True Story of Panic Attacks
This is the true story of a Muslim woman who suffers from Panic attacks. It is a very real disorder and one that requires the help of Allah, a lot of inner strength and kindness from others to overcome.
One day Dina was driving to work and she didn't feel well. She had heart palpitations, numbness in my hands, feet and face and felt dizzy. She had the feeling that she was going to die. Dina stopped off at her friend's house because she wanted to rest. She tried deep breathing to relax and that helped a bit. This feeling came like uncontrollable waves that she just had to persevere through.
Her husband came and took her to the hospital. Her heart was fine, blood pressure was excellent and no sugar problems. The blood work showed that she was disgustingly healthy! They sent here home, telling her that she was just really tired.
She knew she wasn't imagining these symptoms but had no idea what was wrong with her. She rested as much as possible and staggered to the kitchen to cook simple things for the children. But she prayed more and read more Qu'ran, preparing herself for death, as that was how she felt. She tried taking more vitamins, and natural foods. She stopped all caffeine, sugar and chemical additives, and ate a lot of fruit and salads with just a little protein and carbohydrate. Her system was so sensitive that if she ate heavily or any sugar, she would get another attack. Dina would soak all kinds of beans and lentils and eat them uncooked. It doesn't taste so bad.
One day she called my husband and told him she couldn't take care of the kids anymore and to take them to her friend's house. Then he started to panic! She suggested he take her to a psychiatrist because she knew that it was somehow related to her mind. She had the feeling that she might lose control. She used to lie down, look at something in the room and concentrate on it , until the attack passed, or read Qur'an in Arabic, something which requires a lot of concentration for her as it is not her first language. Sometimes the attacks would take up to five hours. It was terrible. She has a wonderful friend who couldn't come to see her when she was sick, but she phoned everyday at least twice. Those phone calls meant so much. She used to wait for her call. She'd also lay down and close her eyes and listen to the world around. The birds, the boy watering the garden downstairs, the dogs and children playing. She realized she'd been too busy to appreciate the simple things in life.
She saw a woman Professor of Psychiatry. She was really nice and told her she was having panic attacks (anxiety attacks). She said there was no known cause for them. It is an imbalance in the chemicals of the brain and is associated with the adrenal glands. It is where stress takes on physiological symptoms. A lot of stress for a long duration of time can trigger them off and the body starts spurting out adrenaline without any need. She said Dina wouldn't feel any difference for five days after beginning the medicine. Those five days felt like five years. She'll be on the medicine for about a year. She told Dina that she had a mild case!
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This article was posted with the permission of the author, Velma Cook.
One day Dina was driving to work and she didn't feel well. She had heart palpitations, numbness in my hands, feet and face and felt dizzy. She had the feeling that she was going to die. Dina stopped off at her friend's house because she wanted to rest. She tried deep breathing to relax and that helped a bit. This feeling came like uncontrollable waves that she just had to persevere through.
Her husband came and took her to the hospital. Her heart was fine, blood pressure was excellent and no sugar problems. The blood work showed that she was disgustingly healthy! They sent here home, telling her that she was just really tired.
She knew she wasn't imagining these symptoms but had no idea what was wrong with her. She rested as much as possible and staggered to the kitchen to cook simple things for the children. But she prayed more and read more Qu'ran, preparing herself for death, as that was how she felt. She tried taking more vitamins, and natural foods. She stopped all caffeine, sugar and chemical additives, and ate a lot of fruit and salads with just a little protein and carbohydrate. Her system was so sensitive that if she ate heavily or any sugar, she would get another attack. Dina would soak all kinds of beans and lentils and eat them uncooked. It doesn't taste so bad.
One day she called my husband and told him she couldn't take care of the kids anymore and to take them to her friend's house. Then he started to panic! She suggested he take her to a psychiatrist because she knew that it was somehow related to her mind. She had the feeling that she might lose control. She used to lie down, look at something in the room and concentrate on it , until the attack passed, or read Qur'an in Arabic, something which requires a lot of concentration for her as it is not her first language. Sometimes the attacks would take up to five hours. It was terrible. She has a wonderful friend who couldn't come to see her when she was sick, but she phoned everyday at least twice. Those phone calls meant so much. She used to wait for her call. She'd also lay down and close her eyes and listen to the world around. The birds, the boy watering the garden downstairs, the dogs and children playing. She realized she'd been too busy to appreciate the simple things in life.
She saw a woman Professor of Psychiatry. She was really nice and told her she was having panic attacks (anxiety attacks). She said there was no known cause for them. It is an imbalance in the chemicals of the brain and is associated with the adrenal glands. It is where stress takes on physiological symptoms. A lot of stress for a long duration of time can trigger them off and the body starts spurting out adrenaline without any need. She said Dina wouldn't feel any difference for five days after beginning the medicine. Those five days felt like five years. She'll be on the medicine for about a year. She told Dina that she had a mild case!
~:~:~:~:~:~:~~:~:~:~:~:~:~
This article was posted with the permission of the author, Velma Cook.
5 Comments:
I experienced my most severe panic attacks during the labor of my fifth child. It happened right after about 20 hours of labor with the contractions about 5 minutes apart. The pain was so intense that I agreed to an epidural. They had warned me that the anethesiologist on call at that time was a man, so out of respect for my husband and knowing his jealously I tried not to give in but it became unbearable to even he was leaning towards me getting more relief.
Subhanallah after the epidural my labor seemed to take a turn for the worse. The pain eased up immediately, but then my legs became numb from the medicine and I got drowsy and the doctors and nurses left I guess knowing that the epidural would add even more time to my labor. they came back in at some point saying the baby was in distress and I needed to put an oxygen mask over me. When I did this I had trouble breathing and felt like I was suffocating. Then I started shaking and feeling like death was going to overtake me. Subhanallah, I asked my husband to bring me the dua book and I started reading all the duas for stress and anxiety, then I asked him to read the dua for sickness that you say 7 times and if its not your time of death you are cured. It was so rough, I couldn't stop shaking, and my chest felt heavy and tight like I was having a heart attack. I had trouble breathing. Of course the doctors said I was fine and my vital signs were fine, but I was on a downward spiral. My husband stood by me patting me and saying dua over and over. Everytime I had a contraction it was like death, a slow death, even though the epidural was easing the labor pains.
Verily it was the help of Allah that allowed me to make it through.
i am looking for a muslim psychiatrist/psychologist in Singapore. Any contacts? please email me: dwalkingwounded@yahoo.com
Salamu alaykum,
I don't know of any muslim psychiatrist in Singapore. I'm sorry I can't be of any help. Have you tried asking at your local masjid - sometimes a Muslim physician can refer you to other Muslim doctors.
May Allah cure you. Ameen.
How to Do Nothing
For those of us who are non-stop workaholics, doing nothing can actually be pretty difficult! If you're like the Energizer bunny in that you keep going, and going, and going, here's how to stop once in a while and just do nothing.
Plan ahead. Whether it's an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a century, or even a millennium (for us aliens) of doing nothing, cancel all of your appointments for that block of time. Try to pick the most boring week or day, a day where you'll most likely sleep most of the time.
Let people know that you're busy and will be unavailable. Whether you choose to tell them that you're actually setting aside some time to do nothing, or you just give them the vague explanation "I'm going to be busy" (busy doing nothing!), tell them not to call, visit, or interrupt.
Find a quiet, private place where you don't feel pressured to do anything. This might be your bedroom, the backyard, or a local park. Find that place and go there.
Don't set your watch or an alarm to go off when your "nothing" time is over, so that you have to constantly look at the clock and count the minutes. Turn off your cell phone, and maybe even all other phones within your reach.
Sit by yourself. Feel the wind, the sun being hidden by clouds, and the chair touching your butt. Listen to the rustle of the trees and birds singing, and water flowing. Always think about the past or future. Avoid the temptation to turn on the TV, listen to music, write a note to yourself, get a bite to eat, or whatever. The only thing you should do is go to the bathroom if needed.
Learn how to free up your mind. That way, not only will your body be doing nothing, but so will your mind. Since your brain isn't even there this won't really make a difference.
Tips
Setting aside some free time to do nothing on a regular basis is very healthy for your mind, body, and emotional life, especially if you find that you're really wearing yourself thin. Often times, we are encouraged by the actions of our fast-paced, high-information society to believe that staying busy is a normal and natural state of existence. Remember, there is no guilt in giving yourself some private downtime. How often you do nothing is up to you, but it should be a rejuvenating experience overall.
Once you get good at doing nothing, you can use this time and energy to think of things, instead. This would not be doing "nothing," but thinking while shutting out the world. Focusing on one thing this way will help you to concentrate better than having your mind zoom over a million thoughts a minute.
If you live in a small apartment, set aside a corner of a larger room with floor pillows, a softly scented candle and maybe a cozy throw. If these things aren't available, just find a quiet place for yourself.
Warnings
At first you may feel nervous, jittery, and restless. Try to relax and understand that doing nothing does not mean that you're being unproductive or irresponsible. Keep in mind that you are doing this in order to clear your mind and ultimately extend your life so that you will have even more time. Ultimately, setting time aside to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, creative, and more able to concentrate in the long run, and that's very good for work, school, or other.
SUBHANALLAH !!!
Ya ukhti fil deen. barak Allah feek for this blogg. I had put ur link and intro onto my bogg in hope of it helping others sisters n brothers in islam, InshAllah u dont mind.
I too personnal suffering with panic attacks due to experiances in life that have left me scared but with each and every day i hope for the love of Allah Swt.
jazakilahu khairin ameen.
ur sister in islam
plz drop by my bloggs and let me know what you think !!
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