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Kinda urgent. Okay so I am binding rn, and i suddenly got a stabbing pain in my chest. I can feel the circulation that has cut off. And for some reason for about a minute I kinda just started panicking, and had no clue why. When I wondered if it was the binding, I got even worse. Is that normal?
Lee says:
The initial pain in your chest might be a result of binding injury, but the second part sounds like an anxiety attack.
Either way, I’d recommend taking off your binder for the time being and giving your body a break. If you keep experiencing chest pain, you may want to see a doc.
I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this. I’m ftm, I bind everyday, and occasionally I’ll get this weird thing where I feel like I can’t breathe. It gets very, very bad and I feel like I’m choking, but I’ve gone to multiple doctors and gotten tested for asthma and they’ve all concluded that there isn’t anything physically wrong, not an injury or asthma or anything. Have other people experienced this? Is there something I could be missing? Please tag “breathing” Thanks!
Lee says:
You should stop binding for a while and see if that affects this issue- if you continue to experience the breathing problem, then you’ll know it isn’t binding related. Since you bind every day, you can’t tell whether or not it’s linked to binding or not.
If you’ve gone to multiple doctors and they can’t find a cause, then it’s possible that this is mental and not physical. While it is possible you have an undiagnosed disorder or binding injury, it could also be a symptom of a panic attack.
whyiswifiawesomeandso[…] said: I kind of get that sometimes. It’s like my rib cage locks up and won’t expand again for my lungs. But never to the point of choking.
rowenduchannesj said: I get something like that cause I used to get panic attacks daily and I was breathing too fast because of anxiety which made me dizzy 24/7, so I started to breathe consciously in a slow pace, which meant contracting the area where the ribs end and now I have a chronic pain there. Then I got a gc2b that ended right there in the point I was hurt, so I tried to not expand that muscle at all and that makes me run out of air sometimes, but never choking. Now I can’t really breathe properly cause I’ve been doing this for more than a year, but what I try to do when I get too out of air is trying to breathe (aka where you contract the muscles) as high up as possible, which makes it a little better cause I’m not contracting the muscle that hurts. Idk if this helps, but I guess it’s worth knowing?
essiefaith69 said: I experience this also.. it is nerves and fear built in and to conquer it is to relax and push forward. Deep breaths. I get them when i dress for outings as a Essie. When i shop and people are staring at me..
delta-syrup said: Something similar happens to me, and for me personally it’s caused by stress/anxiety, which might also be possible for you. I’ve never had it so bad that I felt like I was choking though. So far I haven’t really found anything I can do except to relax and take deep breaths. I think you should def also consider binding less if binding is making the episodes worse/happen more often
How can you explain to someone the difference between anxiety-induced panic attacks and dysphoria-induced panic attacks? Like general panic attacks vs spiralling during a bout of dysphoria. I have to keep a log of my panic attacks for my phycologist and I'm not sure how to explain the difference?
Lee says:
If you have to keep a log of panic attacks, then include all your panic attacks regardless of what caused them.
If you feel like specifying, you can write “-anxiety” or “-dysphoria” next to the log entry, and then later explain that sometimes anxiety and dysphoria can get entangled and one will make the other worse in a vicious cycle, so some of your panic attacks are partially caused by dysphoria while others are purely anxiety.
HI ok so im getting all 4 wisdom teeth removed tomorrow and im so scared that i wont be able to control what im saying and accidentally come out to my (transphobic) parents. ive been having panic attacks all week about this
is it normal for dysphoria to get bad enough to cause panic attacks? i’m not out yet to anyone except a close friend, so i can’t bind all the time. i can usually get away with using the sports bra method but the other night i had to wear a normal bra because of the outfit/occasion and when i put it on and looked in the mirror i started to have a panic attack? i tried to calm down but i felt horrible and uncomfortable the rest of the night. is this normal?
Lee says:
What’s normal for one person’s dysphoria may not be what’s normal in your experience of yours, so “normal” can vary, but yeah, I’d say that it’s common and it’s happened to me too.
The only thing to do is try to avoid situations that trigger panic attacks when you can and try to cope with them when you can’t, so I think you handled the situation as best as you could. It sucks to feel that way though, and we have info on coping with panic attacks in our Mental health page:
If you find that the panic attacks are occurring more often and self-help techniques aren’t working in helping you cope or it’s disrupting your quality of life, the Getting help link has info on getting a therapist.
help, please! I got misgendered on the street today by a random stranger and now i'm really upset. I didn't know them or anything and I wasn't trying to pass but it still literally gave me a panic attack and i'm literally crying. what can I do so this doesn't happen again?
Lee says:
Honestly- you can’t do some magical single step that makes it so a stranger never misgenders you again. If there was a way to guarantee not bring misgendered pre-hrt we’d all be doing it because being misgendered sucks.
Since you weren’t trying to pass but you don’t want to ever be misgendered, you should consider starting to do everything you can to pass to reduce the likelihood you’ll be misgendered. Even if you start to try to pass by changing your gender expression, there’s still times when you’ll be misgendered so you may also want to consider medical transitioning. Our Transfeminine resources and Transmasculine resources have info on passing.
Hi mtf here i was just curious what i should do if i have panic attacks, most of them have been happening due to me wondering if i should have begun hormones sooner, and if im making a mistake, mostly it stems from when i decide to come out publicly, out of fear of losing friends and family. If that makes sense
Tyler Says:
First of all, try this technique:
Breathe deeply
Identify 5 things you can see
Breathe deeply
Identify 4 things you can hear
Breathe deeply
Identify 3 things you can smell
Breathe deeply
Identify 2 things you can feel
Breathe deeply
Identify 1 thing you can taste
This is called grounding and should hopefully help prevent or stop a panic attack.
As for your concerns, many people start hormones late and end up passing fine, and even if you don’t pass it doesn’t matter because it’s about living life how you want to live it, not about what others think. As for what your friends and family think, hope for the best, but think of this quote from Doctor Seuss if it helps: “Those who matter won’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.”
Lee says:
Here’s some info on what you should do if you have panic attacks:
*urgent* i’m going to a concert tonight with my sister who has no idea i think i’m trans and i wanted to wear a beanie to cover my hair. I’m scared otherwise i might have a panic attack because of dysphoria mixed with the crowd and everything, is there anything i can do to prevent this?
Lee says:If you want to wear a beanie, you should do it! I don’t think that would out as trans.
My friend is a ftm trans, and he had a panic attack yesterday, and he wasn’t wearing his binder at the time. But what do I do the next time he has a panic attack and he’s wearing something that constricts his chest? Do I ask him to take it off after so he could breath better? Do I do the same procedure like put his head between his knees?
Kii says:
You should ask him. Panic attacks are different for everyone. Some people might appreciate the reminder during a panic attack, but for some people, that might stress them out more. Having someone put their head between their knees is also not universal for panic attacks, by the way, so while that might work for him, keep in mind that not all people will want that.
Lee says:
Everyone needs different things- some people want to be hugged, some people want to be led to a quiet area, some don’t want any physical contact at all including being touched on the hand or moved, and may want you to help count deep breaths in and out, and some people need space and to be left alone, etc. Asking someone how they’d like you to respond is a lot better than guessing!
It may help if they take off their binder but it’s their choice, and if they don’t want to you shouldn’t try to force them to. You can try to help by giving them resources on getting a therapist and coping with panic attacks: https://transgenderteensurvivalguide.tumblr.com/mentalhealth (don’t try to show them links during the panic attack, do it when you’re both calm)
Also- it isn’t your fault if you can’t help them! Sometimes people need to calm down on their own and don’t want help, and sometimes you can’t give help if don’t have the emotional energy to help someone else and that doesn’t make you a bad person.
I'm a chronically ill & disabled afab nonbinary person. Usually my dysphoria isn't horrible, but it always gets dreadful in medical settings as I have bad trauma from a gyno exam I didn't consent to a few years ago. However, due to my chronic illnesses I often have to go to the doctor's or the hospital, & some of the time I have to have exams that massively trigger my dysphoria & memories of trauma. How can I avoid getting triggered? & is there a way to clue them in without having to come out??
Personally, I would either have a short speech or letter prepared that you can give to new doctors that says something along the lines of:
“I am very easily upset by medical procedures, specifically ones that involve (things) because of a past experience where a medical professional touched me in private areas (feel free to elaborate) without my consent. I understand that (things that make you uncomfortable) may be necessary for this exam/procedure, and I want to receive the best care possible from you, but I would appreciate if you would (warn me first/let me have a parent in the room/etc) before you do (things that make you uncomfortable). If I end up having a flashback/panic attack, I need you to (stop immediately/call an emergency contact/leave me alone for 5 minutes to calm down/etc). Thank you for being understanding about my physical and mental health.”
If a doctor cannot respect and understand your needs, I would recommend trying to find a different doctor if possible.
what do you do when you have a panic attack while wearing a binder
Kai says:
If your panic attack is not affecting your breathing, it should be safe to continue to wear your binder.
If your panic attack is making it harder to breath / you are hyperventilating / have trouble breathing, then it is best to take off the binder immediately and not put it on until well after you are able to breath again (or keep it off for the rest of the day to be extra careful)
What should I do if my friend, who wears a chest binder, gets a panic attack? I’m worried itll happen and I can’t help.
Lee says:You should ask them what they’d like you to do if it happens!
Everyone needs different things- some people want to be hugged, some people want to be led to a quiet area, some don’t want any physical contact at all including being touched on the hand or moved, and may want you to help count deep breaths in and out, etc. Asking someone how they’d like you to respond is a lot better than guessing!
It may help if they take off their binder but it’s their choice, and if they don’t want to you shouldn’t try to force them to. You can try to help by giving them resources on getting a therapist and coping with panic attacks: https://transgenderteensurvivalguide.tumblr.com/mentalhealth (don’t try to show them links during the panic attack, do it when you’re both calm)
Also- it isn’t your fault if you can’t help them! Sometimes people need to calm down on their own and don’t want help, and sometimes you can’t give help because don’t have the emotional energy to help someone else when it can be hard to even help yourself.
Urgent! Hey so I’m visiting my parents for the holidays and I’m not out to them yet. I read that pretending your undercover on a spy mission helps when your family deadnames and misgenders you and that’s been helping a lot when they deadname and misgendered me. But the only problem is that it doesn’t work when they call me a “girl”. I get really dysphoric and bad and have panic attacks when they call me that. Is there anything else I can do to cope besides pretending I’m an uncover spy?
Lee says:
We have some info on panic attacks below that should help with learning to cope with them:
I have an intense fear of needles, so bad I’ll have a panic attack just sitting in the waiting room, but I want to start T. I know there are alternative forms of TAKING T but that I’ll still need to get blood work done regularly. How can I get around this or work through it?
Lee says:
When I get my blood work done, I bring my noise cancelling headphones and listen to my favorite music, I bring my mom in with me to hold my hand, and I keep a fidget thing or putty or stress ball in my other hand. And I also look away!
I’ve heard some people try EDMR to get over needle phobias. You could also try getting a therapist to discuss coping skills you can use when you have a panic attack.
i don't bind. is it normal to find it hard to breathe when i get Very dysphoric?
Kii says:
You might be experiencing a panic attack in these situations? I would recommend trying to find a breathing exercise that works for you for when this happens.
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