Thought I was going to die yesterday.

I (33 M) was standing in the kitchen yesterday when a wave of dizziness, high bp and heart rate came over me. I couldn't stand, and basically fell to he floor. My wife called an ambulance right away. Lying on the floor, I remained conscious, but really dizzy and I thought I might pass out at any moment. There was a persistent tingling in both my hands. I was scared for my life at this time.

The EMT's came and took my pressure. It was at 163/120 and my rate was at 123 (if I remember correctly). I was taken to hospital, and there I had to wait for 7 hours before seeing a doctor. All this time I felt dizzy, and sometimes it came in stronger.

They did a complete bloodwork, urine, ecg, and a chest x-ray. Everything was normal there, well as normal as you'd expect from a smoker who drinks a bit more than average.

I was discharged, went home and slept. Right now I feel a bit weak. I feel a lot better then yesterday, but a little light-headed and weak.

I got to thinking that my anxiety may have been a factor here, but I am no doctor, so that's why I am writing this.

What I am hoping for is a possible explanation for what happened, because when my tests came back negative, it left me a bit nervous.

If any additional info is needed, I'll provide through a PM.

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snordfjord
13 Answers
fighter22
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2 people found this helpful

I could be wrong here, but it sounds like a classic case of panic attack.

Are you going back for any testing or anything like that? If they discharged you, we can assume that you are well enough to go home.

Have you ever had a panic attack before? Did they have any answers in the hospital as to what might have caused it?

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snordfjord
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I've not been diagnosed with anxiety, but I've never sought one either.

That being said, I'm a very anxious, nervous man. I hope it could be an anxiety/panic attack, but I don't know...

I never had an attack like that. My anxiety has always been underneath, with sweaty palms, fast heart rate, and tremors as the only physical sign.

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fighter22
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I might be a good idea to go and see your doctor about it. Anxiety is something that you can overcome, and you're doctor will also be able to tell you if it was a panic attack or not. All the symptoms you listed, it sounds like a panic attack. Is your blood pressure usually high? I'm sorry you went through this, it sounds scary as hell.

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fighter22
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No problem. I was doing a bit of reading, and apparently sometimes high blood pressure can either cause anxiety, or anxiety can cause high blood pressure. Go to the doctor regardless though. I have anxiety too, and I swear, if you get a good medication, its like standing in a noisy room that you've gotten used to over the years, and then finally coming out into complete silence. It was beautiful, and the first time my body fully relaxed in years.

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fighter22
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It is quite self perpetuating. That is the nature of anxiety. It was quite an ordeal to go through I would imagine, a shock to the system, so its understandable that it would worry to you. Best of luck buddy, I'm sure everything will turn out for the best :)

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snordfjord
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Again, thanks :)

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KentGrz
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How long before your bloodwork was done? Your symptoms sound like hypoglycemia. Is it possible that your blood sugar stabilized by the time it was checked at the hospital?

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T2AmR
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Probably just had a simple chest pain like everyone has once in a while. Could be from heartburn or acid reflux. Only this time, it didn't feel quite the same and the idea of a heart attack popped into your head. At this point panic set in and got worse and worse. I'd be willing to bet you felt a little better even when the ambulance got there and probably even more so in the hospital. Then probably got more worried when you left fearing it would happen again.

By knowing its a panic attack you can stop your next one by knowing its only a panic attack and it can't hurt you. Nobody has ever died from a panic attack.

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tailofspence
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There's a difference between panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. They are two different diagnosis even though they have similarities and it's very difficult to say which one you may have. I would suggest that when you do visit your doctor, especially if it is a GP, to ask politely to be referred to a psychiatrist to get this properly diagnosed as the treatment does vary slightly. I'm not so up to date on DSM V because it just came out a couple months ago, but I did recently finish my psych rotation and I'm leaning more towards panic disorder especially when you mentioned "hoping for a possible explanation/negative tests left you more nervous". A pt w/ panic disorder characteristically has anxiety secondary to fear of having the next panic attack.

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HumanCatalyst
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Obvious question but, were you tested for diabetes?

Whenever I'm using insulin and my glucose isn't up, I get the same side effects; dizzy, sweating, very tired, very hungry.

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snordfjord
Contributor
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Thanks, man. My bp is usually normal, a bit higher than the median (around 130/90), but within limits. My pulse is usually high, though.

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snordfjord
Contributor
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Yes, I was actually. My glucose levels were normal.

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snordfjord
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Thanks for the tip. I'll talk to my Dr. about this on Tuesday. But it is still weird, that a clean scan gets me more anxious about this. It seems like it is self perpetuating.

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