Tired of the POTS symptoms

[dmolina]

I fainted today. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and now I am hoping that everything is ok with the baby. I don't know what I am going to do if this keeps going on. Sorry  just venting alittle

[supineallthetime]

I have heard of some who set up an arrangement between doctors, where your local doc kind of consults with a remote expert.  I've never done it and wouldn't know how willing most docs are to do that but it might be a possibility.

This related discussion came up about pregnancy:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/POTS-and-Pregnancy/show/630774

It might have some informational tidbits but I understand that basically your stuck by circumstances.  Any chance you can do the IV saline thing like Dizzy mentions?  I've had a couple here and there under different circumstances and they do make a difference for a while.  It's easy to qualify for them if you have orthostatic hypotension... that is how a clinic will test you for "dehydration" so basically I will almost always pass that test and places insist on giving me a couple bags of IV!  It lasts only a while but I think the body gets some modest lasting benefit and if nothing else it is a little relief.

[dmolina]

I do the high salt to a point. Not too high because my urine had sugar in it so I'm trying to watch what I eat. I drink the gaterade and I wear the support hose. Like you, I usually am able to catch myself before I actually faint. My ob doesn't know anything about POTS and my cardiologist has only had one patient that wasn't pregnant. I wish I could find another doctor but I live in a small town so not many options.

[DizzyJ]

I'm so sorry you fainted during your pregnancy, I did the samething. I didn't have a diagnosis back then, so I didn't know what was going on.

My doctor does IV saline on his pregnant patients because dehydration is worse when your pregnant. It really seems to help them, you might consider talking to you doctor.

[supineallthetime]

Great news that the little one is doing well!  I'm not expecting to get pregnant any time soon (being male :)... but even just taking fludrocortisone gave me some weird hormone fluxuations for a while as my body got used to it.  I can only imagine what it's like to have the autonomic stuff and then endure the trials of pregnancy!

I've been lucky to only faint a couple times, usually just getting close and managing to recover or sit down in time which is still almost as bad (the typical POTS stuff).  Are you able to do anything like high salt and such during pregnancy or is even that off limits?  I guess the support hose are a possibility?

[dmolina]

I had it before I got pregnant. My ob said everything looks goos with the baby but no more lifting, bending, ect... He understands that I can't be on complete bedrest with 2 kids at home but as much as possible.

[supineallthetime]

I hope everything is ok too.  So far as I know, there shouldn't be any undue risk from your fainting.  Of course, it's something you should do whatever you can to minimize like all the basics of getting up slowly, avoiding things that make it more likely, etc.  Did you have syncope (fainting) before pregnancy or is that when it started?