Panic in the Sam's Club

Both Adored Wife and Social Hurricane are subject to panic attacks and anxiety attacks.

I appreciate that there are probably more precise medical definitions, but AW explained the difference to me from a sufferer's perspective-----

Anxiety attack:  Somewhere out there, someone is probably hunting for me, and he might have a knife.
Panic attack:  He has a knife.  And he's in my house.

Social Hurricane and I were out on a father-daughter date, eating pizza in Sam's Club, when she tensed up and said "I know there's nothing you can do about this, but I'm having a panic attack."

There was nothing I could do about it.  Trying to reason someone out of it doesn't help, because they KNOW it's "not real."  But the body doesn't know that, and won't be told.  I've never had them, and hope that's always true, but it doesn't look like any fun at all.

Fortunately it didn't last long, but SH was jumpy, agitated, and paranoid for several minutes there.  Increased respiration, nervously looking all around, completely distracted.  We walked around and looked at stuff, because it's better to keep on the move.

It was very good that she can recognize when she's having an attack--that helps tremendously in dealing with them (although it doesn't make them go away.)  And, a few minutes later, she was fine.

That kind of thing happens in my family all the time.  Whee!

Hope all's well out there, friends, and God bless.