how do you deal with a good spell?

[Pistol]

Hi - we all know what it is like when we are bad, down and feeling like life is passing us by because of our symptoms. Then there are the times we have a day or so of energy and we try to do as much as possible and then "poof" - it's back to bed again. After a long, hard, depressive, painful and symptomatic winter I have started many supplements to fight some deficiencies that I was found to have and currently I am feeling really good. So I am doing what I have not been able to do in years: garden! I usually am barely able to do mild housework or cooking but now I can tend my neglected flower beds. So - here is my question: how do you all deal with having energy and household it enough so you don't over-exert yourself? Right now I am living on a "schedule": a bit of house work, rest, a bit of gardening, rest, some exercise, rest etc... this seems to work right now. Normally if I cook a big meal or do a lot of laundry or leave the house to go to the doctor I am down for 2 days recuperating.  Now I allow myself the luxury of doing a bit of something that I enjoy ( like gardening ) without feeling guilty that I am using my precious energy for something " non-essential".  --- I hope y'all have a good spring!!!!!

[WinterSown]

I hear you! Every little thing that is an energy saver adds up. Slight changes can make big differences. Over the past few months I've been making some changes in how I do things. I prep and cook a LOT more for my freezer, last night we had wings that I put in marinade and froze in a baggie; I just defrosted them in the nuker and baked them on a foil lined pan--baked the wings and tossed the foil afterwards (I don't have a dishwasher.) I make mini meatloaves in muffin pans and pop them out for singles--Hubs calls them Meat Muffins (lol), they freeze beautifully and defrost and heat so fast for a sandwich.  I putter around in the garden restoring it because I did nothing except mow for three years. Some of the old tomato beds are going to be converted to habitat--more shrubs and reseeding wildflowers. Inside the house I've been de-cluttering by donating or chucking things I will never need again. Now I don't have to dust them again or store them or care for them in any way anymore. I went outside for a look, my wildflower seeds are sprouting. 

 

 

[Bluebonnet08]

I'm so glad you are feeling a little better!  That is huge!  I use a fitbit to manage my HR.  If it goes above 115-120 while I'm doing something, I try to sit back down and rest until it's lowered.  My autonomic specialist told me about this.  We found that my anaerobic threshold was a HR of 125, so if I spend too much time with a HR elevated above that I will "crash".    I make sure I stay hydrated and avoid triggers like extreme heat.  Try to avoid stress at all costs and try to keep blood sugar balanced... I think we can have better periods, especially if we start treating some of the root causes like nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, and many other factors.  I'm really happy for you!  I hope that will be me after the delivery

[Bluebonnet08]

What are the supplements that you are currently taking and did you re-test your ferritin?

[Pistol]

@Bluebonnet08 - thanks! I hope ( and actually believe ) that you will be better after delivery! Not long now .... I have been taking B12 injections monthly, have been taking Vit D3 for years but last winter tested again very low despite oral supplements. So I took 50,000 units by mouth ( prescription ) weekly for 2 months and now am back on 2000 units D3 daily ( depression and fatigue are greatly improved, so are chest pains, tachycardia and surges ). I also recently started Ferritin liquid 125 mg daily ( since you posted about the low ferritin in POTS - mine was low ) and surprisingly I do not have any problems with it ( no nausea or heart burn or constipation ). 

[Pistol]

@Bluebonnet08 - sorry - I meant to say I take 125 mg liquid iron, not ferritin. You know - brain fog ......

[Bluebonnet08]

That is awesome!  I am going to follow your protocol once I give birth & hopefully it will help!  I've never tried to get all 3 up at once so I'm hoping it will make a difference. 

[Pistol]

Note to self ( and others ) - DO NOT attempt to shampoo half of your bedroom carpet. Apparently those of us who still think a good spell equals being "normal" are just stubborn, because activities such as spring cleaning are CONTRA-INDICATED!!!!  I am 51 years old and had POTS for a long time yet still have not learned that lesson. 

[KiminOrlando]

@Pistol Ha ha ha

I'm 48 and I will attest to the fact that it is not a good idea to clean out a walk-in closet by first taking EVERYTHING out. Then crash and look at the HUGE mess for a couple of weeks. I knew better than that but STILL I always think I can do more than I actually can.

[bunny]

I spend as much of that good spell time catching up on all of the things I've neglected due to a lack of energy during the bad spells.   I'm known to push myself to the point of collapse, irregardless of whether I'm feeling good or bad - I'm going to use every last ounce of energy I can squeeze from this body.

 

@Pistol & @KiminOrlando, I fall into the exact same trap!  I look at everything I've been putting off, pick a large project and keep going until I run out of steam, where it sits unfinished for weeks.  I hate it.