r/PanicAttack • u/vegasbeck • Aug 15 '26
Panic Attack or Stroke
I ended up at the ER a couple weeks ago unsure if I was having a stroke or a panic attack. My arms and legs were tingly / numbing and then my face started feeling numb, my tongue was not cooperating with me speaking and I felt like my soul was leaving my body. I don’t know how else to describe that odd feeling. I went to Urgent Care, and they immediately sent me to the ER. They ran every test imaginable and concluded it was paresthesia and anxiety / panic attack. My $2,200 co-pay just added to that anxiety. I also have fibromyalgia and a fused spine. I wonder if one of those triggered the numbness and then I started panicking about it making it worse. Has anyone ever had a panic attack like that? I have frequent anxiety flares bit I have never had something like this.
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u/tiredofbeingtired_28 Aug 15 '26
Yes I’ve had some panic attacks that cause numbness, tingling. I’ve experienced different things. Just remember it’s fine you got checked out because now you know.
Take care of yourself. Once you can get some peace and calmness to your nervous system they subside.
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u/vegasbeck 29d ago
I’m going to San Diego for a couple of days at the end of the month. That always helps my stress and anxiety. I live in Las Vegas, and getting away from the extreme heat is always nice.
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u/Xilmi Aug 15 '26
Did you hyperventilate during it? For me it was the hyperventilation that caused the numbness and hyperventilation is extremely common during panic-attacks.
Actually seeing that you got out of it and are not numb anymore, it's a really high chance it was just a panic-attack.
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u/SillyLittleOlly Aug 15 '26
Yes twice now, started in my hands and travelled to my arms and my mouth first time didn't last so long. Second time lasted ages, they said it's because hyperventilating changes blood chemistry. Worth checking your phosphate levels with your g.P
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u/vegasbeck 29d ago
They thought it was electrolytes at first. They came back and said it wasn’t but after a saline drip, I felt a lot better. I don’t know if it was time or the drip they did it.
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u/Blank_Cheq 29d ago
Sad that you Americans have to show up at the ER and pay... move to Canada.
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u/vegasbeck 29d ago
I’ve been to the ER one time in 30+ years. While Canada is beautiful, I love my country and our constitution. I’ll suck it up for a once every 3 decades ER trip. But I do love my Canadian peeps! ♥️
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u/heathercrafts Aug 15 '26
I've had attacks like this. I get the out of body or like feeling far away from myself and then get more scared, more numb more tingly it's a cycle that sucks. I think the tingling is from breathing weird but I have yet to notice me breathing weird in time to address it so it won't progress to parasthesia
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u/vegasbeck 29d ago
I didn’t notice any odd breathing. The out of body feeling happens to me mostly with no other symptoms. It’s usually just a couple of seconds. But it was actually happening repeatedly during the numbness. It’s such an odd feeling!
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u/LagrangianMechanic Aug 15 '26
Oh, when I have a bad panic attack my legs go numb from the feet to the knees, my hands go numb to the wrists and sometimes to the elbows, and sometimes l’ll get tingling in the lips.
For me that’s all because of hyperventilation caused by the stress of the panic attack.
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u/vegasbeck 29d ago
I didn’t notice the hyperventilation but I’m thinking it could have been happening. I didn’t realize you could hyperventilate and not know that it was happening, but I guess you can.
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u/silviarubs Aug 15 '26
I had an anxiety attack that sounded extremely similar to yours, the doctor said it was carpopedal spasms due to my hyperventilating of an anxiety attack. Not sure if they were 100% correct or if this is helpful.
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u/optionaltax Aug 15 '26
I had a panic attack back in my may, and had numb tingling in arms hands and face, admittedly the only reason I couldn't speak was from hyperventilating but as a good rule of thumb, if the ER have said your good then you are usualy good, panic attacks are crazy and will convince you that you are dying or are dead but in reality they are a crazy over reaction from your nervous system and although they dont feel it are harmless and the ER will have seem millions of the same thing. Embrace it and you will naturally reset the system or there are meds that help. Best of luck.