Dealing with Panic Attacks Triggered by Medical Procedures

Hi, I'm pursuing diagnoses for Anxiety Disorder(s) and ADHD and I also have cerebral palsy. I've had two panic attacks in the last 5 years, both triggered by merely reading about seemingly minimally invasive medical procedures (enemas and acupuncture respectively). The first one I experienced came with nausea, faintness, cold sweats, and I was luckily able to stop it and keep myself safe, as I was isolated at the time. The second time was more intense: faintness, nausea, blackouts, disassociation from my body, all lasting a few hours. I've had multiple surgeries as well as other "less invasive" treatments for my CP, like Botox injections, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and ESTEM therapy. Has anyone else with an extensive/traumatic medical history experienced panic at seemingly innocuous quasi-medical triggers? Could my body be carrying trauma from the partial-sedation Botox injections or something? I should add I'm okay with vaccines, tattoos, piercings, other small needles and things like pipettes in my orifices. 😳 What caused the panic? Anyone?

Your answer

Maypie

2y ago

I don't have any direct experience with this, but my mom went through emergency cardiac surgery a little less than a year ago. While she was super anxious beforehand, she was feeling alright consciously afterwards, but she would randomly just need to cry for an hour. She's very experienced with mental health, and is a medical professional. What she discovered and realized from other people's experiences too is that their body remembers the trauma from the medical procedures even if they don't. It's possible that it may be a similar phenomenon? Even if your symptoms or triggers dont make complete sense to you or someone else, it's still ok to feel them even if it's confusing.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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