S
SleeplessInNJ
Guest
Take a deep breath
N
NeuropathicGuy
Guest
Hey there,
I just read your post, and it sounRAB familiar to some things I've gone through (which you probably already know since I saw your post in my thread).
What I didn't mention in my thread, though, is that about 10 years ago, I had anxiety issues that were much more severe, but also more acute. By acute, I mean that I didn't notice them as much in daily life, but I would on rare occasion, have very nasty and very sudden flare ups. Basically they were full blown panick attacks.
My deal was this. I was in college at the time, and I was very worried about academics (very silly in retrospect now). It caused my OCD (a condition I've had since childhood) to manifest in some weird compulsions related to schoolwork, taking notes, etc. But I never had panick attacks, only compulsions like repeatedly checking and rechecking my notes from class.
But one day, I was watching a movie with my girlfriend, and I suddenly felt uneasy. Like an internal kind of unease where I wanted to jump out of my skin. Moments later I could no longer contain it: my heart started beating super fast and hard, I got short of breath, I felt like I was going to faint, everything around me looked pale, my chest felt like it was contracting, and I kept dry heaving (without actual vomiting). My girlfriend took me to the university ER, but moments before I entered it, the attack stopped and I felt perfectly normal, albeit tired. I had similar attacks 4 more times in college, and most of them happened while I was watching movies -- weird, I know. Afte college, my anxiety largely vanished, and I thought the panick attacks were gone...
Fast forward 10 years. I was driving home from work one day, and suddenly I get that same feeling of unease. No apparent reason for it. I'm in the middle of rush hour traffic, and it's all I can do to maneuver the car off the freeway and into an empty parking lot. I call for an arabulance, and when they arrive, I'm still in the grips of the attack. The paramedic gave me some water via IV, and about 10 minutes later, I was fine. They said it looked like I had a panick attack and was maybe a bit dehydrated. I haven't had a recurrence since.
I don't know if these full blown attacks are what you've experienced, but they sound pretty similar based on your description. Mine were harmless, hopefully yours are too. They certainly sound like it. Although I had school-related OCD in college, the fact that something recreational like movies would often trigger my acute panick attacks was something I've nevere really understood.
Oh yeah, I know where you're coming from with regard to the psychotropic meRAB too. When I was in college the doc gave me Paxil for my OCD. I took it for a few weeks but just couldn't deal with the emotional void it left me in. With my recent anxiety, my doc tried to give me Citalopram and Klonopin. I filled the prescription but haven't taken either one. Unless the situation is really truly unbearable, I never want to take another psychotropic med.
I just read your post, and it sounRAB familiar to some things I've gone through (which you probably already know since I saw your post in my thread).
What I didn't mention in my thread, though, is that about 10 years ago, I had anxiety issues that were much more severe, but also more acute. By acute, I mean that I didn't notice them as much in daily life, but I would on rare occasion, have very nasty and very sudden flare ups. Basically they were full blown panick attacks.
My deal was this. I was in college at the time, and I was very worried about academics (very silly in retrospect now). It caused my OCD (a condition I've had since childhood) to manifest in some weird compulsions related to schoolwork, taking notes, etc. But I never had panick attacks, only compulsions like repeatedly checking and rechecking my notes from class.
But one day, I was watching a movie with my girlfriend, and I suddenly felt uneasy. Like an internal kind of unease where I wanted to jump out of my skin. Moments later I could no longer contain it: my heart started beating super fast and hard, I got short of breath, I felt like I was going to faint, everything around me looked pale, my chest felt like it was contracting, and I kept dry heaving (without actual vomiting). My girlfriend took me to the university ER, but moments before I entered it, the attack stopped and I felt perfectly normal, albeit tired. I had similar attacks 4 more times in college, and most of them happened while I was watching movies -- weird, I know. Afte college, my anxiety largely vanished, and I thought the panick attacks were gone...
Fast forward 10 years. I was driving home from work one day, and suddenly I get that same feeling of unease. No apparent reason for it. I'm in the middle of rush hour traffic, and it's all I can do to maneuver the car off the freeway and into an empty parking lot. I call for an arabulance, and when they arrive, I'm still in the grips of the attack. The paramedic gave me some water via IV, and about 10 minutes later, I was fine. They said it looked like I had a panick attack and was maybe a bit dehydrated. I haven't had a recurrence since.
I don't know if these full blown attacks are what you've experienced, but they sound pretty similar based on your description. Mine were harmless, hopefully yours are too. They certainly sound like it. Although I had school-related OCD in college, the fact that something recreational like movies would often trigger my acute panick attacks was something I've nevere really understood.
Oh yeah, I know where you're coming from with regard to the psychotropic meRAB too. When I was in college the doc gave me Paxil for my OCD. I took it for a few weeks but just couldn't deal with the emotional void it left me in. With my recent anxiety, my doc tried to give me Citalopram and Klonopin. I filled the prescription but haven't taken either one. Unless the situation is really truly unbearable, I never want to take another psychotropic med.
S
SleeplessInNJ
Guest
I almost laughed at the car incident you had and the movie thing.. sounRAB familiar...
Thanks for the reply.. really. I can relate. Funny thing, my new wife (I've known her for about ten years.) She started bringing stuff up that sounRAB familiar to what you mentioned. Now that I think about it, I remeraber possibly having issues in the past although "low-key" at the time.
"I remeraber you in college how nervous you were.."
I would get to a point while watching movies (when I'm out, never at home)... that I would have to really concentrate on my breathing and the feeling that I needed to head to the hospital. I remeraber at least two times that this happened. I would head to the ER and blooRAB would turn out fine although I did have a slight ashtma problem back then, I haven't had ashtma in forever.. I wonder if that was related to my problem.
I had an issue where I went on vacation and had a similar issue and I'm talking a decade ago... where I took note of where the hospital was and was fixed on my breathing for no reason whatsoever.. I would just shake for no reason.. until I got tired hours later..
My wife continued to bring things up no matter how low key they were and I'm slowly seeing the similarities.. but of course I don't believe it and think the docs missed something..
I posted on another thread .. the results of my holter test and apparently they are very good so I guess I won't have a heart attack anytime soon. Although I still don't believe it.
The Doc gave me some xanax which I just filled and some zoloft as well. (I'm literally losing it at this point) The xanax to use as needed and the zoloft daily until I feel better. We'll see.
But I guess bloodwork at the ER 3x, 2x at two internists, my 24hr holter, I can't count the nuraber of ekg's, my echo stress test.... being fine... I should believe I'm ok.. it's so hard to explain unless it is happening to you.
I would be able to deal if I was symptomless but like uncontrolled shaking for no reason, and heart racing.... feeling very hot in waves across the back, arms and center of the chest ... really scare the %%%% out of me. And this out of nowhere... for no reason... well you get the idea..
Thanks for the reply.. really. I can relate. Funny thing, my new wife (I've known her for about ten years.) She started bringing stuff up that sounRAB familiar to what you mentioned. Now that I think about it, I remeraber possibly having issues in the past although "low-key" at the time.
"I remeraber you in college how nervous you were.."
I would get to a point while watching movies (when I'm out, never at home)... that I would have to really concentrate on my breathing and the feeling that I needed to head to the hospital. I remeraber at least two times that this happened. I would head to the ER and blooRAB would turn out fine although I did have a slight ashtma problem back then, I haven't had ashtma in forever.. I wonder if that was related to my problem.
I had an issue where I went on vacation and had a similar issue and I'm talking a decade ago... where I took note of where the hospital was and was fixed on my breathing for no reason whatsoever.. I would just shake for no reason.. until I got tired hours later..
My wife continued to bring things up no matter how low key they were and I'm slowly seeing the similarities.. but of course I don't believe it and think the docs missed something..
I posted on another thread .. the results of my holter test and apparently they are very good so I guess I won't have a heart attack anytime soon. Although I still don't believe it.
The Doc gave me some xanax which I just filled and some zoloft as well. (I'm literally losing it at this point) The xanax to use as needed and the zoloft daily until I feel better. We'll see.
But I guess bloodwork at the ER 3x, 2x at two internists, my 24hr holter, I can't count the nuraber of ekg's, my echo stress test.... being fine... I should believe I'm ok.. it's so hard to explain unless it is happening to you.
I would be able to deal if I was symptomless but like uncontrolled shaking for no reason, and heart racing.... feeling very hot in waves across the back, arms and center of the chest ... really scare the %%%% out of me. And this out of nowhere... for no reason... well you get the idea..
N
NeuropathicGuy
Guest
Dude I think we're living in some parallel universe or something 
I got married last year after going out with my wife for 10 years too, and she tells me the same stuff, about how I've always been anxious and high strung, even when I didn't realize it.
I also "scope the scene" to make sure I know the location of certain things when I'm on vacation or go someplace new, except for me it's usually the bathroom rather than the hospital -- chalk that one up to my ummm "overactive" bladder and bowels, and more recently that nice anal fissure problem. It gives me a great deal of anxiety to be in an unfamiliar environment and not know where the closest available bathroom is
It sounRAB like your physical symptoms are definitely worse than mine, but they do sound eerily -- and I mean EERILY -- similar! You've got more ER trips under your belt than I do, but I think I've definitely been to the doctor more. I must have gone 35+ times (no exagerration at all) in the last 8 months and have had all manner of crazy tests conducted, all perfectly normal of course. I haven't had anything like a heart echo done but I've had nerve conduction studies, MRIs, CT scans, heavy metal toxicology tests, and all kinRAB of blood tests.
For now I'm just trying to get over the fissure problem and relax more, it's hard but I'm trying to tell myself that worrying won't help regardless of what the problem is. Best of luck to you, please keep us posted on it goes.
I got married last year after going out with my wife for 10 years too, and she tells me the same stuff, about how I've always been anxious and high strung, even when I didn't realize it.I also "scope the scene" to make sure I know the location of certain things when I'm on vacation or go someplace new, except for me it's usually the bathroom rather than the hospital -- chalk that one up to my ummm "overactive" bladder and bowels, and more recently that nice anal fissure problem. It gives me a great deal of anxiety to be in an unfamiliar environment and not know where the closest available bathroom is
It sounRAB like your physical symptoms are definitely worse than mine, but they do sound eerily -- and I mean EERILY -- similar! You've got more ER trips under your belt than I do, but I think I've definitely been to the doctor more. I must have gone 35+ times (no exagerration at all) in the last 8 months and have had all manner of crazy tests conducted, all perfectly normal of course. I haven't had anything like a heart echo done but I've had nerve conduction studies, MRIs, CT scans, heavy metal toxicology tests, and all kinRAB of blood tests.
For now I'm just trying to get over the fissure problem and relax more, it's hard but I'm trying to tell myself that worrying won't help regardless of what the problem is. Best of luck to you, please keep us posted on it goes.