Thread: What the heck happened to me?

  1. #16
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    Way better than a heart attack -- I'm very glad you're actually okay.

  2. #17
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Thanks. I still wonder why it happened. It has to be stress from work. I have a serious load of stuff going on:

    * Impending travel to customer site for requirements gathering
    * Major contributor on three teams simultaneously
    * Trying to finish a patent and not making much progress
    * Giving a lecture next week to a bunch of ECE graduate students and I have no slides

    Not to mention all the non-work stuff.

    :-/
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  3. #18
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    Computer analyzed it and it came back "cannot rule out lateral myocardial infarction." But the actual doctor looked at it and laughed and said it was completely normal.
    I really hope you are good.

    Call me paranoid, but if you can afford it, I think I'd get a second opinion just to be on the safe side.

    Soma

  4. #19
    TEIAM - problem solved
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    Next time you get symptoms like that, you should call your emergency service ASAP

    Here is a add the Australian government ran a short wile ago
    'I wish I could have my heart attack again' - 45sec TV ad (rated PG) - YouTube
    Fact - Beethoven wrote his first symphony in C

  5. #20
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Click_here View Post
    Next time you get symptoms like that, you should call your emergency service ASAP
    I would have, had I been capable of getting up from where I was lying. But if I had I would have definitely lost consciousness (at least it felt that way). I called out for my wife but it was really weak and she didn't hear me.

    Most first-time victims of panic attack call the ER, because they think they're going to die. I can relate, now! Believe me, it was terrifying.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  6. #21
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    I'm glad everything seems okay. My advice: Use this as an excuse to relax and get pampered for a little while.

    Sounds like you deserve it.

  7. #22
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    I really hope you are good.

    Call me paranoid, but if you can afford it, I think I'd get a second opinion just to be on the safe side.
    On the plus side, visiting a cardiologist I would get a chance to look at a lot of pretty cool detectors... And anything which is a detector is fun stuff for me. Perhaps I'll do that.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  8. #23
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    Glad to hear you're okay! And yes, get pampered.

  9. #24
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    Whew, glad you dodged that bullet!
    You ever try a pink golf ball, Wally? Why, the wind shear on a pink ball alone can take the head clean off a 90 pound midget at 300 yards.

  10. #25
    Guest Sebastiani's Avatar
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    Just a few suggestions (to be followed only if in accord with your physician's instructions, of course): 1) Spend a little time every day in deep relaxation. Clear your mind, pay attention to the rhythms and states within your body - breath, heartbeat, tension, fatigue, etc. Listen to the birds sing, behold the stars above, feel the wind caressing the skin. Eventually you should be able to apply these techniques throughout the day to help reduce anxiety, anger, and hyperactive thoughts just as they begin to arise.2) Drink plenty of water, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, breath fresh air whenever possible. Otherwise, consume whatever you like - in moderation, of course, and just be sure to pay attention to how each of those things affect your mind and body.3) Your brain and cardiovascular system may need some exercise. (A) Lay on a slightly inclined plane, with head lower than the feet. Maintain this position for as long as is comfortable. SLOWLY graduate to steeper angles until you are able get as close to vertical as possible. This may take weeks or even months, but whatever the case, it is EXTREMELY important that you not rush it; doing so after experiencing such an episode can be potentially dangerous! You should feel positive effects from this sort of practice fairly immediately; if at any point you sense otherwise, discontinue or, if the negative effects are mild, simply decrease the pitch or duration as necessary. (B) Practice deep (but not forced) breathing, especially through he nose. A good way to start is the allow all air to be expended from lungs, then simply refrain from breathing until your lungs "kick in" - this just tends to produce a deeper, more natural breathing. (C) Bend, twist, and stretch! Do it every day, as often as possible - don't neglect a single muscle or joint either.4) Keep airways reasonably clear of residual mucus. One of my favorite techniques is to actually "inhale" small quanities of clean water through the nose - believe it or not, it's a great way to deep clean the nasal and lung cavities!5) Remember, noone else will ever be able sense problems within your body as well as you, detect which fine parameters to tune, or maintain the state of mind necessary to ensure that the healing process stays on the right track. You are the culmination of billions of years of clever adaptation and resilience - make good use of it!
    Code:
    #include <cmath>
    #include <complex>
    bool euler_flip(bool value)
    {
        return std::pow
        (
            std::complex<float>(std::exp(1.0)), 
            std::complex<float>(0, 1) 
            * std::complex<float>(std::atan(1.0)
            *(1 << (value + 2)))
        ).real() < 0;
    }

  11. #26
    Registered User camel-man's Avatar
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    I had a panic attack last year in January, my symptoms were a lot like the ones you described. Except I felt that I was detached from reality and anytime I touched something, I felt it a second later. That really freaked me out then my heart started racing and I hyperventilated, making symptoms worse. At that time I was not very healthy though. Between stress, not eating right, and not exercising right, I was a staggering 6'2" 128lbs.

  12. #27
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    Try cutting out caffeine if that's what you're into.
    Dr. Wiki says:
    Panic attack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    ... decribes your symptoms. Stay well.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    Call me paranoid, but if you can afford it, I think I'd get a second opinion just to be on the safe side.
    I agree with Soma, particularly if you haven't been prone to panic attacks before.

    A fair percentage of transient symptoms that precede a larger event are falsely diagnosed as being psychological (e.g. panic attacks) or due to fatigue.

    Maximise your chances of averting a more serious event.

    Whatever you do, I hope it works out.
    Right 98% of the time, and don't care about the other 3%.

    If I seem grumpy or unhelpful in reply to you, or tell you you need to demonstrate more effort before you can expect help, it is likely you deserve it. Suck it up, Buttercup, and read this, this, and this before posting again.

  14. #29
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
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    I started experiencing panic attacks a few years ago. After going to the hospital and doctors repeatedly I have now learned how to control them. The attacks, however, have caused my heart to experience palpitations and I am on medication for that....primarily b/c it affects my life not because they are dangerous. I've had PVCs or pre-ventricular contractions while on the heart monitor at the hospital while talking to the doctor and they thought nothing of them. Over 90% of the population has them and 100% have them at one time or another. The problem is that PVCs make it feel as if your heart skips a beat when it actually adds a beat. This then can lead to the onset of a panic attack.

    The main thing to do in a panic attack is to get up (if you are sitting down at your computer) and do something else. Try to concentrate on something else or perhaps call someone or talk to someone. This will engage your brain and get your mind off of the attack. My first panic attack happened when I was concentrating in building a model in Blender and I think I simply concentrated myself into a mess. Since then I have learned to take frequent breaks and when I feel one coming on I tell myself what it is repeatedly. I know they are not dangerous and so I tell myself this to get my brain to believe it. If your heart rate skyrockets the best thing I can tell you to do is scrunch down on your feet and wrap your arms around your knees and sit there. You can also cough a bit. All of this changes the pressure in your chest and your heart will react accordingly. My first panic attack my BP was 195 / 98 with a 155 heart rate. It is essentially like you are exercising except you are not. I recommend you stay away from caffeine at all costs b/c it is known to causes these types of symptoms in certain people...and at certain times in their lives.

    If anyone else experiences this make sure you go to the doctor and get all appropriate checks done. Strokes and TIAs also exhibit very similar symptoms to panic attacks. NEVER self diagnose yourself and think everything is ok without going through all the appropriate tests. I have gone through stress tests, heart monitors, CT scans, EKGs, and Echocardiograms so I know firsthand I do not have any signs of blood clots or heart disease. In my instance it comes down to a mental thing that I can control and no longer fear. In most cases this is true but just in case....always go to the doctor. This is probably the number one cause of ER visits in middle aged males so do not feel bad if you go to the ER and nothing is wrong.

  15. #30
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    It's weird. This happened to my father for about a decade, back when he was the age I am now. He starting experiencing heart palpitations, went to a bunch of doctors and cardiologists, all of whom could not find anything wrong. He took several anti-arrhythmic medications over the years, I think mostly because he insisted. When I was about 9 or 10, he described all of his problems to me in great detail, and this caused me to have nightmares for several years and moments where I could not stop focusing on my heartbeat. I am completely familiar with the "skipped beat" sensation and it happens to me regularly. I have learned to deal with it by not thinking about it and by avoiding sleeping on my left side, which makes it easier to feel my heart.

    Now that I am thinking about it, I've had heart rate excursions accompanied by agitated feelings for a long, long time. Writhing my limbs, pacing and jittering my legs seems to help. If I don't do those things, I end up concentrating on my heartbeat again and that only makes it worse. What made it different this time was the lightheadedness, which I still don't have any explanation for, but I'm starting to think it was just a coincidence. Like I said, the "panic attack" or, the way I would put it, agitated period, happens fairly regularly and so it was only a matter of time until one of them coincided with something else, which sent me mentally off the deep end a little bit.

    It seems like the universe becomes correlated in weird ways just prior to and after these sorts of things take place (total superstition, I know!) Guess what I found out today: my dad passed out last night, hit his head, went to the ER and turned out he had a massive pulmonary embolism. He's in intensive care -- I need to drive up and see him.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

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