What Is My Next Step

[Jacquie802]

Tonight has been one of the worst nights. I fell asleep at 730pm and woke up at 915pm. I woke up hot, very pale colored, and severely dizzy. I was unable to move for approx.5 minutes. I swear my blood pressure must be dropping while I'm sleeping. What else can be causing this. I have not been doing good these past few weeks. Guess I'm looking for advice as what to do next.

[Katybug]

Jaquie,

I don't have any really sage advice but I just want to tell you that I am sorry you are feeling so bad and that I am thinking of you. I went through about 3 months of being almost completely bedridden in summer/early fall and now I can leave the house for a couple of hours most days. There is hope and sometimes we just have to wait out the bad times.

Thinking of you,

Katie

[Brye]

HR dropping too low. Mine gets too low at times from my Beta blocker. time for a holter monitor?

Brye

[Jacquie802]

Hi there,

Thank you both for your replies. Currently, I am only on Midodrine, which I cannot take before I go to bed. I was previously on Toprol XL, but had to discontinue that due to significant drops on bp..I appreciate the support, it's hard. For a while I was doing well and was even thinking about looking for part-time employment-now, not so much.

[mwise]

Hi Jacque,

What time is the latest you take your Midodrine? I take Midodrine 7.5mg 3xday & prn even if I am sitting or laying down and extra doses late in the evening if I am going to be out. I hydrate with all kinds of fluids including caffiene in the evening along with wearing suppport stockings 30-40mmhg. I definitely salt everything along with salt tablets if I need. You may need to take a 4th dose which alot on this forum do. You also may want to add B Vitamins which help with fatigue and energy. I hope you start feeling better again soon.

[Rachel]

Do episodes like this happen often while you are sleeping? I'm wondering if a sleep study would be helpful. It could show what is going on in your brain, with oxygen levels, and with your heart rate during those episodes. If you can get a sleep study that also monitors your blood pressure, that might be helpful since you think your bp is dropping. Of course, sleeping with a bp cuff going off automatically every 10 minutes is hard to do!

It would be good to check in with your doctor and let him know of the recent changes in your health. I hope you can find the answers and help you need.

Rachel

[juliegee]

Pelvic congestion syndrome is highly correlated with autonomic dysfunction. This is basically varicose veins in your pelvic area. When you lie, your already low supply of blood can pool there- causing BP to drop even further- http://www.pelvicpain.org/news/pdfs/vol4_no2.pdf

See if you think this could be a possibility. Unbeknowst to me, I was suffering from this. My uterine veins were enormous- all feeding a 10cm fibroid. A uterine embolization took care of the problem.

My BP would drop MUCH lower (when supine) when my veins were all stretched out.

[yogini]

It's normal for BP to drop at night, but if your BP is aleady too low to start off with, that may be the prob lem.A sleep study sounds like a great idea. Have you tried Paxil or SSRIs? They have been the best med to stabilize BP for me. Another thing that has worked is to drink a big cup of broth an hr or 2 before bed, followed by a couple of glasses of water. Feel better soon.