Stories
Panic
Anxiety Education
Management Services
Coping the best they
can
We have heard some very different coping stories. Here are
a few. (PS. These represent each individual's "coping
skills?".)
Although some of us curse the day that mobile phones were
invented, Terrianne considered it a blessing. Previous to buying a
mobile phone, she was housebound with a specific avoidance to
driving in the car. Now, with her mobile phone on hand, she zips
from here to there knowing that if the "what if" ever did
happen, help is just a call away.
***
Yasmine had been a keen traveller before Panic Disorder seemingly
ruined her life. A few months after she was diagnosed a driving trip
to Melbourne had been organised and she was terrified. Her mind
reeled, "What if I stop breathing in the middle of
nowhere?" She reassured herself with the fact that there would
be semi-trailers on the road with CB radios and people with mobile
phones. They would be able to contact a helicopter to evacuate her
out of Agoraphobic hell! Three years later, Yasmine is completely
recovered and can travel again on planes, trains and automobiles.
***
It was examination time at the University. Violet had experienced
her first panic attack a month earlier and had since been having
severe attacks on almost a daily basis.
She was required to sit for an important university exam. Her
terror of having a panic attack was so intense, it had translated
itself into extreme physical agitation and an inability to remain in
one spot for long. A three-hour sit-down exam therefore presented a
little bit of a problem.
On the day of the exam, Violet came up with an ingenious
solution. She went to the university medical centre and told the
doctor that due to a sporting accident, she was having severe back
and neck pain. This pain, she told him, was exacerbated by remaining
in one position for long periods of time. Not only did the doctor
provide her with a certificate to the effect she needed to stand up
and walk around at regular intervals during the examination, but the
examiners themselves allowed her to sit the exam in a private room.
Violet could stand, sit and move around at her leisure!
***
This lady had a lot of planning to do before she left home on an
errand. She had to know where the nearest doctor, hospital and
veterinary surgery centers were. "Veterinary surgery?,"
you ask. Well, she knew that a vet would be able to resuscitate her
if need be.
Fiona called the telephone support line asking for help because
she was in the middle of having a panic attack. Half-way through the
support call, she interrupted the person counselling her. "I
have another call coming through, I'm at work," she explained.
When Fiona got back to the counsellor who was on hold, she revealed
she worked part time at a Crisis telephone line.
***
Strange and quirky. What about the following? A lady (no names)
uses knitting as a focus during panic attacks. She is so conditioned
to her knitting, she now takes her knitting with her everywhere.
The other day a friend invited the lady to her hens night out -
to a male revue (we all know what that is .. wink wink nudge nudge,
say no more). This lady spent the whole night sitting in the front
row, her knitting sitting politely on her lap.
A lady related the story of when she had Panic Disorder many
years ago. At this time, her Agoraphobia was very severe. Basically,
she was housebound. She said the only thing that kept her going in
those years was her addiction to the Australian TV soap Prisoner.
Very symbolic don't you think?
***
Vonnie worked in the local hospital as a caterer. Her job was to
deliver the meals for the patients. All the meals were stacked on a
large steel trolley which could be wheeled without much effort.
Fairly simple .. not a problem ... unless you've got an Anxiety
Disorder.
Vonnie had only one avoidance. She avoided the elevator for fear
of having a panic attack there. Here lies the problem. The kitchen
was located in the basement area, the patients were on floors 2
through to 6. How will she get the meals up to them? Vonnie
explained her "technique". She simply put the trolley of
meals into the elevator, chose the appropriate floor and dashed out
of the elevator before the doors closed. Now all she had to do was
charge up the flight of stairs to the appropriate floor and hope the
elevator was there waiting for her.
One time she got into trouble. Someone got on at an intervening
floor and the trolley was going up and down like a yo-yo. She
finally caught up to it after much chasing. Yes, Vonnie looks very
much like a marathon runner, fit as a fiddle.
***
Seems the nursing profession is one of the hardest hit by Anxiety
Disorders. It is a very demanding job and a high level of
professionalism is required. One nurse described the
"hand-over" period as being the worse for her. Her
concentration had been demolished by General Anxiety Disorder. She
is always second-guessing herself as to whether she received the
instructions correctly. When she is on the job, she is fearful that
other nurses will discover she has an Anxiety Disorder.
***
Teresa experienced one of the major fears of an Anxiety Disorder.
This fear created extensive avoidance on her part until finally she
didn't go anywhere. Which of the major fears? The fear that she
would have a diarrhea attack when she went out - anywhere.
This fear is full of shame and embarrassment of "what would
everyone say?". The trouble with this fear for Teresa was she
had never actually had a diarrhoea attack AT ALL - plenty of Panic
Attacks though. It was the "What if" of this major fear
which created the problem. So, if Teresa had to go out and do the
grocery shopping, she had much planning to do before going. She had
to know where all the toilets were in the facility. She had to know
how many individual toilets there were; just on the off -chance that
if she had to rush in there.
The "what ifs" consumed her. What if .. IT happened and
I wasn't near the toilet. What if .. IT happened, I get to the
toilets and they are all being used. What if ... IT happened and I
don't get to the toilet in time (SHAME feelings). In the end Teresa
figured she was better off just not going out at all. And so the
avoidance cycle gained more energy and her quality of life is
decreased.
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