I thought I was having a heart attack.

[JanetPluchinsky]

I woke up this morning with severe chest pains, dizziness, heart beating almost out of my chest. I really thought I was done for. I was sweating and shaking and nauseous. All the heart attack symptoms.

Dh called an ambulance and they were here super quickly, did an ecg etc but it was all inconclusive. So they took me to hospital. The pain in my chest moved down to my abdomen by this point but I still could barely breathe with the pain.

All blood tests and further scans came back clear. My pain lessened throughout the day and by mid afternoon I was discharged and called DH to come and get me.

Then it all went horribly wrong. One minute I was sitting in the waiting room, the next minute I was on the floor, the room was spinning, my chest was back to full pain, I couldn’t feel my hands or feet. Cue five or six hospital staff rushing over and dealing with me.

I am completely mortified. The whole thing was panic attacks. I had no idea this was what panic attacks are like. It wasn’t like I was panicking, either, but they’ve explained that I have been running too stressed for months and this was like a cortisol overload.

They were all really really lovely to me but I feel like just a massive time waster. Both of these episodes felt like I was dying. The second one passed a lot quicker because the doctor immediately recognised it as a panic attack and not a heart attack so was able to help me properly instead of sticking wires all over me and needles in me which they (rightly) did before and meant the attack went on for hours.

I had no idea this is what panic attacks were. I’ve always assumed it would be something you experienced because you were panicking or worried and these both came out of nowhere. The first one then fed into itself what with all the stress about dying and being in hospital. No idea why the second one happened as I was actually calm and looking forward to going home.

Not sure what I’m posting for really, just needed to get it out I think. AIBU to not have realised how awful and uncontrollable panic attacks can be?

Now I need to make some serious lifestyle changes because I can’t be this stressed all the time and I never want to experience this again.

I hear you OP, had one the way you describe and it was terrifying. I’d recommend sleep, a lot of it, for a long time

OP I work in cardiology and this often happens, I have never met a cardiologist who thinks someone having a panic attack is a waste of their time.

In fact at Christmas one of the (usually pretty grumpy) cardiology consultants I work with was called to A&E for a patient that turned out to be having a panic attack, when he got back someone asked if he found it annoying getting an emergency call for 'just' a panic attack. He said absolutely not and you would not ask that if you had ever seen anyone have a panic attack.

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments, it really does help to hear that I didn’t overreact and waste time.

I woke up with my heart racing again this morning but did some breathing and got it under control. It helps to know they’ve given me a clean bill of physical health.

I’m going to talk to my boss today about my workload. I’m coming to the end of my apprenticeship (which means deadlines…which is what brought this on I think) and I have a meeting with my tutor today so I’m going to be honest with her. It’s doable in time but only if I can carve out time at work to do it.

My lifestyle isn’t great (understatement) as I work late nights and smoke and drink and drink all the coffee, I’m a cliche really. I need to sort my sleep hygiene out, get my diet under control (I grab food on the go and rarely sit down to eat). I’m drowning a bit.

Hope you're feeling better, OP

You are NOT a time waster!

This is basically exactly what happened to me and it was the start of Peri-menopause
Ditto! I was 43 when I had my first experience. My worse one was when I was on a shopping trip I was massively looking forward to. I wasn't emotionally anxious at all.

I suffered quite a few over the years before I realise that's what they were. I had two in the middle of the night that woke me up out of the blue.

Absolutely dreadful but they stopped when I was through the menopause. It does help to know that's what they are rather than being convinced you are dying.

I’m sorry you experienced this, my first panic attack was like this too. I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all, my chest was tight and heavy and I was struggling to breathe. I was also sweaty and convinced I was dying of a heart attack so called an ambulance. It was utterly terrifying but I suspect this is a common thing that probably happens every day in every A&E department. Either that or people thinking bad indigestion is a heart attack. You won’t be the only one and you weren’t crazy to think it was a heart attack either.

Oh you poor, poor thing. That sounds horrific. It goes without saying that YANBU - I had no idea that panic attacks could be this bad or this scary, and would have absolutely drawn the same conclusion as you.

I would however treat the experience as a wake-up call. Your body and mind are telling you something isn't right, so you are going to have to address that.
Look after yourself x

I had a very similar thing happen to me 18 months ago. For context, my Father died of a heart attack (after having stents fitted for a previous heart attack) and at his autopsy, his heart was found to be twice as big as it should have been..... one of my sisters has an odd (benign) heartbeat and one of my Uncles had a pacemaker fitted in his 40s...

I started getting chest pain - really bad chest pain on my left hand side and I (being so sensible!) totally ignored it...kept burying my head in the sand and refused to talk to anyone about it thinking I'd be wasting someone's time - plus, I really have a phobia about anything medical.

The pains got worse and came on more often, but still - I ignored them.

I was driving back from seeing my Mum one night and I had this awful pain on my left hand side of my chest, my hands went numb and I was breathing really fast - I felt I was having a heart attack and was terrified. I phoned my Husband, crying down the phone on the hard shoulder (I hadn't told him about any pain or any issues at this point) and when I felt better, I drove home slowly and phoned NHS 111 who said 'It sounds like you have had a panic attack but you should speak to your GP to make sure'...To this point I had never had a panic attack in my life - it was absolutely terrifying and not something I'd ever want to happen again.

I had 2 ECG's - both ABNORMAL which of course, terrified me so much and a blood test that was normal.

I then had a cardiac MRI where they put that dye in your veins - I was terrified as I was sure the consultant was going to tell me that I had heart failure at 39 and was going to die soon (nothing like a bit of anxiety).

Long story short - I also have a 'weird' heart beat (arrhythmia) but it's perfectly fine - She did find gallstones when they did the MRI but all in all, it boiled down to stress. I didn't make the link but I had been incredibly stressed at work, had been working far more hours and my head was far, far more busy than normal and I hadn't been taking care of myself properly.

I started meditating before I went to sleep each night, ate better, did more exercise and the pains have reduced by 95%. I do still get them, but knowing there isn't something wrong with my heart makes them so much easier to deal with.

I'm being totally honest and appreciate I was 'an idiot' to not get things checked out sooner and that's on me - I kept thinking if I had had a heart attack whilst driving and hurt someone else, I'd have never forgiven myself but at some point you just have to learn from the past and try and make sure it doesn't happen again.

I appreciate why you might feel like a fake - I did too, but at the end of the day, the fact you now know what it is means you can make the positive changes necessary to hopefully reduce the pain / frequency and not worry about things as much.

Ive had panic attacks like this before and its terrifying. Its completely appropriate that they had to discount a heart attack.

Panic attacks feel horrific, please do not feel like a time waster! I say this as a heart attack survivor who also has panic attacks. I thought my first cardiac event was a panic attack until they ecg d me! They are that similar! X

This has happened to me and I was on my own with a 2 year old. Absolutely terrifying and painful. It has also happened to my Dad. Both of us had relentless long term stress and this was the result. We were both treated as if we were having heart attacks.

I really feel for you and know how traumatic it is. I've learned to cope now if I feel panic rising. Exercise has helped a lot and I always keep supplies of Bach's mouth spray. It is probably a placebo effect but it works for me. Lots of deep breathing and water. I hope you don't have it again

I get these and they are horrible.

I wake up with them sometimes. Drenched in sweat, heart racing, chest pain, struggling to breathe, the works.

It’s the worst feeling in the world, you do feel like you are dying.

My whole life for the last 15 years has been one stress and awful event after another though.

You totally did the right thing getting checked.

As an aside, reading this thread has been very comforting for me. I've been struggling a bit lately and it's nice to know I'm not alone (though sorry that others have to feel that way). I'm in my late 40s, so wonder if my hormones are changing.

Panic attacks are real and awful.

Passing out from a panic attack is very uncommon.

Don't hesitate to go back to the Dr.

You have my complete sympathy OP. I could have written a very similar post last year. I had a racing pounding heart, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, pins and needles in my hands and feet, could hardly breathe. I'm in my 60s and nothing like that had ever happened before. OH called an ambulance, paramedic arrived very quickly.

He was brilliant, did all the usual tests, then while he was there I had a similar 'attack' so he could observe it. He immediately knew what it was, talked me through a breathing technique, and told me it was almost certainly a panic attack. I didn't believe him - it seemed so extreme. He took me to A&E for further tests, to be sure.

And sure enough, it was a panic attack. I had no idea a panic attack could produce such severe symptoms (obviously I knew about panic attacks in theory). Oh yes said one of the nurses, they certainly can. I got the impression they had had quite a few in recently.

The staff were all really kind and reassuring, but I felt a complete timewaster. Like you, I was not aware I was particularly stressed. Looking back there were events which made that untrue, on the surface I was coping and it was all happening underneath.

Over the next few weeks I followed the breathing techniques given to me by the paramedic, which helped (focussing on the out-breath). I had several more panic attacks, always in the middle of the night.

Eventually I got it to stop by just accepting it and saying yeh that's happening, it's fine, I'm going to ignore it. That was last September, and I haven't had another once since.

I've just seen your update OP. I'm glad you're speaking to your boss about your workload. I think cutting down on your alcohol intake would really help too. The A&E doctor mentioned that to me as a factor. It'll also help you to feel you are more in control if you take those types of steps.

I used to get horrendous panic attacks and, yes, you do think you are going to die. But once you know what it is and try to relax, don't fight it, it gets better.

That sounds so scary OP! People do often go to A&E with panic attacks, thinking that they're heart attacks. You did the right thing by going though because it could just as easily have been a heart attack based on the symptoms that you were experiencing.

@ickky

YANBU They are horrific. I have a panic disorder brought on by a prolonged period of high stress. Sometimes I wake up with them, other times they can go on for hours and hours, day after day. It is exhausting. Like you, they just show up out of nowhere.

Before I became ill, I used to think, what is all the fuss about, just calm down and you will be okay. How wrong was I, there is no calming down for me, just have to ride it out.

I cannot take even the smallest amount of stress now, it's like a pavlovian response. It really pisses me off and despite drugs, therapy and CBT, nothing has really helped. Sometimes working out helps, but not always.

I think it's good you are looking at your life/work/study balance. There is nothing as important as your health.

Good luck

This is me also.

I'm finding it very helpful to read these responses, I relate to so many of your descriptions.

Scary Take it as your body warning you, your life sounds incredibly full on.

I've had these and, like you have had the ambulance out.

They are terrifying, a feeling of doom, of imminent death and of course, it doesn't help that you've had the symptoms before because... what if this one happening now is actually a heart attack.

For ages after, I never wanted to be on my own and I'm a person who likes to be on my own. My husband had to come with me when I wanted a facial. I found myself wishing I was married to a retired paramedic who would be hand to cope all the time! Crackers!

Now, I try not to think of it and unless I want to be chaperoned every time I walk down the street, I try to cope.

It is coping though, not living with it. If only the fuckers had a trigger or some other warning, a precursor, then I could cope. I would have the precursor and then stay in that day but the sheer unpredictability of them is part of their horror.

Anyway, all that blurb is to say don't be embarrassed, don't be ashamed. Panic attacks have real physical symptoms and just because they don't result in an actual heart attack, they feel like one with all the fear that entails.

Do not be harsh on yourself. No-one is laughing, no-one thinks you are a time-waster.

Like others, I have also had tests which have revealed nothing is wrong with my heart although my blood pressure needed medication.

It helps to know that I have been tested and I would encourage anyone suffering to go to the GP and arrange for these tests.

Another one who got panic attacks as a peri symptom.

I now have anti anxiety meds I take when I need to.

op and hope you can make some changes.

You’re NOT a time waster at all.

JanetPluchinsky From personal experience the first thing you should tackle is your caffeine intake. Have fewer cups, smaller portions, and make your coffee weaker. Swap some of them for cup a soup, hot ribena, or anything else you fancy.

Change the way you smoke. You might find you want one every time you have a coffee. When you have a cigarette stop what you are doing, go outside to smoke, and consciously focus on each puff. You'll find that cuts out many of the 'automatic' cigs you smoke every day without thinking about them. You dont get any benefit from those.

Your probably too stressed to even think about cutting out coffee and cigs right now, but look at Alan Carr's Easiway to quit smoking, you can get it on Amazon for about £3. You dont have to commit to anything right now, just have it on the bookshelf and dip into it when you have a minute.

As for bedtime, make your bed as comfortable as you can, use a calming scent on the pillow. Vanilla is relaxing, tell yourself its associated with a feeling of safety and security every time you smell it, and it will start to help you manage night time panic attacks, nightmares and night terrors.
(Night terrors are dreams you have when you are half awake and half asleep, and they can seem very real but if you know about them in advance you can tell yourself it isnt real and you are only dreaming.)

Glad you lived to tell the tale ! It's actually really useful information. I have always been curious to know what a panic attack was like. Strange, you say you was feeling calm when the second attack came. Take care OP

@Notanotherwindow

People don't know. They think it's all drama and breathing into a paper bag. They're actually horrible. Middle of the night ones are a special kind of fun.

It's ons of the reasons they can be so frightening....

They can mimic heart attacks.

Even with people with a history of anxiety are told to get checked out medically... As anxious folk can have heart attacks too...

Absolutely panic attacks can happen randomly.... Mostly they're situational... But sometimes under prolonged adverse levels of stress... The stress hormones can tip your body into full on panic.

Please don't feel ashamed. Medics would rather you were checked out than miss a heart attack.