DaVinci,
Sorry you had to go through that, it sounds really scary, but glad tohear that you're doing better.
Panic attacks can change over time, the last one I had about a month ago was different than others I've had. But then I hadn't had a full blown one for a long time.
They do scare the living daylights out of one, don't they?
Glad you can take a vacation, that will help you to relax.
Blue