Immune System?

[Shimoda]

Reason I ask is because mine is definitely weaker. I seem to have strep like every two seconds, and am often sick to the stomach (just leave it at that). Wounds don't heal nearly at all they can get infected like its nothing - not to mention the awful bruising that doesnt go away for weeks. I think with POTS, the body is preoccupied with other things, and lets more germs and viruses through, and doesn't heal as well.

Just a thought....

[jump]

My immune system has been weaker, so I put "yes," but I still wouldn't classify mine as weak. Before I started having disruptive dysaut problems, I NEVER EVER EVER got sick. Like truly never. Since getting POTS symptoms, I've had pneumonia, mono, two bouts of bronchitis and one or two colds -- but all over the stretch of about six years. I wouldn't call five illnesses in six years excessive. Also, I have no problem with healing from scrapes and bruises.

So, I do notice a change, but over all I think I still have a pretty strong immune system.

[juliegee]

I said yes, but that's not the whole story I get a few colds/viruses a year, BUT my immune system is officially impaired according to my blood work. My IgG is very low, 525 (750 normal) and IgA is borderline low. My allergist/immunologist have made noises about IVIG, but so far I think I'm OK.

Julie

[ramakentesh]

I havent noticed any difference, but when I do get sick I seem to suffer a lot more than other people. Colds can really knock me around more than the average Joe.

[stillkickin]

I ansered no but I want to clarify. Before I got POTS I think I still had some dysautonomia which caused me to feel sick sometimes which I blamed on viruses. Since I got POTS, I blame any ailment on that. So really I don't know. lol

[MelissaCrystal]

Shimoda, I have healing difficulty, immune system problems, and I bruise easily and I was just recently diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is the cause of my case of POTS. Have you been evaluated for EDS? POTS is definitely not the end to searching for the cause of our issues, POTS is just the symptoms of something bigger. I hope you find your cause----I mentioned EDS because it's a tissue disorder that commonly causes POTS, and the tell-tale signs are trouble healing and bruising. If you read about it on wikipedia, you won't get the full picture, but there a lot of good threads here in case you haven't seen them before. Symptoms range from person to person so you don't have to be a stretchy-skinned gymnast to have EDS.

[Guest brianala]

Since I have probably always had dysautonomia (or at least as long as I can remember) I have no basis for comparison and did not answer the poll.

However, as a child I was very prone to illness and up until several years ago I used to get some sort of upper respiratory virus or infection on a yearly basis. I also deal with asthma and allergies. The past few years I have had very few colds or illnesses, although this past weekend both my husband and I got sick with the flu.

[spaceorca]

My son has an immune-system problem but it runs in the opposite direction: He appears to have a hype-immune system that is always working over time. In fact, the doctors' current theory is that his POTS and other conditions are autoimmune--i.e., that they arose from the immune system attacking parts of his body, including parts of the autonomic system. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some connection between immune disorders and POTS, but with the possibility of it going either way.

[Lizzegrl]

I voted no, only because my immune system has always been a mess. I was in PICU when I was born for some unknown illness and it hasn't gotten much better. In my case, I've had Gamma globulin in the past and it helped, but they haven't pin-pointed exactly what is the root cause. I have the genetic form of POTS, so they know I have at least one gene defect, but they don't know what else is going on in the immune connection. It is just too much to worry about to think about finding out anything else.