About 2 months ago I had my first panic attack...really severe. Shaking, derealization, dry heaving, sobbing, terrified of being alone, etc. It lasted for hours, coming and going.

At first I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me, I thought I was dying so I went to the ER in hysterics. Got a chest x-ray and an EKG, and a breathing nebulizer (I think that's what it was called) and that calmed me down and they told me there was nothing wrong with me. A few days later I went to my regular doctor and she told me I was having panic attacks and put me on Paxil. So I've been taking that for almost 2 months and it helps. I haven't had a real panic attack since I started...sometimes I start to feel one coming (I start getting nauseous and get that feeling like I'm in some sort of dream state), but I'm able to calm myself down pretty well.

Anyway, even though I'm taking Paxil now, the one problem I've been having is that any little health thing that I experience I fret and obsess over it. I'm constantly googling symptoms and shit. I can't seem to stop thinking about whether or not everybody's wrong and there really is something wrong with me, maybe I am dying...even though I KNOW that's not the case I can't stop worrying about it. If I'm alone I constantly have to make sure I have my phone right next to me in case I need to call 911. I even stopped making fun of that little old lady on the life alert commercials.

I know it's kinda long but has anyone gone through anything like this after some sort of health trauma? I was never like this before I started having panic attacks...I've always been lucky with good health. Any advice/stories would be appreciated.

i have social anxiety and the symptoms you've just mentioned are the same as what i get. what you need to do is get some CBT and a good therapist and take it step by step. what also helps is breathing correctly.

next time you feel panic trying to rush over you take a few deep breaths in through nose slowly and then out through mouth. also reassure yourself and tell yourself everything will be okay, that you are strong and you can do this.

try focusing on the task at hand, this really works for me and i have gone from being housebound to going out by myself for shopping and short walks.

just remember you are not alone!

(i sound like a right tosser!)

maybe another drug would help you better than paxil does or a higher dose. it sounds to me like you're still feeling very anxious/paniky (without actual panic attacks) about things so it can't be working that great. there will probably be something else that may work better for you! Especially as paxil is a SSRI drug and there are lots of other ones in that group of drugs that you could easily swop over to straight away that you may find more effective..

i was the same as you for well nearly all my life and im 20 , i finally started taking anti depressants about a year ago + it was really weird to me, as i didnt expect them to work at all, and they didnt at first..... until they made my dose higher... then they gradually started to work and it was very strange not feeling panic hell 24/7.
i just don't feel like the way you described anymore.. obviously i get anxious a bit but i think that's my personality and it won't ever change. but i don't obsess over things(DEATH,DYING ETC and it was all i ever thought about every day all day for years) like previous or have really severe panic attacks a lot!

i am BLABBING abotu myself which is bad.. but maybe you should tell the dr that youre still feeling lke this! maybe they can change the drug you are taking like i said. wooo

anyway yes good luck! also like someone else said, see if you can get cbt or on a waiting list for it as it is a very good therapy for a lot of people

Welcome to my life sans paxil and about 4 more trips to the ER with no insurance.

I need to see a dr

Try talking to your doctor about CBT or trying a book like:
Amazon.com: It's Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It: Gordon J. G. Asmundson PhD, Steven Taylor Phd: Books

if you can't get CBT.