Really struggling with panic attacks

[Underthesea65]

I'm terminally ill and really struggling with panic attacks regarding dying. Just don't know what to do. If anyone has any advice, it would be most welcome

Do you have propane lol that helps me also breathing exercises. I'm so so sorry that you are in this situation. Sending you hugs and love xxx

Thank you. I really appreciate you replying. I try with the breathing exercises etc, but my mind just goes into overdrive. I know it was a silly question to ask but just don't know what to do

I've some experience with panic attacks but none with being terminally ill, so a lot of what I'm saying might be bollocks. But anyway, it looks like you have some breathing exercises and maybe other techniques which is good, but do you have access to any kind of counselling or talk therapy, or something like CBT, maybe from the NHS, or maybe from charities who provide this — maybe even something more specialist like an organisation based around your illness, or maybe local hospices have something? Maybe someone in your care team like a palliative nurse or a doctor might he able to recommend something? There are techniques you can learn which can sometimes quite quickly help you manage panic attacks.

Or you could ask your doctor about medication; there are quite a few drug options, but obviously they'd need to be suited to your medical situation, and while some can help straight away, some of the drug options can take quite a long time to take effect.

I wondered if your terminal illness is also something that you're not able to discuss with the people in your life as much as you might feel you need to, and that's making you feel kind of hemmed in and panicky being alone with all the contingencies and stuff. I might be way off base here, though, and hope I haven't said anything offensive. I just wondered if your brain being in overdrive might be worse because it's got nowhere to get these things out and talk them through with another person. I don't know about your life at all, though — these things might not be true of you at all.

If it's the same things going round and round in your head, it might be worth writing some of these thoughts down and organising them, if you don't already do that. Then next time your brain starts up on them, you can gently remind it that those worries and plans and possibilities are already safely and thoroughly written down somewhere so there's no risk of them being forgotten, and they don't have to take focus.

I wish you the best of luck with the panic attacks, they're truly horrible and really not what you need.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Are you under a palliative care team? If so they’d be really good people to talk to about this, and if you’re not perhaps it’s worth asking your GP to refer you. It’s a tough situation to be in. I would definitely consider asking for some anti-anxiety medication as well.

I'm sorry you're going through this.

Get yourself some good drugs from your team.

@clpsmum do you mean propane? That's a gas used for cooking when camping. Maybe you mean propanalol?

I would seek further medical advice for your panic attacks. ( Rather than Mumsnet as you don't know who is giving advice) Propranolol is a prescription drug and many docs are wary of its use as it has other cardiac effects.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm not terminally ill so forgive me but I've had several unfortunate accidents this year and currently have broken bones and life changing injuries. I wake up every morning panicking and with a sense of doom about how I am going to get through another day and what the future will bring.

What helps me is mindlessly scrolling through crap on my phone to get out of my head. I Stick to safe content that will not let me think and just escape.

So sorry that you are going through this

Reach out to your palliative care team for assistance.
In the interim would a grounding exercise help? Feet on the floor, some box breaths and then name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch etc.
If there are specific things that are triggering the attacks then it may be worth writing the issue down and working through the problem or getting lots of people to help you with the issue.