50 posts shown.
shadowbear9 said:I feel for you. My doctor gave me the 5 mg Ambien, but I didn't want to look like some kind of junkie, so I wasn't going to rush back there over it. I got it on Friday, and as of today, I haven't even touched it... Not to mention, I'm supposed to take it during the day for anxiety as well as for sleeping, yet they only gave me one pill a day. What are they thinking?? I can hardly believe it, but last night I took eight of those 5 mg Ambien pills, fell asleep at midnight, and then woke up at 3 AM. But it wasn't like waking up normally; it felt like someone had dumped ice water over me. I simply don't know what to do anymore🤷 I think I'll start keeping a sleep diary to bring to her, just so she can see exactly how it looks and how much I am actually sleeping... both with and without the meds🥳 and I'm waiting to hear back from that specialist once they return from the sleep clinic, because I truly believe something is seriously wrong with me if a heavy hypnotic like that can't even keep me asleep...
Hmm, Ambien... after my heart surgery a few months back, nothing could get me to sleep... (check my old posts for the details) but anyway. I took Ambien for three days and, I kid you not, it felt like I had downed 100 liters of coffee. I literally grabbed two boxes, took them to my doctor, and told her, "This stuff is pure garbage," excuse my language... Honestly? If you want to sleep, my advice is meditation, watching what you eat, and long walks... it actually works...
Jason Vaughn482 said:I just picked up my Zoloft today, and right as I was about to ask about the side effects, I realized I start my regimen tomorrow.
HONEY, Vega, sorry I haven't been on here in forever! You're probably already taking the Zoloft by now, and honestly, I really hope you're doing alright and that it's helping. So, get this—my doctor told me just the other day that it’s finally time to taper me off the Zoloft, and oh my god, I have been waiting for this moment. I feel amazing. Psychotherapy helped a ton, and my PSYCHIC has been absolutely FANTASTIC lately... so it's not just about the pills, there's a lot more to it, and progress with your PSYCHIC depends on so much stuff... good luck, sweetie... fingers crossed for you!
Hey everyone, sorry, I totally missed you guys earlier. Let me try this again 🙂 So, I’ve been on Zoloft for 20 days now. I’ve dropped about 9 pounds, but I’m really trying to force myself to eat since I’m also on heart medication—gotta keep my strength up. Anyway, has anyone else here tried Zoloft? I’ve been lurking through the threads, and honestly, if you ask me, stay far away from Xanax or Ativan. I was prescribed those for heart arrhythmias and panic attacks... but they just made everything so much worse. Then I moved on to 2 mg of Diazepam, but the arrhythmias kept happening and I was just constantly, incredibly drowsy. Right now, I'm sticking with Zoloft because having four heart surgeries and all those anesthesias completely wrecked my mental state. It left me feeling so jittery, anxious, constant panic attacks, blah blah blah... long story short, seeing how much experience you guys have with meds, I wanted to know: how long am I actually allowed to be on Zoloft? Oh, and for pain, I'm only permitted to take Percocet, which is basically a mix of acetaminophen and tramadol, and man, it absolutely wipes me out... it's brutal. I sleep like a log, but worst of all, I've taken so many pills in my life—I even had morphine offered after surgery, which I refused the second I was conscious enough because it just knocks me out completely. I have never, ever become addicted to any of these drugs, and I honestly hate them. Truthfully, even this Zoloft is such a struggle for me to swallow... but hey, at least the panic attacks (that whole choking sensation) have stopped. Anyway, I just rambled on, didn't I? :P Thanks for all the advice and for answering my questions... catch you later...
Hey everyone, so I’ve been scrolling through here, reading and reading and reading, and honestly? Still haven't found what I'm looking for :P. Anyway, has anyone actually taken Prozac? I just got my first dose today because I was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder and panic attacks. I've posted on other forums before about having this choking sensation a long time ago, but they just told me it was "normal" since I have a heart condition. Look, I've always managed to dodge the heavy stuff—I have never, ever taken anything for those attacks except for some 2 mg Xanax when my heart rhythm gets wonky. So, does anyone have any actual experience with this Prozac thing? And also... is there any way I could just stick to psychotherapy so I don't end up being a total pill addict? Especially since I'm already on quite a cocktail for my heart: Rhythmia 300 mg, Isopit, and Marijuana. Hmmm... thanks!
Scott Allen10 said:Oh, man, I just realized—you’re *that* Victoria from the cardiac surgery corner who had the aortic coarctation and thoracic aneurysm surgery and a few other things if I remember correctly... In your case, honestly, don't take my description as gospel because everything is way more complicated for you... arterial cannulas for blood pressure monitoring, IV lines as infusion routes, using the axillary artery as the site for the ECG machine connection, cardiac and circulatory arrest, thrombosis development, etc.—all of this could have played a role in the ischemia (lack of blood flow) in your arm, which I can gather from your description... For instance, since you're from Cleveland based on what I gathered from that other thread, it seems like you went through something similar to what happened to Balthazar, except in his case, the leg ischemia lasted longer... Obviously, the causes in your situation are completely different in origin (I'm sure there was no staff error), but in both cases, the blood wasn't flowing (or wasn't flowing well) through the limb for a while, so even if surgery wasn't required, certain symptoms clearly remained.
I don't know how much I can actually help regarding the pain you described. Probably not with meds. Maybe, since you've already started some physical therapy stuff, try focusing on that. Massages and various types of physical therapy have... how should I put it... a suggestive-soothing-psychological effect that can do a lot of good. You might want to check out a Pain Management Clinic—they work across basically all Anesthesia departments—things like TENS, ultrasound, magnets, acupuncture... those are some methods they usually practice there that might help you. Ask around to see if hyperbaric oxygen therapy makes sense and if there are any contraindications given your complex medical history...
I haven't been much help, but anyway, good luck.
Ha, hahaha, yeah, that’s me, the "Jeremiah" one.😂😂 Thanks so much, Scott Allen10. Finally, someone actually explained my arm situation to me and took me seriously. (I know I can be a bit much, but seriously, 😁) As for the hyperbaric chamber, absolutely not—no way. I checked. There are a lot of restrictions for me (you know how it is, Doc). And exercise? Well, I'm limited there too, since I did sports for seven years and now this whole thing feels "old age" style, which totally gets on my nerves, but hey, it is what it is... I'll look into that Pain Management Clinic you mentioned. Thanks for the answers; people on this forum are really patient and kind. THANK YOU! 🙂
p.s. No magnets for me either, I've got a pacemaker. Figures. :P
Scott Allen10 said:It’s likely that based on the ventilator settings, your numbers just weren't hitting the mark... say, you weren't reaching a satisfactory tidal volume or minute ventilation... maybe even the SpO2 readings on the monitor were looking shaky... plus, maybe clinical observations didn't show enough evidence that you could breathe on your own—you know, things like lacking muscle strength, restlessness, agitation... and so on. There are plenty of factors that go into that call...
As for your arm... during anesthesia, they usually "take" one arm and fix it in a splint at a 90° angle relative to your body (you're lying there with your arm stretched out to the side), and that's where they measure blood pressure or pump meds through the IV cannula. If the surgery runs long, I can totally see how that described sensation is just some lingering consequence of being stuck in that position for so long...
Yeah, about that arm thing—when the doctors came by for rounds the next day, my arm was a total mess. It was pale, swollen, and just looked trashed. I had the cannula in too (I think it was in the bad vein; the anesthesiologist basically taped it down right there in the OR, ugh), so that's probably it. I don't want to get the details wrong, but honestly, the whole thing was just pure panic and stress because of that arm. They tried icing it, massaging it, blah blah blah... but when I kept insisting it hurt, they didn't really believe me. So, by the second day, I just refused the Tramadol and Voltaren altogether since nothing was helping anyway (I hate meds, honestly; I only take the stuff for my heart because I have to). Sometimes I'll go get a massage for my arm privately once it starts acting up again, mostly because I just don't have the willpower or the energy to keep complaining to doctors about the pain. Hey, Scott Allen10, if you have any advice, I'm all ears. Thanks! 🙂
P.a- so, basically I was holding onto that tube for almost 48 hours straight, ccccc
urbanscout50 said:If they aren't awake, we mostly rely on things like pulse trends, blood pressure, and how deep or frequent their breathing is—assuming they’re even breathing on their own.
If patients are conscious and the staff notices signs suggesting someone is in pain, we just ask them. Even if they can't talk, they can nod. They can blink. They can twitch their lips.
Plus, most people in the ICU are on some kind of analgesic anyway (usually an opioid, either solo or mixed) and/or a sedative, so they aren't hurting nearly as much as you'd think—or as much as they potentially could. And once they leave the ICU, if they're lucky, most of them don't remember a single thing. Just a total blank.
Personally, I think the much bigger issue is that patients on the regular wards—the ones who aren't intubated, can actually talk, and tell you they're in pain—aren't getting adequate analgesia and end up suffering through intense pain. Why is that? I think we’ve touched on this on the forum before.
And honestly, that’s exactly what those "acute pain services" are for—to have a specialized hospital team roaming the floors to ensure patients get one of their fundamental human rights: living without pain, especially avoiding that crushing, acute stuff that can be managed.
Just wanted to jump in here with my two cents regarding the pain stuff. When I was in, I was getting Tramadol mixed with Voltaren. It was weird, though—the incision on my chest didn't even hurt; instead, my right arm was killing me. To this day, if I stay in one position for more than five minutes, my arm starts tingling and aching. The doctors didn't even believe me when I said it was my arm hurting rather than the surgical site. So now? I don't even bother telling anyone about the numbness or the pain anymore. No point. As for remembering the ICU, I remember everything from A to Z. I also vividly remember the first time they tried to take me off the ventilator. I was begging them to pull the tube out, but they just adjusted something and told me, "Not yet, you aren't breathing on your own yet." Someone please explain that to me... how exactly was I *not* breathing on my own???? thanks
urbanscout50 said:First, you’ve got to rule out all the other potential culprits before you just pin everything on the anesthesia.
Thanks for the reply, Doc. 🙂I've already had my head scanned—since I deal with brutal migraines, they actually told me anesthesia could definitely be a factor. I've already gone through a "ton" of it, and if luck is on my side, I'll be facing at least two more. God knows I have another major heart surgery coming up.
Hey, quick question for any anesthesiologists hanging out in here. I’m wondering if there can be lasting side effects from major anesthesia? Every once in a while, I get hit with these bouts of dizziness. It feels like my sense of balance is just totally off—sometimes I’m stumbling around like I’ve had way too many cocktails. 😁