Re: Re: AFIB and Dealing with the Anxiety

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/16/2004 9:11:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

trudyjh@... writes:

> We vent about anxiety in here all the time :-)

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>

Dave,

I doubt that there is an afibber anywhere who has not dealt with anxiety at

some time, usually in the beginning. It's impossible to avoid anxiety when

one's chest feels as if a major cataclysmic event is occurring and each

heartbeat

seems to be the last. For this reason, I think panic attacks go hand in hand

with afib, and probably many people mistake panic attacks for afib. That was

certainly the case with me in the beginning of my afib 20+ years ago. I

don't know exactly when my afib started because I was having panic attacks, and

the symptoms of panic attacks can be very similar to the symptoms of afib. At

least one panic attack was documented by a 911 team, but it was accompanied by

sinus tachycardia, not afib, according to the medics. Knowledge is power, and

just knowing that I was having panic attacks helped me to control my

hyperventilation and thereby the resulting symptoms of numbness in the

extremities,

racing heart, and breathlessness. Now I never have panic attacks because I

immediately work on slowing my breathing when I feel the old syndrome starting.

You just have to have faith that afib will not kill you, and the chances are

very good that you will learn to live with it and/or reduce the symptoms. I

used to sit around and cry all the time when I was in afib 20 years ago, but

now I just go on with my life and experience almost no anxiety. Of course,

during those 20 years I have been on a constant quest for solutions to the

problem

and vastly reduced my afib by cutting dairy products from my diet. I am not

advocating that everyone cut dairy because what worked for me might not work

for all, but my point is that I have found I could reduce afib intensity and

frequency through analysis and change of lifestyle, analysis and avoidance of

triggers, and the right medications. You can do this, too. It's not an easy

quest, but you can learn to deal with afib as I and many others, including my

older brother in permanent afib, have done. You can beat this thing as so many

of us have done. Remember, it's not cancer! It won't kill us. You can

reach the point at which you will regard afib as an inconvenience or nuisance,

as

I do after all these years.

Best wishes,

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/17/04 12:55:20 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

Starfi6314@... writes:

> Now I never have panic attacks because I

> immediately work on slowing my breathing when I feel the old syndrome

> starting.

>

I'm with on this one (and lots of other stuff too actually!). In my

case, my panic got worse after 2 years with a-fib. At first, I was familiar

with

the SVT I'd had all my life. So the a-fib seemed just a minor inconvenience

with a name. But as it progressed and got worse, my ability to deal with it

got worse. I used to have panic attacks so severe that I was on disability for

several years because of them. I, too, learned to deal with them without

medications. Anti-depressants that are supposedly designed to help with anxiety

just made me feel dead inside (though at the onset, that was way better than

the panic and how bad it was). I do have a med now that I can take if a panic

attack lasts more than 5 minutes and it stops it in its tracks (it's actually

an anti-seizure drug that they discovered worked on panic). But I rarely take

it. Like , I can sense the anxiety level getting out of control and have

tools I learned to stop it in its tracks, such as deep breathing and calming

my thoughts that are racing. I feel kinda badly that my anxiety has gotten

worse as my a-fib has progressed, since most people seem to have more of the

anxiety in the beginning. But I'm coping ... and like someone else said, almost

everyone on this board has felt what you are feeling. It sucks, but it

passes. Keep sharing ... it helps.

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

My anxiety has gotten worse along with my afib, too.

--

Kathleen Stept (Dofetilide 250mcg bid, Diltiazem 120 mg, Coumadin 5mg, baby

aspirin), , Mississippi

>

> I feel kinda badly that my anxiety has gotten worse as my a-fib has

> progressed, since most people seem to have more of the anxiety in the

> beginning.

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/18/04 6:11:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

hppy1kat@... writes:

> Did you refer to something about a pacemaker?? I

> guess that is my fear. I did not mean to sound

> negative. I truly do hope things work out for you. I

> do just as much or more whining. I don't think you

> whine at all. You have had some real concerns and

> difficulties. I just wanted to wish you well

>

Ah yes, Kat ... the pacemaker issue. Seems I'll end up with one within 10

years. I wish I'd asked Dr. Natale how I'd know I was progressing toward that.

He said he was surprised I wasn't on one already and that I walked out of the

hospital from the botched ablation without one. So I'm not sure what that

all means ... so since I'm still focusing on healing from my recent severe

illness and getting those liver enzymes back to normal, I'm just in denial about

that and trying not to think of it at all. Or not having an EP or a

cardiologist right now. Oh, and I did get an MRI scheduled for late October, so

hopefully if my spleen is healing, then I'm out of the woods for that other type

of

lymphoma. I'm thinking positive about it all. And I truly appreciate all your

constant prayers and good thoughts ... and from everyone!

Toni

CA