hayley Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 hey everyone hope you are all ok.i wanted to ask two questions.1. does diet affect pots.2. does anyone find that they cant sit in an upright postition.i find that if a chair has a straight back i tend to faint more and im so uncomfortable.and also my heart rate goes all over the place. im ok sitting a chair with no back or leaning forwards.i just wondered if any of you experienced this.hayley x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gena Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Hayley,I can't answer your 2nd question about fainting, as I have no experience with that...however, diet can definitely affect POTS symptoms. In general (although this can vary among individuals) the things that usually aggrevate symptoms are eating a lot of refined sugars, chocolate, high carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol. On my "good" days I can get away with eating or drinking these items in SMALL amounts without any problems. But on my bad days, I completely avoid them b/c I go further in the potshole if I do consume them.Also, if you have any known food sensitivities, allergies or intolerances, these can trigger or aggrevate POTS symptoms as well. Many of us on the forum have celiac or gluten sensitivity, i.e., we cannot eat wheat, rye, barley or oats or anything derived from these grains. So if you know or suspect you have food allergies to certain foods, you'd be wise to avoid those items too. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneva Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Hayley, I will ditto what Gena has said about the foods. I have gluten, dairy and lactose intolerance so I don't knowingly eat any of those foods. I had lactose intolerance before POTS, the others came afterwards. I used to avoid cholocate 100% but can tolerate 1 piece occasionally. YEAH!Can't speak to the chair issue as I too don't faint. I am sure someone else will post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violahen Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Hi Hayley:I ditto the stuff about diet...also eating big meals can be a problem because the blood goes to your stomach to try to help digestion and then the rest of your body doesn't have enough blood.YES I have the chair issue! I am extremely sensitive to postural issues and exactly how the back of my chair is propped. Actually, I am a professional orchestral musician and I had an experience with my orchestra where they got new chairs and it was a disaster for me. For several days in a row I passed out straight away from the angle of the back of the chair! Now I try to be extra careful with my sitting position.good luck!Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GayleP Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Food cause symtoms with me. MSG, all processed foods and some spices can get my heart racing. I have to always ask if there is MSG in food when we go out.I do best with my own food and using organic brands. The I know what I'm eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthMother Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 With my POTS I never actually faint ... but I become very symptomatic with both questions 1 and 2.As for food, I've been doing a rotation diet for the last few years. I had blood tests years back that showed sensitivity to wheat, eggs, dairy and also separate tests that showed very high candida. So now I watch carefully what I eat and have reduced my sugar intact dramatically. I still eat most foods, but only once or twice a week with several days in between. For me, big meals are the real killer. Or high sugar, or high fat. I notice that some days I can go for long periods of time (like from breakfast to lunch) without snacking and other days I really need to eat something every couple of hours. When I am in a bad spell, I need to plan on 1-2 hours of down time after a meal.As for chairs ... I can not sit totally upright. I actually bought a computer chair for work that reclines and has a little footrest. It has been a real lifesaver. And when I have meetings, I let people know that I need a "comfy" chair at the board table -- one that is big enough for me to take off my shoes and cross my legs up into it. Otherwise, I have a real hard time sitting through discussions. Folks have been wonderful and very mindful of my needs. Sometimes they even arrange for a speaker phone on the conference table so I can "call-it-in" on those days my body just can't get up to speed.Good luck on your healing journey.EM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radha Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 yes carbs and sugar definately makes my heart race and too much of any food in general, eating is a huge problem for me and triggers my heart so easily, and yes i have to lean forward too, if my head tilts back even a little or my back is too straight, my heart beats so hard in my head, but i dont faint, i just worry that i will have a hunchback! radha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 I feel like garbage on days when I eat more sugar than usual, and when I don't drink enough fluids. Too much alcohol -- like more than 1-2 drinks -- makes me very, very symptomatic. Other than that, I don't think I have any other dietary issues.When I sit straight up, I feel like I can't breathe. So I generally try to not do it for a long time. I have to sit up at work two days a week and it's awfully uncomfortable, so I take breaks every 15-30 minutes by walking around my row of cubicles.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 My diet does effect me, I do better with many smaller meals, like grazing. Depending on how symptomatic I am, I have to adjust what I eat too. I avoid things that will sit and ferment in my stomach when I am weak or ill.I occasionally have trouble sitting. It would only be if I were ill and then I would just recline to avoid symptoms. tearose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miriam Poorman-Knox Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 hey everyone hope you are all ok.i wanted to ask two questions.1. does diet affect pots.2. does anyone find that they cant sit in an upright postition.i find that if a chair has a straight back i tend to faint more and im so uncomfortable.and also my heart rate goes all over the place. im ok sitting a chair with no back or leaning forwards.i just wondered if any of you experienced this.hayley x<{POST_SNAPBACK}>My doc. told me, and it works to keep to no more than 100gms of carbs a day. Some people have problems with dairy. To make up, she recommends increasing protein. Your next question makes sense. Alot of pots people's BP is higher sitting straight up than lying or reclining. This week actually my neurologist said that the BP mumbers we are concerned with are lyinf and standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus88 Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Diet affects EVERYTHING in your body. That is where it gets its fuel.If you put regular gasoline in a vehicle that requires diesel fuel, you are going to have compromised operation and maybe eventually a complete breakdown. Yes, they are both forms of gasoline and very useful in their correct environments, but different vehicles have different requirements based on their components.Our bodies are the same way. What may be an ideal food for one can create unpleasant to catastrophic consequences for another.I unfortunately had this happen just yesterday - my first truly bad day in many months. Thinking how nice it would be to start my day with a different breakfast than usual, I had prepared a small bowl of cooked amaranth and oatmeal. Within 20 minutes I began to feel bad and it got worse over the next hour - nausea, trembling, sweating, chills, dizziness, extreme weakness, slightly short of breath, mild anxiety. It wasn't until the evening that I finally felt like it had worked its way through and out of my system. I looked on the amaranth package and found that it had a high amount of potassium compared to most of the other items listed. And I know that I must be careful because I already sit too high on potassium, but never thought to check that on the amaranth.Only 5 days prior to this I had maybe 2 teaspoons of amaranth (my first time eating it in more than a year) and couldn't figure out why that day was spent not feeling quite as well or energetic as I had been. After yesterday's situation, it became very clear that the amaranth was the trigger. Gosh, who would think such a tiny amount would create such an effect? Needless to say, that package is going in the garbage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 Opus, I'm really sorry that happened to you yesterday! I suppose it's good to know now to stay away from Amaranth ... and perhaps it's a reminder to everyone to read package labels carefully (especially if you're aware of what your triggers are).As for me, I've never heard of amaranth ... but I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon (given your experience)! I figure if I haven't heard of it (or tried it) by the ripe ol' age of 43, there's no real need ... but I'm kinda boring and unadventurous as far as diet goes!I hope you're feeling better ...m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinp29 Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Haley,Like Gena, I can't answer your 2nd question. I can't eat much sugar, because it negatively affects my muscles. Also, having a lot of bad carbs (bread, junk food, and, sometimes, potatoes) has a negative effect on my body.Hope you're doing well! Kristin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinp29 Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 An afterthought...water!! I drink sooo much water during the day and it really helps. Stay well hydrated! It's a good thing, even though I pee more than anyone I've ever known!! Kristin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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