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David and his anxiety disorder


markdohle

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David and his anxiety disorder

One of my charges, I will call him David, has congestive heart failure as well as two leaking valves in his heart. He has had this condition for a few years. He also last year had a blood clot, even though he was on Warfarin for a few years. When in the hospital they changed his blood thinner to another type hoping that it would do a better job. It did not. While it did work, it made his blood too thin and now he is off of it until we go see his doctor, hopefully tomorrow. He has gained some weight over the last few days, 15 pounds in fact. He is very thin, so it does not show, but it manifests itself by his struggle to breathe when he walks. Hence, the importance of him seeing his doctor first thing on Monday morning; if in fact I don’t have to take him to the ER later on today; which I am trying to offset, he hates the ER.

Took him in last Friday here in Rockdale County; he fainted and had a concussion. While in the ER they found that his spleen was bleeding, so he had to go to Atlanta Medical Center on Boulevard ST., here in Atlanta. They have trauma doctors there. David has a very serious anxiety disorder, which means he worries about everything equally, be it something serious or mundane. It can be a difficult dealing with him, but he can’t help it so we all cope who take care of him.

In the second ER they gave him quick service. Within an hour after arriving he was seen by the unit nurse, and two doctors, one of them a trauma specialist. The checked him out, looked at the records sent over from Rockdale Hospital and said he would have to stay a couple of days if not longer. One reason was because of his spleen, the second because of his blood being so thin. He was also very dehydrated and was given 3 liters of hydration.

While there he continued to obsess over, well, everything. I was tired, it was 2 AM in the morning so I listened for the 12th time at least over his anxiety driven concerns and simply told him to please stop it, it was doing him no good, nor me, and to try to go to sleep. To my surprise he did, he fell right to sleep!

Around 3 AM they came in and told me that they had his room. So we went upstairs. When we got to his floor they told me to please go to the waiting area and it would take about 30 minutes to an hour to get him settled. I was tired, so it did not register that this was an ICU unit. I decided not to wait, but to start the drive back home which is about 45 minutes away. I did not want to wait an hour or more, since then there would be lots of traffic and did not want to drive in it when I was so tired. So I left, got home, and went to sleep.

He is of course home now and not doing as well as hoped. He is not afraid of death, but is about everything else under the vault of heaven. He explained to me why he is the way he is and I understand. So once in a while like last night, as we talked before he tried to go to sleep, that he knows that he irritates people with his anxiety. I replied that it is ok, I don’t expect him to be able to change that, but he needs to understand that I am also human with limitations and from time to time I will call him on his constant worrying, not to make him guilty or out of a desire to change, but that I have reached a certain limit and need a time out. My irritation with him will pass, and I love him and actually like taking care of him.

David does have a great sense of humor, dryer than the sands in the desert, which is the kind I like. So often we also laugh over his good jokes and observations’. One lesson from being a care giver is that I have limits and need to speak up, or burn out…..I choose to speak up and at the same time let those I take care of, of my love and concern for them, and that my present inability to deal with an issue will pass, often very quickly. Just speaking it is enough.

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David and his anxiety disorder

One of my charges, I will call him David, has congestive heart failure as well as two leaking valves in his heart. He has had this condition for a few years. He also last year had a blood clot, even though he was on Warfarin for a few years. When in the hospital they changed his blood thinner to another type hoping that it would do a better job. It did not. While it did work, it made his blood too thin and now he is off of it until we go see his doctor, hopefully tomorrow. He has gained some weight over the last few days, 15 pounds in fact. He is very thin, so it does not show, but it manifests itself by his struggle to breathe when he walks. Hence, the importance of him seeing his doctor first thing on Monday morning; if in fact I don’t have to take him to the ER later on today; which I am trying to offset, he hates the ER.

Took him in last Friday here in Rockdale County; he fainted and had a concussion. While in the ER they found that his spleen was bleeding, so he had to go to Atlanta Medical Center on Boulevard ST., here in Atlanta. They have trauma doctors there. David has a very serious anxiety disorder, which means he worries about everything equally, be it something serious or mundane. It can be a difficult dealing with him, but he can’t help it so we all cope who take care of him.

In the second ER they gave him quick service. Within an hour after arriving he was seen by the unit nurse, and two doctors, one of them a trauma specialist. The checked him out, looked at the records sent over from Rockdale Hospital and said he would have to stay a couple of days if not longer. One reason was because of his spleen, the second because of his blood being so thin. He was also very dehydrated and was given 3 liters of hydration.

While there he continued to obsess over, well, everything. I was tired, it was 2 AM in the morning so I listened for the 12th time at least over his anxiety driven concerns and simply told him to please stop it, it was doing him no good, nor me, and to try to go to sleep. To my surprise he did, he fell right to sleep!

Around 3 AM they came in and told me that they had his room. So we went upstairs. When we got to his floor they told me to please go to the waiting area and it would take about 30 minutes to an hour to get him settled. I was tired, so it did not register that this was an ICU unit. I decided not to wait, but to start the drive back home which is about 45 minutes away. I did not want to wait an hour or more, since then there would be lots of traffic and did not want to drive in it when I was so tired. So I left, got home, and went to sleep.

He is of course home now and not doing as well as hoped. He is not afraid of death, but is about everything else under the vault of heaven. He explained to me why he is the way he is and I understand. So once in a while like last night, as we talked before he tried to go to sleep, that he knows that he irritates people with his anxiety. I replied that it is ok, I don’t expect him to be able to change that, but he needs to understand that I am also human with limitations and from time to time I will call him on his constant worrying, not to make him guilty or out of a desire to change, but that I have reached a certain limit and need a time out. My irritation with him will pass, and I love him and actually like taking care of him.

David does have a great sense of humor, dryer than the sands in the desert, which is the kind I like. So often we also laugh over his good jokes and observations’. One lesson from being a care giver is that I have limits and need to speak up, or burn out…..I choose to speak up and at the same time let those I take care of, of my love and concern for them, and that my present inability to deal with an issue will pass, often very quickly. Just speaking it is enough.

Last year I started suffering from generalised anxiety attacks after I had a can of Monster Energy near enough everyday for two weeks. Even when I stopped drinking Monster Energy the anxiety attacks continued. The problem is I'd trained myself to obsess during that time and I just couldnt break the pattern in my thinking.

After being like that for a couple of months I found out how to fix it -

1. Stop him drinking caffeine.

2. Get him to have a week of early nights.

3. Get him to have 3 intense burnouts at the gym over that week.

4. Get him to have a fruit smoothy everyday over that week. It needs to include a whole lemon as the pigments in the lemon skin block anxiety attacks by rewiring the brain. The smoothies need to be made using water as milk combines with the pigments so they get removed from your digestive track instead of being absorbed.

If of course he has psychological problems underlying his anxiety then he needs to go to a doctor.

Edited by Mr Right Wing
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Last year I started suffering from generalised anxiety attacks after I had a can of Monster Energy near enough everyday for two weeks. Even when I stopped drinking Monster Energy the anxiety attacks continued. The problem is I'd trained myself to obsess during that time and I just couldnt break the pattern in my thinking.

After being like that for a couple of months I found out how to fix it -

1. Stop him drinking caffeine.

2. Get him to have a week of early nights.

3. Get him to have 3 intense burnouts at the gym over that week.

4. Get him to have a fruit smoothy everyday over that week. It needs to include a whole lemon as the pigments in the lemon skin block anxiety attacks by rewiring the brain. The smoothies need to be made using water as milk combines with the pigments so they get removed from your digestive track instead of being absorbed.

If of course he has psychological problems underlying his anxiety then he needs to go to a doctor.

Your ideas are good and I am sure would be helpful for many. He is 88 years old ;-) and all we can do is try to help him to not be so anxious. We do that by letting him know that we will always be there for him, other than that, there is not much. He does take from time to time some meds for it, but he has an aversion for pills. He does go to bed early.

peace

mark

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Your ideas are good and I am sure would be helpful for many. He is 88 years old ;-) and all we can do is try to help him to not be so anxious. We do that by letting him know that we will always be there for him, other than that, there is not much. He does take from time to time some meds for it, but he has an aversion for pills. He does go to bed early.

peace

mark

Anxiety is caused by getting trapped in a fight or flight mechanism loop.

Sneak him some liquidised lemon in a drink and it will disappear for the rest of the day.

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  • 1 month later...

Anxiety is caused by getting trapped in a fight or flight mechanism loop.

Sneak him some liquidised lemon in a drink and it will disappear for the rest of the day.

Hmmm, just saw this, will try it, thanks.

peace

mark

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