Starting Back From Anxiety Attacks

Training
282

[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
Anyone else ever get these heart flips or flops or the pain in the chest feelings?
Take care,
Dan

Yep. Every now and again mine will just trip for a sec and all is normal again. No warning or cause either, and I’ve had tests done showing no irregular beat patterns or anything of the sort. I chalk it up to repressed stress.

Glas you enjoyed your vacation.[/quote]

I’m sure all is fine but I just hate when it happens b/c it does freak me out for a bit and sometimes it’s hard to calm down. One of my problems with anxiety is that I think something physically bad is going to happen to me so when something like this happens, it’s like it lends credibility to my thoughts, which isn’t good.

Yeah, vacation was good. Sounds like you and MJ had a nice trip, too.

283

[quote]Mod Laurie wrote:
Hey Dan! Glad to hear you had a nice vacation and spent time with your family.

Cooperstown? Are you a baseball fan? I’ve always wanted to visit Cooperstown and hope to make it there next year.[/quote]

Definitely was nice to spend time with the family. You take things like that for granted when you live to close to home, that’s for sure.

Yes, I am a baseball fan. I’m a Mets fan, so I’m the black sheep in my household as everyone else loves the Yankees.

The HOF is definitely something you should check out at least once in your life. Since I was with my wife I didn’t get to stay as long as I normally prefer (I like to read EVERYTHING when I’m there), but it was good to get back there, as it’d been a good 5 years since I had visited.

284

DJwlfpack,

Have you ever had your estradiol levels tested? High estradiol levels in men are known to cause panic attacks and anxiety in general.

Estrogens can cause anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity and aggression. It has been know to increase serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine transmission. Estrogens may also cause a hypothyroid condition by interupting thyroid hormones at the receptor even though thyroid levels may be normal, thus causing psychiatric issues among other things. It’s all interconncected. :slight_smile:

Elevated estrogens in general (and NOT simply E2) can be responsible for a number of symptoms / side effects:

Reduced libido / loss of libido
Erectile Dysfunction / Partial ED
Mood dysfunctions (Ranging from general moodiness to depression to anxiety to a combination)
Anger/ Irritability / frustration / emotional outbursts
Fatigue
Memory problems / foggy thinking
Increased risk of stroke
Water retention / weight gain / swelling of the hands, feet or ankles
Weight gain around mid torso and upper torso
Skin rash
Flushing - especially of face and upper torso (red faced being a common symptom along with hot flashes)
“Hot flashes”
Increased or decreased appetite
Unexplained rapid increase in weight or inability to lose weight even with dieting and exercise
Sudden shortness of breath
Chest pain
Feet/leg and/or hands/arm pains
Gastro problems to range from mild nausea to vomiting or severe stomach / abdominal pains
Severe headaches
Vision or speech problems
Yellowing of the eyes or skin
Breast development (gyno) specifically in males

If the values are high after taking a “sensitive estradiol” blood test taking an anti-estrogen like Arimidex can greatly reduce anxiety.

It’s something to look in to anyways.

285

[quote]Bri Hildebrandt wrote:
DJwlfpack,

Have you ever had your estradiol levels tested? High estradiol levels in men are known to cause panic attacks and anxiety in general.

Estrogens can cause anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity and aggression. It has been know to increase serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine transmission. Estrogens may also cause a hypothyroid condition by interupting thyroid hormones at the receptor even though thyroid levels may be normal, thus causing psychiatric issues among other things. It’s all interconncected. :slight_smile:

Elevated estrogens in general (and NOT simply E2) can be responsible for a number of symptoms / side effects:

Reduced libido / loss of libido
Erectile Dysfunction / Partial ED
Mood dysfunctions (Ranging from general moodiness to depression to anxiety to a combination)
Anger/ Irritability / frustration / emotional outbursts
Fatigue
Memory problems / foggy thinking
Increased risk of stroke
Water retention / weight gain / swelling of the hands, feet or ankles
Weight gain around mid torso and upper torso
Skin rash
Flushing - especially of face and upper torso (red faced being a common symptom along with hot flashes)
“Hot flashes”
Increased or decreased appetite
Unexplained rapid increase in weight or inability to lose weight even with dieting and exercise
Sudden shortness of breath
Chest pain
Feet/leg and/or hands/arm pains
Gastro problems to range from mild nausea to vomiting or severe stomach / abdominal pains
Severe headaches
Vision or speech problems
Yellowing of the eyes or skin
Breast development (gyno) specifically in males

If the values are high after taking a “sensitive estradiol” blood test taking an anti-estrogen like Arimidex can greatly reduce anxiety.

It’s something to look in to anyways.[/quote]

Thanks for the info…I’ll be getting full blood work done with my physical, so I’ll be sure to ask about these levels.

286

Bri’s suggestion is a great one. Have you ever thought of seeing a naturopathic doctor, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, or homeopathic practitioner?

287

[quote]Jinx Me wrote:
Bri’s suggestion is a great one. Have you ever thought of seeing a naturopathic doctor, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, or homeopathic practitioner?[/quote]

Nope…not that I’m not open to these things, it’s just that with a limited budget, I don’t think I could afford to try out all of these different doctors.

288

Hey everyone,
Hope you all are doing well. I had a decent day today…aside from returning to work. Definitely was hard to get back in the swing of things after being off for a week, that’s for sure. It didn’t help things that a couple of my stories were “lost” by my editors and didn’t make it into the paper, so I had to explain to several people why their sons or daughters weren’t in the paper. Very annoying.

Just finished a home boxing workout today. Workout lasted 30 minutes, consisting of lots of jumping jacks, sit-ups and actually my boxing workout was more Muay Thai based, as I threw a lot of 1-2-high kick combos and also did low (leg) kicks as well as some 1-2-clinch-knee raise combos. Finished up with some more ab work and stretching.

I printed out CW’s MMA Endurance article today and plan on giving that a good read here in a few minutes and will probably try that workout tomorrow…or will wait until next week to pick that back up.

I didn’t get to the gym yesterday, as my wife and I spent the morning unpacking from our trip and then we cleaned the house. By the time we finished, our gym was closed.

I’ve also decided to stop worrying so much about that flutter from the other night. As my wife said to me, I’m in good health and the doctors have told me I’m fine, so there’s nothing to worry about. It happened and guess what? You were fine a few seconds later.

I’ve got to stop dwelling on things so much and sometimes hearing it from someone else helps snap you out of your funk. My wife definitely did that for me the other day, and I appreciate it.

Take care,
Dan

289

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Jinx Me wrote:
Bri’s suggestion is a great one. Have you ever thought of seeing a naturopathic doctor, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, or homeopathic practitioner?

Nope…not that I’m not open to these things, it’s just that with a limited budget, I don’t think I could afford to try out all of these different doctors.[/quote]

I bet you could find a homeopath or ND who charges on a sliding scale. Some excellent doctors work practically pro bono when they feel the patient is really deserving, committed, and likely to get great results.

290

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Hey everyone,
Hope you all are doing well. I had a decent day today…aside from returning to work. Definitely was hard to get back in the swing of things after being off for a week, that’s for sure. It didn’t help things that a couple of my stories were “lost” by my editors and didn’t make it into the paper, so I had to explain to several people why their sons or daughters weren’t in the paper. Very annoying.

Just finished a home boxing workout today. Workout lasted 30 minutes, consisting of lots of jumping jacks, sit-ups and actually my boxing workout was more Muay Thai based, as I threw a lot of 1-2-high kick combos and also did low (leg) kicks as well as some 1-2-clinch-knee raise combos. Finished up with some more ab work and stretching.

I printed out CW’s MMA Endurance article today and plan on giving that a good read here in a few minutes and will probably try that workout tomorrow…or will wait until next week to pick that back up.

I didn’t get to the gym yesterday, as my wife and I spent the morning unpacking from our trip and then we cleaned the house. By the time we finished, our gym was closed.

I’ve also decided to stop worrying so much about that flutter from the other night. As my wife said to me, I’m in good health and the doctors have told me I’m fine, so there’s nothing to worry about. It happened and guess what? You were fine a few seconds later.

I’ve got to stop dwelling on things so much and sometimes hearing it from someone else helps snap you out of your funk. My wife definitely did that for me the other day, and I appreciate it.

Take care,
Dan[/quote]

Hey Dan - I can practically guarantee that the heart flutter was a result of stress. Don’t let it contribute to your stress - that’s just allowing it to create a vicious circle.

Skullcap is a great herb for relaxing and it’s also great for cardiovascular health. Check it out. I take it when I’m lying in bed and my heart’s pounding (usually from taking in too much caffeine too late in the day). 5-HTP is also great for relaxing and it’s often used as an anti-depressant. Some people also find it’s an effective appetite suppressant when taken before a meal, because it boosts seratonin levels and relieves the anxiety that often leads to overeating.

Anyway, you just keep on keepin’ on. I’ll quit rambling.

291

Jinx,
Thanks as always for the good advice.

292

Hey everyone,
Just got back from the doctor. He said I likely have a sinus infection, so he gave me some antibiotics to take for the next 10 days. If that doesn’t clear things up then I’ll go back and they’ll take a picture of my sinus to see what’s going on up there.

The drainage is why I can’t sleep at night (hence the Ambien) and he also said that the infection is likely the reason I had the heart flutter the other day, as he didn’t hear anything abnormal when he listened to my heart and my BP was normal 116/86.

Hopefully this medicine will work…it’s just annoying that I could’ve taken this medicine 2 months ago when I first went to the doctor and saw the NP, who thought it was allergies (which I’ve never had) and not a sinus infection. So, basically, I’ve been living with an infected sinus for 2 months…no wonder all these other symptoms keep popping up.

Tonight I’m going to de-stress by going to my first jiu-jitsu class. I’m really looking forward to learning something new.

Take care,
Dan

293

Hey everyone,
Just got back from my first jiu-jitsu class. Loved it! It was a beginner class, so I didn’t feel out of place, which was nice. I was partnered up with another first-timer, so it was a learning session for both of us. The instructors were really good…they’d go through the moves several times in step-by-step fashion before showing us the move in full speed. Then when we paired up and practiced, they would come around and offer up pointers.

The hour really seemed to fly by and aside from one brief moment, I didn’t pay attention to my heart rate at all. I worked up a good sweat and my knees, elbows and forearms are a bit sore from not being used to all the grappling.

I can’t wait to go back…next class is Saturday morning.

Tomorrow I’ll work on my striking with my portable heavy bag and then Friday I’ll hit the gym for day 2 of CW’s MMA strength-training workout, followed by the endurance workout in the evening.

I’ll also start taking my sinus medication tomorrow…I really hope this stuff works.

Take care,
Dan

294

First, I respect the courage it discuss these issues openly and honestly. For all involved: cheers!

A few years back I looked in the mirror an realized I looked absolutely awful, just wasted. And I felt how I looked. To make a long story short I was eventually diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Now all the symptoms that I was experiencing (irritability, short fuse, hyper-sensitivity, short attention span, dark moods, exhaustion etc) took on a different light after the diagnosis. Im a completely different person when I get the adequate sleep. But sleep apnea is not something one thinks of when experiencing these things.

Recently I noticed that my bedroom was looking more like an office: laptop, printer, modem, books, stacks of papers, pens, wires covering the floor, powerbars… I moved all the crap out.

Apparently, the electrical currents from household appliances alter the mood. I think usually the best policy (I find anyway) is to reduce and simplify and learn to trust one’s intution (which itself can be a frustrating and intimidating thing for some, particularly guys, who tend to be more analytical than intuitive).

295

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Hey everyone,
Just got back from the doctor. He said I likely have a sinus infection, so he gave me some antibiotics to take for the next 10 days. If that doesn’t clear things up then I’ll go back and they’ll take a picture of my sinus to see what’s going on up there.

The drainage is why I can’t sleep at night (hence the Ambien) and he also said that the infection is likely the reason I had the heart flutter the other day, as he didn’t hear anything abnormal when he listened to my heart and my BP was normal 116/86.

Hopefully this medicine will work…it’s just annoying that I could’ve taken this medicine 2 months ago when I first went to the doctor and saw the NP, who thought it was allergies (which I’ve never had) and not a sinus infection. So, basically, I’ve been living with an infected sinus for 2 months…no wonder all these other symptoms keep popping up.

Tonight I’m going to de-stress by going to my first jiu-jitsu class. I’m really looking forward to learning something new.

Take care,
Dan[/quote]

Make sure to eat lots of yogurt with live cultures to repopulate the good bacteria that the antibiotic will kill off in your gut - and/or buy a good probiotic.

:slight_smile:

296

[quote]Jinx Me wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
Hey everyone,
Just got back from the doctor. He said I likely have a sinus infection, so he gave me some antibiotics to take for the next 10 days. If that doesn’t clear things up then I’ll go back and they’ll take a picture of my sinus to see what’s going on up there.

The drainage is why I can’t sleep at night (hence the Ambien) and he also said that the infection is likely the reason I had the heart flutter the other day, as he didn’t hear anything abnormal when he listened to my heart and my BP was normal 116/86.

Hopefully this medicine will work…it’s just annoying that I could’ve taken this medicine 2 months ago when I first went to the doctor and saw the NP, who thought it was allergies (which I’ve never had) and not a sinus infection. So, basically, I’ve been living with an infected sinus for 2 months…no wonder all these other symptoms keep popping up.

Tonight I’m going to de-stress by going to my first jiu-jitsu class. I’m really looking forward to learning something new.

Take care,
Dan

Make sure to eat lots of yogurt with live cultures to repopulate the good bacteria that the antibiotic will kill off in your gut - and/or buy a good probiotic.

:)[/quote]

Thankfully I just bought some yogurt when I went to the grocery store last Sunday, so I have plenty in the house to last me the length of my medicine (10 days).

Any good probiotics you suggest? I don’t think I’ve ever taken any.

297

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to pop in and say hi. My antibiotic medicine for my sinus infection has really knocked me for a loop (5 more days to go after today), so I haven’t been able to workout since Wednesday…although I did go for a long walk today with my wife and dog and seemed to have more energy today than the other two days.

I’ve noticed that my eyes are real sensitive to light and that by midday I’m usually ready to lie down and take a nap.

The medicine is working, though. The drainage is drying up and the headaches and tension in my eyes are less severe than a week ago at this time…so that’s all good news.

Hopefully I can start back exercising tomorrow but I won’t push myself…the top priority is to get healthy and put this infection behind me.

I went 3 days w/o taking a xanax but had to take one yesterday as I was feeling very on edge. Today has been a better day, though.

Take care,
Dan

298

Hey everyone,
An update on my sinus infection: Things seem to be clearing up. The constant drainage has gone away…I still get it, but not all day. The severity of the headaches has decreased as well. My eyes still hurt from time to time but nothing too bad. Once in a while it hurts or my lungs kind of burn when I try and take a deep breath, but otherwise all is good there.

Four more days of medication left.

Unfortunately, still haven’t felt strong enough to workout yet. I’ve been eating pretty good, though, so that’s good. My muscles have deflated some, but I’m sure after 1-2 weeks back in the gym they’ll return to the fullness they were at before I stopped.

Anxiety wise I’m doing good. I’ve had good days and bad days recently. Finally yesterday I sat down and wrote all of my feelings down, read over them and realized what was real and what was my anixety tricking my mind into thinking what’s real.

The big thing with me is fear of dying and I think that’s why I’ve been so obsessed with my heartbeat and chest pains, etc. the past few weeks. It’s an issue I’ve struggled with all of my life but I’ve never really confronted it. I see my therapist tomorrow so I’m sure we’ll spend a lot of time talking about this.

I have to thank my wife for talking with me last night…she helped put things in perspective and I felt a lot better afterwards.

I’m hopeful to start back in the gym on Monday…I’ll still be doing CW’s MMA-based routines and will try and attend the jiu-jitsu class once a week (I can afford the $30 per class as long as I only go once) and then will work on my boxing/striking 1-2x at home.

Anxiety and overcoming your fears and thoughts is a longer and harder road than I imagined it would be. I’m still fighting to get better, though, and won’t give up until I’ve accomplished my goals of getting better.

Take care,
Dan

299

Hey everyone,
Still recovering from my sinus infection…things are progressing along, although I still haven’t kicked this thing 100% yet. I have 2.5 days left on my medication, then I go back to the doctor to determine if I need to go through another round. I am feeling more energetic, though, so I plan on starting exercising again either way this weekend.

Went to the therapist today and we’ve decided that for right now, it’s best if I go back on xanax CR every day for a while, just to help re-stabilize me, since it seemed like I would have 3-4 good days w/o meds and then have 3-4 bad days where I had to take a pill. So, to eliminate the yo-yo effect, everyday for a while should work. We also talked about lengthening the tapering off period for the next time that comes up…instead of 10 days, we’ll probably extend it out to a month.

Also spent a lot of time talking about how I’ve been fearing death a lot and how I’ve been thinking I’m going to die a lot recently. It really helped to communicate my feelings and discussing strategies to help me stop dwelling on those thoughts. I felt really good coming out of the session today and am confident I will get over this issue. It’s something I’ve dealt with nearly all of my life but in the past the thoughts never stayed long, as I was able to distract my mind. With my anxiety prevalent, though, it makes it harder for me to rid my mind of negative thoughts.

Well, I’m going to lie down on the couch, watch an old classic movie “Double Indemnity” and hopefully take a nap shortly afterwards (medicine still makes me groggy mid-day).

Take care,
Dan

300

Hey bro glad you have kept this thread alive. Im going through another rough spell but things are getting better. Keep us posted with your progress!

Austin

301

Dan, keep it up. You’re carrying a positive attitude, and deeling with things well, I like it! Glad to hear you like the new BJJ class. Take Care.