Well, this escalated quickly...

ImportConvert · 01-23-2013, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike

I know it sucks, and its easy for me to say, but try not to stress it too much. Its just a car and it will all work out in the end. Just insist on it getting moved to the right shop and don't give up.

Hope it all works out for you.

I asked my MD WTF?! I told him I deal with people dying, stress, all that at work, and it has NEVER affected me this way. He says that it's a physical reaction to stress and cannot be controlled. It's not like "sit tight and chill out, think that it's going to be okay". This isn't caused so much by the conscious as it is a physiological reaction. Kindof like your pulse rising when you run, so to speak. I've never had this until now, a couple of days after the wreck. I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again. It was literally the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, bar none.

I have a good lawyer and the money will all work out, and the car will roll again, but the panic attack deal was just over the top. It wasn't emotional, I was being "calm" when it happened, I thought. I was sitting, wasn't running around, wasn't fidgeting hardcore, I was just physically degrading BADLY. The only sign I wasn't calm was that I was scared as **** and hyperventilating. I cannot describe it to you, because I couldn't understand it until it happened to me. I just glossed over that in clinicals and never encountered it in my practice, I just cannot describe the sensation of fear and "doom", but I will try.

Imagine someone has stuck your head through a sheet. A bad someone. Someone maybe who broke into your house and has first tied you in a chair. Now they lift the sheet, shove the barrel of a shotgun under there where you cant see, and pull the trigger while punching the barrel into your chest, except they are just messing with you. The shot purposefully goes wide, you feel no pain except them slamming the barrel into you and you're terrified you've been shot in the chest and have seconds/minutes at best to live, but they won't let you see under the sheet, so you're stuck imagining how back you are F'ed up. Then they laugh at you.

That's how I felt. Obviously totally different circumstances,and the people around me were being very helpful, taking my BP, glucose, O2 sat (I work in a hospital in critical and intermediate care.), etc. But those are the emotions and the level of fear I felt. Insane and off the charts. It even F'ed my EKG up to the point that the MD in the ER STRONGLY emphasized my need for a follow-up EKG. Depressed ST waves and a Q-T interval in the mid 500ms range. Luckily, my EKG is back to normal. Also as a reaction to that stress, by WBC count went to 17K, and my blood glucose went to the high 160's. I am fit, healthy, and not fighting infection. My BG normally is in the 100-113 range. That's how "real" the panic you feel during that is. It's not a "calm down, man, life will be okay" moment. I didn't even know I was freaking out until I saw my BP, and then got scared because of that, then my hands began going numb and that freaked me out more. I just thought my blood sugar was low at first.

Mt Tam I am · 01-23-2013, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

I asked my MD WTF?! I told him I deal with people dying, stress, all that at work, and it has NEVER affected me this way. He says that it's a physical reaction to stress and cannot be controlled. It's not like "sit tight and chill out, think that it's going to be okay". This isn't caused so much by the conscious as it is a physiological reaction. Kindof like your pulse rising when you run, so to speak. I've never had this until now, a couple of days after the wreck. I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again. It was literally the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, bar none.

I have a good lawyer and the money will all work out, and the car will roll again, but the panic attack deal was just over the top. It wasn't emotional, I was being "calm" when it happened, I thought. I was sitting, wasn't running around, wasn't fidgeting hardcore, I was just physically degrading BADLY. The only sign I wasn't calm was that I was scared as **** and hyperventilating. I cannot describe it to you, because I couldn't understand it until it happened to me. I just glossed over that in clinicals and never encountered it in my practice, I just cannot describe the sensation of fear and "doom", but I will try.

Imagine someone has stuck your head through a sheet. A bad someone. Someone maybe who broke into your house and has first tied you in a chair. Now they lift the sheet, shove the barrel of a shotgun under there where you cant see, and pull the trigger while punching the barrel into your chest, except they are just messing with you. The shot purposefully goes wide, you feel no pain except them slamming the barrel into you and you're terrified you've been shot in the chest and have seconds/minutes at best to live, but they won't let you see under the sheet, so you're stuck imagining how back you are F'ed up. Then they laugh at you.

That's how I felt. Obviously totally different circumstances,and the people around me were being very helpful, taking my BP, glucose, O2 sat (I work in a hospital in critical and intermediate care.), etc. But those are the emotions and the level of fear I felt. Insane and off the charts. It even F'ed my EKG up to the point that the MD in the ER STRONGLY emphasized my need for a follow-up EKG. Depressed ST waves and a Q-T interval in the mid 500ms range. Luckily, my EKG is back to normal. Also as a reaction to that stress, by WBC count went to 17K, and my blood glucose went to the high 160's. I am fit, healthy, and not fighting infection. My BG normally is in the 100-113 range. That's how "real" the panic you feel during that is. It's not a "calm down, man, life will be okay" moment. I didn't even know I was freaking out until I saw my BP, and then got scared because of that, then my hands began going numb and that freaked me out more. I just thought my blood sugar was low at first.

Wow. This is awful. Treat yourself like an older patient, and take a baby asprin every day, till this passes. No strokes for you.

I know you carry a gun, so be careful that you are not quick to anger or scare.

I have found that excercise such as walking miles helps.

Lastly, I do not know your politics but since the election many folks are anxious, especially gun folk.

Relax somehow and this will pass.

ImportConvert · 01-23-2013, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mt Tam I am

Wow. This is awful. Treat yourself like an older patient, and take a baby asprin every day, till this passes. No strokes for you.

I know you carry a gun, so be careful that you are not quick to anger or scare.

I have found that excercise such as walking miles helps.

Lastly, I do not know your politics but since the election many folks are anxious, especially gun folk.

Relax somehow and this will pass.

Like I said, it's not an emotional thing. I'm calm emotionally, and was at the time until I freaked out about "something's SERIOUSLY (I thought) WRONG!"

I'm still calm, level, etc.

For the next 4 weeks or so, though, I am not drinking any caffeine. They gave me scripts for Valium and Xanax, and I have not even filled those yet. I honestly don't know when I would even take one, because I refuse to go to work, drive, or carry when I have had even 1 alcoholic drink. Same for stuff like that.

Personally, I hope this never happens again, but if it did, me carrying a weapon would not be a factor. It's like saying "someone in their 50's shouldn't carry because they could have a heart-attack". The experience is VERY similar, so I hear. You don't "freak out" and want to start shooting or punching or anything crazy. Certainly not a hazard to carry if you have a panic attack. Like I said, It's super hard to explain, but just think of how you feel after sprinting 100m. That's how I felt sitting stock still. It scared the hell out of me, and that led to it getting worse...Definitely not a risk for a CCW'er, just a helluva horrible experience.

My MD said that this may be the only time it ever happens. As far as it affecting my performance, I stabilized the patient I was working with at the time, called the MD about a change in their condition, and hung ABX on another patient, and then went and sat down, and that is when I started feeling really bad. I went and got OJ b/c I thought my glucose was low. I then got more. I then asked someone to check my sugar, etc. Total voluntary control of my actions, etc.

I dunno, I'm sorry to go on and on about it, I just didn't know wtf a "panic-attack" was, and I'm trying to help others understand now that I definitely do

The only time I was "goofy" was when I was in the ER and I was CONVINCED this was an MI, and they kept saying stuff like "Well, you're not having the Big One, buddy" and I was asking "Am I having ANY!? one?" and I started asking things like "Are you guys just trying to keep me calm by not telling me?" I wasn't angry or combative, I was just scared as hell and being untrusting. That is even in the MD's notes.

Anyway, just trying to educate people who have never experienced this, and I hope you never do, but that's the only way you will "get it", so I hope you don't ever really understand what I'm saying, but....

...Panic Attacks cannot kill you, do not make you unsafe carrying, driving, etc., are not emotional--they are physiological responses to things.

That's what I got from my MD on it in short.

___________

As to the 81mg ASA advise per day, for my situation, that would be wrong. Any time you have a patient that you are worried about high BP on, the method of CVA is likely to be a bleed. ASA would exacerbate this. You want a patient on ASA who: Has stents, AFIB or other dishythmia that could lead to clot formation, is not active, etc. Basically anyone who might throw a clot. High BP is more at risk for bleeds.