Does autonomic dysfunction affect metabolism?

[DSM3KIDZ]

I'm not overweight but for the last year and 1/2 I have eaten like a bird but haven't lost any weight. I am very petite. I should weigh 115 but am at 135. I know it isn't too bad but because my frame is so small the extra weight is very noticable.

This is bascially what I eat daily

apple for breakfast

scrambled eggs or egg sandwich for lunch or soup.

banana or pretzels or a piece of toast.

1/2 chicken breast or small casserole (chicken or turkey) for dinner.

small serving of fat free popcorn or hot chocolate for snack.

That sums it up. So I should be losing some of my extra pounds. I must admitt I'm not doing to much in the exercise area but I do chase after 3 kids all day so I count that for cardio and some weights.

Is metabolism a part of all this autonomic dysfunction? Does anyone else experience this?

Even when I was super sick and only had chicken broth and crackers for months I still stayed the same in weight. I think doctors would take my stomach issues more seriously if I were thinner. They look at me and think I must be eating great.

I don't want to sound petty because in the whole scheme of things.I'm not losing sleep over this and I have bigger problems to worry about I was just curious if anyone has any imput.

Thanks

Dayna

[Ernie]

Hi,

I think it does but I don't have the medical proof of it yet. I have problem with weight also.

[Wufflebear]

I agree w/ Ernie. I think it does too, but I dont know of any proof.

[Jacquie802]

Hi guys, I have gained 21lbs since June...very upset and it won't go away .

[futurehope]

I think it affects metabloism in ways that are yet unknown.

My need for synthroid (thyroid hormone) changes much more frequently since POTS. Also, since POTS, my adrenals react poorly to stress. This was proven with an insulin tolerance test.

[Dizzy Dame]

have your thyroid functions been tested? My boyfriends sister is the same way and her thyroid levels are low.

I have the opposite problem, I lose weight. But I also have problems emptying my stomach and I don't eat much any more because I get too nauseous (sp?).

Edited January 27, 2006 by Dizzy Dame

[DSM3KIDZ]

My thyroid functions are fine. I've had it tested many times through out this illness.

Dizzy Dame- I have troubles emptying my stomach also (gastroparesis)and am nauseated constantly. I thought maybe since the food sits in my stomach so long it kills my metabolism..Who knows.

Dayna

[Guest Julia59]

I have found out from weight watchers---that not eating enough can actually make you gain weight.

Meaning more of a variety of foods---fruits, veggies, dairy, olive oil, lean meats, grains---ect. The right balance is important.

I'm a little more over weight---only I hold it well----size 12 at 5ft. 4 in. My frame is med/large. I was always thinnner----then the POTS medications made me put on some weight. I have lost a few pounds---and the size 12s are getting pretty loose------the hyper adrengic attacks are back----uggggg---I'll call them George---I hate George..................

Something about that name (George)----I don't know---it just seems to fit----just trouble all the way around-----

Julie :0)

[dizzygirl]

hmmm.. well I think that the weight thing is some how tied in.. when i was a child and in early teenage yrs. I was very thin.. to the point that I was skin and bones.. and then when POTS sympotms real started to well be noticeable.. I' dgain weigh.. then maintain.. and go dowon or up..

when I was 15.. I went down quite abit in weight.. and was able to fit into a size 10!! with room in the waist. that was in january.. and by June I was wearing a 16!!

Now I really do have a weight problem..being that I have gained a considerable amount of weight in just the last 9-10 months alone.. baffles me.. as I can barely eat most of the time!.. yet I gain weight.. go figure!!

but yes I think that it does..

[faithinspires]

Hi Dayna,

I have been too sick to post for quite some time now, but thought I would chime in. I don't know for sure but

I have heard of many people with this condition who do gain weight, including my daughter. In her case we wonder if it is due to some of the medication that she is taking. In my case, I have experienced the opposite, I lost over a hundred pounds in less than a year. I am fighting to maintain my weight or gain. I don't know that my weight loss is attributed to this condition. I do have many gastrointestinal problems, so that may be a factor too. Prior to being sick I have usually been overweight. My daughter & I have the opinion though that the condition can affect your weight either way. Our thinking with that is that autonomic dysfunctions can affect your gastrointestinal system, just like any other autonomic functions. I remember when I used to be overweight but I was well then, so I would gladly go back to it. Being this thin has its down side that I never realized before it happened. Worrying about the weight loss, feeling like I look like a skeleton, knowing it happpened due to being sick, trying to replace a wardrobe over and over. Being threatened with disgusting boost or feeding tube, etc. So enough rambling. Just thought I would share our guesses from our corner of the world. Also, to tell you chin up...I used to think I wanted to lose weight...til I did. Take Care!

Renee

[Guest CyberPixie]

I have always tended to be on the overweight size. However, I read recently and cant remember where that if you're having tachy episodes a lot and your HR is quite high that your metabolisim would be speeded up so you would lose weight.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Are you on any medications? Betablockers may slow metabolism, for example.

Katherine

[Mrs. Glass]

I too have the same problem. There are days that I cant put anything in my mouth. It just makes me sick to my stomach to even smell food. My family worries about me, because I dont eat hardly anything and still I am gaining weight. When I first got sick I lost weight like crazy. from 230 pounds to 170 in just a few months, then all of a sudden I started gaining weight and it just wont stop. I now weigh 185. It is disgusting. and discouraging. But I dont know what is causing it. I know some of it is the florinef, but I dont know about the rest. Vanessa

[DSM3KIDZ]

Katherine-

I just started flornief and domperidone within this week. Before that I was just on Reglan so I don't think it's the meds. Now I know flornief will add some weight so lucky me.

Oh well.......just more of me to love!!!

Dayna

[shannon]

It sure seems like POTS can effect metabolism, either by slowing it down or speeding it up. When I first got sick, I lost a lot of weight. Some kids in high school used to call me anorexic because they didn't understand. It's hard to figure out how much my medications have played a role in this though.

[Meliss446]

Yeah I think that it can go either way too. Because a lot of you have mentioned that it seems to slow your metabolisms down, but it speeds mine up. I was disgustingly thin when I first got sick. I had meningitis first, so I was already thin from all the vomitting, but I just kept losing weight, even though I would eat as normally as my nausea would allow. I hit my low at about 87 pounds. I couldn't even look in th mirror because I hated how thin I looked. And once I started feeling better, I ate a lot and really caloric foods, and it took forever to get back to a healthy weight. So I think that it can just do crazy things to the metabolism.

[calypso]

I have a super-high metabolism -- I eat about 2,500 calories a day and can't gain a pound. I lost 20 pounds when I fell ill and haven't gained any back. I am sure my weight loss is adrenaline-related/POTS-related. I don't know about weight gain, though. Just thought I'd share my experience.

Amy

[wareagle]

I lost around 25 lbs. rapidly when I became ill...it stayed off about a year then started coming back with a vengence. I feel my weight gain is a combo of my meds., inactivity, and diet (I had gotten into a habit of eating/snacking late at night b/c I stay up a lot later now). Sooooo now I'm about 30 lbs. over my "ideal" weight...If I can lose at leaste 20 of that I'll be happy.

[d4g7]

I also have issues with weight - both gaining and loosing it.

For the last year, I have been constantly putting on weight - I started off at about 80 kgs, and in the end weighed 100 kgs.

Then for no apparent reason (no adjustments to my diet or activities), maybe just a bit of stress, I started to suddenly loose it, and am now 75 kgs - which is great! Now that I can't tolerate cardio and weights, it's great not carrying around those extra kilos.

I don't eat much at all either, I never have - I am a vegetarian, and haven't eaten breakfast since I was about 12 y/o. I stopped eating lunch about 1.5 years ago, as it was making me feel 'sluggish' for the rest of the day, even if it was just a green salad.

I now only have one meal a day in the evening, after I have done everything I have to do for the day, and can relax. And that is normally salad and cheese, or curried vegies and rice, or even just an avocado with lots of salt on it etc, .

I don't eat any chocolate - it gives me a nasty headache, don't eat any sweets - for some reason I can't stand the taste of sugar - ever since I gave up having sugar in my coffee/tea.

Maybe the weight gain people are experiencing is the retained fluid from the increased fluid intake along with a salty diet, or florinef etc??

[pamela]

I am having the same weight gain problem. I lost weight in June after gaining 16lbs off of 1 week of Florinef. That was my first Pots med. Stopped it quickly. I had a bad spell with my POts that landed me in Cardiac care unit/ICU where they helped diagnose me with POTS and dysautomnia, the next 2 weeks I lost that weight and was back to my postpartum 150lbs. I started Coreg and digitek in November and am back uupp to169. Frankly it really makes me mad and so very frustrated. Now that I can move around normally with out it feeling like I am running a race everything that I eat is adding weight and I really am having attitude problems with it. What can we do? Who can help? ..

[persephone]

Mine seems to alternate; at my illest, last term, I lost a stone and a hlaf (21lbs) because my digestion had gone to POT(s) no pun intended....

[morgan617]

I feel so sick after I eat, it's very hard to do it. I have lost over 50 pounds I think. I am very short, so it shows quickly.

My gastro said a couple years ago I had a long way to go before he would worry about my weight but last week told me he expected to see some weight gain the next time I saw him.

I have never gained back the initial weight I lost and now am dropping a little more. I gain because of meds, but have no idea why I'm losing. I couldn't be any more sedentary and deconditioned. But hyperandrenergic, so guess that's it...morgan