Mydoggielovesme2 Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Hi All, Hope this day finds you doing fairly well. {:-) I just have a quick question, I have to have the above procedures Monday and wondering if there is any suggestions to help a potsy get thru it easier. Last EGD I had I was awake because BP so low. That was a rough experience. Of course this time I will have to be asleep because of colonoscopy. I'm pretty nervous about it. I have such a fear of anesthesia. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Doing the prep was a trigger for me personally so I think one of the most helpful suggestions might be to see if your doc will allow you to have extra saline before/during/after the procedure.Hopefully others on here will chime in as this topic has come up before and it's been a mixed bag with many sailing thru with no problems. You might want to search prior threads for this topic too. Good Luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looneymom Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Have you had anesthesia since you have been diagnosed with POTS? If not then you need to tell your doctor that you have POTS in advance. My son had a procedure and we told the doctor he had POTS. His heart rate dropped really low during the procedure. The doctor was prepared and knew what to do for my son. My son also had a really hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Wishing you the best and hope everything goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badhbt Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Taking that prep can make you dehydrated. I think the advice about letting your Doctor know about your condition and getting some IV fluids before the procedure would be helpful. IV fluids with Half normal saline ( higher salt content ) would be best.Hopefully you have a morning procedure instead of the afternoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderwaterThing Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 I wish you the best of luck. I had both procedures last December. The prep was no problem. Just do your best to stay hydrated. I let the anesthesiologist know beforehand that I had POTS and luckily he had heard of it. After the procedure, he came over and told me that he had a difficult time controlling my heart rate during the procedure because it kept shooting up really high. Communicate with the doctors as much as you can before the procedure and try to stay calm. I know it is extremely stressful. I was panicking about it for months before I finally did the procedure. Just think what a relief it will be when it's over with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydoggielovesme2 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Thank you all for the advice. My GI Dr is new to me. Only had one appt with him, and that's when these tests were ordered. Unfortunately I was his last appt for the day, so he was tired, but he did let me explain POTS to him. Then he said there is nothing to worry about, which makes me worry that he didn't get it. Thankfully I am the first appt in the AM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydoggielovesme2 Posted July 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 UPDATE: Found out this am that the Dr ordered anesthesia sedation for tests, and that I can have nothing to drink from midnight on, until tests complete. In talking to the nurses at the hosp about this, they suggested I speak to the Dr and see if he would admit me for IVs while doing the prep. Well he said no, that there is no need. Now I am REALLY afraid. I knew he did not understands when I tried to explain POTS to him. I get sooooo symptomatic when I'm dehydrated. What to do????? I'm I making to much of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hanice Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 If your unsure I suggest you DONT do it with HIM.. Go to a doctor you TRUST orelse you might regret not following your gut! I know Ive learned my lesson there. And if you absolutely have to do it with him, then load up on Gatorade the night before and the morning of the appointment. I still suggest doing it with a doctor you can feel 100% understands you and cares. Thats my advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badhbt Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 You could always drink Gatorade up until midnight. I think your procedure is at 8am? Just let the Nurses know that you are dehydrated, they listen better than Doctors It is good you are having anesthesia, that means there will be someone there monitoring your vital signs every 3 minutes or more. They have medications to help lower or in your case increase your blood pressure. Maybe you could print off a brochure from the main page and inform them of POTS. I had Dinet send me some and they are handy to give to new Doctors that do not know about POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psalm 23 Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 I would absolutely insist on extra preprocedure and postprocedure IV fluids. Don't let your GI doc dismiss your special needs. Tell him not administering those extra fluids would be detrimental to your health and could make for a very problematic situation for him and the staff taking care of you. I had a Colonoscopy and EGD in 2010 and I told the GI doc I needed extra fluids and I was prone to extreme dizziness, nausea and vomiting post procedures. He just ignored me and it turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. I changed to a different Gastroenterologist who was somewhat familiar with POTS and actually listened to me. Last year I needed another EGD but this time it was an entirely different experience because I told him what happened the last time so this time I was well hydrated and given a small dose of IV Reglan preprocedure. Most Gastroenterologists and nurses are probably not familiar with POTS so as badhbt has suggested bringing with you a Dinet brochure is a great idea. And no you are definitely not making too much of this. Hold your ground on this one. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydoggielovesme2 Posted July 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 Thank you badhbt, and ps23, I REALLY appreciate the advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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