is it possible that I have a panic disorder

I am wondering if I may have a panic disorder instead of another medical reason for my panic attacks.

Last month I had nearly 2 weeks of daily mild panic type attacks in the morning on my way to work. The only days I did not have these attacks was both Sundays. I quit drinking coffee after 2 weeks of this and also quit consuming any chocolate or things with processed sugar hoping to lessen or get rid of these attacks. So far it has worked with the exception of a 2 day migraine I had about 4 days after getting away from caffeen. I have been off caffeen and the other trigger foods for 2 1/2 weeks now with no panic attacks.

Let me give you a little history as to why I thought it was not a panic disorder. In January of 2004 I got very sick with High Blood Pressure and Panic Attacks. In February I was diagnosed with Pheochromocytoma. Later that month I also lost part of the sight in one of my eyes which led to a diagnosis of vonHippel-Lindau Disease.

I had a large Pheochromocytoma "Pheo" removed in May with my Left Adrenal Gland. They left my right adrenal gland which now has 2 small pheo's on it.

I have been having mild panic attacks (mild compared to what was happening to me before) off and on about 1-2 times a month since November. I thought that one of my other pheo's was getting active. That is what I thought was happening to me last month.

I also travel every 4 weeks from the west coast to the east coast for a clinical pilot trial to try and control the tumor (not a pheo) in my eye that has caused me to start loosing my sight in one eye. My last trip (last week) they did not give me treatment due to concerns that I did have an active pheo because things changed with my eye that led us all to believe that I was having high blood pressure spikes that was causing damage to the eye.

My ophthalmologist there immediately sent me to see some of the other Doctors at the facility and they have pretty much ruled out an active pheo at this point. I am also starting to beleive at this point that I am actually having panic attacks due to stress.

I have been under incredible amounts of stress for the past 18 months. With the diagnosis of VHL, surgery, recovery and a very stressful and demanding job.

I don't know what to do at this point, but I do know that if the panic attacks start again, I need to do something because I can't live like this. The attacks I get through okay because I know what is happening to me and that all I need to do is wait for the adrenaline rushes to stop. But, I have a hard time dealing with the after effects. They leave me exhausted, I have a hard time thinking and talking right after the attacks. My temper is much shorter for the rest of the day- I know that I am difficult to work with on these days. But most of all I have difficulty in dealing with the exhaustion. It's so bad that I have a hard time with my hour commute home from work, all I can do is go to bed after I get home.

I need some way to deal with this stress so I can lead a normal life. I know that the rest of you are in the same boat, and I suppose that you eventually learn to live with it? What type of things do you do to try and deal with your stress to slow down the panic attacks so they don't happen so often?

Hello,

The stress, the surgery, the tumor in your eye etc can cause you anxiety and or panic attacks, or both. Stress causes it in general.

It's good that you got of caffiene, the chocloate etc, becaue the caffinene can trigger anxiety.

There are breathing tecniques and other coping methods that you can do to help you deal with the anxiety when it is happening.

There is information pinned in the resource threads above, as well as more information in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder thread that might be helpful to you.

I control anxiety now through self-talk and breathing.. I am also in therapy and on meds but the self-talk does wonders, but you have to keep doing it in order for it to actually start to work. I've been suffering from anxiety for more then 8 yrs now, so it took me awhile to be able to cope, and I finally can.

Hey there,

Do you have more pheochromocytoma details? Did you learn any more about pheochromocytoma, donnab?

~ enta