Do Feelings Of Panic Limit Us?

[imre]

I took the following numbers from "The Symptoms We Get From Pots" poll. total votes as of 6/1/13 n=110

Symptoms Votes

fatigue 96

lightheadedness 92

brain fog 89

Dizziness 89

Cold hands and feet 87

palpitations 86

These were the most voted for symptoms, I am assuming all of us with POTS share these symptoms.

Symptoms Votes

feelings of panic 64

feeling like you are going to die 55

feelings like there is something else, undiscovered that's wrong 69

feeling like you should be in the E.R. or hospital 58

Feeling like you have to know what your blood pressure is doing 49

Here are some more qualitative symptoms, they may be caused by everything else that is going on. More than half of us suffer from feelings of panic (64/110 =58.18%). As far as I know the mortality rate of POTS is zero. You can remind yourself of this fact if you feel like you are going to die.

Symptoms Votes

presyncope 81

full syncope 33

Presyncope can be scary especially in public, In my experience it has been a major cause of my panic. I have never fainted from POTS, 30% of us do faint. Assuming that those who faint voted presyncope as a symptom we can gather that 43% of us experience presyncope but do not faint. So if you know that you are not a fainter use this knowledge to calm yourself when you feel presyncope.

Personally, I think that panic stops me from doing many things. However,since my diagnosis, a little over a year ago, I have learned to somewhat subdue my feelings of panic. I can say that this has significantly improved my daily activities. Hopefully this helps, also share ways that you have found to calm yourself instead of panicking.

[MomtoGiuliana]

For me, experience with this condition over time has reduced my panic or fear response when I have symptoms.

[margiebee]

Now that I have a diagnosis, my feelings of panic and anxiety are much improved. Before I knew what was going on with my body, I would be constantly on edge because new symptoms kept showing up and I had no idea what was wrong, that would make anyone anxious in my opinion. I think a lot of POTS anxiety is related to the lack of support.

[Katybug]

I don't experience panic as one of my symptoms. I do have adrenaline rushes for little to no reason at all but it does not manifest itself as a feeling of panic.

[blueskies]

Getting enough sleep helps with a lot of my symptoms. But it's a catch 22 situation sometimes. Because my pots symptoms can prevent good sleep which in turn make my sleep worse -- a viscious cycle. When I sleep better I have fewer adrenalin rushes, less anxiety, less severe migraine, and sometimes it seems to me to help my bowel to function better that day -- constipation is not as bad although this is only a connection I have just made and not sure if it's coincidence or not. Last night I dreamed I was rapid shallow breathing and suffocating. I felt I had woken up but perhaps I was still asleep when I heard myself wheezing (whether I was or not or just dreaming I was wheezing I can't work out). I was not wheezing on the 'out' breath which is how I wheeze when I'm having one of my rare asthma attacks but on breathing in and out -- and still rapid breathing. Eventually I did wake (or perhaps wake fully) and got up only to find my breathing was steady but I felt like I didn't have enough air in my lungs -- for a while. I couldn't work out if it was a symptom of hyperventilation (caused by stress and manifesting in my sleep -- hyperventilation can cause you to feel you don't have enough air in your lungs - I used to know the mechanics of it but I've forgotten now) or if I was having some asthma attack in my sleep or what it was. I lean towards it being hyperventilation in my sleep caused by stress. I have been sleeping terribly lately.

I'm just wondering if anyone gets a feeling of dread sometimes. Like something (anything, I don't know what) is about to happen. This has happened to me a number of times and is followed up by me having a severe bout of pots symptoms response. I suspect something triggers the feeling of dread.

blue

[Relax86]

I also don't have feelings of panic or anxiety except right before I faint. I have both syncope and pre but pre way more often. Like Momto, it gets better as I get more experience with POTS. Early in my worst flare (maybe around Feb 2012) I read a post from someone on this forum that said something like this: I no longer check my BP or HR as it's pretty meaningless and I know it's always going to be weird for different reasons at different times. He also said in terms of socialization that he went out and hung with friends despite symptoms b/c he was going to feel like crap anyway so why not at least enjoy time with friends.

Those statements meant a lot to me in terms of how I was going to move forward. Once I was no longer bed bound I decided to begin to socially circulate...even for an hour with friends. It lifted my spirits to be back in my circle even though I felt pretty awful. After time I was able to turn 1 hour into 2...etc.

And because I was cardiac cleared, I try to not check vitals unless I'm feeling super crappy. I feel my HR pulse in my neck, I don't need to take my pulse to know it's outrageous....most of us can feel POTs running thru our veins or not running as it may seem. Anyway, maybe those 2 thoughts might help someone and impact them positively like they did for me. I have felt so terrible from this flare and the reality is: I wake up every day anyway. So I might as well try and go out and live!!!

[icesktr189]

I think it really depends on what kind of POTS you have. I have had a period where mine wasnt too bad, so I had virtually no anxiety. Now I have constant adrenaline problems and my sympathetic nervous system is always activated, so anxiety is always there.I have been in therapy for a couple years now and its helped a bit, but I am really started to realize this a physical problem more so than a mental for me.