Really Tired At High Altitude. Don't Recover Well, Either. Identify??

[grapes]

Hi. Quickly about me: I have MVP, and used to have terrible autonomic overreactions after an hour of an exercise class. Heartrate stayed high for hours, debilitating fatigue, insomnia, sweating profusely and feeling totally wiped out for two days afterwards. I quit the class, but the same would happen if I dared do anything vigorous through the years. It finally got so bad that even grocery shopping would send me over the edge.

All the latter went away when I got on a better med for my hypothyroid (Natural desiccated thyroid). But my MVP is still an issue. i.e. I still get breathless easier than others when I hike, and I can't jog at all because of MVP. I have no POTS.

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My question: we have moved from 1000 ft to a house at 6700 ft. above sea level. And since we got here, I've had numerous problems.

The first 1 1/2 months, I had a lot of palps, especially in the evenings. And I noticed that though I could do heavy work (we're remodeling the house), I would be VERY fatigued afterwards and take days to recover.

Another time, we went on a hike, and it took me THREE days to recover from the post-fatigue. Not normal for me.

We have now been there just over 3 months, and I started to notice headaches a week ago, but only when I bent down to do something. i.e. it was only movement which revealed the headache. Then, I started noticing I'm tireder than usual all over--the latter has gone on for three days!! I woke up physically tired this morning!

Is this an altitude issue for someone with MVP/Dysautonomia? How do I overcome this??

[MomtoGiuliana]

From what I understand it takes several months to acclimate to high altitude. So since you have been there 3 months it seems likely your body should have acclimated. However, high altitudes tend to be drier. Could you be chronically dehydrated? That could definitely cause headache and fatigue.

I have personally had difficulty at high altitudes, although never been at high altitude for longer than about a week at a time.

[Katybug]

I'm a bit confused...why are you equating mitral valve prolapse with dysautonomia? Are you thinking you have developed some form of dysautonomia again in addition to the MVP?

[grapes]

Katybug, there's a lot of information out there explaining that MVP is simply a symptom of Dysautonomia. And it all fits me.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8003350

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/59/5/894.full.pdf

[corina]

Hi Grapes, welcome to the forum! I had altitude problems while travelling through the Dolomites in Italy a few years ago (live in The Netherlands beneath sea level) that gave me huge chest pressure. Was quite relieved when we left the mountains!

[Alison]

Is there less oxygen at high altitude? If so maybe that is tipping you over the edge?

[grapes]

Alison, yes, there is less oxygen at higher altitudes and yes, I've been wondering if it tipped me over the edge.

[grapes]

From what I understand it takes several months to acclimate to high altitude. So since you have been there 3 months it seems likely your body should have acclimated. However, high altitudes tend to be drier. Could you be chronically dehydrated? That could definitely cause headache and fatigue.

I have personally had difficulty at high altitudes, although never been at high altitude for longer than about a week at a time.

I agree, MomtoGiuliana. You'd think I would have acclimated by now. No, I know I'm not chronically dehydrated. I'm good at my fluids. It's just all odd.

I'm definitely well-treated for my hypothyroidism--natural desiccated thyroid has changed my life. Synthroid made my Dysautonomia HORRIBLE. So I think I can rule that out, as well.

When we came up to this altitude, I had just gotten over the flu. I caught it mid-November, and had post-viral fatigue in December. So when we came here in mid-January, I did wonder if that contributed to everything. But to me, the first 1 1/2 months were like my Dysautonomia/MVP was in overdrive at this higher altitude--lots of palps, especially in the evenings, and VERY poor recovery from heavy activity. By early March, I felt like I was doing a LOT better. Had been walking again to build up my stamina. But I still recovered POORLY if we went out hiking. That just didn't make sense.

Then in early April, along comes the movement headaches, and now, I have daily fatigue, even after sitting for hours. I wonder if I have anemia! Maybe being anemic explains the poor recovery from exercise, and could now explain the fatigue...and maybe the movement headaches last week. And if my husband and I are laughing hard about something, I have to PANT to get my breath back. Maybe....potential low iron has just made things worse.

I also wonder if Dysautonomia or MVP use up more iron!!

[grapes]

I am now convinced that I'm anemic, even without lab testing. I am VERY tired. So I'd love to find out how Dysautonomia/MVP and the high levels of catecholamines contribute to using up iron.....

[yogini]

Grapes, even though you have provided links, I tend to agree with Katybug. MVP is extremely common - I've heard that 1 in 5 women have it, and I am sure many with dysautonomia have MVP because we are women (and MVP can contribute to dysautonomia). But it is not the other way around -- most people with MVP do not have dysautonomia in the same sense as those with a condition like POTS, NCS, orthostatic hypotension, etc, where heart rate or blood pressure is affected by postural changes.

Edited April 18, 2014 by yogini