Hi Forums1969, we have had some similar issues. After my panic attack, this is what has happened, I will write still occurring for the ones still present.I never had health issues prior to this. I was in GREAT shape, worked out, played sports, and have a career. Its been 78 days since I had a panic attack and quit.
-Loss of appetite that lasted the very first 5 days, I lost 11-13lbs in that times, couldnt eat anything, drink barely any water also.
-pain in jaw, sharp, didnt go to head, but hurt when I moved jaw, lasted 2-3 days in the beginning, still comes and goes every now again for a couple minutes.
-Various body aches/joint pains that come and go, seems everyday something else hurts. Still occurs.
-Chest pains located around the right and left breast area which was really bad the first month, has lessened and occurs maybe 1-2 times a week now. The first month I also had a feeling as though my lungs were burning (like when you breathe in a chemical) when I breathed in.
-my vision issues (the first 2 weeks, I couldnt even watch tv, it made me sick due to the motion and the fast pace of the shots, also the voices from the tv/music got to me, than for a month after that cleared up, everything such as street signs etc was blurry, finally getting better.)
- SEVERE anxiety, I was/am hyper sensitive, adrenaline kicked off panic in me for the first 30 days. I even got an attack while playing Super Mario Bros on Wii with my wife and watching movies, it was that bad.
-Breathing issues (the first 7 days after the panic attack I felt as though if I didnt concentrate on breathing, I wouldnt breathe on my own. That was the strangest feeling I ever felt, I really thought death was imminent.) Since then, I have had shortness of breath out of nowhere. I still work out and am generally fine, but at times when I go to bed or just lying in the recliner it feels as though I cannot get enough air into my lungs. Also still to this day, if there is a scent such as perfume or a candle burning, it feels as though I am suffocating from the scent as weird as that sounds, like I get sick from the smell and worry about not getting the air in.
- Some severe boughts of lightheadedness where it felt as though I was gonna pass out, never felt that way before either. I have never fainted but I have felt as though I was gonna collapse a few times in the past 78 days since I quit, most recently 2 weeks ago while at work. Felt tingling through my whole body, stood up and legs were like jello and had to hang on to the wall.
-When I first quit, I slept 15 hours a night the first 2 weeks, since then, I fall asleep fine, but I awaken a minimum 5-6 times a night, EVERY night still going on.
-Still get a fluttery feeling in my chest and worrisome thoughts, sort of the fear that I will never be ok.
- I also have been getting irritated easily and erupt with anger out of nowhere when normally I was extremely laid back and mellow, now I feel like Bobby Knight at times (the old coach for Indiana University)
My blood pressure and heart rate are perfect. I have had a slew of medical tests. I had a Chest Xray, Stress test, Pulmonary Function Test, Echocardiogram, every blood test, urine tests etc. Everything checks out great, except one of my liver enzymes was slightly elevated, the ALT enzyme. BP is 113/76, resting pulse is 66-70, and my pulse ox is 99-100%. So everything looks good. I am still debating on whether or not to have a CT scan of my chest just to be sure, but I am waiting a little bit to see if I improve.
Have you seen a dr? Did they prescribe anything? My doctor gave me 0.25mg xanax which I have barely touched, just maybe 1 pill a week, I am trying to battle through this on my own. He also gave me some Lexapro which he said can help if I need it, but if I start, it would be for 1 year. I am holding off on that as I feel I am improving, but still have some rough days each week. I would say each week is about half and half on feeling good. I still cannot listen to my fast paced music as it gets my heart going and it feels extremely weird, sort of brings my mind back to the panic attack I had. I am trying to get passed this but I am still trying to find others that may of been through this and HAVE gotten better as I need some positive reinforcement. Good luck.
