Weakness In Legs

[Rachel]

Hi Everyone,

In the mornings (and if I wake up in the middle of the night) my legs are extremely weak and very uncoordinated. They're always weak, but it is much worse at these times. I have to ask my husband to help me out of bed, to the bathroom, onto the toilet, etc. If he's not there in the morning then I'm either stuck in bed or I have to try to crawl.

After a while my legs "wake up" I guess you could say and they function a little better. But this process can take half an hour or more. Does anyone know of a way to speed up this process?

My husband puts a glass of Gatorade next to my bed in the morning. So when I wake up I can drink that and take my Midodrine right away. That helps some with the nausea and blood flow, but it doesn't help much with the weakness. Will also puts my breakfast on my nightstand so that I can eat when I'm ready to without having to get out of bed. That helps to give me more energy, but again, it doesn't help much with the muscle weakness.

If you have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them.

Thanks,

Rachel

[goldicedance]

Try 2 cans of V8 in the morning before you get out of bed. Also try tilting your bed up before rising. A strong cup of caffeinated coffee helps me in the morning. For some caffeine brings on tachycardia. For others with POTS, caffeinated coffee in the morning helps.

What does your doctor say about this?

[Rachel]

My doctors have checked me for things like MS and Myasthenia Gravis, but nothing has ever been found. So the weakness was just attributed to POTS.

Does anyone else have more severe muscle weakness in the mornings? Is this maybe not a POTS thing?

I do enjoy a good cup of coffee, but I've never noticed a benefit from it. It makes me happy, though, just because I like coffee! Does that count?! I've never noticed it helping me to feel more alert, but neither does it bring on tachycardia. So I'm just glad I can enjoy it without it making things worse.

I don't have a bed that tilts up, but I do prop myself up with pillows in the morning while I drink my Gatorade and eat breakfast. It does seem to help a little.

Oooh. 2 cans of V8 - that would be tough! I'm not usually a picky eater, but V8 is one thing that I struggle to get down. I don't mind it so much if it is hot and is watered down. But I can't tolerate that hot of a drink in the summer. I do thank you for your suggestion, though, and I will certainly try it come winter when the house is back at 65 degrees.

Rachel