There's a great Dysautonomia section on here also:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/show/266
I've gotten some answers and learned how others are dealing & coping with it since being diagnosed.
Good luck and hop on over & introduced yourselves :)
Hi,
I was diagnosed with POTS a few years ago at the Cleve. Clinic. It has been a a fun ride since then.... Of course I have the beta blockers but I will tell you what has helped me most - once I learned to recognize the signs that my body would send me that something was about to happen, that helped me more than you can know. I used to push myself until I would faint.... but now I accept that I do have limitations and I know when I have to stop and rest. A lot of people don't understand what you go thru.... including doctors. I have a multitude of other problems and when I see my other doctors and I tell them I have POTS they look at me and they scratch their heads. Only a few of my cardiologists I have here locally know and understand it. I was doing very well with my POTS until they told me I have Meniere's Disease, so I am at the point where helping 1 makes the other worse. With the POTS they said use salt.... and with the Meniere's, salt is a no-no and they like to use diuretics which pretty much makes my POTS symptoms kick in full force. Then I end up walking around with that wonderful tunnel vision you get just before you go out ( I can maneuver thru my house now when I can't see!!! I get a lot of bruises but hey.... lol). I run into more walls and pieces of furniture now, and I have a lot of days when I am not able to drive. (Just like I did back in the days before they said I have POTS) So we are trying to find a happy medium to see what can alleviate symptoms in both. I think I would rather deal with the Meinere's symptoms then deal with the POTS symptoms. In addition to those fun things, I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I recently had a Sleuth internal heart monitor implanted in my chest and now I am being sent to a hematologist within the next 2 weeks to see if I have a clotting disorder. I am only 40 and this is certainly not what I was looking forward to at this time in my life. Just hang in there.... learn to recognize when you don't feel well - that is a huge factor in helping yourself. Make sure you have a good doctor who understands and can help you. Drink lots of water and don't let yourself get too run down. If you have to stand for a long period of time, keep shifting your position - and don't be like me and be embarrassed to have to ask for that chair to rest when you need it. TED hose do help alot if you have to be on your feet and most of all, when you get frustrated and disgusted with what you are going thru.... talk about it! Make people understand what you feel like and it will help those around you deal with it and learn to help as well. Good luck to you!!!!
Michele
Thanks, that's a help, hope your situation gets better soon too :)
Hi,
I have been diagnosed with HyperAdrenergic POTS and I have been reading up on it through the internet and talking to doctors, One of the things they say is that beta blockers should be used with caution. I had severe reactions to beta blockers before they diagnosed me. Mine condition hasn't gotten a lot better, but I have started PT and OT therapy, I'm taking Clonidne and Cymbalta. This is an autotomic nervous system disorder. There are specialists that deal just in POTS at Cleveland Clinic and MAYO Clinic. I hope this helps and good luck.
Rhonda