Sully: I post on here about my daughter's PCS, but I can't resist sharing my own panic attack issue with you.

I never had one and honestly thought people who did were weak or something UNTIL I HAD ONE. Holy moly they are scary and yes, they are physical. I didn't have a head injury associated with mine, just some stressful life situations.

I also had the "I'm dying here" feeling. I would think I wasn't breathing, then a different part of me would say, "you are breathing normally, stop freaking out". I remember sitting in the gym watching my daughter play basketball and wondering who in the crowd would try to perform CPR on me. The sensation in my chest was so strong I went to the doctor convinced I was having a heart attack. I couldn't believe I couldn't control it. If you knew me you would know that I am NOT prone to emotional outbreaks or hysteria or anything of that nature. I'm typically very analytical and logical.

My doc put me on Zoloft for about six months and they went away fast. I tapered off the Zoloft slowly. It's now been well over a year and I haven't had another one. When I start to feel it come on I concentrate on my breathing, I do some yoga-like stretches and really focus on movement and posture and I talk myself down.

It's nothing short of miraculous that I haven't had them during the 8 months of my daughter's PCS. It's like the Zoloft gave me a little break so that I could work on re-building my coping skills. It's not for everyone, but it worked for me.

All the best to you...you're not alone.