Extended Vacation As A Form Of Treatment

[Elenapap11]

Prompted by a post from NMPotsy and a conversation with a friend i wondered if recharging our batteries in a very drastic way could be the key to get rid of Dysautonomic problems that do not arise from an obvious underlying condition.My friend had IBS and at some point she experienced symptoms similar to POTS.That was ten years ago so she wasn't aware of POTS and all that.She tried many things but she was still symptomatic.At some point the severity of the symptoms forced her to quit her job in a multinational company she was working for.She had a very hectic lifestyle and though she loved her job there was no doubt that it was a stressful environment.She was so desperate that she quit everything and started travelling on her own.She did that for a year and during that year her symptoms started vanishing one by one.She now has a family and works part-time but her life is very different and she told me that if she hadn't done that back then she's sure that she'd still be sick.

So i m thinking:if your problems have started because of chronic fatigue or very high levels of stress ,maybe a chronic relaxation is what is required to regain proper function of the autonomous nervous system.(?)

it's not easy to do that for a great number of reasons but i can't help but wonder:what if this is the answer to my problem?

Personally i'd quit my job and go to the other side of the world if someone told me this would cure me.But the problem is that there is no guarantee so i might end up being sick and unemployed too.

I was wondering if anyone with POTS or any other form of Dysautonomia ever tried to change drastically their life in order to improve their health.For instance taking a long leave from work or other obligations or travel abroad or generally get away from the daily routine.If so how did you feel?Was there any improvement?

[yogini]

Your friend's experience sounds a lot like mine. I took off 1 1/2 years from work .It's probably the one of best decisions I have ever made. I have a high stress job. I was looking for other work and couldn't find anything else that would help me. I quit but was actually shocked to be offered a leave of absence from my job. I traveled abroad and also learned yoga. I improved leaps and bounds during this time. 6 months turned into 1 year turned into 1 1/2 years. I decided to go back to work in late 2008, but my former job wasn't there for me anymore b/c of economic crisis. I was actually able to find a contract job soon, which was working from home. That was a good transition for me. That job was supposed to last a couple of weeks and wound up lasting a couple of years. I got an office job over a year ago and don't find it taxing anymore. I work as a contractor, so don't get benefits, but otherwise I am pretty much back on my career track. Hopefully the contractor status will change sometime soon, but I take it one day at a time.

It is scary taking a leap like that. They always say not to have a gap in your work history, plus you have to think about finances, healthcare, etc. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they can manage. I was pretty conservative in my spending, didn't buy any clothes or eat in restaurants, etc. It did not take very much money to live and it is actually freeing to let go of all the things you think you need and focus on what you actually do need. Even in the worst economy, things all worked out for me in the end. If not for POTS, I'd probably still be in the rats' race, which is not a great place to be.

I am not cured, but feeling so much better and continuing to get better as time goes on. PM me if you want to talk more.

[songcanary]

I absolutely improved. Chronic stress was killing me. My story is nearly the same as Yogini's. Now, 2 1/2 yrs after quitting my job I am working again and feel nearly normal. It was a very slow improvement but in that time I have completely changed my lifestyle and attitude. To be fair, I also started a good med regimen but the stress control and rest have been invaluable.

[Zap]

I've been away from work for over a year now - unfortunately I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay this way, however there has been a bit of resolution to a number of things that were festering prior to me leaving. I also still have a lot of things that are waiting for my attention still, so I can't say it has been a "vacation".

That said, there have definitely been a lot of changes. I was in a chronic stress nightmare that wasn't ending, and I definitely think it made something that used to be iffy end up being a lot worse. I've learned a lot in the process, and I hope to continue being able to change things more and move on. I wish that I could say that I've improved more, but it has been quite a slow process. Being a perfectionist doesn't help things, that's for sure.

I have considered a month-long, out of the country retreat as a possible help. It would have separated me from needy family members, annoyances, obligations to truly step away for a decent period. I may still do this next year, as I think it would help me find some peace and perspective.

[comfortzone]

When I was 13 I had severe mono and was hospitalized for a month - I was very very ill. I had relapses the whole school year long and had to do make-up classes to stay in sync with the other kids academics..... Felt so so weak - could barely stand.

My poor mom was single and raising four kids of which I was the oldest - my illness - on the heels of a 3 week hospitalization with pneumonia that I had relapses with as well just about broke her.... traveling back and forth to visit me and taking care of the younger sibs- working full time etc...

One day she told me I needed to go to camp with the kids at church. She said the outdoors would do me good. I was so confused because I was sicker than a dog! Anyway she ushered me off to camp - Assateaque Island off the coast of Maryland - I had lived in the midwest then. I had a fantastic time. Being on the beach everyday and packing clothes for the poor - being with new friends - and seeing the gorgeous white sands, the Chincoteaque ponies etc... had me feeling stronger everyday. I soaked up the sun laying on a beach towel listening to the waves lap the beach every day - ate seafood and just enjoyed life!

Finally it was time to go home - and no one could believe how healthy I had gotten in that two week time period away from home.

To this day I remember that miraculous cure - How I was just so so wobbly and shakey and weighed next to nothing - came home strong, tan, tall and proper weight .... Thank goodness - dunno how much more sickness my mom could take - Later on she shared that they thought I was dying of leukemia for a time -and they never thought I'd make it out alive from the pneumonia - one sick kid - who did recover from a huge drastic change - just as you asked about!

I do believe I've relapsed many times - probably CFS/ME related now that I get to thinking about it - and I take supplemental Vit D - but there are days I think - You know - I wonder what a trip to the British Virgin Islands would do for me now? Turquoise waters - sugar sand and a beach chair for two weeks - eating nothing but lobster and fish - I wonder if that combo of 'natural' medicine could possible work once again? I think I may be simply too old - too many comorbid conditions turning into one messed up person health wise - yet I know things could always be worse - so thank God for the health I do have everyday!

[Lethargic Smiles]

I'm not very concise today, sorry guys!

This is the idea behind Dr. Kyprianou's treatment plan at The POTS Treatment Center in Dallas. I do relaxation exercises for about 2 hours daily and eventually it is supposed to help through reteaching the body to go to parasympathetic mode which has all sorts of benefits like good brain chemicals being released, less cortisol being released, better digestion, better immune function, and I think one of the most important effects -- better circulation. It has been 40 days and it has showed more benefit than anything else, although it definitely isn't an instant cure in my case. The most impressive improvement (to me anyways) is my legs no longer turn purple/red when I stand. I can still only stand for very short amounts of time, but my feet used to turn purple after just a few minutes, even with compression stockings. I used to experience gastroparesis a few times a week, I've only had in once in 40 days. I used to be lightheaded every day, that has only happened for a few hours a few days in the past 40 days. The belief behind this treatment to relax the ANS (biofeedback) is a lot of symptoms come from chronic sympathetic nervous system activity when really we should be in parasympathetic most of the time.

I don't believe sympathetic over-activity causes POTS, rather I think POTS causes sympathetic over-activity, and in turn, sympathetic activity causes many of our most disabling symptoms. My thoughts are perhaps if my body is in parasympathetic more often, it can control many of the symptoms while POTS gets the **** out of my body. If I could just go on a vacation for a few months while my body did that, I'd be game! I can deal with my heart rate increasing when I stand, what I can't deal with is pre-syncope, vomitting, gastroparesis and lightheadedness more often than not.

To go to Dr Kyprianou's program, I had to go to Texas for 15 days with my Mom. While there, I had slightly more energy. I was no fool and realized I was away from the pressures of life, but I really didn't think it made THAT huge of a difference. Once I came home (I don't work but live with my fiance and am a part-time parent) everything declined a little bit from where I was. Not drastically, but definitely noticeably. Just little stressors like worrying about when I'd load the dishwasher, making a payment online, visitors, etc... have an impact on how I feel. I'm recovering from the setback and am lucky enough to have an extremely understanding fiance who is doing everything he can to make my home and life in general a peaceful, pressure-free place. I am realizing more and more how important lifestyle management and taking time to relax (and not with a phone/computer) is to coping with dysautonomia.

[lynnie22]

I am glad you had some real benefits from the program, Jackie. I so agree with you about lifestyle management. I am finding as I am beginning to keep a careful diary of my symptoms, food, activities, etc., that if I get too excited about anything or do too much activity, my symptoms get much worse. I know from experience and reading at this point that the sympathetic nervous system's overstimulation is a critical part of our symptoms. You believe it's a result of POTS. I'm not sure which came first, but perhaps what matters most is learning to calm it down. I think we all are struggling to find those ways -- and I honestly don't know at which point we can turn it around which would be great. Maybe it's a combination of factors. My doctor told me a story about his relative who had orthostatic intolerance and couldn't stand without falling. She spent the rest of her life in a space suit, but happily. Then there's the Levine exercise program.

But as far as STRESS, YES, it's a huge contributor for me, and I seem to have become unable to handle it like I used to or the POTS is putting me in OVERSTRESS/sympathetic NS mode and I have to find better ways to switch to parasympathetic more often.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience there -- and I hope you continue to do better and better!

[Relax86]

Meditation significantly works for me. And I also left a management job for a staff position which helped quite a bit. It's less money but less stress and requires much less of me. Besides my inner struggles for self worth the job I have now works for me. I just have to remind myself that my title is not me and this job allows me to work at all. My current job is going to end in the next (guessing) 4 years. I'm not sure my plan at that point. I might be ready for a break but unsure my budget will allow. There's time to plan but I'll also have 2 in college. I would like to consider disability at that point but I worry with the current market and state of the union if there even will be disability available at that time. Also note that I'm at amputee with a congenitally dislocated hip - I'm not riding out on disability on POTS alone even though at times I was sick enough. I think my hip is going to give out before my BP. I'm way off topic here but my point was that the emotional rest although not my cause did help in my recovery since my coping mechanisms for stress (despite me thinking I was strong minded) are now broken. I loved my adrenals in my 20's and 30's!!!