Very good that you are getting this checked out by a doctor, and I am so glad that you found someone with whom you can relate and have some confidence. As far as spending money on yourself, just think of it as spending money on the caretaker of your furkids, if that makes you feel any better about it.

Obviously there are many things benign and serious that could cause an episode like this. I just thought I would relate that these were very prominent symptoms I experienced when I first had panic attacks (which took many years to eventually diagnose).