Physical Response To Oh

[s-pot]

I am just wondering what other peoples physical responses are to the sudden drop in BP that happens with OH.

I am one of those that has never fainted really. BP seems to drop about 10-15min after standing and my response has always been vomiting/severe wretching, a feeling like 'everythings draining from my head, and extreme rapid fatique. Currently i find the symptoms of the Hypotension alot more difficult to manage than tachycardia/arrythmias that comes wit POTS.

Ive noticed an increase again in the last week in the vomiting/wretching/BP dips. However I feel like im getting closer to fainting with it now.

Has anyone else experienced a change in their physical responses to BP dips? Im concerned that, even thou fainting has never been a problem before for me, this could be changing!

[lizababy]

Thank you for mentioning the severe vomiting/wretching! I do not have that response all of the time; however, when the hypotension is at it's worst I become very gaggy (this morning for instance!). My doctor either thought I was nuts or that something else was wrong as she order a gastric emptying study due to all of the vomiting/gagging.

That being said, I can go weeks with the dips not causing this response. Other times, the dips make me more headachey/foggy than anything. In a few instances, I dipped so low that I fainted. For me, my response seems to vary week to week like the wonderful weather here

[jennyg97]

I think symptoms can change based on a variety of factors like medications, food intake, and the like, although I don't fully understand them. I normally faint, but lately have been having vomiting episodes rather than or just following fainting. In both cases, I normally break out into a cold sweat, get really dizzy/nauseous and it feels like everything around me turns to the consistency of mud; walking becomes exceedingly difficult (sometimes impossible) and I begin to move in slow motion, with every movement seeming to take more energy than I can muster.

I will be interested to hear how the gastric emptying study goes because I've read that POTS can cause a lot of gastric slow down. I've noticed my heart rates are higher and more volatile when things don't seem to be moving through my system at a quick enough pace.

[sandymbme]

My response has certainly changed. I used to only ever have a lot of GI issues, that would become worse with incidents of near-fainting. Having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease in March, which has improved some of my GI issues, I don't get as much of the nausea/vomiting with OH. However, in the 4 years since I got my POTS/OH dx, I have seen a big change in my frequency/severity of dizziness, and am now having frequent fainting spells. I had six or so today. Will be going to see my specialists at the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Grubb in Toledo to see if we could get this under any better control. Fingers crossed!

Sandy

[s-pot]

apologies all for the delay in response! aint bin online much. Thanks all for your responses....glad im not alone in the Wretching/vomiting symptoms . I havent read too much about people experiencing this but its bin one of my main symptoms....in fact it was a main symptom when i was 15, long before i was ever diagnosed with POTS and docs were sooo convinced I had an eating disorder that they put me to psych unit for assessment and the madness of not being believed about any of my symptoms and this uncontrollable wretching actually caused me to develop an ED!!

POTS is defo on a change at the mo thou....just cant keep up with these ever changing symptoms :/

Jenny you gave a perfect explanation how i feel just before the gaggin starts!! my whole world slows down and i usually cant life my head off the couch to move to the loo! i reckon its just such a sudden severe dip in BP...i literally feel everything draining for my head to my feet and then the wretching starts!!

Sandyshell what tests do they do to check for celiac disease?? I have noticed becoming more symptomatic after meals and am wondering if i should give a gluten free diet a go.....ive no experience of trying a diet like that at all so i wouldnt have a clue where to start!!

[sue1234]

Sandy, as I am not a fainter, I am curious. When you faint six times in a day, is it because you stood up too long? Or, did you just stand up? Like I said, I have never fainted in five years with this, but I sit most of the time because I am afraid of going past my "safe" time limit. I know some people have warning time and some don't, they just faint.

[juliegee]

S-pot,

Your description of symptoms is IDENTICAL to my son's. For what it's worth, on the TTT he barfed just as his BP became immeasurable. Sounds exactly like what you are experiencing.

Mack had an antroduodenal manometry during the TTT and he was DXed with NMH and small bowel dysmotility. The most helpful meds for the NMH have been those related to boosting blood volume: florinef, salt, potassium & lots of extra water. The most helpful for the vomiting, nausea has been Ery-Ped as a GI prokinetic. Apparently the nerve damage in the GI tract can actually cause a retrograde propulsion (vomiting) when the BP is so uncontrolled. Treating both of these conditions has been very helpful for my son. In case you have something similar happening- thought I'd share

Julie

[Dizzysillyak]

My response has certainly changed. I used to only ever have a lot of GI issues, that would become worse with incidents of near-fainting. Having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease in March, which has improved some of my GI issues, I don't get as much of the nausea/vomiting with OH. However, in the 4 years since I got my POTS/OH dx, I have seen a big change in my frequency/severity of dizziness, and am now having frequent fainting spells. I had six or so today. Will be going to see my specialists at the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Grubb in Toledo to see if we could get this under any better control. Fingers crossed!

Sandy

I was diagnosed as a celiac about 16 years after getting me/cfs/oi/pots. It took me a

solid year after going gf to start walking normally so it can take awhile to heal.

You may want to take a look at your meds too. The klonopin I was taking for myoclonus

started making me feel like a zombie after i'd been gf for 7 months. I still have myoclonus

if I get glutened but I just can't take klonopin anymore.

I've never fainted .. My brain gets too fuzzy for me to think. Even getting a meal can be a challenge

on a bad day.

Wonder why some people vomit upon standing. Is it possible that you.re gag reflex was already engaged

and standing up just made the urge uncontrollable ? I remember being nauseous and vomitting

a lot with my second pregnancy. Standing up certainly didn.t help ... Same thing happened when I was seasick.