was this a panic attack or something else?
Question by andi: was this a panic attack or something else?
these are factors before and after the “attack” they may/may not be relevant.
before: mild numbness at the tip of my pinkie finger left hand
after: complete numbness between the pinkie to middle finger. this extends mid fore arm. sometimes numbness goes down (2weeks after) but is replaced by pain and joint pain
after: left hand decreased mobility, while in the rested position the ring finger is noticeably contorted.
decreased strength in fingers, like when i flick someone or play guitar
(while trying my hardest to flick in both hands I’d say the left hand is weaker by one tenth-one fifth)
factors relevant to symptoms :
2 months before i dropped a 30 lbs weight on my left hand, pinning it between a metal rack and the handle.
similar numbness was felt after i dropped it. a pink lump of scar tissue still replaces where a 1cm of skin was torn off. after i dropped it my fingers had similar contortion to my current situation.
i took 70mg of vyvanse followed by another 70 4 hours later.(semi recreational)
i was in a high mental stress situation at the time of the “attack”
the actual attack.
severe sadness (not depression)
no ability to think (only able to say the same thing over again, less coherently as time passed)
increased breathing resulting in hyperventilation resulting to not breathing for about one minute
heart rate exponentially increased to what i estimate to be 300 bpm (estimated using a metronome)
blurred vision
inability to understand language.
eventually uddered “I’m having panic attack” (article was left out)
numbness starting at farthest extremeties approaching and stopping at the torso.
a sudden feeling of being disonnected to my body, lasting 20 seconds
room spinned (not visually but felt like a vortex or something)
the last feeling i had was that like; my mind was shutting down everything. i no longer felt like i had a body, my eyes didn’t move. head fell back and faced the ceiling (i was standing up). the only thing i could think was (I’m loosing consciousness) i thought this very slowly.
i peaked at the point where i was effectively blind. (i saw the blurred picture of what my eyes where staring at. hard to explain but it felt like my vision made no sense and that i couldn’t get information from it)
at this point i focused my mind to repeatedly think the phrase. “don’t pass out” over and over again. i came back, slowly i started saying don’t pass out, verbally.
i regained everything, the feeling in my extremities was the last.
i even through my wobbly hand against a book shelf and felt no pain.
is any of this relevant. was it a panic attack or what? i looked at the symptoms and thought so, but described it too my friend who has had loads of them (and also feelings of “reaching her limit” using a wide variety of drugs including meth). she said after a certain point, that no longer sounds like a panic attack.
additional info
body weight 220
height 6’4
waist about 35 inches (based on average pant sizes i wear)
heart rate with no physical excitement (mental maybe) and sober
85-97 bpm
my heart rate never seems to exceed the 150-170 range at any level of excersize or exertion
i tried st. johns wort
been off it a long time
maybe i should get back on.
idk, i didn’t really feel any better but then again i didn’t have any stress
Best answer:
Answer by Emma
I have panic attacks, and this very well could have been a very severe one. However, there are a few things (nerve issues, severity of disorientation issues, etc.) that make me think this could be more serious. Are you still having issues with your fingers? Those sound like nerve damage or something, either from the weight accident or something else. You should see a good neurologist and regular doctor to rule out anything else. If these are panic attacks, they are exceptionally bad ones. You mentioned that you take drugs recreationally. Any sort of drug whatsoever that someone who has intense anxiety takes is magnified. There are things I’ve done that have changed me in a way that I can’t undo.
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