Hi Jane and Spindles - it's good to hear some success stories with regards to combatting panic attacks! Mine plagued me for years in my late teens and 20's and I'm not immune to them now, but experience teaches you what the signs are and how to quell them.
Mine really came on around the time I was on a school trip and was horribly travelsick at the back of the minibus. After that mortifying episode I could never face school assembly and sometimes even felt sick and nervous in class and had to leave to go to the loo on numerous occasions. I had suffered travel sickness from babyhood, too young to think it on myself so it was genuine, and was always dosed up with Junior Joyrides which did the trick.
But that episode in my teens kickstarted panic attacks, though I had no idea they had a name at the time. From then on, at the start of any journey as a passenger, I would sit rigid in my seat, staring straight ahead, and my fingers, toes and lips would start to tingle. The tingling got worse and worse until I ended up with stiff clawed hands and numb lips. I guess I must have been hyperventilating. Over time I came to know that once this phase had been reached my extremities would return to normal and nothing bad would happen, the rest of the journey passing comfortably, no matter how long. Funnily, the return journey on the same day never affected me at all!
In those days I could never eat anything before such events, for fear of being sick. Having read that ginger is an excellent ante-emetic I started taking a packet of ginger biscuits with me. I still have some handy these days as I can get queazy when worrying about the possibilty of a panic attack. The most recent event was a comedy show in a theatre - and after initial queaziness and nerves passed I enjoyed every minute (I also had a small whisky and ginger before it began, to calm my nerves!). I still haven't been able to face a cinema again since my 20's (I am almost 50 now) but, theoretically, I should be ok. The other major panicky time for me was last year - I really wanted to visit some caves in southern Ireland and I managed to keep my jitters under control - until the guide turned the lights off for a few mintues (seemed interminable!) and I have never experienced such utter blackness before! I think I shut my eyes in the end, pretending that the lights were still on, it was horribly claustrophobic!
But I survived - I didn't faint - I wasn't sick - the lights came on and the rock formations were spectacular and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Sorry for the long-winded reply - just wanted to share my experiences of panic attacks over the years. Maybe they can never be fully beaten, but they can be successfully managed - especially if you have an understanding partner / friend by your side.
Spindles - your experiences sound do like mine, and it is funny how we can stay calm just knowing we have pills or something else at hand should the need arise. I once read that, with travel sickness, if you have some paper bags etc by you, in case of actual sickness, then it is less likely to happen. I guess the mind isn't fixated on vomitting so it can be focussed on enjoying the scenery or company instead. Handy supplies of bags, wipes, mints and ginger biscuits have always helped me in any situation - that and sussing out the nearest escape route should things go wrong.
Jane - you should be justly proud of yourself for battering down your panicky feelings. If you ever start to get them again - just remember how you dealt with them before and didn't let them get the better of you! Tell yourself YOU control THEM, not the other way around!
x