posted
I am having more and more horrifying anxiety attacks that come out of the blues. I get this light headed feeling and then a flushing of sometimes hot or sometimes cool feeling that flood that body to the head. I get so panicy that it really feels like your going to check out. I cant explain it in words. I suffer from sevear dizziness but this happens so quick and I have to talk to my self and thank goodness my little one is usually around me so I have to make sure I dont loose it and talk to her to try to take my mind of it. After a while it gets better. I dont know if this is a herx or what? or really just a panic attack? I am curently on amox and clindomycin and just started cats claw. Any input from anyone would help. I just feel so out of it. Today had another bad attack at my child soccer game. Soooooooooooo tierd of being scared to leave home in case i have one that I wont be able to get a hold on. help! terri also had a hot and cold rush feeling at the bottom of my right foot? any idea?
Posts: 45 | From Redlands, Calif | Registered: Aug 2006
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
hey terri,
what you described were what my first symptoms were like. you explained it better then i could.
I was on vacation when i had my first one last august 05...went to the ER...and the dr thought it was my thyroid. It was so beyond scary.
I had 3 more attacks, with the head pressure and hot and cold sensations......it was like a wave started in my head near my temples.
Duck told me it was ocular migraines....my new llmd said it sounded like menegitis.
I was dizzy for 2 months and what lead to me having to go out on disability.
From my reading here on the board this is a common symptom. And i can really relate to your fear of going out in public....i was afraid to do anything alone. Mine also got worse on abx.
I can tell you i no longer have this symptom....i dont know what got rid of it as ive been on so many different abx. i do know zithromax got rid of the dizziness.
hang in there.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
I would like to know if ANY of the newbies know what a paragraph is used for in literature?
And don't come on here and tell me I'm "bashing" poor sick newbies.
It seems to be too dang common lately!
Is this some kind of reflection on our poor school systems these days?
Don't the newbies search around the net first before posting to see how some folks have neuro lyme and can't read the big blocks of writting?
Betty has enough to do and because of the latest influx of trolls has had to break up descriptions only to find out later the newbie was a troll!
I mean come on!
Terri especially...you've actually been here a little while to know better!
Look Terri...stop the cats claw with the abx.... Ask your doctor for a social anxiety medication... And carry around a paper bag to breathe into when you start to hyperventilate prior to your panic attack...
zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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daystar1952
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3255
posted
Zman......I don't get it.....are you trying to get people riled and upset? You've got to be kidding me. What kind of response was that?
I don't usually pay attention to who is posting what, I mostly just scan through for important topics so I don't know whether or not you are a suspected troll.
You must have some problems of your own to react in that manner. I'd think about that if I were you.
Terri....those symptoms are very common in lyme and can be very scary. I've heard many say that their anxiety or panic attacks basically go away after a period of time. I think it may have to do with adrenaline surges. Lyme can mess up our adrenal glands....among other things. I also noticed a correlation with stuff going on in my stomach at the same time I would get hot flashes of fear....so don't worry, you are not going crazy...even tho it may feel like it sometimes
Posts: 1176 | Registered: Oct 2002
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I got anxiety / panic attacks out of the blue too during the initial phases of my treatment.
Although it is not research proven, I believe it is due to the inflammation of brain tissue. Lyme causes the inflammation, and the toxins when the bugs die cause inflammation.
When there is inflammation in the brain, blood flow is constricted. When blood flow is constricted, wierd symptoms occur. For some reasons, these often seem to be neuro psych, neurological, and neuro cognitive in lyme.
Hang in there. If it gets too much, take a break, after you talk to you doctor.
Search the posts here. Many have talked about this and their strategies for getting through them.
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by terrirdls1: I am having more and more horrifying anxiety attacks that come out of the blues. I get this light headed feeling and then a flushing of sometimes hot or sometimes cool feeling that flood that body to the head. I get so panicy that it really feels like your going to check out. I cant explain it in words. I suffer from sevear dizziness but this
HI Terri I have suffered from Lyme and co infection since the early 90's. I also, because of that have suffered severe panic and anxiety attacks since the same time.
What sounds like is happening to you is you're having severe bouts of vertigo which is inturn making you panic and who could blame you? I also suffer from bouts of vertigo where everything is spinning so badly that I feel like I'm going to pass out and I can't stand up. This can last from a few seconds or put me in bed for hours. It also makes me feel very weak and shakey all over.
This could be the illness and or the medications you're on. Sure, it is possible it's anxiety but it sounds more like your symptoms are what starts it and that is completely normal for what you're feeling.
Talk to your doctor let him or her know whats happening and maybe he or she can also give you something to help you relax some. We all know how scarey this disease is especially when symptoms that floor us just hit out of no where. Good Luck. Robyn
Posts: 209 | From South Carolina by the beach | Registered: Jun 2005
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
I have never had a panic attack in my life, prior to being ill with Lyme. One panic attack landed me in the ER as I was sure that I could not breathe and that if I closed my mouth I would die. Since being on antibx. these attacks have decreased in intensity and frequency. I've been prescribed anti-anxiety meds, however have two small children and cannot function the way I need to on these meds. Hang in there. I was sure I was losing my mind. Being a Hurricane Katrina survivor, I was dx with post-traumatic stress disorder. Funny as I never had attacks during the hurricane, following the hurricane when we lived outside for 34 days w/o electricity, or during the process of trying to rebuild.
Sincerely, Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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So sorry you are dealing with anxiety stuff. I totally agree with I Have Lyme about vertigo. There is something different about a Lyme anxiety event. I find it is usually inflammation oriented and always involves inner-ear balance getting thrown off.
Before I was diagnosed with Lyme, I went to an ear specialist. He told me I had "otosclerosis" which causes dizziness and hearing loss. (Now I wonder about the dizziness being solely Lyme.) He said don't feel like you're nuts when you feel your sense of balance is off-kilter (be it slight or really spinning) -- everyone experiences anxiety when their inner-ear balance is in question -- it's the body's way of warning you something is off.
That said, treat it like an axiety attack to get through it. Be kind to yourself; tell yourself this will pass; slow down your breathing.
Instead breathing into a paperbag, try to focus on a slow count: breath in to the count of five - hold breath to the count of five - breath out to the count of five. Try it slowly for about five times. If all else fails, try the paperbag technique.
Focusing on slow breathing actually distracts your mind from panicing as much.
Unfortunately, sometimes it lasts longer than other times. Don't try to over-analyze why it is happening at the very time it is occuring. Accept it at the moment to let it pass.
I don't mean to minimize anything folks have said in terms of what is actually going on in the body. I think they are right on in their assessments. I just hope this coping trick might be of some help to you at the moments of anxiety.
Wishes for calmer times,
wiserforit
Posts: 508 | From Banks of the Hudson | Registered: Jul 2006
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Hi. For 12 years I thought the attacks I had like you describe were simply very long, very bad panic attacks. I have an MVP, and I knew that 40% of MVPers develop panic problems at some point.
I had the flushing, I was hot while having goose bumps at the same time, my feet turned purple, everything in my bowels and bladder had to come out right now, I had chest pain and pain down my left arm, and my heart rate was 110-165, with a blood pressure of 220/104 appx. In otherwords, I was being flooded with adrenaline.
The attacks always lasted 1 1/2 hrs., way too long for a normal panic attack (the definition says no more than 15 mins.), but typical for Lyme, according to Dr. K. I had 95% of the attacks in my sleep (a big clue that I had developed apnea).
Then specialists decided I had one of two kinds of rare cancer (pheochromocytoma or carcinoid syndrome) and kept doing tests for them over and over and over....with negative results.
Then finally, my PCP put me on a Cardiac Event Monitor (NOT a Holter, which is not nearly as good) and in one night we had the answer...I have Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT), a conduction disorder, which is a complication of MVP where the heart grows an extra loop of electrical tissue.
A radiofrequency ablation procedure can fix it, but I cannot have that done for reasons not relevant here, so I am on Verapamil ER 180 mgs. per day to control the attacks, and I also take extra Xanax whenever I must be away from home, since 12 yrs. of having those attacks set up an automatic anticipatory fear response.
This does not mean you have PSVT too, only that it is a possibility, esp. if you have more attacks when you exert yourself.
Some other things like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) are a possibility too, esp. if you have attacks primarily after standing a long time. Do a search for "dysautonomia" + "Vanderbilt" and you should get good stuff from their Univ. clinic on this.
My attacks were not related to treatment. For most of those years, I had no idea I had Lyme. I thought I had Fibromyalgia.
I hope you get an answer soon. I really feel for you....it is so terrifying.
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
Daystar NO
I am NOT trying to get people all riled around here... Gee if you have'nt noticed the sudden influx of a bunch of trolls here lately...exactly WHAT are you reading in your lurking capacity!?
I merely brought this paragraph thing up because it IS a problem for some here.
IF these people are SERIOUSLY ill folks and NOT trolls they would EASILY comply with the wishes of the neuro-sick lymies and break up their posts.
By NOT complying...they become IMHO suspect!
I thought I eventually gave her excellent advice as to what she should do about her vertigo/anxiety for very excellent reasons.
zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:Originally posted by lymie tony z: Daystar NO
I am NOT trying to get people all riled around here... IF these people are SERIOUSLY ill folks and NOT trolls they would EASILY comply with the wishes of the neuro-sick lymies and break up their posts.
By NOT complying...they become IMHO suspect!
zman
I don't usually say much on this board anymore because of posts like this. This time though this is going too far..
I'd like to know who made you the "troll police"? I'd also like to know who you are to say "IF these peopel are SERIOUSLY ILL" and when when you got your MD degree to be able to gauge who is seriously ill and not.
Did you ever stop to consider maybe SOME people are TOO SICK to go hunting through hundreds of posts?
In your humble opinion people who don't type like you would like them too are suspect? Are you for real? Maybe YOU need to get your paranoia looked into?
People who come here are usually VERY sick or know someone who is. It would be nice if certain people stopped worrying about this inmature "troll" stuff and instead were truley supportive, meaning, giving good advice with a warm gentle tone too it.
If you think someone is a troll, report it and ignore them. Isn't that why this site has moderators on it?
As for your post to Terri, it was nasty and sarcastic and its obvious I'm not the only one who saw it that way, gee, should you be suspected of being a troll now?
posted
I don't usually post to this kind of nonsense but who the heck are you zman??? I can barely remember what I had for breakfast, let alone my ability to seperate paragraphs and be grammatically correct.
You ought to be alittle kinder. It goes further when people sign on here that are hurting. We newbies don't need to be called trolls either.
-------------------- ...~*Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming*~... Posts: 120 | From New Jersey | Registered: May 2006
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I have to agree with breezywings and I Have Lyme Etc, lighten up. Terri is obviously under great stress because of these panic attacks she's having. The last thing she needs to be is pounced on when she's trying to find some help and comfort. Thats what this site is for, is'nt it?
If you've never experianced one of these anxiety attacks you're a lucky guy. I had them when I first got really sick with Lyme and they can be truely frightening. Breaking out in a cold sweat with your heart beating a 150 beats a minute feeling like you're on fire while feeling totally over come with terror is nothing to take lightly. Picking on someone with this about sentence and paragraph structure is heartless.
Terri the good news is they will go away. It was actually one of the first symptoms I had to go away. Had a relapse of Lyme a year later and began to get them again, milder this time; went back on abx and stopped them in their tracks. Hang in there you'll be alright.
Patrick
Posts: 142 | From Florida | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
I had exactly what you describe weeks after starting Samento/Cat's Claw. I am almost certain it was the Samento that caused the herx. I was getting them every single day for about 2 months until I simply couldn't cope anymore and stopped it.
I got so scared that I completely stopped going out because it was happening when meeting people - it was hell. I still sometimes get worried when going out incase I ever have one again, because they FEEL life threatening.
P.S) Mine is now completely gone.
Posts: 263 | From UK | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Just wondering: could anxiety/panic attacks be due to reduced oxygen in the brain? As part of Lyme/co-infections/herxes?
Also, tonyz, I suggest you take it easy on new posters. When I first posted, I did big-block posting since I don't have the reading challenge. Bettyg asked me to break up the block, which I did.
That's all you need to do, is let folks know if something's needed here. Please don't attack new posters for not realizing something.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
quote "I would like to know if ANY of the newbies know what a paragraph is used for in literature?
And don't come on here and tell me I'm "bashing" poor sick newbies.
It seems to be too dang common lately!
Is this some kind of reflection on our poor school systems these days" zman, that's just plain rude!
terri, this past summer i had several panic attacks that also came out of the blue, one landed me in the ER, they can be pretty hard to deal with. i would stop the cat's claw for now to see if they go away. also try distraction techniques, like doing things wiht your daughter like you said, and it will hopefully go away. that helped with mine. if this doesn't help, maybe an antianxiety med to take as needed might do the trick until they go away, which eventually they will, good luck to you!
Posts: 163 | From maine | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I just cut and pasted this from another post. Nothing worse than being unable to relax and just calmly think. best of luck and hang in there....
I currently take clonazapam for anxiety attacks but I'm slowly getting off it with a Lithium/Taurine combination.
Lithium has been bad mouthed because...well it's not patentable and they can't make $$$ of us. It's by far less damaging and has even been termed neuro-protective.
Here's a site on Lithium...best of luck
The new data suggest that lithium may calm overexcited areas of the brain or, more provocatively, preserve the life of brain cells whose presence guards against manic depression.
posted
Thank you all. I really appreciate all the wonderful advise and for defending me. I have a college degree in biology. Was attending med school at UCLA in calif. I was very a 3.8 GPA but now a days that does not matter to much.
I have trouble putting words on paper and my thoughts are all over the place. Im constantly stressed out and trying my best to live a semi normal life so my kids dont have to suffer with me anymore. They have lived an unknown for many years since MD labeled me nuts.
I do the best that I can and help anyone that needs my help. Regardless on how I feel, if I can help I do so.
So thank you everyone for coming to my defense. This means the world to me. You are all in my thoughts and prayers for good health and a happy life. God bless. Terri
Posts: 45 | From Redlands, Calif | Registered: Aug 2006
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