hi [Archive] - No More Panic

JPBrighton

08-02-10, 16:24

It's great to have the opportunity to contact people who like myself are SUFFERING debilitating PAs.

I had my 1st PA a year ago this month. It came out of the blue and i can honestly say that it was the scariest moment in my life. In fact that first PA turned out to be a hyper and since then i have had a few more hypers, each forcing me to ring 999.

Recently my non-hyper attacks have become more regular-on occasions up to three a day and it has been known for some to last over 1 hr. On one occasion i had an attack in the bath and another when walking home from town-i was forced to stagger my way home due to dizziness and breathlessness. I thought i was going to die :weep:.

My GP is involved with my condition. I had a ECG in March last year and another one last Friday-both readings normal:yesyes:. I saw my cardiologist on Friday. He has requested that i have an echocardiogram, a chest xray and a 24hr ECG check. He said to me reassuringly that these tests were precautionary. The fact that he didn't see any abnormal readings on my Friday's ECG and that he hasn't sent me to hospital as an emergency makes me believe him (anxious people need all the reassurances they can get). Further to the above tests, i am having blood tests tomorrow (at 9am) to check for my cortisol, renin and aldosterone levels and to test my thyriod. These tests were arranged by my cardioologist as my B/p is quite high (145/95). I am also having my adrenals checked for abnormalities (urinary catecholamines). This will involve me peeing in a carton containing acid for a 24 hr period-looking forward to that!

I believe intuitively that my palpitations, breathlessness, numbness, headaches, dry mouth, stomach upsets are due to anxiety. I'll be surprised if i have any hormonal problems, though it has been said that frequent, uncontrolled PAs/hypers can cause an imbalance in adrenal hormones over time. There is also a connection between diabetes and long term uncontrolled PAs :scared15:, i've been told

My high B/p is caused by having regular, uncontrolled PAs over the past year. It's not rocket science to understand that damage is likely to happen with your circulatory system if your anxieties continuously pump adrenaline into your bloodstream causing vessels to constrict and the heart to work faster. In fact when i had my 24hr blood pressure reading results given to me i was unsurprised to read that my daytime b/p readings averaged out 145/95 and my night time readings averaged 129/79. That's a clue in my eyes, as during the day of that 24hr period i remember being anxious all the time wearing the b/p monitoring equipment and do recall having a number of slight PAs whenever the machine's cuff expanded automatically (i felt it was going to stop my blood supply on the arm where the machine was situated!).

Here is a timetable outlying the events since my first anxiety attack:

-Feb 09/ had my first PA (in fact it was diagnosed by the paramedics as a hyperventilated attack).

-March 09/ had blood tests taken. Cholesterol (the bad one) a bit high; other results normal. Still having frequent PA symptoms.

-summer 09/ GP placed me on beta-blockers to reduce the symptoms caused by PAs and also because my b/p read 'borderline' HBP. Beta-blockers helped me enormously and enabled me to function normally, though i still had PA symptoms but less severely.

-Dec 09/ stopped without my GP knowing the beta blockers as they were making me tired and lethargic.

-Jan 10/ routine visit to doctor's to ask for a sleeper. She took my b/p which read 145/100! I felt really anxious about this reading, although the doctor wasn't unduly concerned. She placed me on Amlodipine 5mg after my 24hr b/p monitoring result gave me an average b/p reading of 145/95.

-for the last three to four weeks i have had massive 'funny turns', most noticably dizziness, headaches (eminating from both sides of skull-probably tention headaches) the numbness and coldness in feet, difficulty in breathing and swallowing and sharp, stabbing pains in my heart area.

-the above symptoms forced my GP to refer me to a cardiologist. As stated above, Friday's ECG reading came back normal.

Now my mind in racing. The GP has temporarily put me on Valium to ease my anxieties (which has worked since i started taking them on Friday. The best weekend i've had in over a month:)) and will put me back on the beta-blocker (the ones i had before) after my blood tests are carried out tomorrow with the aim of reducing PA symptoms, long-term. The beta bockers will be given to me along with the calcium channel blocker (Amlodipine), the meds i am presently taking.

-I am wondering whether the Amlodipine is increasing my PAs. My GP doesn't believe this is the case

-being told that i have high blood pressure has probably compounded my anxieties. Only a few days after being informed of this diagnosis i had a hyperventilated attack.

What i am worrying about now (i have become a hypochondriac-even my GP agrees!) are the blood, urine results. Will they reveal abnormalities? or even tumors? With regard to the latter, apparently PA symptoms and HBP can be symptoms of a RARE condition known as Pheochromocytoma.

All this uncertainty is killing me and has affected my life. Valium is keeping me calm. I even kept fit today without having a PA afterwards. Plus i have decided to eat well from now on and try and reduce my anxiety.

It would be great to make friends here. I live in Brighton. Email me if you like. A problem shared is a problem halved! johnsussex123@sky.com

Take care and be strong.:)

I have been reading that a good indicator of a pending stroke is irreguar pulse rhythms. Thankfully mine are regular- you know the lub dub rhythm.
This is what anxiety has done to me. It's made me a nervous wreck!