Luna / L.H

Panic Attacks and Therapy

Laura's POV
It had been a week since Luna had been staying with me and everything was going well for the most part. I adjusted her work schedule so that she could work the afternoon shifts with me. Her bruises were clearing up and her cuts were healing. Unfortunately she was having trouble sleeping, and she was clearly suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. I tried to help her as much as possible but I wasn't a professional. I decided that if it got worse I would talk to her about seeing a therapist.

Luke and Calum also brought to my attention that Luna hadn't had a physical exam in a very long time. I scheduled her an appointment for the same day that she had her follow up with Michael. I knew Luna wasn't going to be very fond of having to get a physical but it was my responsibility to ensure that she was healthy and safe. We spent most of our free time watching movies or gossiping. Luna was such a sweet kid and she had an amazing personality. It seemed like lately that sweet kid and amazing personality was disappearing little by little. I hated the fact that her parents put her through so much physical and mental abuse.

Luna's POV
I was working the afternoon shift today with Laura. It was a pretty slow day so we spent most of the shift cleaning and gossiping. I was cleaning the dining room when I heard the loud noise of a plate shattering. I felt a pit in my stomach, my chest tightened and I felt nauseas. Immediately I ran to the bathroom and threw up. My breathing started to become heavy and the tears started to slowly trickle down my face. It was clear to me that I was having a panic attack but I didn't want to accept it. My anxiety had started to increase this last week and it had been terrible. I tried to calm myself down but nothing helped. I quickly took my phone out of my pocket and texted Laura '911, bathroom'. Not even 2 minutes later Laura was by my side trying her best to calm me down.

Nothing was helping and I felt myself getting worse and worse. Laura decided it was best to take me to the hospital so that's where we went. As much as I didn't want to go I knew it was the right thing to do considering the fact that I couldn't breathe. Laura had texted Calum and Luke letting them know what was going on. Once we arrived to the hospital Luke and Calum were waiting outside. Luke carried me inside and placed me on a bed and Calum put an oxygen mask on me. I inhaled the oxygen and finally I started to feel some relief. My hands were shaking and Luke held my hand in his until my hands finally stopped shaking. Once I was calm the oxygen mask was taken off of me.

Luke's POV
I was working the Psych Ward today since I was a Family Physician/ Psychiatrist. I was doing some paperwork when I got a text from Laura informing me that Luna was suffering from a very intense panic attack and that she couldn't breathe so she was bringing her in. I notified Calum and we waited at the front of the hospital for them to arrive. Once they arrived I carried Luna inside and placed her on a bed while Calum placed an oxygen mask over her face. I noticed her hands were shaking so I took her hands in mine and held then until they stopped shaking. Once she was calm Calum took the oxygen mask off her.

"Luna sweetie, have you been having panic attacks often?" I asked. She looked down and said "yea" I gently placed my hand under her chin and tilted it upwards so that she could look at me. She had tear stains on her face and she looked tired. I assumed she hadn't been sleeping well but I decided to ask just to be sure. "Have you been sleeping well?" I asked. Luna looked at me and said "yea I have" I saw right through her lie so I decided to ask Laura. "Laura has she been sleeping well?" I asked. Laura looked at me and said "no she hasn't". I gave Luna a sympathetic smile and said "sweetie, it's important that you tell me the truth so that I could better understand what you're going through." She looked at me nodded and said "ok, I'm sorry".

After asking Luna and Laura some more questions about previous and recent panic attacks I decided to talk to her about starting therapy. I decided it would be better to talk in my office so I looked at Luna and Laura and said "why don't we go talk in my office". They followed me to my office along with Calum and they both took a seat on the couch. Calum ended up being paged so it was just them and I.

" Alright, so I think it would be a good idea if you start therapy. It could really help you cope with your emotions and you could also learn some ways to cope with your anxiety" I said. Luna spoke up and said "I don't really think I would be comfortable talking to a stranger about my feelings". "Lucky for you I'm not only a Family Physician but also a psychiatrist. If you're comfortable with it I would be more than happy to be your therapist" I said. She looked at me and said "Okay, I guess I could give it a try". I smiled at her and then we set up an appointment.