s-pot Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 just looking for a bit of advice from all you wise ones here on the forum!I Recently had more testingTilt Table showed.....huge variability in BP/HR. HR was compensating all the time, as soon as the Tachy reduced my BP started to drop and away my heart would go again ! So defo POTS/Vasovagal Dysfunction. 24 Hr BP monitor...showed drops in BP as low as 81/3924hr urine collection Sodium level..... 141. (not sure what this means?)Anyway I d/c midodrine and started on Florinef which seems to be improving my symptoms althou im thinking now im going to need a higher dose long term than the 0.05 twice a day im taking.However I am starting to work next week on the Labour ward (im a midwife) night shifts included. My last experience of working there (nearly two years ago) was that the Adrenaline surge/anticipation that comes alongside delivering babies sent my heart seriously tachy and i was soooo exhausted after one never mind the 3-4 deliveries I could be involved in during the night (not counting the odd emergency situation we mite have)!Im just wondering has anyone got any advice on trying to control these surges when adrenaline kicks in? A certain amount of it comes with the job anyway but it seems to have a very pronounced effect on me now!any advice much appreciated!! hope ye are all doing well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E246 Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 What a wonderful job!I am very sensitive to stress leading to adrenaline surges, the smallest thing can set it off. However the florineff really stopped this happening except for in extreme circumstances. Can only think the hair trigger was caused by low blood volume leading to over production of adrenaline to get more blood to my heart. If it has already started to improve your symptoms then maybe you will be luckyHope it has the same effect on you.Good luck with the return to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s-pot Posted June 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 thanks for your response Emma...the florinef seems to be really helping me in every other way. Delighted to read you had some improvement in this particular area with the florinef too.Maybe i have nothing to be worrying about so!! (that would be great!!) Hope you are wellsteph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Ok, I know this sounds over-simplified but have you ever tried learning meditative breathing? I learned meditation in college and I have recently noticed that I have been subconsciously using meditative breathing to slow my heart rate and sooth my adrenaline surges. I doesn't prevent them, but, it does make them less intense and shorter when they happen so I am less fatigued by them. When I mentioned to my POTS neuro that I noticed I have been compensating by breathing very slowly, he said that it was great. He said there was a paper published this year that showed that some people are able to reverse congestive heart failure by learning to slow their breathing so as to alleviate the heart from being overworked. I had pulmonary testing the other day and what the tech considered "regular" breathing was way too fast for me and sent my heart rate through the roof.Anyway, its free and its something you can do anywhere, anytime...so it can't hurt to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s-pot Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 thanks katybug...interesting!Its something that has certainly come up several time's in the last couple of weeks. My new specialist recommended my trying something called 'mindfullness' and to begin practicing yoga/relaxation etc. NOT for a second was she suggesting that my symptoms were psych/anxiety related but she explained that anyone with these conditions have a much more intense physiological reaction to stress (chemical reactions etc) and therefore suggested trying it.you have reminded me of this little nugget of information she gave!! thanks for your input...it seems to be working for you! ill defo give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 s-pot,A great book to learn mindfulness and how to incorporate meditation into everyday life activities is called, "Where Ever You Go, There You Are", by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Really easy read with short chapters that have easy little meditation/mindfulness exercises at the end of each chapter. For example, just counting your footsteps as you are walking from one place to the next can focus your mind and bring calm to you. It might have some great things for you to do while on the labour ward. Good luck!Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Don't know if this is the paper the doc was referring to or not:http://eurjhf.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/9/1000.abstract Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heathmcev Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Just echoing katybug - mediation/mindfullness based stress reduction (google MBSR) has helped me as well. Amazing what you can teach your brain hasn't stopped any of my symptoms from happening but when I feel the adrenaline coming on I can immediately kick into the breathing techniques I've leaned and it's helps calm my body down. I took a course at UPenn in Philly. Many major unis around the world offer 6-8 week courses based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's work. Good luck at work!!(null) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Only thing that calms this down is time and exposure. Your body adapts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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