Over the years, I have heard many people with Pulmonary Fibrosis mention that they experience severe panic attacks. It seems understandable that this would occur because many have difficulty breathing as part of their illness. When I Google or look up panic attacks, many of the writings are geared toward people who generally have these experiences, but I cannot find much in writing or resources that specifically deal with this occurring while on oxygen and having a terminal illness.
Though panic attacks can be severely debilitating, it seems that much of the literature indicates to face the fears you have and realize that the percentage of them actually coming true is very low. With Pulmonary Fibrosis, I think this does not apply, as often the source of the panic has to do with the fear of not getting enough air, which is a very real scenario to PF patients.
I remember my husband experiencing quite a few of these attacks. Some where quite severe. He would flail his arms in desperation of getting more O2, but in reality, he was pulling the O2 out of his nose and knocking down canisters. Another time he was so desperate for more air, that although he had a portable O2 container turned on and in his noes, that he picked up the portable and began trying to suck air out of the handle itself. It was very heartbreaking to see.
As a caregiver going through this with him, I had to learn to keep calm and be very deliberate in my voice and actions. No rushing, although he was in panic mode, I could not allow myself to rush about the room. Why? If his surroundings were chaotic during these episodes, it only made the situation worse. If he could not be calm, then I had to for the both of us.
Touching him during this time had to be thought out. Rather than rubbing his back, I would place my palm flat on his back and hold it still. Everything had to come down a notch, including my voice. Speaking in a low, soft tone can be more helpful rather than an elevated voice.
Helping him to focus assisted in bringing down the heightened nature of a panic attack. If he was scared he didn't have enough air, I would put the pulse-oximeter onto his finger for both of us to check it. Getting him to look at it helped gain focus. If his SAT's were low, I turned up his O2 and gently let him know they will start rising soon. Let's watch them rise together.
These attacks sometimes came during a coughing episode, or would bring a coughing episode on. By the time they passed, all of his energy was spent. It took so much out of him to go through this. I wanted to minimize this happening and looked at the different scenarios in which they occurred in the past. I tried to notice patterns.
I noticed that many of them occurred before his showers. Showering becomes a difficult task for someone with PF. The moisture and steam in the air, the use of your arms to lather, the slipperiness of the tub, the water on the floor, the energy used to dry off, all become monumental. There was no such thing as a quick shower anymore. Understanding that and blocking out an appropriate amount of time eased the task. As a caregiver, making sure everything was ready for him also helped.
We were provided a slew of drugs while he was on hospice. One of them was a liquid dose of Larazapam. This was specifically provided to ease anxiety. In this form, it did help but was something that worked in only the short-term and the dose might be given several times a day, depending on what kind of a day he was having. At first, when all this was new to us, we administered a dose during his panic attacks as a way to help him calm down. As time passed and we recognized the patterns of his panic attacks, we realized that the best time for him to take this was prior to his shower. Before he felt the anxiety.
Everything we did had to do with preventing them in the first place. Thinking ahead of any given situation, allowing the proper amount of time and preparing in advance seemed to help the most. As he changed, we were flexible enough to change the preparations to assist his needs.
Everybody is different. One thing I noticed and found rather unexpected, was that Morphine worked the opposite than what we thought it would do. We thought it would help with his pains and help him to relax. It did help with pain, although I noticed a pattern with that as well. His form was a liquid Morphine taken orally. At first administration, he would become somewhat sleepy, so we found that, for him, taking it after a shower and lunch would allow for a nice little nap. I noticed that after an hour or two, he would become restless in his sleep and literally wake up in a panic. While he was at this period, he suddenly felt he needed 5 things all at once and at first, not seeing the pattern of his reaction to this drug, I would run around the room trying to satisfy his every need. It took a little time to recognize this pattern and having something soothing for him when he awoke, such as a cup of tea, seemed to decrease this.
I have also read that certain foods may increase the possibility of panic attacks. Too much sugar or caffeine might bring them on more frequently.
Much of this is written from a caregiver's standpoint, yet, there are many people with PF who experience this and do not have any assistance. This can be very frightening. It might be a good idea to visit with your doctor to discuss these attacks if they are too frequent, or preventing you from daily enjoyment. My husband was not on an anti-depressant, although some people say that this has helped them a great deal. Having a phone near-by or discussing this with your friends or family may give you additional support. Of course, learning to change your focus from what is causing the panic to something else would help, but is one of the hardest things to do.
Here are some links that may provide further insight (I will put a question mark after each topic, because not all of these will be helpful to everyone, but, maybe there is one for you.) Be sure to speak with your doctor regarding any questions you may have before starting medications or natural supplements.
Meditation?
Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/harvard-yoga-scientists-find-proof-of-meditation-benefit.html
Tea?
Best Teas For Stress and Anxiety- http://www.doctoroz.com/article/best-teas-stress-and-anxiety
Points of Focus?
How To Stop Panic Attacks- http://www.healthyplace.com/anxiety-panic/panic-disorder/how-to-stop-panic-attacks-and-prevent-panic-attacks/
Diet?
9 Foods That Help or Hurt Anxiety- http://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-pictures/anxiety-foods-that-help-foods-that-hurt-0118.aspx
Pharmacy?
Drug options for treating Anxiety/ Depression- http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/
Herbal?
19 Natural Remedies for Anxiety- http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20669377,00.html
Peer Support?
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Support Groups- http://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/life-with-pf/support-groups
