Dear Maria:

Welcome to the forums. You shared that your job is great, not stressful, and that your life is calm and happy, that you always had tinnitus (a condition in which a consistent noise is heard in the ear in the absence of an external source of sound, commonly referred to as “ringing in the ear”, the most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss due to loud noise exposure) and slight headaches.

A month and a half ago, you started eating healthier food and started exercising. About a month ago, you did some exercise that included your neck muscles, an exercise that was hard for you to do. Right after that, you experienced your first panic attack while at home resting with your husband. You had two more panic attacks since. A medical checkup and everything seems normal except for perhaps a light case of pernicious anemia (a condition in which not enough red blood cells are produced due to deficiency of vitamin B12.

You are wondering in the first panic attack happened as a result of the exercise involving your neck and what you should do about it.

My thoughts/ suggestions: (1) take vitamin B12 supplements, (2) if you haven’t so far, have a hearing check up, perhaps you suffered some time ago from hearing loss and a hearing aid (modern hearing aids are almost invisible) can significantly lessen the tinnitus, and because tinnitus is significantly linked to anxiety, hearing aids, if needed, will lessen your anxiety, (3) do not engage in any exercise similar to the exercise you did a month ago, involving your neck, and have an X-ray of your neck taken, (4) take on the practice of Mindfulness every day, such as listening to guided meditations with emphasis on mindfulness, so to lower and keep your every day stress level minimal.

I hope to read from you again.

anita