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staying calm in an emergency (Read 7985 times)
missybean
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staying calm in an emergency
02/13/11 at 06:57:35
 
I was unsure if I even wanted to post this because it makes me feel really vulnerable but here it goes anyway.
I can acknowledge that when an emergency happens I have trouble. I'm not crazy or screaming,crying. My mind just kind of goes blank and I have an extremely hard time concentrating. I shake, my heart rate goes up and tears just keep coming and coming even though I don't want to cry. Then usually I have spasms in my back because I tensed up involuntary. I hate this about myself. I know CPR, I know to access the situation then take proper action. I know the steps but my mind just freezes up and it feels like an eternity but really it isn't. Is there a real physiological explanation as to why some people remain so calm and others can't?
Melissa
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redbird
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #1 - 02/13/11 at 08:08:20
 
Melissa...
please know that when you are helping someone else it is more easy to be calm...but when it is you..IT IS YOU!!
So how do you stay calm while your heart is running out of your chest..your breathing is not going well...and in my case I cannot speak..so hoping that you can have someone with you who can  explain or at lest have all your info on paper with you.
I wish there was a pill that could make us calm but there isn't.  
please know that sharing those feeling with us here is some help and realizing that other of us have the same..there is nothing wrong because you feel this way so don't get down on yourself..if I can share anything to help you I would be glad to do that...I have had many many of those shocking trips to the ER
redbird
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missybean
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #2 - 02/13/11 at 16:13:14
 
Oh I'm fine when it's me. It was my daughter she got a hold of something and I had to call the poison control center. I was really shook up, it was hard for me to find the right words to speak. My daughter is totally fine too.
Earthquakes, forget about it......I'm out the door in three secounds freaking out.
Stuff like that, I feel very frazzled and can't seem to think straight.
Melissa
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Lisa
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #3 - 02/13/11 at 16:39:51
 
Melissa,

Don't forget that anxiety is a MAJOR TRIGGER for mast cells!  These kinds of situations will cause our emotions to get very involved and any kind of major adrenaline release like a fright of a startle and even surprises will cause immediate degranuation!   I've had this happen where I had a very intense situation that was caused by a surprise and it triggered me in a big way!!  If I have to rush to get somehwere, just that emotional rushing triggers me!  You've kicked in your mast cells whether you've meant to or not!!  This is why you can't think straight because your brain is being flooded with histamines!!

So really, you have a real physical cause for why you can't think straight, it 's not that you've lost control, but your body has!

I hope this helps you a bit!

Lisa
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missybean
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #4 - 02/14/11 at 04:17:56
 
Lisa, Thanks......it makes me feel better, there has been several times when people have really given me a hard time about reacting the way I do. Oh my gosh when I'm in a hurry or get rushed it makes me feel sick and shakey. Now I know this is a time I need to take some extra meds. Ha....I learned something new today.
Melissa
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Lisa
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #5 - 02/14/11 at 06:25:11
 
Melissa,

Anything and everything you can do to help avoid this situation of pressure which makes you rush, you should and you must do.  If you're one who has always run 5 or 10 minutes late, then you MUST change that bad habit to making sure you get wherever you must 5 to 10 minutes early!  This rushing causes you to release adrenaline which Dr. Tiago can explain better than I can but what ends up triggering the adrenaline release also triggers the mast cells.  So avoiding any kind of adrenaline rush is very important.  This is why the majority of us also have issues with excercise for this is one the chemicals released with physical activity.  We need it just as we need the mast cells and their chemicals, but too much of a good thing......for us is overload!!!

So, get yourself organized and try to avoid all of these kinds of things which make you feel rushed and pressed and cause all of the jitteryness cause if that gets to be too much, it will tip over into anaphylaxis.  

Also, if you'll notice, a quiet, peaceful and calm atmosphere is better for you.  Music, as much as I love some really great rock and roll is another factor - Enya wears better on my nerves.  And that phrase, Oh my poor nerves!  Well, that's very, very true with masto, our nervous systems are major "railroad tracks" to mast cell degranulation for by all five of our senses end up affecting the mast cells and I'll add on two more - emotional and mental as well!  I've had my mere thoughts produce reactions of flushing for they end up triggering emotions and the emotions trigger the mast cells.  

So, try to learn your body and what it's saying to you for by doing this, you will gain more control over your disease.  

I hope this helps!

Lisa
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #6 - 02/14/11 at 07:39:14
 
Melissa and Lisa,

Stress related reactions are still not perfectly understood. However, we do know that, as I've said elsewhere, CRH - the hormone that induces cortisol production - may be able to activate MCs. Nevertheless, this does not mean that any time a masto patient gets anxious she/he'll get into a instantaneous crisis. Furthermore, adrenaline rushes are not bad for you. In fact, EPI-pens, which I presume some of you have already taken, contain adrenaline (which is also called epinephrine).

The problems with exercise are probably diverse. They may be due to cholinergic activation of MCs - induced by heat -... I have had problems with cardio exercises, myself. At that moment of my life, I ceased doing them, and preferred weight lifting instead. Nowadays, I carry on doing weights and I play squash, which is a mixed exercise.

Is it always safe? Don't I feel sick sometimes?
I do, yes. And I tend to stop right away. But that comes with the package, on a chronic illness. The first thing one must do, and I'm not saying it is easy, is to accept one's condition. Only then can you learn to "listen" to your body, and to take advantage of it when everything is fine, so that you can fill up your "well-being storage", which may allow you to cope with not so good future situations.

Tiago
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missybean
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #7 - 02/14/11 at 12:36:35
 
So far I haven't had issues with exercise. If I'm indoors and it's to warm yes I won't feel good. Sometimes I get a little itchy but it's usually at the beginning and it last about 5 minutes. I'm trying to ease into it slowly. When the weathers nicer I exercise outside. I'm hoping that I will work my way back up to jogging(it's been years). But if can't, walking will be fine. I love that runners high, so addicting. But now I'm just trying to eat good and exercise 20 minutes a day. I got my treadmill hooked back up and it's in the backroom where there is no heat, so it's nice and cool....just perfect. When I work out I fell so much better emotionally, mentally and physically. Lately it's just getting past that exhaustion from lack of sleep. My baby has slept through the night 6 nights in a row. I'm in sleep heaven. It's really weird, because you are tired and you don't wanna exercise but if I'm able to just walk for 20 minutes I have less pain.
Lisa- It's funny you mention the nerve thing, certain noises drive me crazy and make me more tense like cupboard doors slamming or your water glass banging into your plate by accident. Uggggg!. Drives me crazy. Drives my husband crazy too, maybe there is something in the water. Lol!
Melissa
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DeborahW, Founder
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #8 - 02/15/11 at 02:11:42
 
I don't actually think that the ability or inability to stay calm in emergency situations can be blamed on mast cells. I am incredibly calm in an emergency, and we all know that I am shocker. (And I have had major emergencies to handle. For example, while on vacation visting friends across the country, my daughter's friend accidentally shut a heavy door on my 10 yr old daughter's finger. I returned to the house right after it happened and we found my daughter running to us holding her hand and the top part of her finger had been mostly amputated! Nothing worse then seeing your daughter's finger hanging by a thread! I grabbed a paper towel, wrapped it around her finger, told her it was okay, and we jumped in the car and had our friends drive us to the ER. (So, what happened? They stitched it back on, said the bone was also broken, and that she needed a hand surgeon immediately. We drove 10 hours home the next day, and saw a hand surgeon at 8 am the next morning. Happily, he was able to repair all damage.) It was one of the worst experiences of my life. However, I handled it. Generally in an emergency, my symptoms will flare, but I push them back, pop an extra med, and handle the situation. After the emergency, then my symptoms will break loose, but that is probably the adrenalin factor.

So, I think that everyone is different. For those who don't handle emergencies well, I would suggest researching methods to help with that. You can train yourself to do anything, so just treat it as such. Research and learn ways to calm yourself so that you will be ready if an emergency does arise. I know that there are plenty of people who have no mast cell disorders who cannot handle emergencies. it is so easy to blame everything on mast cells, but that is doing yourself a disservice. Better to identify the problem and work to resolve it by learning techniques that will help you.
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #9 - 02/15/11 at 02:36:29
 
I neglected to mention that I think Tiago has shared some EXCELLENT advice here. Everyone should read and consider that advice, because it is exactly on target!
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Lisa
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #10 - 02/15/11 at 03:19:16
 
I couldn't agree with you more Deb!!!   A hearty AMEN to that post!!

I also am like you, very controlled during emergencies.  I was trained to be a lifeguard and went through the first aide training for that position.  We were trained to keep our emotions out of the situation for in our own emotional involvement we could end up losing our lives as well for when a swimmer is panicking they will grab anything around them to keep from drowning and it's very well known that too many lifeguards have gone down with the drowner because they lost their cool and didn't think the situation out clearly as to how to save that swimmer's life.  

This training has served me well in not only dealing with my children's emergencies but also my own.  Last year when I went into anaphylaxis during a CT scan, my doctors didn't have to say a word to me even though I was in respiratory distress!  They kept their cool and so did I.   Yet, when my son fell out of a tree 2 years ago and cracked his skull and went into shock, I kept my cool for he was looking to me to keep him safe and secure and if I'd started reacting he'd have lost his!  He was on the verge of freaking out while they were stitching him up but because I was able to be there for him, he felt secure.  I did have to quietly step out for a moment and take extra meds because I'd begun to react, but I took the antihistamine and returned to his side and kept firm with him the entire time.  

It's one thing allowing the situations of life to put you in a rush - this is something you can control the circumstances and avoid.  This I've learned to do too.  Yet, when those emergencies arise, this is purely a matter of decision - mind over matter.  You have NO CHOICE!  You MUST keep your emotions totally under control for in this situation masto will go against you and will respond as according to your lack of control and self-discipline.

So, in this case, I highly recommend that you take some classes in first aide to help dispell some of the fears as to what to in an emergency and these tools will help you to be able to identify what you need to do in your own case.  This will help you gain some of that control over your emotions and fears.

It never ceases to amaze me how doctors are able to keep such a hold on their feelings!!  My brother is an airline pilot and he's got an incredible amount of "cool".  When you look at fire fighters, policemen and military personell you can see just how valuable their training is!!  This is what we patients do indeed need in dealing with our reactions!!!  So yes, Deb, I fully agree with that statement and it's excellent advice!!

Lisa
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missybean
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Re: staying calm in an emergency
Reply #11 - 02/15/11 at 07:21:38
 
I think doing a refresher is a really good idea. I don't want to be emotional when my child gets hurt because you are absoletly right they look at you for comfort. I think telling myself I have no choice but to remain calm is going to be my mantra. Simple, but it fits.
Melissa
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