Hey wildhorses,
If it was a panic attack they are, as lil says, really awful things. They're normally accompanied by sweating, hyperventilation (rapid breathing), this can in turn bring on chest pain, and a rapid, bounding heart rate. Is that how you felt that morning? Normally there are a number of things that can trigger an attack, and very often they are extremely hard to control. The best way is to concentrate on your breathing and try to get it back to a normal rate which is 12 - 18 breaths/minute. Its tough, because even though you are breathing normally, during the attack it feels like you can't breathe at all.
Without being able to see you and not knowing your medical history, its tough to say exactly what else, if anything, might be going on. Worst case scenario is that you were having some type of cardiac event which self reverted. Heart problems can cause you to have this feeling of impending doom, so definately get it checked out, and if it happens again, might be worth calling an ambulance to get yourself checked over while the episode is happening.
Hope this helps, take care,
Jason.
