Overcoming anxiety and panic decades later - Signs You're Having a Heart Attack | Heart Disease

Overcoming anxiety and panic decades later





My name's Nick.
I was in the Army Security
Agency from 1968 to 1974.
I was stationed in Germany,
Herzogenaurach, for 18 months
and Vietnam through 1971.
And then I will taught at the
security school in Fort Devens
for three years.
When I first got to Vietnam,
we were under attack that
first night.
And I was sleeping, and they had
to get us on alert and put
us into a concrete bunker.
While I was sleeping, I didn't
even hear the alert go off.
But the sergeant, staff sergeant
that was there with
me, he grabbed me and led
the way to where we
were supposed to go.
And when we got into the
concrete bunker it was very
musky, hot.
And it was overcrowded.
That was the first kind of
time I felt a twinge of
anxiety, if you will.
The next time I experienced
it was when I was up
in north, in Fubi.
During that period of time, we
were under mortar attack, or
rocket attack.
And we used to have to go into
a trench line, which was,
again, very narrow, very
congested, and it had a smell
to it, musky odor,
if you will.
During those times, that's
when I started
to experience panic.
It kind of went away.
I didn't realize that I was
claustrophobic, even during my
military time.
Around 1994, I went to Charlotte
Motor Speedway to
drive the NASCAR at the
driving school.
And you're in a full
face helmet.
They strap you in, and
you don't move.
I mean, you're in a five-piece
harness.
You become part of the seat.
Everything was going OK until
they put the window net up.
And when they put the window net
up that's when I realized
something was radically wrong,
that I was getting this
claustrophobia, if you will.
And what happened was I started
getting tunnel vision,
my breathing was erratic.
All that kind of just brought
everything back 20 some, 23
years later.
Just brought it all
to the forefront.
What led later on to me seeking
help was as time
progressed my anxieties, my
claustrophobia, became more prevalent.
And at the Tampa VA hospital,
I needed to get an MRI.
And I was scheduled for a CAT
scan, getting in the tube.
And I just could not do it.
It was now affecting not only
my personal life, but my
medical well-being also.
So I raised my hand
at that time and
said, I got a problem.
I need to talk to someone.
And that's when we got an
appointment with the mental
health folks.
When I got there, he said we're
going to duplicate the
feelings that you had.
We wound up actually by doing
different exercises in his
office, I could actually feel
the shortness of breath, the
tightness, my throat
getting dry.
The exercises we did at
home were real simple.
And they brought the same
feelings and stressors right
to the surface immediately.
We worked on those for
a couple weeks.
Things like just putting myself
in a linen closet,
wedging myself behind a sofa.
It was real easy things that I
could do and yet duplicate
what it would be like to
be in an MRI or in
the CAT scan machine.
We progressed baby steps,
if you will.
And we got to the point where
he thought I was ready to
actually do the CAT scan.
The stressors were there, but by
using the tools that we had
developed in his office and
in my home, I was able to
complete it on the second try.
If you just regroup and remember
what you were taught,
it really helps.
It really does.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbaKDKO4nHk


Signs You're Having a Heart Attack | Heart Disease




How can someone know if they're having a heart
attack? Well, that can be tricky. Firstly,
a heart attack can classically present as
chest discomfort or pain or pressure in the
chest. It's usually squeezing and dull in
nature and may be associated with sweatiness.
The symptoms may stay in the chest wall, or
travel or radiate to the neck, arm, or left
jaw.
If you feel like you're having any of those
kinds of symptoms, it's important to call
your doctor right away, or 911 if you can't
reach your doctor. The symptoms of a heart
attack, unfortunately, are not always classic
and some people have vague discomforts in
the chest or trouble breathing. Not everyone
who's having a heart attack shows up the same
way.
We've learned that not everyone has the same
symptoms. Women for example may have different
symptoms than men and may not have the classic
chest discomfort.
Another group of people that may have different
symptoms are diabetics or patients with diabetes.
They may not have symptoms at all. And sometimes
it can be very challenging to know if they
are having a heart attack.
During a heart attack, time is very important
to help save heart muscle and save lives.
If you feel you may be having some symptoms
associated with a heart attack, it's important
that you seek medical attention right away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayyay35R7bg