Starting Back From Anxiety Attacks

Training
302

Hey everyone,
Well, just got back from the doctor and got good news on the first part of my physical…everything seems to be in working order. Reflexes tested out great, blood pressure was normal and no signs of hernia or testicular cancer. They took a sample of my urine and tomorrow morning I go back in (after 10-12 hours of fasting) to get my blood drawn. I should get those results back shortly after the test.

My sinus infection is clearing up but it’s not completely gone yet, so I’m back on the same antibiotic for another week. If that doesn’t knock the infection out of there, then I’ll have to get a picture taken to see what’s clogging things up. My headaches still come and go…some days are better than others. Thankfully today was a good day.

Also set up a stress test for the 27th (doc is on vacation but I’m going to call and see if I can’t squeeze in before he leaves on Friday). This is just to help put my mind at ease once and for all that there is (hopefully) nothing wrong with my heart, since I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

I did manage to squeeze in a 20-minute workout at home today. Nothing too stressful as I didn’t want to push myself too hard after taking the last 10 days off due to my infection. I did a lot of jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and worked a bit on my striking.

Probably won’t workout tomorrow since I’ll be getting my bloodwork done, but do plan on hitting the gym for a workout on Wednesday and hopefully if I’m feeling well, I can attend a BJJ class later in the week.

Take care,
Dan

303

Hey buddy glad to hear things are going well. I had a huge setback this past weekend and really had a hard time with anxiety and panic. Im back on a higher dose of meds but feel a ton better and reading your experiences has helped. Keep up the good work,

Austin

304

[quote]aslater wrote:
Hey buddy glad to hear things are going well. I had a huge setback this past weekend and really had a hard time with anxiety and panic. Im back on a higher dose of meds but feel a ton better and reading your experiences has helped. Keep up the good work,

Austin [/quote]

Austin,
Sorry to hear you had a tough weekend…we all have our ups and downs. Hopefully things will turn back in your favor soon. Glad this thread has helped you in some way.

Taking today off from the gym since I had to get my blood drawn this morning, but I’ll be back at it tomorrow morning.

Take care,
Dan

305

Hey there. Just checking in and saying hi! Those MMA workouts look like a killer. I’m been on a relatively easy program for a month. I get my new one from CW tonight. Looking forward to it and scared at the same time. Seeing your logs and knowing others are doiong similar programs is so motivating. Talk to you soon…AG

306

[quote]AG1 wrote:
Hey there. Just checking in and saying hi! Those MMA workouts look like a killer. I’m been on a relatively easy program for a month. I get my new one from CW tonight. Looking forward to it and scared at the same time. Seeing your logs and knowing others are doiong similar programs is so motivating. Talk to you soon…AG[/quote]

AG,
Yeah, those MMA workouts are tough. Too bad I haven’t been able to do them in 2-3 weeks due to my infection and other issues…but I plan on changing that tomorrow and getting in my endurance workout.

Thanks for dropping in, you’re welcome anytime.

Oh, and you are right on with the logs people keep on here in being inspiring. I know I’ve read over several (including yours) on days where I wasn’t feeling “up” to training and they helped motivate me to get in the gym.

307

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
AG1 wrote:
Hey there. Just checking in and saying hi! Those MMA workouts look like a killer. I’m been on a relatively easy program for a month. I get my new one from CW tonight. Looking forward to it and scared at the same time. Seeing your logs and knowing others are doiong similar programs is so motivating. Talk to you soon…AG

AG,
Yeah, those MMA workouts are tough. Too bad I haven’t been able to do them in 2-3 weeks due to my infection and other issues…but I plan on changing that tomorrow and getting in my endurance workout.

Thanks for dropping in, you’re welcome anytime.

Oh, and you are right on with the logs people keep on here in being inspiring. I know I’ve read over several (including yours) on days where I wasn’t feeling “up” to training and they helped motivate me to get in the gym.[/quote]

Yep, like right now I have to go sprint. Thanks for the shot in the arm. Have a good one!

308

Hey everyone,
Just finished a good, hard home boxing workout. Went for 25 minutes, and I felt like I could do more, but didn’t want to over do things as it is just my second workout this week after taking 10 days off and a day after getting my blood work done.

I did a lot of jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, medicine ball twists and of course, worked on my striking. My jab has improved greatly since I began boxing this year, not only in speed but accuracy and strength. My combos are improving but I still get a bit sloppy with form when I go to 4- or 5-punch combos. My Muay Thai knees are also improving, but my left kicks still need some work.

Speaking of bloodwork, I made a thread about my test results. I’m going to post the complete results tomorrow when I stop by the doctor’s office to pick up my copy. Basically, everything was normal…only thing that was off was my HDL, which was a 34. That’s low, but my overall cholesterol is just 153, which is really good, so the low HDL isn’t that bad. I know I need to do more cardio, though, and also adding more fish oil and almonds and walnuts to my diet should bring that number up to over 40 in short time.

Tomorrow I’m going to re-start CW’s MMA strength-training routine by starting from the very beginning: testing my 3-rep max in the lifts he prescribes. I believe tomorrow it’s deadlift, bench press and chin-ups. Figure since I haven’t lifted in 3 weeks and I’ve lost weight, I should re-calculate my numbers before starting the program.

So, I’ll test tomorrow and again on Saturday and be ready to roll on Monday.

Take care,
Dan

309

Dan,

I CANNOT believe I didn’t see this thread until now. I also suffer from anxiety and depression. Although I must say, I have been doing really well these past few years.

I’ve had a few episodes of small panic attacks, crying, shaking, heart-racing … but once I had one so bad I really thought I was going to die. Luckily, my big brother was there to save me.

I was upset about one of my finals, then I got into an argument with a friend over the phone. My chest started shaking uncontrollably and I couldn’t breathe. It was almost like my chest was vibrating it was shaking so hard … I stumbled to my bedroom door and somehow got my brother. I spent the next few hours dry heaving over a trash can, while he tried to calm me down.

My parents woke up and yelled at me because they had work early the next morning and I was being “inconsiderate”.

I couldn’t read this whole thread, but somewhere someone said that, it’s good to know we’re not alone because people with problems like ours tend to not realize how many other people have the same problems. That’s definitely something your thread made me realize.

I’ve never been diagnosed. I’ve never even been to a doctor for it. When I was in my early teens and I told my mom I needed to talk to someone because I was depressed, she told me I was going through a “stage”.

I’ve pretty much been battling my demons on my own ever since. I’ve actually made pretty great progress. I’ve also had great friends, and talked to a few of my teachers about everything too. It’s still hard though some days, you know how it is …

Anyway, glad to hear you’re doing much better now. I wish you well and happiness in life and whatever you do.

Sincerely,
brokenground

310

[quote]brokenground wrote:
Dan,

I CANNOT believe I didn’t see this thread until now. I also suffer from anxiety and depression. Although I must say, I have been doing really well these past few years.

I’ve had a few episodes of small panic attacks, crying, shaking, heart-racing … but once I had one so bad I really thought I was going to die. Luckily, my big brother was there to save me.

I was upset about one of my finals, then I got into an argument with a friend over the phone. My chest started shaking uncontrollably and I couldn’t breathe. It was almost like my chest was vibrating it was shaking so hard … I stumbled to my bedroom door and somehow got my brother. I spent the next few hours dry heaving over a trash can, while he tried to calm me down.

My parents woke up and yelled at me because they had work early the next morning and I was being “inconsiderate”.

I couldn’t read this whole thread, but somewhere someone said that, it’s good to know we’re not alone because people with problems like ours tend to not realize how many other people have the same problems. That’s definitely something your thread made me realize.

I’ve never been diagnosed. I’ve never even been to a doctor for it. When I was in my early teens and I told my mom I needed to talk to someone because I was depressed, she told me I was going through a “stage”.

I’ve pretty much been battling my demons on my own ever since. I’ve actually made pretty great progress. I’ve also had great friends, and talked to a few of my teachers about everything too. It’s still hard though some days, you know how it is …

Anyway, glad to hear you’re doing much better now. I wish you well and happiness in life and whatever you do.

Sincerely,
brokenground[/quote]

Brokenground,
Thanks for posting your story…you are right, we are not alone and there are a lot of people who are or have, gone through these episodes. Sorry to hear yours were that bad…I can relate to your chest pains in your worst attack…when I had my first panic attack my chest hurt for days afterwards because during the attack I was shaking and trembling so hard that it hurt.

Glad to hear your brother was at least there for you, and glad to hear that things have gotten better for you. It’s also good to hear that you were able to do this without medication.

Anytime you need to talk, I’m here. Thanks again for posting and stay strong!
-Dan

311

Great thread. The craziest thing is that only us, that have experienced panic attacks, can relate to it. When you talk with someone who has had the same experience its as if you’ve both been to a place you thought no one else ever saw.

I struggled bad after my father had a stroke and mother a heart attack in the same day. Two weeks prior I had my nose broke and my cash job(which required me to have a flawless appearance) was taken away from me because of my nose.

It all just crumbled from there and I spent several nights in ER’s after terrible attacks.

Im ok now and sometime have flair ups. I never thought it would end or that I would be able to talk myself out of it. Now I am the master of my attacks and you have to tell yourself the same. I hope you overcome this quickly. Just remember I and so many others have done it.

Good Luck and keep us posted on how your doing.

Page

312

Dan,

I didn’t have time to read through the thread, but did want to share some information with you.

In some cases anxiety can be linked to dietary imbalances and nutrient deficiencies. I would recommend reading Optimum Nutrition for the Mind by Patrick Holford and the Brain Diet by Alan Logan.

Also, you may want to consider getting some specialized nutritional bloodwork done. One test that would be beneficial would be a Spectracell FIA. Depending on what that showed, there may or may be a need for other testing, but a company by the name of Metametrix has some excellent functional testing.

Feel free to PM me if you would like some more information.

Take care,

Ryan

313

Another thing that has helped me a ton is an older book by CLaire Weeks “hope and help for your nerves” You can get it real cheap and it is awesome for anxiety and panic attacks.

314

[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Brokenground,
Thanks for posting your story…you are right, we are not alone and there are a lot of people who are or have, gone through these episodes. Sorry to hear yours were that bad…I can relate to your chest pains in your worst attack…when I had my first panic attack my chest hurt for days afterwards because during the attack I was shaking and trembling so hard that it hurt.

Glad to hear your brother was at least there for you, and glad to hear that things have gotten better for you. It’s also good to hear that you were able to do this without medication.

Anytime you need to talk, I’m here. Thanks again for posting and stay strong!
-Dan[/quote]

Thanks Dan! and thanks for starting the thread and getting all of these great people to share and support one another!

bg

315

[quote]aslater wrote:
Another thing that has helped me a ton is an older book by CLaire Weeks “hope and help for your nerves” You can get it real cheap and it is awesome for anxiety and panic attacks.

[/quote]

Yes, I like her stuff. She has a workbook out, too, that my therapist and I use during some of our sessions. I’ll ask her tomorrow when I go what the name of that workbook is. She also mentioned that book to me, so I’ll have to check it out.

316

Hey everyone,
Just got back from the gym and had a great workout. Today was my 3-rep test day for deadlift, bench press and chin-ups. Here’s the results:

Deadlift: 255
Bench Press: 200
Chin-ups: BW + 25 lbs.

Deadlifts and Bench Press numbers were down, but only slightly, which isn’t bad after not training for nearly a month. Chin-ups stayed the same.

Tomorrow I’m going to do some cardio and then Saturday it’s back to the gym for Part II of my 3-rep max tests. This time it will be Push Press, Power Clean and Squats.

Take care,
Dan

317

Hey everyone,
Well, I did make it to the gym today, but not for my 3-rep tests…I just did 20 minutes of cardio instead.

Felt good and could’ve gone longer, but had to kind of rush things as my wife and I are attending a friend’s wedding out in Grand Junction, which is 3.5 to 4 hours west of Denver, so we have a bit of a drive on our hands today.

We’re also driving back tonight, since there’s no reason to spend money on a hotel room for one night…but that means we’ll be getting back to Denver late. Hopefully we’ll be able to sleep in Sunday morning.

Anxiety-wise I’ve been doing good and my sinus infection, although still lingering, is slowly improving. I still get throbbing in my head and headaches every now and then and chest pains every once in a while, but they aren’t as severe as they were 2 weeks ago. Still haven’t had to take any Tylenol, which is good.

I have 2 more days left on my antibiotic, then I have to wait a week, unfortunately, to see what I do next, as my doctor is on vacation.

If I get enough rest, I might hit the gym tomorrow for Day 1 of my MMA strength-training workout.

Take care,
Dan

318

Hey everyone,
Well, my wife and I made it back from our friend’s wedding in one piece. The drive to Grand Junction was nice, as was the wedding, but man, it was super hot outside. Needless to say, I was sweating bullets by the time the ceremony was over. We made it back home by midnight and then crashed and slept in (I got up at 8, my wife 45 minutes later).

So, after a good breakfast, I hit the gym for Day 1 of CW’s MMA strength-training program. Here’s the stats:

Explosive Strength Work

  1. Jump Shrugs, 8x3: 185, 195 (sets 5-8)

Maximal Strength Work

  1. Supramaximal Hold: Back Squat, 1x120% of 1RM for 6 seconds: 245

Half Squat, 1xas many as possible w/90% of 1RM: 205x5

Supramaximal Hold BB Delcine Bench Press, 1x120% of 1RM for 6 seconds: 225

BB Decline Bench Press 1xas many as possible w/ 90% 1 RM: 195x5

A1) Overhead Squat, 3x3: 95
A2) Chin-up, 3x3: BW + 25 lbs.

B1) Single-led DB Deadlift, 3x3: 20
B2) One-arm DB Rows, 3x3: 80

C1) Hand Walks, 3x5: BW

Reverse Wrist Curls, 3x5: 50

Wasn’t able to do the neck exercise b/c the gym’s bands were missing (?) for some reason.

Workout felt good…forearms feel sore already.

Tomorrow I’ll likely do a home boxing workout followed by some cardio.

Take care,
Dan

319

Hey everyone,
Just finished a 30-minute home boxing workout. Workout felt really good and I think it helped clear my head a bit, as I came down with a pretty rough headache last night. I think being around 3 young kids for 3 hours yesterday combined with 8 hours of driving Saturday in and out of high elevation and the sinus infection added up to the headache. My head just ached all over and my eyes were real tender. I took some tylenol and that helped some…thankfully I got a good night’s sleep and felt better when I woke up today. I have 1 more antibiotic pill to take and then I’m done…hopefully the infection is gone. I feel better, especially as it pertains to the drainage (it’s almost gone completely) but the head aches and pains are still there. I guess when I go for my stress test next Tuesday I’ll get a final answer on my sinuses.

I think I’m going to try and catch a nap today…I think not taking one a few days hasn’t helped things, either.

Tomorrow I’m going to do my first MMA endurance workout. Hopefully I can make it through the entire circuit…it looks tough, though.

Take care,
Dan

320

Hey everyone,
Well, had another change in my schedule…was going to do my first MMA endurance workout, but, chose to do a home boxing workout instead. Tomorrow I’m getting a massage and so I decided to do my second strength training workout tomorrow morning before the massage, instead of doing it on Friday. Saturday will be my first endurance workout.

I think the massage is going to really help me, especially when it comes to these headaches I’ve been getting. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and I’m pretty sure what’s causing the headaches and pains is muscle tension in the traps, shoulders and neck. My wife gave me a mini-massage last night and man, I couldn’t believe how sore my neck was. But, the cool thing was, after she worked on it, my head felt A LOT better. Hopefully a 1-hour massage will really help loosen things up.

I know that while I need to relieve stress, I also need to work on my posture. I know I tend to slouch forward too often while at work, and even at home on the computer. I think changing over to sitting on a stability ball for a while should help.

The good thing about the headaches is that they aren’t crippling like a migrane and that I can still workout and not feel any worse…if anything I feel better after a workout.

Anxiety-wise I’m doing fine. It’s funny, though, I spent 1-2 weeks worrying there’s something wrong with my heart and as soon as I get over that, I start to worry about my head because of these headaches. Wonder what will be next?

Well, I’m going to go do some relaxation exercises and then go get dinner ready.

Can’t wait for my massage tomorrow…it’s been so long since I’ve had one I can’t even remember the last time it was.

Take care,
Dan

321

Glad to hear all is well. What do you do for relaxation exercises? This is something I really need to add more of, heard it is great for anxiety.

Austin