Okay, I want to be certain that I understand your posting wherein you describe the panic attacks occurring at night. Whenever I hear someone describe circumstances like this, I'm always alerted to the potential for sleep apnea to be the underlying cause. This disorder is sometimes confused with a panic disorder episode for people who have it because the patient awakens to find their heart racing and palpitating, together with the sensation that they can't get enough air and brief disorientation. It can sometimes produce a panic threshold event and as a consequence, go undetected because it's never explained properly in attendance with the physician. It's an extremely treatable disorder and the sleep study is actually kind of fun.

Indeed, the use of cold water on the face, particular the eyes, can produce a physiological response known as the dive reflex. It induces a parasympathetic response and lowers heart rate and blood pressure.  

Also, surely you must realize that I'm realistically unable to tell anything from a description of thump, bump, thump and so on and it only serves to suggest that you are aware of your heart beat when the events occur. But this can in no way whatsoever be considered any type of objective criteria. I just want to be certain that you understand this point.

I understand that you don't wish to go to the doctor, but I am constrained to point out here that virtually every member to the forum has already been evaluated by their primary care physician or specialist and the forum is here to provide them with a better understanding of test results and their condition in general. These tests, incidentally, always turn out to be negative and hence the reason for most of the questions to the forum. Your own case is no different. The forum is not, by contrast, any medium through which you can gain actual medical advice, evaluation or other diagnostic information in the absence of direct consult from your doctor. Again, I just want to be certain that you understand that I will be here to help you better understand your test results and your condition, but the responsibility for seeking and obtaining the tests to do so must be yours alone. Nothing bad will come of it. It's just the prudent thing to do.

So my suggestion to you is to simply make an appointment with your primary care physician or clinic to have basic testing done to determine whether you may need a sleep study if the panic events are waking you from your sleep, and to provide you with a clinical picture of the palpitation events so that you can reduce your anxiety and fears where this is concerned. Just like we have to hit the floor running every morning to work and keep the wolf from the door, we have to assume reasonable responsibility for our healthcare concerns. Your fear is that they're going to give you some terrible news and your outlook will be severely dampened.

This is the case many times for folks with health anxiety. They believe their symptoms to be the root of something terrible. The truth is your fears are presenting you with unbridled irrational beliefs because you don't understand the symptoms or their origin. It's reckless at the very least to trust in your basic subjective instincts to guide you where this is concerned because in the clear absence of medical training or experience, you couldn't possibly truly know the basis for your problem. Do you see what I mean here? It's always a clear indicator that someone's fears have got them on a runaway train.

So my suggestion to you is to make an appointment with your doctor and then treat yourself to a nice reward afterwards. While we often do so only in the case of young folks, it's an extremely reinforcing activity for anyone who has irrational fears about going to the doctor.

You're going to be just fine. Let me know how your tests turn out and we'll discuss them to whatever extent required. We just need to get you up to par with the rest of the folks on the forum where obtaining proper testing is concerned. Nothing more. You're one of the group now and we need to make certain you're afforded the same benefits.

Best regards and Good Health

Hi Rachey!

I am sorry you are going through all this.  I can understand on a certain level your fears.  At one point in time I was scared to go to the Dr.  for fear of what they may have found, which has never been anything life-threatening.  My worst fears never happened!

But tell yourself that you need to have some testing done.  Tell yourself that the reassurance from the testing (which I sure will be neagtive results - negative results, meaning GOOD!) will bring you peace of mind and reassurance that you ARE OK!

I know the fear of going to the Dr. is great.  But in all reality, everything ill be fine!  My mom to this day has a fear of going to the Dr.  She hates to go, fears it actually.  One day she had to go because she got bit by a spider and her foot was swollen and whatever it was (a brown recluse I think is what the Dr. told her) was eating away at the tissue on her feet.  Well she finally went.  She had her foot looked at,had surgery for it and it all better now.  She told me this:  "Steph, you know all those years I worried about seeing a Dr.  and when I got in that door I was anxious, but my worry got better and better."  

Since all those years of worrying about seeing a Dr. she had put her own health overall in jeopardy.  She has high blood pressure, (which was silent) except for the blood pressure reading, which was HIGH, and had she not gone to the Dr. finally she would not have known!  She tells  me now that she knows that going to the Dr. despite her past fears was the best thing she could have done.  For years she worried if she had something wrong with her, but was too scared to go to the Dr.  But finally she gave in, gave into her fears and did what she needed to do.  And trust me if you knew my mom, her fears were high at the time.  But she did it and she no longer fears Dr's.  

You have to give into your fear and face the fear in order to get better.  Try it!  I promise you, that you will not be dissapointed.  I do that sometime with my pvc's.  When they are frequent like they are now, I talk to the pvc's.   I know it sounds silly, but instead of being scared of them I say, "Okay give it your best shot.  Skip away pvc's, I don't care anymore."  Silly I know, but if I talk to them and tell them I am not scared of them, it makes me feel better.  hehe.

So don't let your fear get the best of you, Rachey!  Remember a fear is only a thought, not the reality!  

And when you do make that appt and see a Dr. (which will be the best thing for you Rachey!!) you will feel SO GOOD about YOURSELF in that you did it!  You did what you feared and the best part of all?  Nothing bad will happen in doing it.  Sure you will feelanxious confronting your fears, but remember its only a feeling, but overall you will be OKAY.  

And definitely treat yourself to someting nice afterwards.  We associate rewards for accomplishments!  And you deserve that.

You can do this, Rachey!  Schedule that appt and go from there.  What is the worst that can happen?  

You can do it!  We are rooting for you.  You will be okay!

Lotsa' hugs to you...

Steff