Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

A Panic Attack can Mimic More Serious illnesses such as Congestive Heart Failure

Your heart is racing, you’re having difficulty breathing, you have pins and needles in your limbs, you can’t think straight…is it a panic attack?

Anyone who has suffered with panic attacks knows that it can feel like you’re having a heart attack, stroke, or dying. While an actual panic attack can be terrifying, it is not deadly. But, thinking you’re having a panic attack when it really is a life threatening episode can be deadly.

What compounds this situation and makes it even more dangerous is when those around you, knowing you suffer with panic attacks, don’t take your symptoms seriously. Their first reaction is to assume it’s just another anxiety eruption. This is where you need to use common sense and take cautionary measures.

The story of a woman who thought she was suffering from non-stop panic attacks for almost a month is a case in point. The woman had a history of panic attacks, but at this point in her life she already had an episode with a leaky heart valve. Her symptoms were shortness of breath and light-headedness when getting out of bed in the morning; she couldn’t breathe when she climbed stairs; she had a heavy funny feeling in her legs; she had an ache in her neck and shoulders; and her heart was racing.

Why weren’t warning signals going off in her head telling her to go to the hospital? Ah, the life and death question. No one wants to think she’s really sick. She especially doesn’t want to believe it’s a life and death situation. And, no one wants to go to the hospital.

Fortunately, this woman’s symptoms continued to get worse and she finally went to see her regular doctor. This was fortunate because if the symptoms didn’t worsen she may not have sought any medical attention and it would have been too late. It turned out this woman was in congestive heart failure.

This is such a common and dangerous scenario: once diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks the individual and those around him or her don’t give serious warning signs the attention they deserve. This type of reaction delays, and even stops, the individual from seeking immediate medical attention. So, beware! Don’t recklessly treat common heart attack and stroke symptoms as panic attacks. Better safe than sorry.

Another common scenario is when doctors attribute anxiety-like symptoms, especially in women, to anxiety without ruling out other possible more serious causes for the symptoms.

What Can You Do to Have Your Symptoms Taken Seriously?

1. Don’t assume that doctors are always correct in their diagnosis.
2. If you’re told, “don’t worry, it’s just anxiety,” but you have a gnawing feeling that something else is going on, get another opinion.
3. If you’re still not satisfied, get a third, fourth and even fifth opinion.
4. It’s a good idea to write your symptoms down, so when you get to the doctor you don’t have to rely on your memory.
5. Try to be calm (not flustered) when describing your symptoms to doctors – having your symptoms written down will help in this area also.

Remember: It’s important to listen to your body.

You can learn more about anxiety disorders at:
Anxiety Disorder Association of America
http://www.adaa.org/

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, Reviewer,
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Anxiety taken to the heightened level of panic attacks can in itself be a disabling disorder…and a frightening one. A sufferer of this sneaky disorder never knows when a panic attack will sweep over him or her like a tidal wave. And, the fear of having a panic attack only adds to the anxiety. But, along with this, the sufferer needs to be extra cautious that panic attack symptoms are actually a panic attack and not symptoms of another more serious illness.

Panic attack symptoms can range from a racing heart, shortness of breath, to pins and needles in the limbs or throughout the body. As mentioned above the symptoms are frightening – your body goes into an overdrive mode of fight or flight. It’s as if Godzilla is alive and glaring down with mouth open ready to devour you. And, you are panic stricken and frozen. Your heart feels like it will explode out of your chest, you can feel a pressure on your chest, you begin to hyperventilate, you get shaky and disoriented, you’re sure you’re going to die…

Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Well, that’s not the worse part. A true anxiety attack will last for a certain amount of time – maybe 10-20 minutes. If you don’t over hyperventilate and pass out, your heart will begin to slow down, your breathing will stabilize, and you will start to feel relief. What a panic attack sufferer needs to be aware of is that those symptoms may be due to something other than severe anxiety. This is where anxiety can be like being in murky water – you can’t actually see what’s going on underneath.

There are a number of illnesses and disorders that have similar symptoms to panic attacks. Illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS), Fibromyalgia (FM), Multiple Sclerosis and Heart Disease can produce a racing heart, pins and needles, pressure or pain in the chest, shakiness, and a number of other frightening symptoms. A problem arises when the panic attack sufferer doesn’t acknowledge that he/she may have a serious health problem.

Not being absolutely certain that your panic attacks are actually anxiety related panic attacks can be dangerous. A number of disabling illnesses such as Heart Disease can be deadly if not diagnosed and treated promptly. An illness such a Multiple Sclerosis can worsen and lead to much more disabling symptoms such as limb weakness, balance issues, sight disturbances, and even movement problems. Being diagnosed as soon as possible is essential. The same holds true for CFS and FM, if properly diagnosed, a protocol and medications can help alleviate some of the symptoms.

If you suffer from panic attacks, you need to find a doctor who is willing to search for the cause of the symptoms. Starting with your general practitioner is step one. You might also think about seeing a neurologist and rheumatologist. Don’t accept being dismissed – find a doctor who takes you and your symptoms seriously.

Always remember, knowledge is power and in certain circumstances it can mean the difference between life and death.

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer, Reviewer

http://karencioffi.com