Getting PTSD from a seemingly non-dramatic event?

[kukukukukukukukuku]

I’ve always struggled with my mental health, but things have really taken a nose dive right now. I’m off work because I absolutely cannot function, can’t sleep or eat properly (although I force myself to because I’ve lost weight and look awful, almost haunted).

This all started in January this year. I was doing well managing my anxiety and low mood and had just found a lovely new job. On the way to work one day I randomly collapsed in the middle of the road and was taken to the resuscitation department in A&E. I was very agitated and tried to get up to leave and a nurse said “well you can try but you’re at risk of cardiac arrest right now”. I kept asking if I was going to die and I couldn’t feel my heart beating. After the morning spent there, I was given loads of tests and discharged in the afternoon to follow up with GP. So obviously nothing life threatening. Well, I’m still waiting for referrals now because of waiting lists (which I understand because obviously mine is not a priority)

Since this happened I have not left the house once on my own. I hang onto my partner’s arm if we have to walk anywhere, but I will mostly avoid it. I can’t go into busy places where I cannot see an exit, supermarkets seem too stimulating and I end up having panic attacks, I have night terrors and wake up at 3am most nights and struggle to get back off, I’ve lost my appetite and can’t seem to find anything that gives me enjoyment. When I see news stories of people fainting in public it makes me physically tremble and sometimes vomit. I am forever checking my pulse, dizzy and lightheaded.

it’s not just in public either - in my house I will lie down most of the time so I can’t faint, I spend most of my time sleeping to get through the day. Random images of waking up on the floor or all the staff around me in A&E frequently come into my head.

I constantly discuss what happened with anyone who will listen - asking what they think happened in the minutes after I collapsed or whether it is normal to have no warning signs. It frightens me how out of my control it was.

I went back to work the day after it happened and work constantly up to 3 weeks ago when all these symptoms just intensified to the point of being debilitating.

i know it doesn’t sound so scary and I’m almost embarrassed it’s affected me so much, but I feel like I have a genuine physically rooted stress response that won’t go away. I keep saying to myself well it was a one off, nothing bad will happen if it happens, everyone helped you last time. I’ve had CBT but it didn’t really help. I know my behaviours and thoughts are irrational, but when the “panic” strikes in public or even when I’m waking up gasping for air, I can’t rationalise it to myself.

i hate living like this, it’s been 9 months of my life, and no matter how hard I try nothing gets better

What else is going on in your life OP? Just wondered as it seems like you maybe struggling with others things too.

You thought you were going to die, that can absolutely cause PTSD.

Genuinely nothing else. Happy in my career, home and family life.

Also have a look for the charities No Panic and No More Panic. Don’t want to armchair diagnose but these sound like they could be helpful for what you’re going through.

Okay, well that’s wonderful 😀 and will be very helpful in your recovery I’m sure.

You said you talk about it to anyone who’ll listen. Would it be an option to have some (non CBT) therapy?

I have also heard that agoraphobia can be triggered in someone, usually a woman, who has had a very happy life until an incident that has, consciously or subconsciously, made them suddenly aware of their mortality. Sometimes a health scare or a bereavement. Which again makes me think that psychotherapy may be very helpful for you.

I wish you all the best.

It sounds like quite a dramatic event to me, you collapsed, you still don't know the cause and you thought you might die. If you think you have PTSD then you shouldn't feel guilty just because you weren't in a war or something. You didn't cause it and its not your fault, it's just something that happened in your brain as a result of trauma.

What you went through sounds so scary, so out of the blue and without a cause I would be worried it might happen again. Definitely sounds very traumatic and I don’t think you should underplay it (even though you might be doing it to tell yourself that everything will be ok). I do hope you’ll get your referrals soon and do speak to someone about your mental health.

I went through a scary medical episode this year and it has turned my life upside down. Unfortunately I don’t have any advice but you certainly have my sympathies

Oh op, I'm no expert but I think it was a major thing that happened and completely understand why you feel this way.

This isn't the same as your story but a few years ago, DH had a cough/shoulder pain. He ended up with pneumonia, in the resuscitation ward and then the high dependency unit. He was/is fine, but if he ever doesn't feel great now I panic, even if it's minor. I think it's one of those "it'll never happen to me" things, and when something does it completely throws you, and makes you see your own mortality and how fragile life is.

I do think you should speak to your GP, as this is no way to live. Maybe there's another kind of therapy you can have? I've also had CBT and didn't feel it helped.

You experienced a traumatic event. Accept that the event was traumatic for you and you can then begin the healing process.

You can absolutely have PTSD if you thought your life was in danger even if it later turns out it wasn't. It also sounds like it has triggered health anxiety. All understandable, it sounds really frightening . I know you say you have had CBT but treatment for PTSD is much more than challenging thoughts, it's more about processing the traumatic event through reliving and then learning to reclaim your life. Did you see a BABCP accredited CBT therapist and have a decent length of treatment? If not try again, in my experience (been an NHS CBT therapist for many years) PTSD is very treatable, but it might not have been quite the right treatment with the right therapist so please try again.

You thought you were going to die, I don't think it's unnatural that you're affected by that.

I absolutely think you need to see your gp about how you're feeling. Would a first aid course help you? So you know what would have happened while you were unconscious and give you a bit of power. I've done one a while ago, it's helped my anxiety alot.

You suffered a trauma, and the response you’re suffering now is completely understandable. The good news is that this is treatable and can be resolved.

What you don’t want is a talking therapy that just involves talking about what happens, this can actually cause more of a problem.

What you do need is either hypnotherapy or EMDR. Hypnotherapy will be quicker, but it’s important to go to somebody who specialises in this.

Both therapies will help you process the trauma and help the brain and body understand that this is in the past, and it doesn’t need to keep reacting as though it’s happening now.

All I can share is my sympathies because I know how you are feeling.

I was at my son's match 8 years ago and I got a feeling in my chest then thought I couldn't breath. It went into a full blown panic attack, I thought I was dying. I ended up in A&E that night and many a night since then. I have had loads of unnecessary tests, all which were normal. I still suffer with severe health anxiety, I'm super aware of my mortality and have regular panic attacks.

I have done CBT, medication etc over the years, all of which help for a short while. I am in a bad place with my anxiety at the moment and am going to my GP next week to ask to try another med. Maybe a visit to your GP will help you? If you don't want meds then try CBT.

Best of luck

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I have been to the GP about it who just recommended being signed off work and started on an antidepressant (which I’ve had before). They gave me a short course of Valium but tbh there’s no point having them because this feeling isn’t going away soon, so what’s the point of using Valium once or twice in a sea of anxiety? I can’t take beta blockers because of a slow heart rate.

Im just not sure what to do anymore. I don’t have a life. I just wake up, log onto my work laptop, log off, lie on the bed, eat tea, lie on the bed, and then go to bed. Someone else cooks and shops for me. I haven’t seen friends since it happened. I get waves of wanting to run out of the house from nowhere.

Weirdly, I’m not bothered what is physically wrong with me, re the referrals. I just keep reliving the collapse in my head. I only check HR etc because I want to avoid that. It’s almost like I don’t care what the diagnosis is.

I feel like everyone’s fed up with me now - it happened 9 months ago and I’m not any better.

Sounds like agoraphobia and it generalised panic disorder. Obviously can’t diagnose online.

In your opening paragraph you say you’ve always had issues with your mental health, have you had any help or treatment for that?

Sorry op it’s a horrible thing to go.

@kukukukukukukukuku Did the gp mention exposure therapy?

Agoraphobia/panic

That’s quite a traumatic experience OP, no wonder it’s taken a while.

Go back to your GP (or a new one) and get a prescription of something like sertraline. It doesn’t matter if you’ve taken it before. These drugs treat anxiety as well as depression and right now you have severe anxiety and you need some help to get your head above water, as as you say you really aren’t functioning right now.

Once it’s kicked in after a month or so you will be better able to engage with CBT and other treatments, so ask for a re-referral for that at the same time.

also contact the charities mentioned.

I would really get on with this next week, these things get harder to treat the more they bed in.

This was absolutely not a non-dramatic event. You need time to process what happened. However I do not think what you’re experiencing is PTSD either. Time will heal and if you’re still struggling to process what happened, therapy will help.

Trauma freezes you. And anything can be traumatic. Women's trauma is usually very personal, objectively small, a thought, a sentence, a look.

www.tira.org for a practitioner. I am one myself.

Firstly I don't think you should try and minimise what you went through, being told you may go into cardiac arrest is serious and would absolutely traumatise anyone so what you are feeling is completely understandable given the situation.
It's seems that you may have PTSD and due to the symptoms are suffering with agoraphobia to a certain degree, can you speak to your gp who can refer you to therapy, start medication? I will say don't be afraid of medication they really helped my symptoms when I was going through a rough time. Can you afford hypnosis? That works well for some people. You should be gentle with yourself, OP. Lots of self care and quiet time to relax.

EMDR therapy can help with trauma and flashbacks like this.

I had PTSD after childbirth with my first son. That "i keep reliving it in my head" really strikes a cord, that was exactly how it went with my. Its like your brain takes it and cant let go even though rationaly you know youre ok. Listen to the U2 song "stuck in a moment" and it really sums it up. Anyhow i got it over it (very suddenly actually) after 1 visit to a talk therapist who talked me through the birth literally minute by minute and whatever she did my brain was able to process and release it. So try again with a different therapist you will get better!! Sending love

It sounds like you are suffering from PTSD and EMDR therapy can be very effective in processing this, it'll get worse if you don't get treatment, get your GP to refer you, there isn't always a long wait for treatment especially when it affecting you so much.

I know you said you’ve had cbt but have you had eye movement therapy? It really helped two people I know with ptsd