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I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 10:08 am AEST

I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Maybe I'm being dramatic.

I didn't have a great night's sleep last night. I was pretty beaten up, mainly with the Anxiety of having to go to work tonight. I was a mess...

About 5:00AM last night, I started getting chest pains. It got worse and worse. I thought it was because I was lying in bed, but when I got up, it didn't go away.

I looked it up, and I had four signs of a heart attack.

Persistent left-side chest pain.
Radiating to the shoulder.
A feeling of tightness in the chest.
Shortness of breath.

I decided to go outside and call for help.

I went downstairs and made breakfast. I cracked four eggs (normal for me) and then put in one more, because I thought that may be the last meal I ever have.

I got my bag, packed my book for entertainment while I'm in Emergency and then walked to the coffee shop.

While I was walking, my left hand started going numb... not great signs.

I got to the cafe, and I said to the waitress, "I'm not sure if I should be having coffee right now". She said "why?" I told her what happened, and she said "OK.. let's make you a decaf" 😂.

I feel so bad, last week I was really upset and I talked to her about my break-up, and now this happens. I swear they're going to ban me in a few weeks!

I got to the park, decaf in hand. I started getting the address of the park. I finished my coffee, and I was just about to call 000... but I figured I would go to the doctor instead.

I don't have Ambulance insurance, so I didn't want to go there and have them say it's just tight muscles.

The doctor did an ECG and took my blood. They said that my blood pressure/heart rate were pretty high and my SATS was right on the borderline, but they were comfortable I wasn't dying. They asked me to come back in six hours to get the results of the blood test. She said "if it gets worse, call 000 immediately."

I'm still in pain, but glad to know I don't have to go to Hospital quite yet.

I'd really appreciate your wishes/prayers/sacrifices in the comments, but I hope you enjoyed reading.

Has your Anxiety ever gotten you into physical trouble, and what happened?

10 replies

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In response to: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

BPDSurvivorSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 10:20 am AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Was it a panic attack? @Former-Member

In response to: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 10:29 am AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Wow @Former-Member it sounds like you had a huge experience. I'm glad you were able to get help. I encrouage you to keep an eye on your signs and reach out again if you need to.

Sending you best wishes and healing 💙

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

SJT63Senior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 10:59 am AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@Former-Member

yeah, sounds like anxiety to me... mine usually manifests itself gastro-intestinally but I have had the occasional pseudo heart attack.

Of course, please rule out all the alternatives and take care x

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

AussieRechargerSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 1:30 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Yeah, Been to the hospital a couple of times with high blood pressure due to anxiety...

I also get weak legs and a low immune system where I start to cough.

Anxiety is SH!T.

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 4:09 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@BPDSurvivor wrote:
Was it a panic attack? @Former-Member

I didn't think so, but apparently it is consistent with a panic attack.

I didn't think the chest pain would last that long, but apparently the chest pain from a panic attack can hang around for hours or days after it ends.

On that note, just a super quick update. I got my blood test results back and almost everything is normal. My blood sugar was just a tiny bit high, but not enough to really matter. He said I had some "liver dysfunction"... umm, excuse me?!??!?! But he told me that that wouldn't explain the chest pain either.

It must simply be Anxiety... he told me that there are tests that they can do in hospital that they can't do in a clinic, so if it still hurts tomorrow, I should get checked out.

Let's cross that bridge when we come to it...

I'm just going to take the night off work and relax as much as possible. Thanks so much for your support.

@BPDSurvivor .

@AussieRecharger .

@SJT63 .

@Former-Member .

@Appleblossom .

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 8:20 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@Former-Member Please don't wait that long again. Yes it probably was anxiety but it could next time be your heart. Time is of the essence. Would it be possible for you to just take out ambulance insurance on its own that way you will have piece of mind.

Take it easy 💙

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

AussieRechargerSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 8:25 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@Former-Member

Why do you think you are feeling so anxious?

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 8:52 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@AussieRecharger wrote:
@Former-Member

Why do you think you are feeling so anxious?

Next time, ask me a hard question 😉.

Mainly the fact that I didn't really know what to do in terms of work. It was getting to the stage where I had to make a decision, and I couldn't emotionally bring myself to go back there. It's gotten a bit clearer since then, but yeah.

In response to: Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

AussieRechargerSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 8:57 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

@Former-Member

I get it.. I quick my job today. I just wanted to go to work and do my job. I had only just gone 3 months but every time I went into the office, it was a negative event and then the management team seemed to want to parent me and take control of decisions regarding issues I raised but solving them in the worst possible outcome of why I raised them.

Work.. who needs it..

In response to: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

wellwellwellnezSenior Contributor28 Apr 2021, 12:40 pm AEST

Re: I had a NEAR-DEATH experience! (Depending on how you define one).

I once simulated an angina attack (repeatedly) for a training excercise. I thought I'd "commit" (by that I mean be an idiot) and deliberately hyperventilated for an authentic experience.

Worked out great, when someone in each group knew what to do. Then came the rookies. They froze and panicked while my face was changing colour. Didn't know whether to reach for the morphine or the oxygen.

The answer is (kind of obviously when your not panicked) is oxygen. The ones that knew their way around how to nurse would be stepping in as a breathing coach in seconds (tank on the way just in case). Some were so good it was actually hard to persist with my deliberately fake symptoms.

I learned a lot about panick that day. And nursing. And oxygen.

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