Those who've had life long panic attacks

Did anyone have spinal meningitis or any other life threatening disease in your lifetime?

I didn’t have spinal meningitis and I’ve had anxiety since my childhood, but it got really out of hand in my 30s.

 

At that time, I had a panic attack that was so bad I went to emergency thinking I was having a heart attack. Emergency ended up transferring me to a nearby hospital where I stayed overnight for observation. In the morning I met with a cardiologist who ran me through a stress test as well as checking my heart, and he told me afterwards I had mitral valve prolapse, a condition where my mitral valve was leaking, and this was the cause of my panic attack and my general anxious demeanor. This is a fairly common heart condition that is benign if one takes good care of themselves.

 

The cardiologist suggested I speak with my primary care doc to address the anxiety which I did, and I was told to go on Paxil, an anti-depressant. Up to that time, I was healthy as a horse, but the experience of hospitalization was so profound, I eagerly agreed to his counsel.

 

This was the beginning of psychotropic drug hell which still haunts me to this day.

 

I hope you find a smooth path to wellness and I wish you peace on your journey. 🙏