Is It Possible To Be Dehydrated, But Have Perfect Labs

[Chrissy]

Hi guys. So I've been doing really good with the physical therapy 3 days a week they have me doing to recondition and help my joint hypermobility. Then Friday something went wrong, all of a sudden they are freaking out because my oxygen is only 93 and they can't get it to come back up. Needless to say they had me laying down until they could raise it a little, then they sent me home. Well my mom said my lips still looked blue and had me go home and do a nebulizer to see if it was my Asthma acting up. I did and then slept the rest of the day. I was dying a thirst and chugging water as much as possible. Still dry and my lips were cracked. My O2 was back up to 97, but I still couldn't stay awake, was slurring my words, freezing, and a little delirious. I ate something which was hard with no energy and drank a coke. My bp was low, but not scary low. My heart rate was low 60s to mid 70s. Finally at 10 pm my mom suggested going to the ER to get fluids, because despite chugging water I was still dry. We get there and I'm wrapped in a blanket, walking but barely alert. A nurse suggested putting me on an EKG and someone else said, no that's not necessary. They took my b/p once then had me hooked to a pulse/ox moniter and left. The doctor said she remembered me from when I was there well over a year ago, barely looked at me and said I'm sure it is just a virus but lets run some labs and do a chest xray. They drew the labs and then hooked me to an IV for fluids (which I sucked dry in record time). The doctor comes back a few hours later and says the labs look fine, potassium is a little low but not enough to cause symptoms. In the meantime, I'm coughing up a lung, struggling to breathe, grabbing my left chest, metallic taste, and the staff is irritated that my mom took them from their conversation about the new IPhone coming out to come check on me. So the doctor says well let's go ahead and order that chest xray and go from there. When my mom asked if I should get another bag of fluids the doctor said no her labs were fine why would she need more fluids. My mouth is dry, my lips are still cracked, and I'm unable to stay awake. Hummm... So they do the chest xray and it looked cloudy to my mom, but the doctor said it was unremarkable. They were gonna discharge me to go home and rest. My mom says, "Okay, we'll just contact her cardiologist on Monday." and suddenly the doctor is like, "Cardiologist? She has a heart condition? I reviewed her list of conditions, but I must have missed the heart condition. Oh, asthma too." Suddenly they are doing a breathing treatment and running an EKG. They discharged me with weakness/fatigue, which is better than panic attack, but I still left feeling worse than when I went there. If it is an early infection, why not give me a prescription? That was Friday night and I'm still feeling horrible and struggling to stay hydrated despite drinking all the time. All I do is drink, sleep, and pee.

If pots patients have 80% blood volume than is it possible to have dehydration symptoms, but your electrolytes be normal? Please help. I can use any suggestions. I'm tired of finally feeling good and making progress just to be knocked on my butt again. I know that is how it goes with pots, but I spend more time on my butt than having good days.

Thank you, Chrissy

[Katybug]

I always have normal labs but my POTS neuro is sure I have low blood volume based on my low bp and narrow pulse pressure. I can drink and drink and never feel like I'm hydrated. Plus the more I drink, it seems like I pee out more than I drink....almost like my body over compensates and urinates too much. I would definitely talk to your cardio on Monday. Sooner if they will answer emergency calls. If you are still slurring your words and having any neuro symptoms, that could be serious.

[Chrissy]

Yeah, I keep telling my mom. It doesn't help the water I drink goes right through me. I'm not even sure it's stopping to be absorbed. Lol. Yeah, I'm still really bad off days later. Migraines like never before which is saying something because the migraines were my first serious symptom 10 years ago. Slurring words, off balance, dizzy, short of breath, and rapid breathing. I've been dealing with POTS for 10 years and I don't remember ever feeling like this. My cardio and Dr. Grubb both say I'm a ticking time bomb just waiting for the next major symptom to be triggered. I sure hope this isn't it. I don't want to feel like this for any length of time.

[Katybug]

Chrissy,

I just noticed that your signature info says you have cyclic Cushings. Could that be out of control and making you have these problems? They sound kind of Cushingoid.

[Krissy21]

Your labs would have shown if you were dehydrated (electrolytes would be off, hemoglobin would be high, etc.) but you could have low blood volume. Dehydration and hypovolemia different. Dehydration can be a cause hypovolemia, but other things can cause it too. Just because you have a low blood volume doesn't mean you are dehydrated.

When I drink water, it seems like I just pee it all out without it helping my bp at all. Drinking Gatorade or other high sodium drinks helps since the salt helps you hold onto the fluid. I was told by a POTS specialist to drink at least a liter of Gatorade a day in addition to the other things I drink during the day. This has helped my bp stay around 100/70 instead of 90/60 and lower.

I hope you get to feeling better soon! Getting sick on top of the dysautonomia is never fun. Unfortunately if it's a viral infection, a prescription for antibiotics won't help, you just have to rest and ride it out.

[Becia]

I do fluids at home via PICC line, and my labs always seem to be "fine" but yet, I'm needing at least 3-4 liters a week. And the slower I can run it, the better. Like my body absorbs it all better that way, and I don't end up peeing it all out until my body just physically seems to say "okay, I'm good". And the difference I feel is night and day.

My bp can be high, low, in the middle, but the fluids always help me through stuff.

I also have issues with my stomach, like taking in too many liquids and and not enough solids messes up my throat and swallowing abilities, but I get so full in liquids, that I don't get any physical food nourishment. Another blessing of the ivs, if I decide to try and eat a bit more that day, I'm kinda covered if I don't drink as much. Drinking Gatorade and eating salty stuff just makes me nauseated more.