YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We know you.We know who you are. The reason why we know
you is because we are you. We have had your symptoms, including panic attacks
and panic disorder, your fears, and your frustrations. We've lived it; and true
wisdom is in having been there.
There are four people in our immediate family
who have mitral valve prolapse syndrome. All of us have had panic attacks,
and three of us have panic disorder. Between all of us we've had just about every
symptom, both physical and psychological.. These experiences, combined with the fact
that we have personally spoken to over 10,000 people with mitral valve prolapse syndrome,
has given us the knowledge as well as the opportunity to help you.
Let us
tell you about yourself. You are the person who's afraid that you're going to have
a heart attack every time you feel a flutter. You're the person who has been
to every type of "ologist" there is; cardiologist, gastroenterologist,
neurologist, psychologist, etc, only to get little help from any of them, or to be
told that "it's all your head". You've probably also had numerous medical
tests done, most of which are negative. You've probably also gone to the emergency
room a few times because you panic attacks or you thought that you were having
a heart attack. Either way, you were released usually feeling worse than when you
first came in because you didn't get any answers from anyone.
You're also
the person who cannot be reassured enough that you are not going to have a heart
attack. You tend to worry, obsess, and dwell too much. You also lack concentration,
talk fast, and blow things out of proportion. You're very nervous and have a lot
of anticipatory anxiety and occasional or even frequent panic attacks. You
probably wake up every morning around 3:00 a.m.
You're the person who hates
medication. When you are given medication by your doctor after reading
the entire insert you usually don't take it. Your medicine cabinet is probably full
of medication that you never took. You may even have a phobia about medication. You
may also have a bad memory. You may self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs, especially
if you're a man. If you are a women you may be a chocoholic.
You might have
some phobias like driving, or flying, or elevators, or crowds. You may be a perfectionist
too. You may suffer from panic disorder. You also may think about death too
much, either yours or your loved ones. You probably feel guilty that you're not normal
or that you can't control your anxiety, panic attacks, panic disorder, or
depression.
The positive part of having mitral valve prolapse
syndrome is that you're probably highly intelligent, creative, kind, empathic, and
understanding. You are wonderful friends, neighbors, and spouses. And even though
you may feel, or may have been told that you are weak, you are actually strong. To
live with all of these symptoms you have to be.
Now let's talk about who
you can be with mitral valve prolapse. Because we are success stories we KNOW
you can be too. We want you to feel as well as we do. We are now living life, instead
of being a mere prescence in it. Having mitral valve prolapse syndrome also
gives you the opportunity to put life in perspective. Once you get your nervous system
back in balance you will always remember what it was like to feel "different,"
and you will have therefore learned not to take anything in life for granted. This
is a rare opportunity. We want everyone to have the quality of life they deserve.
So go for it!
"There is perhaps no more effective way to relieve
psychic pain than to be in contact with another human being who understands
what you are going through and can communicate such understandings to you." Frederic
Flach