I know I haven't been around for a while, but figured I'd post this. This contains information on medical procedures and you may or may not want to read, so be forewarned. As those of you who converse with me off the football side of things know I have a history of anxiety and health related issues, or maybe "health related issues" as it seems to be as all medical tests I've had have mostly come back okay with few exceptions that aren't really of much concern. There's some back story to this, so here goes. About a month ago I had what's known as a flexible sigmoidoscopy. It's a tube with a camera they shove up your *** to see if you're having any problems they might have missed via their colonoscopy, which is just a longer tube with a camera they shove further up your *** under sedation. The diagnosis from the colonoscopy was that I had small internal hemorrhoids, which apparently are about as serious as a small pimple on the outside of the skin. I go a few years between follow ups and they want to perform this sigmoidoscopy on me. Okay. So I go through with this procedure, and it's the same result (small internal hemorrhoids). Good, they haven't missed anything. I was given some ointment, which I use when I can tell they're bothering me, and that was that. I go for my follow up and explain that I've had on and off pains throughout my abdominal region since the procedure and blatantly ask the doctor flat out if he thinks that it could be complications from the recent sigmoidoscopy. he says no, and based upon my descriptions he believe it's IBS (which I do notice happens when I'm more vigilant about all this). I'm given a prescription for that, and am to take "when necessary", which basically means when I can't hold things in any longer I take one of these pills. Well, I took the pills 3 times and noticed my heart rate was high (looked before hand and it was a side effect), so as the pills were "take as needed" I stopped taking them because A) it seemed to do the opposite B) my heart rate was high, and C) if A and B coexist and D is supposed to be fixing the problem and isn't happening then why take them in the first place? I should note here that since the sigmoidoscopy (about a month ago) I can't get it out of my head that there must be some complication because of these intermittent pains I've been having. There must be something wrong. I'm constantly waking up with the feeling that today is going to be the day that I die, that the medical professionals are just missing things inside my body, and I have a serious problem that they can't find. The only issue with stopping the IBS pills is that my heart rate didn't go down. On Saturday I noticed my heart rate at a resting state was pretty high, so I went to the emergency room and was hooked up to EKG's. For those not in the know, those are basically leads stuck on your body that tie up to a machine and let you know how your heart beat is coming along. The report came out and my heart rate at a resting state was 140. I was told I needed to go to the hospital. They call an ambulance because the little place I'm at doesn't have the capabilities that the hospital in the state does, so I get to take a ride in an ambulance for the first tme in my life. Luckily, I'm in the back of an ambulance with a very attractive woman who's very chatty and answers all my questions about various do dads in the ambulance, and ask her some general medical questions, and she makes the trip much easier. My heart rate in the ambulance was in the 130-140 range. I get taken out of the ambulance and rolled into the hallway and hooked up to yet another EKG machine. My heart rate is about the same. They roll me into a room where my charts are outside the door so they can see what they need to do with me when they come in. I talk to a nurse about any medications I'm on, explain to another doctor about all the stuff I've typed up there in this post, and finally a third doctor comes in and gives me this explanation. I was having what's known as Tachycardia nonspecific. My heartbeat, although beating at a high rate and concerning, was beating at a normal rhythm. They say although the rate is a concern it is much better than, say, a normal heart rate (somewhere between 60/100 BPM) with an abnormal rhythm. I was given anxiety medicine and discharged. Now, here's where it gets worse in my mind. I still don't think I'm okay. I think there's something they've missed and this is all the downfall of my life. I go to therapy for a lot of various reasons, this stuff included, and my therapist told me she wants me to be put back on anti-depressants because the thoughts are occurring at an incredibly fast pace in my mind (manic depressive tendencies), and it's impeding my ability to live (can't deny her that). I'm now on anti anxiety medicine, which I fought so hard to be off of because I don't like the dependence that happens when you're on it (can explain), but if I'm thinking I'm going to die every day I can't very well argue that I need to be on something. I feel crazy. I explain all this to parents, doctors, friends, family, and now you guys and gals, and I'm almost certain I'm coming across as an un-trusting hypochondriac lunatic. I feel so defeated going back on this medicine, but I think for now it's the best. I'm hopped up and calm like a hindu cow, yet these thoughts still run through my head.
Not at all man, and I am glad to see you back around here. I am not a doctor by any means, and you know where to reach me on facebook if you need anything, or need to talk, i always enjoy our conversations on AIM or facebook. The only thing I can suggest is seeing another doctor maybe? Get another opinion, describe that you arent happy or dont trust the results the other DRs are giving you. Even if they come to the same conclusion maybe it will put you at ease more. I don't think its a coincidence that with the original diagnosis, you continued saying there was something wrong, and there ended up BEING SOMETHING MORE WRONG....trust your instincts, you know your body better than anyone, and medical professionals have been wrong before. Keep us posted bro! Good luck, and let me know if you need anything bro.
what medicine did they give your for IBS? was it asacol? not sure why it is affecting your heart rate. wonder if you were having a DDI I'd recommend not going off your anti-anxiety medicine if you have to take one medicine. Manic depression runs in my family, it can get scary. keeping that under control seems like a priority. Regardless, take care of yourself
for IBS they gave me hyoscyamine sulfate, and i don't really have manic depression I have manic depressive tendencies. I do have major depression disorder, though. the only things i have from the manic depression part are my thoughts going incredibly fast paced and breaking down every now and again.
hyoscyamine sulfate is an alkaloid. pretty strong stuff for treating something like IBS. maybe you can inquire whether something milder like Asacol can be effective. remember, not all doctors are created equal. just like scientists, lawyers or any educated professions with advanced degrees, there are good doctors and ones that did just well enough to get their degrees. since hyoscyamine is an alkaloid, I wonder if it isn't exaggerating some of your anxiety symptoms. It can have CNS effects. quite possible your body is more sensitive than it should be.
Resting blood pressure can range all over the place. I am working on a study regarding pain (we inflict pain on patients to gauge effects) and we will take anyone as long as their resting blood pressure is below 150. I have seen people with their blood pressure as high as 200/100, so you don't have much to worry about at 140. Also, I know of know some of the feelings you have... As a child I got stretch marks on my inner thighs. At the time I had no clue what they were, and got really scared because of them. They were reddish in color and formed a groove in my thighs, etc. I, literally thought I had a life-threatening disease, but I was too scared/ashamed to tell my parents. I became pretty anxious and nervous about them every time I would see them in the shower, but was still too scared to tell anyone. I got over this fear/anxiousness by just thinking, "F*** it, the worse that can happen is I die." I know that seems really odd and out there, but once I had that mentality about them they never really bothered me in my mind. Basically, that was my way of overcoming the thoughts in my mind that they were potentially life-threatening.
Thing is anlgp, if one thinks one is ill, that has an effect on health b/c one then feels there is always something "wrong". Completely valid, I'd guess the only treatment would be logically dispelling what issues that you think you may be having. As for anxiety, st john's wort works well for me at least.
To UCF - resting heart rate, not blood pressure. resting heart rate of 140. RE: smoking a J - can't do it man. all it does is make me more paranoid. and yes i've given consideration to "all that will happen is I'll die" and that thoughts about bad health probably help create bad health. didn't know that stuff about the sulfate, though. i haven't taken it because it pretty much did the opposite. thanks everyone.
