temp for about two hours and I started to feel sick, racing heart.........because of that I went into a panic attack. You have to be very careful when your out in the heat. Heat exhaustion and worse...heat stroke can easily happen if your not careful. If your ever outside in the sun and heat and you realize that you are no longer sweating anymore....get OUT of the heat!!  stay cool!

http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm

Can only 30min cause it? Thats how long I was out there and I really wasn't that hot!   Also because I had that attack do think I should just go on about my day and not worry about it?   Or will another attack happen?

[shrublet]

Hey Hawk,

I am a redhead and as a result, I am EXTREMELY sensitive to the sun. Even being outside for 10 minutes is enough to do me in if it is hot enough- I will get much the same symptoms you do, ESPECIALLY if I exercise. As such, I can experience really extreme dizziness, a heartbeat ~130-165 bpm, difficulty breathing and so on. The more I'm doing outside or the hotter it is, the more I am affected. Jogging anytime before 10am or after 9pm is basically a death sentence for me.  

Anyways, it can be quite scary when all of that happens, especially if you are not prepared for it. This probably triggered your panic attack. The shaking and racing mind generally indicates anxiety, and the fact that it was alleviated by your Xanax pretty much confirms it. Panic attacks can DEFINITELY feel like a heart attack, at least they sure do when you're in the thick of things. I have a feeling you started feeling weird from the sun just because between 3-6pm is generally the hottest part of the day. Painting is also pretty moderate exercise, too. You were putting some physical strain on yourself, and this is compounded by an already high baseline stress level, so I'm thinking that's why you got the initial symptoms. And because they're so scary, well... I've had panic attacks over much less! You were probably pretty dehydrated too.

I believe that heat stroke is generally very serious and generally consists of pretty severe vomiting/weakness, though I could be wrong. It doesn't sound like that either, though.

Don't avoid going out into the sun or anything. Just take it easy in the heat and don't do too much exercise, or anything. Make sure you're REALLY hydrated and if you start feeling dizzy, just recognize that it's just your body telling you that it's too hot.

[(HAWK)]

Hey Hawk,

I am a redhead and as a result, I am EXTREMELY sensitive to the sun. Even being outside for 10 minutes is enough to do me in if it is hot enough- I will get much the same symptoms you do, ESPECIALLY if I exercise. As such, I can experience really extreme dizziness, a heartbeat ~130-165 bpm, difficulty breathing and so on. The more I'm doing outside or the hotter it is, the more I am affected. Jogging anytime before 10am or after 9pm is basically a death sentence for me.  

Anyways, it can be quite scary when all of that happens, especially if you are not prepared for it. This probably triggered your panic attack. The shaking and racing mind generally indicates anxiety, and the fact that it was alleviated by your Xanax pretty much confirms it. Panic attacks can DEFINITELY feel like a heart attack, at least they sure do when you're in the thick of things. I have a feeling you started feeling weird from the sun just because between 3-6pm is generally the hottest part of the day. Painting is also pretty moderate exercise, too. You were putting some physical strain on yourself, and this is compounded by an already high baseline stress level, so I'm thinking that's why you got the initial symptoms. And because they're so scary, well... I've had panic attacks over much less! You were probably pretty dehydrated too.

I believe that heat stroke is generally very serious and generally consists of pretty severe vomiting/weakness, though I could be wrong. It doesn't sound like that either, though.

Don't avoid going out into the sun or anything. Just take it easy in the heat and don't do too much exercise, or anything. Make sure you're REALLY hydrated and if you start feeling dizzy, just recognize that it's just your body telling you that it's too hot.

I hear you brother! :laugh3:I only Have GAD but lately I have been having panic attacks but that one was BAD!What should I do the next time I feel like that?   Also how the hell does your body deal with it with out dieing,can you die from panic and anxiety?     ThanK1

[shrublet]

No you can't die from a panic attack. The worst it can do is make you feel like crap. With age, there is the possibility of hypertension (elevated bp) due to anxiety, but hypertension can be a myriad of other things, too. I'm pretty anxious and my bp is on the low side of ideal, so there's not always a direct correlation.

Next time you feel like that, take a break from whatever you are doing and find a cool spot to sit down for a bit. Drink a lot of water, also.

[laa43]

opppps.....it might be better if I read more carefully.....I thought you said you were outside from 6:30 AM til 6:30 pm.........sorry!!!!!  30 mins is definitely better than 12 hours!  lol  ......  sounds like a panic attack to me.........and the previous posters are right......you cannot die from a panic attack! If that were true I would be dead a thousand times over! lol............many times we underestimate how strong our bodies and even our hearts are! Even though the feelings are scary, they definitely won't hurt you! sorry for the misread!!

[sixpack]

Hawk

I agree with all of the other folks here    It definitely sounds like a panic.  Plus if it was really sunny, it could have been just enough to heat you up a bit.

Remember BEASTY changes its colors.  Once you get used to one thing, and you feel pretty comfortable about what is happening,  BEASTY will change it up just a bit--just enough to make it feel different for you.  I can say from experience that that is how I experience my BEASTY.

[(HAWK)]

Thank you guys!   I will try not to think so much from know on.

[klgamma]

it sounds like to me that you had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much sun...i hardly think it was an attack. ive had the same thing happen to me and it has happened to my son also...when you have too much sun you can have a stroke and it sounds like you were on the verge of one or at the most heat exhaustion..when it happened to my son he passed out and was rushed to the ER, he was dehyrated and everything. i know it sounds like an attack but you can kinda be reliefed to know that it wasnt.

[Louise0au]

I have had several panic attacks that were very much like this...each time i thought for sure i was going to die I have had enough of them to realise they havent killed me yet so theres a good chance they wont lol.

[puntnf4]

My condolences to anyone who has to deal with panic attacks. Though I do suffer from physiological pain, I've never had to deal with the dreadful fear that must accompany panic attacks when they occur.

[abeja_reina_1989]

I'm really sorry that happened to you.. must have been terrifying!!! How are you doing now? Better I hope!

[(HAWK)]

I'm really sorry that happened to you.. must have been terrifying!!! How are you doing now? Better I hope!

I'm still alive if that counts! I need to see a doctor,I can't sleep and I feel like I am going to die all the time now.

God please help me!

[dtrotter]

I'm still alive if that counts! I need to see a doctor,I can't sleep and I feel like I am going to die all the time now.

God please help me! angel-smiley-006

I think you better go see a doctor tomorrow, hopefully you will do better :)

[sixpack]

Hawk  I agree with trotter.

You should see a doctor.   If you haven't had a physical recently, see your GP to start.  Then maybe off to a therapist.  You really, really don't have to live your life so scared/worried/fearful.  We are here to help you, but we are just an 'ear'.  Perhaps talking to someone face to face will be more helpful. I know lots of people fear going to the doctor because the doctor is going to tell them something dreadful.  Honestly though most of the time the dreadful thing never happens. Really Hawk I encourage you to go to the doc.  If you get a good check-up---something everyone of us should do annually, a lot of your fears will subside. 

My mom has, in the past, had perfectly dreadful panic/anxiety attacks.  I mean she's had 911 dispatch ambulance because she knew she had a stroke.  She also just told me (she's sitting here with me regalling me with some of her panic/anxiety exploits----see the apple doesn't fall from the tree  ) that at times she's awakened from a dead sleep with her pulse racing.  Again fearing stroke.  But all of these times she's had an acute panic attack.  I see so much of what you are going through now mirroring what my mom has gone through.

She is better now.  She is on meds and sees a psychologist monthly.  He is helping her to see how her past experiences are causing some of her panics/anxiety.

Hawk I know you can feel better.  You need to take that leap of faith.

[jasonibs9]

Hawk ,
  If you had a heart attack or stroke you wouldn't have been able to type all of this that you just did here.  All of these symptoms are pointing at anxiety but I don't know your health background.  Everyone else is rec'ding you see a dr. I agree... But not because I think anything is wrong with you because I pretty much know there isn't , but because it will give you peace of mind knowing that a professional looked at you and said you were fine.  Then the next time you are painting and feel that way , you can for sure say , "this is anxiety and it will soon pass"

[(HAWK)]

Thank you guys for your kind posts,I am going to see the doctor this thursday and I am going to get a full blood test from my doctor.
I am pretty sure all of this is just panic and anxiety,its just weird how its all coming on so fast and hard.I have a low thyroid so I am going to get that cheaked out for sure.

Thank you agin for all you support,I will not let myself be brought down by this

[abeja_reina_1989]

Ok good for you!! Please make sure you go in.. just in case :)

[Until.Infinity]

I had something similar happen to me yesterday Hawk. I was at a park playing soccer out in the scorching sun, when all of a sudden, it felt like I was going to go into panic mode, so I just sat out the rest of the day. I believe the best thing to do is to calm down and tell yourself that you are totally okay and nothing bad is going to happen as I did.

[abeja_reina_1989]

I believe the best thing to do is to calm down and tell yourself that you are totally okay and nothing bad is going to happen as I did.

great idea!! I really think that the more we worry, the worse the situation becomes. I mean, the best example I can think of right now is getting a piercing vs. getting an IV. Sure, they're both close to the same thing, but one is something that you're doing because you want to and the other is something you're doing because you're sick, or something wrong... usually. So, it's easier to handle the piercing because of where our mind is at.. and what we're thinking when it's happening.
Hope that makes sense lol!

[worrywort87]

It's very hard to tell which one it could have been; I would say maybe a combination of the two.  How warm was it outside and am I correct when I say you were outside for half an hour?  I find that heat affects my anxiety and can throw me into panic attacks.  I get the same feelings you describe when I have panic attacks, but the faintness also sounds like it could have been the heat.  About your last comment about the timing of the panic attack; mine appear out of nowhere as well.  It's really odd; when I am stressed sometimes I can handle it and then when I am relaxing later I'll have one.  Mine can even happen when I am having a good day with minimal stress.  I would not go to the hospital if it was me but that is your personal choice.