Counting Our Blessings.

[drumdude]

My friend is on beta blockers.

Slightly off topic but beta blockers are really great. They manage your heart rate and take away a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety. Without any of the problems that other anti anxiety drugs have.

[IWMP]

My friend is on beta blockers.

Slightly off topic but beta blockers are really great. They manage your heart rate and take away a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety. Without any of the problems that other anti anxiety drugs have.

I tried beta blockers for my second driving test. Made no difference. I think I actually had side effects. But can't remember. I have side effects to most medications. Still started shaking and having like metal tingling in my mouth because I was panicking. I used sertraline for a while which wasn't too bad until I had that thing where you have too much serotonin or something. Now I'm not allowed them at all. I took the. For anxiety. Now I just tell myself it will pass when things get funky.
So you take beta blockers regularly?

[drumdude]

Slightly off topic but beta blockers are really great. They manage your heart rate and take away a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety. Without any of the problems that other anti anxiety drugs have.

I tried beta blockers for my second driving test. Made no difference. I think I actually had side effects. But can't remember. I have side effects to most medications. Still started shaking and having like metal tingling in my mouth because I was panicking. I used sertraline for a while which wasn't too bad until I had that thing where you have too much serotonin or something. Now I'm not allowed them at all. I took the. For anxiety. Now I just tell myself it will pass when things get funky.
So you take beta blockers regularly?

Yep, they've been magic for me. Took the edge off my anxiety spiral and allowed me to live a normal life again. I'm hesitant to try anything that changes the balance of neurotransmitters, having experienced benzo withdrawal hell once was plenty for me.

[IWMP]

I tried beta blockers for my second driving test. Made no difference. I think I actually had side effects. But can't remember. I have side effects to most medications. Still started shaking and having like metal tingling in my mouth because I was panicking. I used sertraline for a while which wasn't too bad until I had that thing where you have too much serotonin or something. Now I'm not allowed them at all. I took the. For anxiety. Now I just tell myself it will pass when things get funky.
So you take beta blockers regularly?

Yep, they've been magic for me. Took the edge off my anxiety spiral and allowed me to live a normal life again. I'm hesitant to try anything that changes the balance of neurotransmitters, having experienced benzo withdrawal hell once was plenty for me.

Cool. I went to counselling for anxiety which gave me so much anxiety that I realised maybe my normal anxiety levels aren't that bad lol.

[drumdude]

Yep, they've been magic for me. Took the edge off my anxiety spiral and allowed me to live a normal life again. I'm hesitant to try anything that changes the balance of neurotransmitters, having experienced benzo withdrawal hell once was plenty for me.

Cool. I went to counselling for anxiety which gave me so much anxiety that I realised maybe my normal anxiety levels aren't that bad lol.

How was the birthday party?

[IWMP]

Cool. I went to counselling for anxiety which gave me so much anxiety that I realised maybe my normal anxiety levels aren't that bad lol.

How was the birthday party?

Better than I had expected. It was interesting that all the kids were playing on the trampoline when we hired a bouncy castle. Coulda saved money lol. Little one said she didn't know kids brought presents. She doesn't get many party invites. She is absolutely covered in temporary tattoos. Like maybe easily 40 tattoos. I've bathed her twice and tried the sellotape trick.

[drumdude]

How was the birthday party?

Better than I had expected. It was interesting that all the kids were playing on the trampoline when we hired a bouncy castle. Coulda saved money lol. Little one said she didn't know kids brought presents. She doesn't get many party invites. She is absolutely covered in temporary tattoos. Like maybe easily 40 tattoos. I've bathed her twice and tried the sellotape trick.

Kids in the UK must be crazy lol. No one would ignore a bouncy castle here

[IWMP]

You are so brave.

I don't know what to say to that. I guess I always have a hope that I can be okay so I keep trying to find out how that can happen.The first episode I was out of my mind. I'd never needed to call paramedics for myself and I'd never been in an ambulance before except to tour them with preschoolers at the fire station. My family got wigged out. The Boy was in shock and he stalled leaving the house to follow the transport, one of my kids said she drove 85 mph down the interstate. I absolutely believe that. It had never been me who had a medical emergency. It was always them and me following the ambulance. They all showed up. It was scary for all of us and when the second episode happened I said "I can't live like this." But I have and I do and I don't call for an ambulance any more. I guess I got used to the process and if I can't self cardiovert, I know what to do. And now instead of rushing out the door, I take time to make sure I'm properly dressed, fix my hair and put a bit of make up on. If I die I don't want my kids to see their mother looking like a bum. I have to say this part. If it happens in the wee hours the Boy wakes up and is ready to go in 10 minutes. No complaints.

Nicky, one time I drove myself to the ER.

I have a friend who has afib and he had a stroke. He is on the mend but exhausted from all the meds. When we were at uni he ended up in hospital and he kept going to the Dr saying his HR was in the 200s but he wasn't told he had afib until after his stroke last year. so, for over a decade he was asking for help and not getting it and they were putting it down to anxiety and stress from doing a degree in his 50s. His stroke was relatively mild but He is improving. Basically his memory is affected, his speech is fine but every so often you can hear the disconnect as if he is trying to speak but something has slowed down and the words aren't quite coming out. Hard to explain.

This makes me want to cry! Stroke is the biggest risk with afib and I feel like it could have been prevented. Why didn't the doc pursue the afib right away? He must've had more episodes of it? When you say he was exhausted from the meds I wonder if they put him on a beta blocker which seems to be routine. They weigh you down like you've never felt in your life. Like walking with concrete blocks on your feet.

It makes me feel SO sad for your friend. Anxiety and stress, my eye! It causes anxiety and stress! If there's anything I've learned in the past 10 years it's that every case is different, it should never be treated lightly, what helps one person doesn't help the other, and some doctors should get out of the profession. They should always listen to their patients. Patients have all the pieces of the diagnosis that the doctors don't have unless they are willing to listen.

Look at what happened to me...by the third episode I knew it was triggered by digestion and at first, I didn't know why. From the start I told every medical person who saw me that I had just eaten a meal. It was me who did the work and not any doctor. It shouldn't be that way. I found Roemheld syndrome.

Here's a portion of his wiki.

Roemheld syndrome (RS), or gastrocardiac syndrome,[1][2][3][4][5] or gastric cardiac syndrome[6] or Roemheld–Techlenburg–Ceconi syndrome[7] or gastric-cardia,[7] was a medical syndrome first coined by Ludwig von Roemheld (1871–1938) describing a cluster of cardiovascular symptoms stimulated by gastrointestinal changes. Although it is currently considered an obsolete medical diagnosis, recent studies have described similar clinical presentations and highlighted potential underlying mechanisms.[3][8][9][5]

Symptoms and signs

Relative position of the heart and stomach in the human body
Symptoms can be as follows.[10][11] They are periodic, and occur only during an "episode", usually after eating.

Sinus bradycardia
Difficulty inhaling
Angina pectoris
Left ventricular discomfort
Premature heart beats (PVC / PAC)
Tachycardia
Fatigue
Anxiety
Uncomfortable breathing
Poor perfusion
Muscle pain (crampiness)
Burst or sustained vertigo or dizziness
Sleep disturbance (particularly when sleeping within a few hours of eating, or lying on the left side)
Hot flashes

Mechanical
Mechanically induced Roemheld syndrome is characterized by pressure in the epigastric and left hypochondriac region. Often the pressure is in the fundus of the stomach, the esophagus or distention of the bowel. It is believed this leads to elevation of the diaphragm, and secondary displacement of the heart. This reduces the ability of the heart to fill and increases the contractility of the heart to maintain homeostasis.

Neurological

Gastric nerve connections to the spinal cord and brain medulla oblongata, which regulate the movements of the stomach
The cranium dysfunction mechanical changes in the gut can compress the vagus nerve at any number of locations along the vagus, slowing the heart. As the heart slows, autonomic reflexes are triggered to increase blood pressure and heart rate.

This is complemented by gastro-coronary reflexes[12] whereby the coronary arteries constrict with "functional cardiovascular symptoms" similar to chest-pain on the left side and radiation to the left shoulder, dyspnea, sweating, up to angina pectoris-like attacks with extrasystoles, drop of blood pressure, and tachycardia (high heart rate) or sinus bradycardia (heart rate below 60 bpm). Typically, there are no changes/abnormalities related in the EKG detected. This can actually trigger a heart attack in people with cardiac structural abnormalities i.e. coronary bridge, missing coronary, and atherosclerosis.

I am living proof that this diagnosis is NOT obsolete and there are plenty of studies on the NHS and now...the NIH that confirm that. I know I go on and on about it but if there's a reader out there that this "clicks" for I will have been able to help someone else.

I pray your friend will continue to recover his memory. I honestly feel like his stroke should have never happened. There but for the grace of God, go I.

<3

I tried to reply yesterday but it refreshed and I lost what I wrote.

You really are amazing and brave. That sounds like it would have been terrifying. It's nice that your people were there. I will share these things with my friend. See if he has any food related connections. He called the other day and I didn't hear any pausing in his speech during the call this time. So it does sound like things are improving. He has decided to retire on medical grounds.

How is your tummy doing? Had the antibiotics continued to help?

[IWMP]

Better than I had expected. It was interesting that all the kids were playing on the trampoline when we hired a bouncy castle. Coulda saved money lol. Little one said she didn't know kids brought presents. She doesn't get many party invites. She is absolutely covered in temporary tattoos. Like maybe easily 40 tattoos. I've bathed her twice and tried the sellotape trick.

Kids in the UK must be crazy lol. No one would ignore a bouncy castle here

Normally they do lol. It could have been because there were balloons in there. The balloon arch fell down so the kids took the balloons out before the party started.

[Jersey Girl]

I tried to reply yesterday but it refreshed and I lost what I wrote.

You really are amazing and brave. That sounds like it would have been terrifying. It's nice that your people were there. I will share these things with my friend. See if he has any food related connections. He called the other day and I didn't hear any pausing in his speech during the call this time. So it does sound like things are improving. He has decided to retire on medical grounds.

How is your tummy doing? Had the antibiotics continued to help?

I just did a small update on that thread you can read. It would be interesting if you could ask your friend if he has seen any connections with food or eating if you think he won't start obsessing about eating. I truly feel so bad for him and how his medical was handled or mishandled. At the very least they could have put him on a blood thinner right away and it doesn't sound like they did that. Stroke is the number one risk with afib and anticoagulants can help prevent that. I hope he's experiencing improvement like you said! It's amazing how our bodies can recover.

Yes that first episode was so scary and I felt so good that my kids showed up. I'm sure they were worried that I was having a heart attack. It was our younger daughter who has a medical background who reassured me that the shock was going to be okay. I suspect she had seen or knew about the procedure. I remember asking the doctor if the shock would hurt like hell so I could be prepared. He smiled and told me they put you out for it. Newbie that I was! How would I know I never did that before.