Shown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:00:41
(MI=Mental Illness)
Okay, hears the story: About 6 months ago experienced major panic attack, a few weeks later felt a mild anxiety slowly building up over 3 days.
Now the important part: spotted some unsighlty mildew in the tub and shower curtain, and sprayed a bit of Lysol with bleach (only 1% bleach mind you, and not an excessive amount.) Didn't rinse. Maybe 40 minutes later went in the shower to have a cigarette (I'm not technically allowed to smoke in my apartment, so I'd usually smoke in the shower with the curtain closed, was doing it for about a year.) Wasn't even thinking about the bleach, and didn't even smell it.) After my second cigarette, noticed I was feeling a bit tired earlier than usual, still not thinking about the bleach. Probably had one more cigarette than went to bed, but felt pretty normal.
Slept pretty well, but sometime in the middle of the night it crossed my mind that I probably should have rinsed the bleach from the shower. Woke up the next morning feeling really strange, definitely some heightened anxiety, but also something I wasn't used to feeling (light delerium maybe, some depersonalization?) It was one of those conditions you look back on and feel that you've never felt the same since. I was more than a bit concerned that this had something to do with bleach poisoning, but I was experiencing anxiety already prior to that day. Some medication adjustments, felt somewhat better after about 2 weeks, been bouncing between stable and anxious/depressed ever since.
But I never really stopped thinking about this, and whether that episode was due solely to anxiety or bleach poisoning (and worries of brain damage.) Now the stupid part: I was feeling rather well two nights ago, and thought I'd put the matter to rest once and for all: I'd spray the same amount of lysol with bleach in the shower, have one cigarette, and see what happens. If my condition remained the same, I'd have the boon of knowing that my condition was internal, and had nothing to do with some foreign poisonous substance. Of course that's not what happened- felt a bit anhedonia after the cigarette, haven't slept to well the past two nights, and definitely a bit of mild anxiety. Though I don't feel nearly as bad as after that first incident (probably because I'm on much more medication) the brief bleach fume exposure definitely played some kind of role, at least initially, in my current illness.
Though it had haunted me, I was very dubious about the bleach inhalation having affected me, and was really leaning towards the exacerbation of my condition being just a coincidence (especially having seen that bleach poisoniong consists of more pulminary factors than psychological.)
Now it looks like I was wrong, and wonder if amyone else with a mental illness may have had environmental toxicity affect their condition.
Please assure me that I haven't done my brain any permanent damege.
Posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:16:32
In reply to May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:00:41
I just can't understand how a few whiffs of a chemical can get into your bloodstream and start messing around with neurotransmitters!
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on September 17, 2012, at 17:37:00
In reply to Re: May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:16:32
I thinm that you're right when you say that inhaling bleach fumes will irritate the eyes and respiratory tract, i think its very unlikely to have done any long term damage to your brain or neurotransmitter systems
Posted by Phillipa on September 17, 2012, at 18:19:20
In reply to Re: May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by jono_in_adelaide on September 17, 2012, at 17:37:00
Plus millions of people use staight bleach. And I don't think they have permanent brain damage. Most assuredly it would have pulmonary consequences. One time when very young mixed bleach in shower stall and another substance that when mixed together I now know can cause combustion. And then I was fine. No pills. Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on September 17, 2012, at 18:24:41
In reply to Re: May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:16:32
Maybe this will help put your mind at ease. Remember we also use bleach when changing hair colors. Phillipa
http://www.ehow.com/about_6516369_chlorine-bleach-poisoning.html
Posted by Chris O on September 17, 2012, at 21:24:31
In reply to May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:00:41
I assure you. It sounds like classic anxiety disorder symptoms to me. I obsess about things like this all the time if I don't cognitively talk myself out of it. My anxiety is constantly present and needs but a hint of "permanent damage" to go whirling down the road to panic attack. Sounds like what's going on with you.
Chris
Posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 22:24:17
In reply to You have not done any permanent brain damage! » schleprock, posted by Chris O on September 17, 2012, at 21:24:31
> I assure you. It sounds like classic anxiety disorder symptoms to me. I obsess about things like this all the time if I don't cognitively talk myself out of it. My anxiety is constantly present and needs but a hint of "permanent damage" to go whirling down the road to panic attack. Sounds like what's going on with you.
>
> ChrisI agree that it may appear that this is mainly psychologically driven anxiety (and I have been obsessing about this for the past few months- hence my need to experiment in order to reassure myself by finally "ruling things out"), but the reality is, whether long term or not, the chemical did have some kind of effect on me. The anxiety that I felt building up during those weeks before my accidental exposure was a very familiar kind of anxiety (and I've been dealing with GAD for 20 years.) But what I've been dealing with over the months following that initial incident is some sort of variety of anxiety\depression with symptoms and sensations that are very atypical. That's what has me most concerned.
It's still likely that the bleach exposure isn't wholly responsible for the problems I've been having for the past few months, but the other night's experiment confirnmed that the chemical (when inhaled while smoking in an enclosed space) somehow plays some stimulating role in producing sensations equivalent with anxiety. I'm still really surprised that absent were pulminary effects (as I said, I didn't even smell the chemical.) I just don't understand how the chemical gained "access" to the physiological realm where anxiety\depression is produced.
I should probably ad that my initial GAD\depression was triggered by caffeine (and possibly mescaline), so I do have some manner of chemical sensitivity.
Posted by Chris O on September 18, 2012, at 10:14:36
In reply to Re: You have not done any permanent brain damage!, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 22:24:17
Schleprock:
Well, sorry if I was so demonstrative. I was just trying give you the reassurance you demanded! That stinks that you have an extra layer of anxiety, or a different layer, on top of your GAD. I hate trying to sort crap like that out. Let's just hope it's something that goes away, and it's not something "permanent" related to the bleach. Much empathy.
Chris
Posted by schleprock on September 18, 2012, at 18:38:28
In reply to Re: You have not done any permanent brain damage! » schleprock, posted by Chris O on September 18, 2012, at 10:14:36
> Schleprock:
>
> Well, sorry if I was so demonstrative. I was just trying give you the reassurance you demanded! That stinks that you have an extra layer of anxiety, or a different layer, on top of your GAD. I hate trying to sort crap like that out. Let's just hope it's something that goes away, and it's not something "permanent" related to the bleach. Much empathy.
>
> ChrisThank you. I'm just hoping that there's somebody out there who's had a similar experience and can tell me how they've managed. I can't be the only person with a mental illness gotten into this situations. Anyway, I did manage to sleep a bit better last night, so hopefully i can get back to the point I was (that wasn't to great to begin with) without having to increase my meds.
Posted by brynb on September 19, 2012, at 13:38:31
In reply to Re: You have not done any permanent brain damage!, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 22:24:17
Schlep,
It sounds like you focused on the bleach as being dangerous, and the connection made you panic. By experimenting with it again, I think you only reinforced the connection (or fear) that it's dangerous, thus producing anxiety.
When my anxiety was really bad, I often fixated on something I "did" and would end up having a crazy panic attack. So I'll confirm what Chris O stated--it's highly unlikely you did any damage (I think it takes an awful lot to cause brain damage).
-b
Posted by schleprock on September 20, 2012, at 15:57:52
In reply to May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 17, 2012, at 17:00:41
Hey, I think I'm starting to feel a little better. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your support during this difficult time.
Posted by Chris O on September 20, 2012, at 17:46:11
In reply to Re: May have screwed myself up exogenous toxicity + MI, posted by schleprock on September 20, 2012, at 15:57:52
Schleprock:
Glad you're feeling better. Let's hope it was just a minor reaction destined to fade into oblivion.
Chris
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.