Stress Center Peer Support

~~~madison~~~ · Post by **~~~madison~~~** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:09 am

hello i was wondering if anyone else does this i was taking a bath and my heart starting pounding,,it does this most of the time,it scares me i have had panic since i was 16 im 43 know...but it seems like it is getting worse the older i get...like around the time of the month or after....please help

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:09 pm

does nobody have this problem,but me...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:27 pm

Hi Madison. You are not alone. Many people can't take a bath or shower without feeling trapped and begin to have those feelings of anxiety. I had a hard time for years taking a bath or a shower without wanting to get right back out of the tub. To me, it just felt like I was trapped and if anything happened I wouldn't be able to get dressed in time for someone to help. It seems silly but it isn't and is very real. And people have different symptoms in this situation too. You are not alone!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:20 pm

Hey Madison, I know exactly what you're feeling..I can't relax in a bathtub, because I fear passing out and then noone would be around to help me..Now I'll take my dog in the bathroom (not in the bathtub, he sits on the floor-lol) because I guess I do feel claustrophobic or something and it makes me feel real tired and I always have this fear of passing out when I'm panicky..It's gotten a little bit better within the last year, but one night the lights went out in our house and I was in the bathtub at the time..boy did I panic..now I try to keep a candle in the bathroom just in case..and I try to put my favorite station on and try my best to think of other things.. but sometimes the fear still pops up. My sister also gets panic attacks, but she loves getting baths and says they help her out of panicky feelings, that it relaxes her..I guess that's why I need to practice the relaxation session more..so I can stop being afraid of being in a relaxed state..but Flyer99 is right..You're definitely not alone!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:35 am

thanks for the replys,,,

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:57 am

Madison....

I have felt that pounding heart and hot flashy feeling as well....try not to make the water too warm....I found that putting a bubbler or a tub spa thing in the tub to churn the water makes it easier to sit in a tub thats not as hot. If I just sit in still water that bothers me. I also put the exhuast fan on in the bathroom it keep the air moving in the room and makes me feel better. Another thing when I was really panicky is I would put the cordless phone next to me everywhere I went that way I was only a touch tone away from anyone...(course I never ever needed that) but it made me feel better.

I think its a combination of you relaxing and the water being to warm....that will make you feel that sensation of pounding heart. Ever notice how when your outside in a really hot sticky summer day your heartbeat is more pronounced.....same thing here.

Try it cant hurt to try.
Good luck Dodger

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:42 am

OMG!!!! Yes, I get the same feeling. I have stop taking baths altogether for now. I just take showers and sometimes thats hard for me to do. But, I do it everyday anyway. One time I was taking a shower and I start seeing stars, I freaked out, and called my husband into the bathroom and he calmed me down and said it was nothing. But, I was afraid I was going to pass out. I told my doctor about the incident and she said that happens when the water is too hot. She said when she gets too hot, or takes a hot shower she actually does pass out. She said that's our bodies way of correcting itself. The body gets too hot and wants to sweat but it can't because your already in a humid moist environment. So your heart starts to pound. Before my anxiety I loved hot showers, now the water has to be lukewarm and that has worked for me.