Well, this escalated quickly...

Mike

I know it sucks, and its easy for me to say, but try not to stress it too much. Its just a car and it will all work out in the end. Just insist on it getting moved to the right shop and don't give up.

Hope it all works out for you.

__________________
NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z
Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

ImportConvert

I asked my MD WTF?! I told him I deal with people dying, stress, all that at work, and it has NEVER affected me this way. He says that it's a physical reaction to stress and cannot be controlled. It's not like "sit tight and chill out, think that it's going to be okay". This isn't caused so much by the conscious as it is a physiological reaction. Kindof like your pulse rising when you run, so to speak. I've never had this until now, a couple of days after the wreck. I'm really hoping it doesn't happen again. It was literally the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, bar none.

I have a good lawyer and the money will all work out, and the car will roll again, but the panic attack deal was just over the top. It wasn't emotional, I was being "calm" when it happened, I thought. I was sitting, wasn't running around, wasn't fidgeting hardcore, I was just physically degrading BADLY. The only sign I wasn't calm was that I was scared as **** and hyperventilating. I cannot describe it to you, because I couldn't understand it until it happened to me. I just glossed over that in clinicals and never encountered it in my practice, I just cannot describe the sensation of fear and "doom", but I will try.

Imagine someone has stuck your head through a sheet. A bad someone. Someone maybe who broke into your house and has first tied you in a chair. Now they lift the sheet, shove the barrel of a shotgun under there where you cant see, and pull the trigger while punching the barrel into your chest, except they are just messing with you. The shot purposefully goes wide, you feel no pain except them slamming the barrel into you and you're terrified you've been shot in the chest and have seconds/minutes at best to live, but they won't let you see under the sheet, so you're stuck imagining how back you are F'ed up. Then they laugh at you.

That's how I felt. Obviously totally different circumstances,and the people around me were being very helpful, taking my BP, glucose, O2 sat (I work in a hospital in critical and intermediate care.), etc. But those are the emotions and the level of fear I felt. Insane and off the charts. It even F'ed my EKG up to the point that the MD in the ER STRONGLY emphasized my need for a follow-up EKG. Depressed ST waves and a Q-T interval in the mid 500ms range. Luckily, my EKG is back to normal. Also as a reaction to that stress, by WBC count went to 17K, and my blood glucose went to the high 160's. I am fit, healthy, and not fighting infection. My BG normally is in the 100-113 range. That's how "real" the panic you feel during that is. It's not a "calm down, man, life will be okay" moment. I didn't even know I was freaking out until I saw my BP, and then got scared because of that, then my hands began going numb and that freaked me out more. I just thought my blood sugar was low at first.

Mt Tam I am

Wow. This is awful. Treat yourself like an older patient, and take a baby asprin every day, till this passes. No strokes for you.

I know you carry a gun, so be careful that you are not quick to anger or scare.

I have found that excercise such as walking miles helps.

Lastly, I do not know your politics but since the election many folks are anxious, especially gun folk.

Relax somehow and this will pass.

__________________
Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

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Like I said, it's not an emotional thing. I'm calm emotionally, and was at the time until I freaked out about "something's SERIOUSLY (I thought) WRONG!"

I'm still calm, level, etc.

For the next 4 weeks or so, though, I am not drinking any caffeine. They gave me scripts for Valium and Xanax, and I have not even filled those yet. I honestly don't know when I would even take one, because I refuse to go to work, drive, or carry when I have had even 1 alcoholic drink. Same for stuff like that.

Personally, I hope this never happens again, but if it did, me carrying a weapon would not be a factor. It's like saying "someone in their 50's shouldn't carry because they could have a heart-attack". The experience is VERY similar, so I hear. You don't "freak out" and want to start shooting or punching or anything crazy. Certainly not a hazard to carry if you have a panic attack. Like I said, It's super hard to explain, but just think of how you feel after sprinting 100m. That's how I felt sitting stock still. It scared the hell out of me, and that led to it getting worse...Definitely not a risk for a CCW'er, just a helluva horrible experience.

My MD said that this may be the only time it ever happens. As far as it affecting my performance, I stabilized the patient I was working with at the time, called the MD about a change in their condition, and hung ABX on another patient, and then went and sat down, and that is when I started feeling really bad. I went and got OJ b/c I thought my glucose was low. I then got more. I then asked someone to check my sugar, etc. Total voluntary control of my actions, etc.

I dunno, I'm sorry to go on and on about it, I just didn't know wtf a "panic-attack" was, and I'm trying to help others understand now that I definitely do

The only time I was "goofy" was when I was in the ER and I was CONVINCED this was an MI, and they kept saying stuff like "Well, you're not having the Big One, buddy" and I was asking "Am I having ANY!? one?" and I started asking things like "Are you guys just trying to keep me calm by not telling me?" I wasn't angry or combative, I was just scared as hell and being untrusting. That is even in the MD's notes.

Anyway, just trying to educate people who have never experienced this, and I hope you never do, but that's the only way you will "get it", so I hope you don't ever really understand what I'm saying, but....


...Panic Attacks cannot kill you, do not make you unsafe carrying, driving, etc., are not emotional--they are physiological responses to things.

That's what I got from my MD on it in short.

___________

As to the 81mg ASA advise per day, for my situation, that would be wrong. Any time you have a patient that you are worried about high BP on, the method of CVA is likely to be a bleed. ASA would exacerbate this. You want a patient on ASA who: Has stents, AFIB or other dishythmia that could lead to clot formation, is not active, etc. Basically anyone who might throw a clot. High BP is more at risk for bleeds.

Niche79

WOW rough time bud, my wife is a doc and she sees the stress people like you alot. I also had a few panic attacks and had to go to the ER, probs breathing though so it was legit! I say get the car fixed wherever, and immediately sell it for a 13 or find another 12. I just hope your not upside down on your loan. That way, its all good and you walk away with no more stress! Trust me, that **** will make your hairs go grey very early in life! I know, and im just 33.

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I'm upside down, but I'm not upset or stressed over it. Money is just money and if I want out I'll put in a bit of OT and get out. My lawyer will fix the rest, and my EKG is back to normal which is a HUGE! stress-reliever to me. Tell your wife about depressed ST and Q-T interval in the mid 500ms range in a 27 year-old and she will quirk an eyebrow as well.

It's going to be okay, but maybe I should have just kept the panic attack to myself as a lot of people on here think it's an emotional thing. Before it happened to me and I was 100% calm during it until I saw my HR and BP, I would have agreed, as well, so I understand the misinformation/understanding.

Mike

glad to hear it hasn't reoccured. Hopefully it was a one time thing.

__________________
NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z
Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

ImportConvert

I hope so, too. It is literally the worst feeling I have ever had.

CDepp

Hopefully it's not a problem spawning from submitting long posts in forums.

GL

__________________
-CDepp-
2011 MB Base+S M6 | Invidia Exhaust | TommyKairaHebiBeibi | H&R Spacers 15/20 | GTR Start | 305hp/240tq

kenchan

can you pull a fuse or cut brown wire to resolve for good?

hang in there.

shadoquad

Sorry to see this, convert.

SurfDog

I'm 45 and have had a pretty stressful career at times (20 years in the USMC as a helo pilot, airline captain now)

Here is my advice. Separate the event from your feelings about your car. Nothing is perfect. The best car made will have rattles and quirks and swirls and flaws and no amount of buffing, tuning or buying new will ever fix that fact.

I have at times transferred my desire for perfection onto things and it only brought anxiety. I would stress about car covers and fuel quality and rock chips etc etc etc etc.... It will make you nuts. maybe contribute to anxiety attack I dunno. It gave me marital stress. The point is, it is just a pile of parts all strapped together to perform a function. The Z is meant to shake rattle and roll a bit. It is a sports car. It is all about power, noise, passion, and fun.

My clutch rattles at stop lights (its supposed to) my exhaust Hisses (many do). my steering pulls in random directions at random stops (wide tires) the road noise on my (soon to be replaced) Hankooks forces my to wear earplugs on certain drives with "textured" roads. Steering lock fix, hatch rattle fix, hatch spring replacement, I could go on and on.

The point is, a Z is a quirky, "hairy chested" rumbling beast. That is part of its charm. You can tune and align and DynaMat the crap out of it and it will still at its core be a rumbling beast. Its not a sissy BMW M3 or 135 or a $80k Porsche to be driven by some turtleneck wearing yuppie stock trader. Its a car for people who drive with passion.

I say get her fixed! Love her (flaws and all) upgrade her so she is unique and special and all yours and remember that it is her dented skin and stiff frame that kept that SUV from crushing you like a bug.

A car is a pile of parts that can all be repaired and replaced, and none of which are ever "perfect" (though a bent frame is probably a death sentence to a Z)

Save your ideas of perfection for your love of people, your relationship with whatever creator you are into and for things with mathematical certainty. Everything else is flawed, and mortal, and temporary. Your car will *eventually* just be another pile of dust somewhere. Ashes to ashes and all that.

Perfection is unattainable.

Good luck my friend. I hope you feel better, and I hope the lawyers and insurance and rental car crap does not give fuel to your anger. Maybe the universe is speaking to you through this experience. It sounds like this is sort of a straw that broke the camels back type of thing.

Hang tough and I feel certain you will be laughing about all this in no time.

__________________
09 6spd Berk CBE, JWT cams, ZSpeed CSC, Stillen (25 row oil, brake cooling, sways, gen3 CAI), Passport (9500ci), Quaife LSD, Z1 400 hp kit, ss lines, pads, rotors, clutch etc, Phunk's pan and fuel starve fix

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Thanks!

I'm honestly not sure where the panic attack came from regarding my feelings about things. I have kindof "written the car off" and am more into my Class III weapons hobby and getting a house. As long as the car isn't "junk" feeling and looks good, I'm cool. I think the stress of the accident itself, plus dealing with all of this BS, plus everything else I already had going in life, is what did it.

I know in 5 years my car will just be an aging "cool car". It's the headache of everything going on right now plus the wreck plus life in general, I guess. EIther way, this broke the camal's back the other day

Bucketlist2012

You have to talk yourself down when you start to get upset...

Being the survivor of 2 strokes and seizures, I kinow what stress will do...

All my medical problems are stress related...5 relatives dying in just 2 years plus more..

So take it from me...Stress will kill you....

__________________
2009 Sport/Touring 370Z
1971 Z/28 with coil overs, rushforth's, willwoods, Hotchkis. 4 speed
GMC Sierra1500

ImportConvert

I didn't know what was happening. I felt calm. I was sitting at a desk with my head down just "resting" after drinking orange juice because I thought I felt bad due to low blood-sugar, maybe, was my guess. I then freaked out over the 190-200 systolic BP and the numbness in my extremities and the HR in the 130's. At that point, talking myself down was not on the table. I did not know what was happening and suspected MI, PE, something nasty.

Now that I know, I think I will manage, or I will throw my C02 out of bounds enough that I will lose consciousness and the problem will handle itself and normalize, although that's VERY! extreme and I doubt it will go that far, it's the ultimate "end" to one of these episodes, as I see it medically.