Fourteen weeks before my surgery I had a wake up call, my Chest was tight and I could hardly breath and Anxiety had rushed in on me. It was one of those moments when you really didn't know if you were going to wake up the next day. I made the decision that day that I was going to have the Surgery and wasn't going to keep making excuses. I started the next day on a diet that was very similar to what I would eat post-op, and the weight came off quickly. I lost 90 plus pounds previous to the surgery but the Best part was that I thought i had beat the Anxiety, I mean Heck I only needed medication 2 times in 14 weeks. Lets Fast Forward 5 weeks Post-Op and the Anxiety has came back rather strong all the same symptoms plus even more difficulty breathing. I went to a urgent care and had Blood work and a EKG done and the Dr. said my Heart was strong and suggested Lexapro for the Anxiety. So although VSG hasn't solved all my problems it has helped me to lose 126 lbs and get back into being physically active (walking 1-3 miles a day). It has allowed me to become social again and feel more in control of my Life. It's only a matter of time before I whip this Anxiety as well. Life is just too short not to Live it Fully!!!

Don`t be so quick to dismiss your anxiety issues. Some people take medication on a daily basis to combat anxiety/depression. This is not something losing weight and being more social can cure. In some cases it is due to how your body and brain chemistry work. Since you have had some panic attacks already the medication may not be a bad idea.

Do you have sleep apnea, OP? This is the likely culprit.

Waler Thank You so much, anxiety is so new to me because it didn't start till I was 43. I was always extremely social and the Life Of the Party till I felt some Back Pain and went in for a MRI. It was supposed to be a open MRI but ended up being a closed so at 513 I was really to big for it but they crammed me in it anyway. That was the first time I ever remember feeling Claustrophobic but i kept it under control. The next week I was prescribed Prednisone and felt like it was closing my throat so there started my Battle with Anxiety. I try to control my breathing and several other techniques but I sure haven't found a way to totallt control it. My New goal is to learn how function to the Best of My Ability with it and hope that the medication will Help me do that.

Patient I sure do and I have been neglecting my CPAP machine but after this conversation I am going to start using it again. I never thought that this could even play a role in it but I am willing to try anything to Help at this point.

Well, let me tell you, as someone who uses the brand name Canadian version of your medication, Cipralex, that's exactly why. If you can get the generic of escitalopram, generally cheaper (especially if your insurance doesn't cover all of it), it tends to have the same potency.

The apnea induces anxiety and panic attacks associated with obstructed breathing. These mimic a few symptoms of a heart attack, but rest assured, if your EKG is showing normal (make sure you get the long version of one if they didn't do that) your heart is fine.. for now. In the short term, apnea won't cause any problems with the heart, but over time the oxygen deprivation (even seconds of it is a shock to the body, hence the reaction) will cause significant heart damage, especially of the left side.

So, your apnea goals.. the average person has 5 or less apneas per hour. In order to be on a CPAP I would hope you had a sleep study done. In my case, I had 55 apneas per hour. That's bad. My Fitbit watch also revealed this in "interrupted sleep" patterns.

I will point out I'm not a doctor and cannot substitute for doctors advice, but as someone who suffers the same as you, I will give my advice as follows:

Short term:

- Use your CPAP

- If you're a back sleeper, as I was before my weight gain, try sleeping on your side.. I personally find the right side easier on both apneas and anxiety attacks.

- Elevation

Long term:

- Get your weight down, obesity causes this, you're doing great.. keep going

- If normalizing your weight doesn't help obstruction, surgery on your airway to remove the obstruction should resolve

- Given it's clinical significance toward preventing heart attacks in the long term, make sure your family doctors, physicians, and specialists related to this are aggressive in treating it as the underlying causes are treated

A good idea to stay on the escitalopram until your apnea resolves.

Its nothing to be terribly worried about as it's being treated.. just keep up the weight loss.

Edited March 29, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion

Patient Thank You for taking the time to Pay It Forward. Your response was very Helpful and actually Helped me to know that someone else understands how this feels. I will try to implement your advice as soon as tonight. This is an Amazing Forum and I am Truly Thankful for all the Contributors.

21 minutes ago, 2-Liter said:

Patient Thank You for taking the time to Pay It Forward. Your response was very Helpful and actually Helped me to know that someone else understands how this feels. I will try to implement your advice as soon as tonight. This is an Amazing Forum and I am Truly Thankful for all the Contributors.

You're welcome dude, best of luck to you.