Tarlk
06-21-2011, 08:02 PM
Hello Everyone,
I do not know anyone that will openly talk about their anxiety issues and I really need someone to talk to. I am a 32 year old male, married, and a father of two great children. I have known that I have had an anxiety issue since I was 21 but when I look back I realize that I had some symptoms much earlier. My anxiety attacks almost always include Tachycardia. I have been on beta blockers (for the heart) and antidepressants (for the anxiety) before but for me they both just make me cruise through life not really caring what happens one way or the other, so I have not taken either for a few years now.
Resting I'm right around 60-70 bpm, but when I get an attack I'm often somewhere between 120-150. I have even had numbers between 180-220 though it's rare. When I first got it I made a trip to the ER where I was in constant Tachycardia for three days though I know now that it was probably just because the whole time I was there I thought I was going to die and so my anxiety never really went down.
The problem that I need to talk about is that I most likely need to go in for a surgery. I had a CT scan that showed swelling in the tube that goes from the kidney to the bladder. They could not see anything causing the swelling but the doctor feels it is probably a stuck kidney stone and he will need to go in with a tool and camera to try to find it. I had some x-rays and go back this Friday to find out for sure.
This all seems like nothing too serious and I am doing ok with it. The problem is that they will need to put me out using anesthesia for the procedure. The whole thing freaks me out anyway because of course my anxiety plays the "what if" game with me, like what if I never wake up, or what if I do wake up and go into instant uncontrollable tachycardia and die. I have often had tachycardia after taking medication, but I know at least some of those were definitely caused by anxiety, like taking herbal supplements that a supposed to reduce anxiety and then worrying that I am exception to the rule that is going to have a medical emergency. I have also had tach. with Novocaine at the dentist office but I'm not sure that it was anxiety educed. Of course any increase in my heart rate increases my anxiety. I even sometime have attacks from exercising and noticing my increase heart rate and thinking what if this is a heart attack and not just a normal exercising heart rate.
I'm sorry for the long post and even reading my own words I feel a bit silly about the whole thing but I'm sure you all know that when your having an attack nothing about it seems silly. For those of you that made it this far thanks for reading :) I am hoping that someone has been through something like this and can give me some advice. Am I right to be worried? Is there anything I can ask the Dr. about to make this easier, such as "no drugs for me doc I can take any amount of pain", even though I'm sure I can't :) Could the anesthesia really put me over the edge of what my heart can take? Am I just being a big baby and everything will be fine?
Thank you so much for letting me get this all out and I look forward to hearing from you!
Tarlk
not my real name :)
I do not know anyone that will openly talk about their anxiety issues and I really need someone to talk to. I am a 32 year old male, married, and a father of two great children. I have known that I have had an anxiety issue since I was 21 but when I look back I realize that I had some symptoms much earlier. My anxiety attacks almost always include Tachycardia. I have been on beta blockers (for the heart) and antidepressants (for the anxiety) before but for me they both just make me cruise through life not really caring what happens one way or the other, so I have not taken either for a few years now.
Resting I'm right around 60-70 bpm, but when I get an attack I'm often somewhere between 120-150. I have even had numbers between 180-220 though it's rare. When I first got it I made a trip to the ER where I was in constant Tachycardia for three days though I know now that it was probably just because the whole time I was there I thought I was going to die and so my anxiety never really went down.
The problem that I need to talk about is that I most likely need to go in for a surgery. I had a CT scan that showed swelling in the tube that goes from the kidney to the bladder. They could not see anything causing the swelling but the doctor feels it is probably a stuck kidney stone and he will need to go in with a tool and camera to try to find it. I had some x-rays and go back this Friday to find out for sure.
This all seems like nothing too serious and I am doing ok with it. The problem is that they will need to put me out using anesthesia for the procedure. The whole thing freaks me out anyway because of course my anxiety plays the "what if" game with me, like what if I never wake up, or what if I do wake up and go into instant uncontrollable tachycardia and die. I have often had tachycardia after taking medication, but I know at least some of those were definitely caused by anxiety, like taking herbal supplements that a supposed to reduce anxiety and then worrying that I am exception to the rule that is going to have a medical emergency. I have also had tach. with Novocaine at the dentist office but I'm not sure that it was anxiety educed. Of course any increase in my heart rate increases my anxiety. I even sometime have attacks from exercising and noticing my increase heart rate and thinking what if this is a heart attack and not just a normal exercising heart rate.
I'm sorry for the long post and even reading my own words I feel a bit silly about the whole thing but I'm sure you all know that when your having an attack nothing about it seems silly. For those of you that made it this far thanks for reading :) I am hoping that someone has been through something like this and can give me some advice. Am I right to be worried? Is there anything I can ask the Dr. about to make this easier, such as "no drugs for me doc I can take any amount of pain", even though I'm sure I can't :) Could the anesthesia really put me over the edge of what my heart can take? Am I just being a big baby and everything will be fine?
Thank you so much for letting me get this all out and I look forward to hearing from you!
Tarlk
not my real name :)