Being xtra careful- First Ambulance ride yesterday

Glad you are feeling better Rachel. From an ER nurse - it does sound like a panic attack. But I do have to say - All panic attacks are as different as the people who have them - and manifest themselves differently - AND once we know we DO have panic attacks - be very wary not to dismiss signs/symptoms by saying - oh - it's just a panic attack. I had a panic/anxiety/hyperventilating episode in July when I first started having abd pain. I was driving to work - had ++++ abdominal pain - figured I'd beep breathe and talk myself out of it. Next thing I know - my fingers started cramping around the steering wheel - then my bottom lip goes tingly. Had I not been a nurse and recongized the symptoms of hyperventilating - I would have totally freaked out. How many times have I had patients come in to ER - all stressed out due to pain or whatever - complaining of tingling in hands, unable to move fingers, legs or arms, sweating, tachcardic, weak etc etc. Let me tell you - once you have experienced it - it's another story. The body can do VERY strange things!

I remember having pain like that about 10 years ago.  Like someone had me in a big bear hug and I couldn't breathe, I'd be sweating and limp.  It happened several times, but each time I'd go to the ER, by the time I'd wait 4 hrs, the pain had passed and they didn't know what to do with me.  This went on for about a year, while pregnate too, they chalked it up to my "expanding uterus"...until about 6 weeks after my daughter was born, the attack came so bad that I was vomitting bile and couldn't stop.  They took blood work and my white cell count was really high, which, according to the critical care surgeon who looked after me, raised a flag...turned out I had gall stones which got stuck in the a part of the pancreas and caused the enzyemes to back up and start "eating" my pancreas...they called it acute pancreatitis...it was horrible!!  Two weeks in the ICU and then 3-4 months in a ward...they had to do an ultrasound to eventually figure it out...but I learned one thing while in there...nurses are incredible people.  Some, more so than others, but wow.  The Dr would come in once a day, but it was the nurses who do all the work.  I developed such an appreciation for what they do. 

If you ever feel there is something more, don't hesitate to pu**** further and ask more questions!  Take it easy!!