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12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Josh,

I forgot to place quotation signs around Dr Farvolden's(the expert) column content. The quote starts at "It gets more serious..." and ends at the end of the rest of large paragraph with "...give it a try"

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Hi josh

When ever you go to ER they put a little clamp on your finger but unless you ask they don't tell you what it is for. It is O2 sat. Oxygen saturation and should be between 95% and a 100% although by taking a few deep breaths you can raise it over this which usually gets me funny looks from the tech. If your heart is beating fast and you are not breathing then your O2 sat goes way down and you faint. In which case the involuntary side of your brain overrides the voluntary side and you will breath at a rate necessary to sustain sufficient O2 to your heart and brain so you don't have a heart attack. It is lack of O2 to your heart muscle that causes heart attacks, not the speed that you work it at.

Your breathing has two systems controlling it because it has too. There are times when you need to stop breathing for a short while. Like underwater. Or when you don't want to be noticed. (fight or flight) So here in lies the problem. Since you can control your breathing but only your heart rate to a small extent your heart rate has to speed up to compensate. So breath. Tense muscles use more oxygen to keep them there. (basket ball) This is why muscle relaxation and box breathing work. One reduces your O2 consumption and the other increases your O2 sat and reduces your CO2 levels.

So the question is not will it cause a heart attack but rather why is it too fast.

Stress, tension, and especially fight or flight. But some other things too. A big meal raises it. All your internal organs need O2 also. Water retention. To much water in your blood reduces your O2 carrying capacity. Low iron. But all these things show when your O2 sat is checked.

The other test you can have done is O2 transfer efficiency, but I wouldn't bother. If you can walk a block with out passing out you are fine.

So write it off to just part of the panic condition and know it will go away. Your heart is a very efficient muscle and use the relaxation tools to bring down the rate.

On the subject of Valium, It is a muscle relaxant as are all the benzo's, on top of their sedative effect. It will bring down your heart rate, but not right away, it needs 15 minutes about to work.

It is a safe benzo and relatively easy to get off if and when you no longer need it. I still use it periodically. (seldom) It does make a very good adjunct to the program.

Davit.

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Hi Josh,
You're not bothering us!

The toolbar

has an "ask the expert" answer to the spiral of anxiety you're being drawn into. Analyzing the spiral is "natural", but can make it worse by obsessing on it, so I've reproduced the answer below for April 2011

. Your symptom will be a quicker heart rate, versus others symptoms ranging from losing their vision,etc. You're on the right track by working methodically through the programme

I get more anxious when I start to have panic symptoms. How can I control this so that the cycle doesn’t get worse and I have a panic attack?

The short answer to this question is that you are describing the core symptoms of Panic Disorder. Panic symptoms become a problem when people start to feel the physical symptoms of panic, and they start to worry that their symptoms are going to get worse, and that they are going to lose control or go crazy. This kind of thinking starts an upward spiral of increasing physical symptoms of fear, and anxious thoughts. People get stuck in the trap of trying to control their symptoms because of their fear of what will happen if they don’t. Unfortunately, the more you try to control the symptoms, the worse things get. There is no quick solution. The solution is to better understand the panic cycle and how to break it. The answer to get evidence-based treatment (CBT) for Panic Disorder. The Panic Program is one option and I encourage you to give it a try.

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Good morning Josh: Sometimes when I get racing thoughts - what ifs included - I yell to myself STOP. That redirects my thinking pattern. This is when you change your negative thought to a positive thought. Can you visualize yourself taking that negative thought and literally walking over to the garbage and throwing it out?

When you feel the pulse quickening, good time to do the box breathing and relaxation ex. Doesn't take long, 5-10 minutes.

Keep studying CBT, don't give up and glad to hear you are doing the homework, very important, not only will you learn about yourself, you can also chart your progress. and it won't be overnight so be patient.

You are thinking catastrophic thoughts, that is the worse scenario kind of thinking - heart attacks, rather than thinking, "gee, I guess I'm feeling a little anxious/stressed today, will do some relaxation exercises and pamper myself a bit". Nothing wrong with taking care of yourself.

When I first started to heal myself, I was so exhausted from the fight or flight symptoms all the time, I planned only one major thing a day. As I got stronger, I could do two, and so on. I paid attention to what my body was telling me. I used to take my pulse often. I was afraid of heart attacks too. Just change the negatives to positives. It works. and tell it to take a hike and mean it.

Your friend, Sunny

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 18

Sorry Davit I mispelled your name earlier, Still getting used to the New LapTop.

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 18

Thank You, Sunny an Devit. I have another question, Why am i so afraid of my Heart Racing when i go shoot Basketball an it really pounds i dont freak out about it, but when i have feelings of a Panic Attack my Heart Beats FAST and i get scared and Im Just scared its going to beat so fast that something is going to happen like a Heart Attack. So in other words what your saying all of this is FEAR/ My Mind playing games? I am doing alot better than i was, 2 months ago I wouldnt eat nothing, i wouldnt go to a store, i wouldnt drive. But i found this site an did the 1st week of Homework an i went to store's an drove myself, This Site has helped me alot but you have to do your Homework lol, Now if i could just find a way to cope with The Fast Heart Rate and Waking up eachday worrying about a Panic Attack an My Heart Racing. I did have to go to the ER a month or so ago My Heart Rate went to 150 BPM, That was when i was checking my pulse like 4 times a day, but to make a long story short, Davit they gave me the Attenol in a IV an my heart rate dropped within 2 Minutes. The Doc. said it was Anxiety/Panic Attack all the blood work came back good So did the EKG. They said they have seen people with 200 BPM. So my question is, can your Heart Beating that fast cause you to have a heart attack? I have heard people say look at it as if its excercising your Heart. An the only Medicine i am on is Valium 10mg, supposed to take 3 a day but i dont want to be a zombie lol so i break them in half an it helps. Sometimes i have to take a whole 10mg a day. So does this get any easier? An any tips of when my Heart Races what to do? Besides ME telling myself about all the "WHAT IFS" that i think? And I am new to this site so i dont know how to get Instant Messanger, or How to add an check my buddy list. And I am Sorry if i am bothering you. Thanks, Josh

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi Josh: Another technique is using a form of paradox. That is something that is unbelievable, contrary like. For instance, when your heart starts to beat too fast, tell it to go ahead and beat as fast as it can. What happens is that it shows your mind that you are not afraid of these symptoms and once you signal the brain to go ahead, once you've given it permission, (taken away the fear) it will start to slow down because it has nowhere to go. There's no fear feeding it. I still remember my first time I did this, I've mentioned on site before. It was when I was very busy and started having symptoms such as fast heart rate. I told it to go ahead and do what it had to do, I was too busy for this, had things to do. It was like magic, my symptoms went away, nothing happened.

Just a suggestion,

Your friend, Sunny

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Josh, I used to cycle in summer and cross country ski in winter. It is hilly country here so it was not unusual for my pulse to be 140 on a hill. So why did I make such a big deal out of it when it was fight or flight. It still goes down in a bit, probably quicker than when I was cranking up a long hill. I think it is because it doesn't belong there, not because it is harmful. Anyway I have Atenolol for my heart because the skip was annoying. If it didn't slow down in a short bit with counting, (I would count and breath to a count to slow it down) (there is actually a machine that does this for you) then I would take an extra Atenolol to force it down.

It still gets a little fast some times but I can now just ignore it and it goes down. All the symptoms you have and some you might build before you get this thing beat are harmless, just annoying. I know they will be there and right now impossible to ignore or avoid so the best is to just say a little mantra like, "they can't hurt me". One thing you will find as you do the program is that things like this disappear with out conscious thought. Just one day they are gone. Some times it is quite surprising to realize that a symptom has been gone for a while.

Most people bring it right back temporarily by thinking about it so don't be surprised if it happens. It is just part of the cure. I guess I'm saying, hang in there CBT works.

Davit.

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 18

Thank You Davit and Sunny, Makes alot of sense. I wouldnt be so nervous if i didnt focus on my Heart Rate, I constantly check and see about my Heart Racing really fast. What Started all of this was little panic attacks at first an i was able to cope, but then i was at a local store about 3 months ago an I was just waiting in line an the next thing i know my Heart was beating out of my chest felt dizzy, Thats what got me scared of my Heart Racing Fast. I have been doing my HomeWork on here, im Just geting to week 2, But I can tell the difference already in a week, I have went out in public more to the Store by myself and even to the store where i had my Big Panic Attack, Guess you can i Faced my Fear on that one An i was fine. Just every morning i was up Nervous wondering about a panic attack, wondering if my heart will race fast. But Thank You for your Message, Josh

12 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Josh.

It is called fear of a fear. Some people who have to, say, cross a bridge on the way to work fear having a panic attack till they are safely over the bridge. It is worse on the weekend because they get to fear it till Monday.

Like sunny said. You are going to bed with negative thoughts and they are still there in the morning waiting to sabotage you.

So is there something you have to do each day that you are uncomfortable with. Some thing you say, "I'm glad that is over". It could be subconscious, And here is the kicker, it could be something you like. It could be going to Timmies for coffee and you fear one day the experience will turn bad. This is called a "what if." A negative one and is countered with a positive one.

At first as you build relaxation and coping skills you have to think them but soon they just come natural.

For every negative thought you can have there is a positive one to counter it.

Davit. I no longer have panic attacks or fear them.

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