It felt like I was having a heart attack.

I ended up in the ER to make sure I wasn't.

I got tunnel vision and I couldn't breathe.

I felt like I would pass out for sure.

Now I'm scared every day.

What if it happens again?

These are the voices of people who have had panic attacks.

And once a person has even a single panic attack, the worse part can be the intense fear that it will happen again.

I know, I've lived with that fear.

My first panic attack happened on a day things were going fine.

I was with my friend from work; we were driving home in rush hour traffic.

It was busy, like always.

I was talking to my friend while she drove and she was focusing on the road.

All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe.

My chest was tight, my palms started sweating, and my heart pounded faster.

And it was rising, like it was in my throat or ears.

I looked at my friend and the car seemed to get smaller around us.

I was positive I was dying, right then and there.

And I don't want to die.

I was so scared, and she could tell.

She asked if I was okay and I shook my head no.

I couldn't speak.

She pulled over and called 911.

After lots of tests, doctors in the ER told me my heart was fine.

They said I was having a panic attack and that they're pretty common.

They gave me ideas about how to get help.

The reason for a panic attack is sometimes clear, and sometimes a mystery.

Panic attacks are a group of physical and mental health symptoms that happen all at once.

Because of the intense physical sensations and anxiety, people can feel like they're dying.

Some symptoms are pounding heart, trouble breathing, chest pain, feeling tingly or light-headed, and tunnel or blurred vision.

People also feel terror, like something really awful is about to happen.

For me, that moment in the car was like any other day until it happened.

Either way, because a panic attack is so scary, once people have one, they're often afraid it will happen again.

As a result, people change the things they do, the way they interact with others, their activities, and even how much they go to work or school.

This collection of symptoms is known as panic disorder.

Sometimes this becomes so serious that people stop leaving their houses to avoid places and situations that an attack might happen.

This is called agoraphobia.

But treatment really helped me.

And treatment is available.

I found a great therapist who knew what to do.

For me, with a combination of medicine and therapy,

I learned to live with the fear of future panic attacks and know what to do if one starts to happen.

Panic attacks don't have to control your life.

You can take that control back.

I know I did.