I also suffer with panic attacks of varying degrees.

It's only been in the last 12-18 months that I've been getting them.

I can remember the first time I had one clear as day. I was called out to a car that wouldn't start (I'm an AA patrol), it was only a knackered battery which was easy enough but I couldn't get hold of one (too late in the day with no shops open). The guy who's car it was started giving me shit because I couldn't get one so I tried absolutely everything I could do get one. Whilst on the phone to a shop which was open late but a good drive away from where I was, I started to feel cold, started sweating, couldn't breathe easily, went dizzy, got pins and needles in my hands, couldn't get any words out that I tried to say and basically thought I was about to die!!

I had to put the phone down and had to try and tell the guy that I couldn't get him a battery (fucking hard cos I couldn't string a word together!!), but he was making it more and more difficult. In the end I just had to hand him the paperwork I had already written and drove off!!

I pulled over in the next street and really started shaking uncontrolably. I sat there for a good while trying to compose myself. I managed to phone my manager after a good while and he just told me go home (he was actually really good about the whole thing).

I went to the quacks the next day and said that I had experienced a panic attack.

I have to say that that was the first one I had and was the most frightening experience of my life so far! I honestly thought my number was up!

I still get them from time to time but don't seem as bad as that one was, whether I have become used to them and know how to deal with them better, I don't know.

I have been diagnosed with depression recently which the quack thinks I may have had for a fair while which he thinks could be a contributory factor causing the attacks. I went to see if I could try to sort something about my anger problems (I fly off the handle at the smallest things) and he ran through a series of questions which I then had to answer and that was the diagnosis he came up with! The thing is, I don't feel depressed. Sure I have my bad days like everyone but who doesn't?? I always associated depression with not being bothered to do anything, constantly miserable etc (that's what my dad went like anyway) but I'm not like that!

Anyways, just have to see what happens!

It's interesting to read about other peoples experiences!