Is artery injection painfull?

[Bilo76]

Last few weeks my hyperventilation syndrome is out of control. Last 2 weeks i am barely able to walk. I have:
- dizziness (different kind then wd)
- depersonalization
- lactic acid in muscles
- pins and needles below my eyes
- very tired.
- pain in my help breathing muscles (neck, side)
- blurred eyevision

I know it is from hyperventilating and not WD (wd contributes). I had it also on paxil,..now off paxil there is nothing to sedate me anymore. My lung doctor is getting a bit worried and so am i cause the last 48 hrs i had to lay down for 42 hrs. I simply couldnt walk.
I already had a CO2 test where they test my breath, also an EMG ,..but to really be absolutely accurate how alcalic my blood is, there is only 1 test. They need to take some blood wednesday from me. But they need to know the amount of oxid and co2 coming from the heart. So normally a bloodtest is done in a bloodvessel. But now i need a test from an artery.

Soooo,...no need to say i am anxious for the pain. Does anyone know if this is painful? Anyone done it before? or scotty heard about it as a nurse?

[Backtopaxil]

I always wanted to ask you, numerous people are treated for anxiety using benzos. And this can go on for many, many years. AD do not work 100% on anxiety issues.

I know I should not dare say that word, but if it gets to be too much...what do your doctors think of this option?

Forgive me for my ignorance.

[Bilo76]

I dont really understand your question george (or how its related to my question lol)?
If i would consider using benzos for anxiety? In holland nobody is a big fan of benzos. As easy as doctors prescribe ADs,...as difficult benzos are. Every doctor here thinks they are very addictive. And i agree. So it was never an option.

Also dont forget;.chronic hyperventilation syndrome is absolutely not the same as anxiety of having anxiety disorder. Some people get it from a lung infection or a allergy to food. its just when you breath a bit to fast for a very long time so your brain picks it up as being normal. Read here if you like :

https://www.paxilprogress.org/forums...perventilation

And benzos as a cure for CHS doesnt work. It will work for 2 weeks but as soon as you stop the breathing centre in your brain will just pick up the pace again.

BUTTTT anyone got an answer to my question? Is an artery injection painful?

[scotty]

Arterial blood gas is the test...does it hurt, yup, but if the tech is good it's fast.
It will tell you the oxygen level, carbon dioxide level and the Ph of your blood. If it's not done while the symptoms are there it won't be useful information, except baseline ABG.

[Backtopaxil]

Thanks Bilo for the clarification. I remember hearing Dr Claire Weeks say that CPH can come after the body is in a chronic state of anxiety. That is why I asked the question.

Good luck with your test.

[Bilo76]

Originally Posted by scotty

Arterial blood gas is the test...does it hurt, yup, but if the tech is good it's fast.
It will tell you the oxygen level, carbon dioxide level and the Ph of your blood. If it's not done while the symptoms are there it won't be useful information, except baseline ABG.

Thanks. I have CHV so its chronic so its always there,..its not like acute hyperventilating. i am told that this test not only confirms CHV (i already know that) but also the extent of it.

But what kind of pain are we talking here scotty? Cause i appreciate your honesty, but now i am a bit scared LOL. Which is funny cause pain is only pain; its nothing compared to WD hell;..but its the expectation of getting pain,..the unknown of it that triggers anxiety.

But what kind of pain? Is it like 3 times a normal bloodvessel injection? Hitting your little toe against the desk? Getting a tetanus shot in your muscle? Or is it way more painful like i once stepped on a nail and it went through my foot and cut some bone?

Originally Posted by Backtopaxil

Thanks Bilo for the clarification. I remember hearing Dr Claire Weeks say that CPH can come after the body is in a chronic state of anxiety. That is why I asked the question.

Good luck with your test.

thats the most common thing indeed. She is right. Only problem is that once you solved the anxiety with pills or the right way with CBT and diet and lifestyle;..the damage is already done. So the breathing center keeps thinking your low co2 level in the blood is normal and keeps your breathing pace automatically to high. Even in bed or in a shower or wherever,..despite you already solved the anxiety.
its very interesting actually and if i wouldnt have this much problems with it i would be intrigued. but i never thought why people breath this pace. Its not because the body needs O2. Well in the end it is,..but your body is not triggered to breath because the body needs oxygen right that second. Its because your co2 level in your blood (which is a debris of your body functions) triggers it. So a bit higher co2;...it sends a signal to your brain that it should breath

[Bilo76]

for the love of god..i shouldnt read threads like this:

CLICK

"......I hated having this done when in hospital I would rather have a lumber puncture or morphine injections after my brain op..."

"...The consequense is that often a doctor has to poke around in there a few times to make it into the artery... and poking around a nerve hurts like hell. Once the doc manages to get it in, the pressure is so high in the artery that it spills out into your wrist, putting pressure on your nerve and inducing some inflammation so your body can clean it all up..."

"....Complications from the arterial blood gas test can be, as you already know, a lot of pain and swelling and bruising. But also damage can be done to your radial artery, and if you are one of the 5-10% of people without an ulnar artery in your wrist, you could actually lose your hand.."

Ahh comeonnnnn

And i have a pain treshold of a 5 year old..i am a big sissy

[scotty]

I really can't quantify pain.....but probably about twice as painful as a venous blood draw.

[Bilo76]

Originally Posted by scotty

I really can't quantify pain.....but probably about twice as painful as a venous blood draw.

Thanks. Hmm ok,..so then the replies i am reading on that url i pasted are highly overrated.
Damn i really have no spine for pain. Good thing i am not a woman, i could never give birth. I almost fainted just now reading all the horrible replies on the internet about this. just google "Arterial blood gas test painful" and you get 1000 of people crying how much pain it did.
Me not happy

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Bilo76

Thanks. Hmm ok,..so then the replies i am reading on that url i pasted are highly overrated.
Damn i really have no spine for pain. Good thing i am not a woman, i could never give birth. I almost fainted just now reading all the horrible replies on the internet about this. just google "Arterial blood gas test painful" and you get 1000 of people crying how much pain it did.
Me not happy

Look, it's a one time thing. Just concentrate on getting the information that you need. It's two minutes of discomfort...you can handle it....but then again you are a guy! Just kidding...you'll be fine.

[Bilo76]

Ok its one day earlier. Tomorrow morning its on. They gonna poke in my wrist.
Wish me luck.

In case i dont come back, i leave my computer to scotty, my pile of original comics to laurie,...and i give my rubber duckey to songbird.
And in my will i'll make sure they engrave a text on my tombstone ;.."told ya i was really sick"

[Bilo76]

Ok that hurts!!
Not as much as i thought,..still painful. But was only 3 mins pain. The 24 hr anxiety upfront was worse. My wrist is really blue and bruces etc. But ok...its over. Now wait for testresults

[scotty]

Good for you, you did it.

[Bilo76]

Originally Posted by scotty

Good for you, you did it.

Thanks :-)

And thanks for the support.

[LCrawford67]

Told ya it wouldn't be as bad as you thought!

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by Bilo76

..and i give my rubber duckey to songbird.

Oh Bilo, you're so cute! I'm glad you got through the test okay. I hadn't heard of an ABG test for HVS. I don't think docs here know much about it. I went to a specialist breathing physiotherapist, they test using only a pulse oximeter, so no pain.

[Bilo76]

Originally Posted by LCrawford67

Told ya it wouldn't be as bad as you thought!

Thats why you are my oracle


Anyways;

got the results back. Was horrible. PH of blood was terrible,..to little co2.

Now next week i am going to do tests all through the hospital. Some of them i dont expect much (heart rhitm monitoring for instance),..some of them i do expect some kind of info. For instance the research into my thyroid. Lately i have some weird stuff like losing hair, kind of bubbly eyes and my throat hurts when swallowing or when i press on it. I am also very tired. Also gonna test my adrenalin, cortisol etc.

Can be nothing off course. Anyways gonna do 8 tests with 6 different specialists. This is only 1 time;..i am not sensitive to health anxiety so when this is over i hope to not do any test anymore. I am gonna drop this subject. all though it was the doctors idea and not mine cause he was worried. i told him that its partly WD but they dont recognize that.

1 test i am a bit worried about. I dont know what its called in english but if i translate it literally from dutch its "histamine provocation test". They gonna give me some substance to breath thats full of histamines and check how i react on it with and without meds.
BUTTT i am a bit worried cause i read some people respond badly to it. And i was thinking....

perhaps Scotty can tell me if this logic makes sense: paxil is an antihistamine. Now i am off paxil does that mean i am more sensitive to histamines in my own blood and those in the air? Will this test be extra difficult for me? In other words; is somebody thats off paxil extra sensitive to histamines and this test?

[Songbird]

I googled around a bit, sounds like it is a test for asthma:
http://www.severeasthma-birmingham.c...dex.php?id=136

[scotty]

First paxil isn't an "antihistamine", it has some anticholinergic properties. Now, this test I have never heard of or even seen performed. Sorry, not much help on this one.

[Bilo76]

Thanks anyways scotty.

Songbird: thats exactly the same test indeed.

[Bilo76]

Ok went to the endocrinologist today. One of my 3 doctor visits in the hospital.
Also he off course told me there is no such thing as a prolonged wd.

Anyways i did some bloodwork (ALAT, protein in urin, testosteron, Hyperoid tests and cortisol). It takes FOUR WEEKS untill the results are in. This is cause off the cortisol. Apparently the hospital only does that once per month. Thats ****ty.

Will keep you guys up to date

[PaxilizedNoMo]

Originally Posted by Bilo76

Ok went to the endocrinologist today. One of my 3 doctor visits in the hospital.
Also he off course told me there is no such thing as a prolonged wd.

No such thing? Wonder if any Mds on paxil have gone through wd - are there any MD reports to support what we as withdrawers (bad choice of words - oops a small window of weird humor - yaye) experience. If nothing else - his ignorance did nothing to contribute to your experience, I'll bet.



Glad you made it through the Arterial draw. See? You are stronger than you think. You did it - gives me hope. THANK YOU!