Any Secret To Morning Activity

[gertie]

Is there a secret to being able to get up & get to an early app't? I have a dental app't tomorrow at 10:00 (because that was the only thing available) & I don't know how I will ever make it. It's at least 25 miles from my house which seems like a long journey to me. It's nearly noon & I still am nauseous & lethargic. My DH thought I should have made it for 8:30 a m, he just doesn't get it. Maybe if I get up at 5:00 am I might be ready to go on time. thanks.

[janiedelite]

Getting up earlier may make it easier. I try to force as much salted fluids into me as soon as I open my eyes. Also, if your doctor allows, midodrine first thing is great for getting your BP up.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I agree that fluid and salt loading on waking is important--and getting up,slowly, earlier. For me, showering in the AM made things worse when I was feeling poorly. Also, for me, small meals in the AM, and lots of protein/low carb. Nausea in particular stinks. I'm sorry you have to deal w that!

[mwise]

I agree with the others with fluids, salt loading and getting up early. I also adjust my meds to make it help. Sorry you are feeling nauseated. Hopefully, you will find something to eat that doesn't nauseate you. The most important is to hydrate. Good luck.

[gertie]

Thanks for your help. I will try to get up early but I probably won't make it. I can't salt load because it

causes inner ear fluid & then I would be sick & dizzy. Hopefully I will make my app't.

[micheller]

I load up on fluids the night before. I have to get up at 5, leave by 6 to be to work at 6:30. I clean so it's constant running around. I've noticed that if I don't think about the dizziness and nausea, it's not so bad. Mind over matter type thing? It gets me through my work day so far.

[Libby]

"Any secret to morning activity?"

Drugs.

I take them right when my alarm goes off the first time, then snooze it for 20 minutes. THEN I get up. Gives them a chance to get into my system - especially the midodrine - and makes moving around a heck of a lot easier.

Also, like micheller said, I try not to think about it. Ignore it as much as you can. Best example I have is that I'll black out when I stand up - my vision will go dark for a good 10-20 seconds - and I've found that ignoring it actually lessens the after-effects for me. If I sit down and think about how much I hate it, it's somehow so much worse. If I grope my way to the bathroom and start to wash my face instead of waiting for it to go away, it doesn't seem nearly so bad.

Definitely a mind over matter thing.

[fiona-jane]

i agree with the others that getting up early helps, and my PoTS doctor gave me a neat trick that seems to be helping me lately- she said if you drink about 250ml of water before you get out of bed in the morning (and drink it all in one go, and fast) it pushes the blood pressure up. in me this results in my heart rate being lower when i stand up first thing in the morning and for me this means i have less symptoms. i keep salt by my bed too, and treat it like a medication and have a pinch or 2 with my morning meds. also keep my face & body wipes by my bed so i can do some of the morning wash while still sat in bed and so limit how long i'm stood up before my body has gotten used to being upright.

i get a lot of nausea too and so keep my anti-nausea meds by my bed and this is the 1st tablet i take in the morning so i dont throw up the rest of my meds,

when i'm very tired and i just have to get up i try and do my morning tasks sat down (ie i'll brush my teeth sat down, use my perching stool in the kichen even if i'm only popping in for a glass of water). ooh, and another tip myconsultant gave me was to manually move my blood from where it may have pooled overnight by clenching and relaxing my tummy muscles, and flexing and pointing my feet to get my calf muscles moving etc. that works quite well for me too.

fi

[yogini]

I agree -salt load the night before and again in the am. Eat light/low carb.

[kmichaelson]

Thanks for all of these good tips! Getting around in the morning is SOOOO difficult for me and it's been getting worse, so it's absolutely wonderful to see some ideas for coping with it.

Fiona-Jane, I love the tip to start getting ready while I'm sitting in bed! That's such a great idea--thanks!

[Jan]

My advice is the opposite of the getting up early. Getting up earlier makes me feel worse. And makes me feel worse all day, I never adjust when I have to get up early. My advice is sleep in your clothes and get up at the last minute. Take a cab or beg a friend for a ride. After lying in the dentist chair, you will have to readjust to being upright and having a driver will help on the way home too.

I take Florinef 4 hours before I get up and then go back to bed. Drinking some tomato juice or other salty thing before you get up should help too.

If it isn't an emergency appointment, I would just reschedule for later in the day.

[fiona-jane]

i've done the sleeping in my clothes tip before when i had to get up at silly oclock for a 9am hospital appointment on the other side of London. i was up with my insomnia till just a handful of hours before i had to get up so was desperate. it worked quite well and no one could tell i'd slept in them

forgot to add to my earlier message that getting up early tends to make me feel rough by the early afternoon so i need to schedule several naps throughout the day to make me feel human and able to function. as long as i dont do it too regularly i dont get any lasting effects from it although i do feel a little fragile for a day or 2 afterwards.

fi

[ramakentesh]

I used to use licorice for this. Sometimes caffeine works but it doesnt last long and I can crash afterwards. Otherwise, just volume loading as others have said .