Well, that was weird

[mrsdee1982]

Guess who had a full blown panic attack in the middle of Ikea yesterday?  

This girl, that's who!

I have severe anxiety, but I've never had a panic attack before.  That was…unpleasant, to say the least.

I noticed when we walked in that it was really hot in the store.  About 1/2 way through, I started really struggling.  It was too hot, too stuffy, I couldn't breathe, I didn't want to walk anymore (my feet and ankles were super swollen, so I was massively uncomfortable), but because of the layout of Ikea, I couldn't get out of there quickly. 

I told DH "I'm done".  He didn't know what was going on so he kept just saying "I know, we're almost done.  2 more things to look at."

Finally, I ended up crying and starting to hyperventilate and I just kept repeating to him "I'm done.  Get me out of here.  I have to get out of here"  He started laughing at first because he had no idea what was going on, but then when he realized I was serious, he helped me hightail it out of there.  

I didn't feel right physically for hours after that.  Man was that unpleasant.  I really hope that this is not a fun new symptom for me.  

[alayne926]

Oh man, that had to be difficult. Hope you're feeling better today.

[Deleted]

Aww I'm sorry, that sounds awful!

[mrsdee1982]

Definitely feeling better today. I have no idea what happened or why I was set off yesterday.

This morning, I was a little sarcastic to DH and he just said "Don't make me take you back to Ikea…"

We had a good laugh about it.

[veggiemo]

Oh my gosh how scary! Sometimes when I'm shopping I just hit a wall and I'm done and need to leave right then and there. Add anxiety on top of that, I can't even imagine how you must have felt. I'm so glad you are feeling better today. All of us need to make sure we are listening to our body cues all the time, but especially now that we've got these little ones to take care of

[kemdupuis]

Yeah, panic attacks are rough. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've had a few and they always seem to happen in the worst places- Walmart, BRU, a crowded mall... Etc. hope you got some good rest last night and are feeling a bit more like yourself today.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry. I hate that feeling. And IKEA is the worst place for that to happen.

[beersandweirs]

I'm sorry that happened, it sounds very unpleasant. Hopefully it was a one time thing!

[mrskblack11]

[jcprn]

I'm sorry this happened to you. How scary. My FIL can't even go into Ikea because it causes him too much anxiety.

[mrsdee1982]

Mar 5, 2015 12:13:34 GMT -5 mrskblack11 said:

YES!  This is exactly how it was :/

[wink568]

Glad you're feeling better. I hope it's not a reoccurring thing either, but I can certainly see IKEA setting off that kind of reaction. It is always so crowded and claustrophobic.

[cnumbers]

This happens to me a lot. Especially recently. I have bad anxiety too. I hope you begin to feel better, is a very scary thing to experience.

[erbear]

I'm sorry. Glad you're feeling better!

[lunalovegood]

How horrible! Ikea is the worst place for that, it really is a maze. Glad you are feeling better now.

[billyhorrible]

Oh I hope you don't have another! I hate panic attacks, well really anything outside of my control.

[tiffbot]

Aw, so sorry! How scary! Glad you are able to laugh about it today but I hope it doesn't happen again!

[upandbelow]

This is awful! I'm so sorry you had to feel like that. I've always had a bit of anxiety, but recently I've been getting panic attacks too, I asked my doctor if she thought they could be a side effect of the pregnancy and she said most definitely. She said it was a misconception that postpartum depression starts after the baby is born, and that some women feel it in different ways, like the baby blues, while others feel anxiety or panic. I'm totally on the panicked end, and have started taking vitamin B to try to level out my moods (as RX'd by my dr.).

[leenziepops]

Ikea is so big and overwhelming. I can totally see it being a trigger for a panic attack. glad you could laugh about it afterwards.

[tinavonsparkle]

Sounds scary. It's good you know the signs before an actual attack starts now so you can recognise them and get the hell out of places in plenty of time x

[stinybean]

I'm so sorry this happened. I'm glad you're feeling better. ((HUGS))

[carolyngrace]

I've had exactly one panic attack, and I hope it never happens again. It is such a scary experience! Sorry it happened to you

[Deleted]

I'm so sorry that sounds so scary. I'm glad you weren't by yourself.