Tension, fear, palpitations, stumbling, dropouts
Dear Sir or Madam,
Last week while driving, I experienced something like a panic attack. I still cannot assess what it was exactly. I smoked a cigarette and afterwards I was completely tense, constantly moving and short of breath. My heart started pounding strongly and I thought it was all over. I was scared to death and not thinking clearly, like in a movie. I went straight to the hospital, where they did an ECG, blood test and checked my blood pressure. Everything seemed to be fine and they sent me home, telling me to contact them if it happens again.
Since that day, I have been feeling really bad. I can't sleep at night, my heart skips beats and I feel it intensely in the lower throat area, like a lump. Sometimes when I'm lying in bed, I feel so relaxed that I think my heart is going to stop. I jump up, breathe quickly 2-3 times because I feel like my organs are about to fail. It's a devilish feeling and I'm already dreading tonight. What could all this be? I have a lot of stress from work, studying, etc. but it scares me. I can already see myself in the grave.
Just now, I smoked another cigarette and it started again as described above. I know I need to quit, but it's easier said than done. I can't seem to do it, but at least I've managed to reduce to 2-4 cigarettes a day for now. Can you tell me anything about these symptoms? Does it sound familiar to you?
Ps: Do you happen to know of a medication for smoking cessation on the side?
Thank you.
