On My Way To Recover?

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Just thought this was interesting & wanted to share

Pre-pots I was always extremely sensitive to salt. I never cooked with it! I would eat pizza per se and my hands, feet and face would retain so much fluid.. IV fluid would also do the same thing. But since POTS came on, I stopped having this annoying thing. I could eat COstco pizza (the worst ofender) and not have a bit of swelling. Now the swelling is slowly coming back. I haven't a clue what has changed, but I hope this is a good thing. I haven't seen much improvement in HR, it's still about 95-100 standing but my fingers are crossed that this is a sign my body is getting back to normal.

[Batik]

That's just made me realise something. I went on a diet last year and lost 30% of my body weight. I was on a good diet forum. People kept talking about how, if they ate something extra salty such as take-out, they would retain water and it would show up on the scales the next day, sometimes to the tune of a couple of pounds. I never ever had that happen in the entire 11 months I was losing weight, despite plenty of occasions of eating unusually salty food.

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing your experience. I wonder sometimes if my body doesnt hold onto salt properly? Or lost it ability? Who knows but retaining fluid for a hypovolenix sounds good to me

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Batik did you have pots post this weightloss

Or prior?

[Batik]

I don't actually have a POTS diagnosis, though I'm about 90% sure that I have it. I've had ME/CFS for fifteen years. I've had ANS problems for most if not all of that time, although they have become markedly worse since I had gallbladder surgery this March. March is also when I finished losing weight. I've been slim for most of my life but put on some weight, particularly starting about six years ago, and am now back to around the weight I was when I was twenty. Why do you ask?

[Millerla]

I was actually told that bloating is a good thing.

As long as you're drinking plenty of fluids along with the salt, your body should be retaining that water and salt and upping your blood volume, helping with POTS. That's why many are told to go on a high sodium diet.

I have no idea if this means that you're getting back to "normal" though.

[Wendy C.]

Interesting. I've had a similar thing happen this past year, with swelling or lack of swelling. In Sept of 2011, I had an ablation and lost 7 pounds without trying in the 6 weeks afterwards. I was diagnosed with POTS 2 months after the ablation and went on an extreme amount of salt, Gatorade, and water and never had a bit of swelling and didn't gain any of the weight back (and felt horrible for 6 months). Well, the past 2-3 months, I have gained the 7 pounds back and even have a minor amount of swelling in my lower legs and fingers. I wondered if it meant I was getting better, too, although I still have bad days and don't feel back to normal yet. I cannot seem to lose any of the weight either, I've cut my calories and am doing yoga/Pilates literally almost every day. That always worked for me to lose weight slowly in the past, usually a pound a week, but now it isn't working at all. I also had a second experience with this when I first became pregnant in 2010- I lost 7 pounds in the first 3 months and I certainly wasn't trying to lose it. We had no idea about POTS back then, though. It must be all water weight or maybe blood volume? I don't know why the number was 7 pounds both times. Anyway, it is interesting...

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Batik-- I was curious because I gained/ lost huge amounts of weight prior to pots. Around 30% of my body weight lost in 6 months. I wonder if the weight loss could attribute to ans deregulation. My weight has fluctuated tremendously in the past 4 years!! Compounded with hormones & surgery sounds like a recipe for disaster

Wendy-- very interesting! I have also had weird fluctuations in weight, especially right before my diagnosis. I could lose 7-10lbs in one day. Plus, I was eating like a cow and not gaining weight. I was also well below my usual weight. Now I'm back in my normal weight range, and my weight barely fluctuates. The only explanation that seems logical to me would be losing water weight or not holding onto water properly. I don't exactly feel "normal" but I'm able to ignore my symptoms most of the time. I read that sometimes pots can "heal" slowly over time.... I'm hoping this is the beginning of healing.

[Batik]

I could never understand people who claimed that they had massive weight changes from one day to the next! I didn't get them even when I had noticeable premenstrual breast swelling. I wonder what it does all mean. I know that weight problems are really common in ME, so it wouldn't be surprising that they'd turn up in POTS as well. I've heard a lot of stories from people unable to gain/lose weight despite massive calorie deficits/increases. I was relatively lucky, I just cut my calories and the weight came off at a steady 1lb/week.

I actually felt a bit better while I was losing weight, I was able to manage morning showers for instance. My blood pressure was more in the healthy range when I was overweight, and tends to be on the low side when I'm normal weight (both before and after I was overweight, so it's not new).