lmbutare

I used to get a lot of chest pains and they have definitely decreased since I've been on protonix too (like Lulu). I know the chest pains might not feel like heart burn, but I think sometimes they can be related even if they don't exactly feel like it. If you're not already on something like protonix, you might want to ask your doctor about it especially since you listed GERD as one of your problems. You could also try prilosec otc, but I found that it wasn't quite strong enough for me. I hope that you can get it under control! This pots is a real pain to deal with sometimes, especially with such a wide range of symptoms Oh, and sometimes if the chest pains get really bad, sometimes I find that if you take deep meditative breaths where you expand your diaphragm, it can sometimes help reduce the pain a little. Just a thought... Hope this helps! GOOD LUCK! Lauren

I was there for 15 days (10 or 11 of which were testing days but they are closed on weekends) because I had to go to so many departments for diagnosis. I haven't seen Dr. Fealey but I saw Dr. Low and he is actually who diagnosed me with POTS. I think it will really depend on how many specialists you need to see for your problems as to how long you will be there. Mayo is a really great place...amazingly efficient. All of the doctors communicate and know what you've had done so it's not like usual where you have to start your story over with every specialist you see. My only negative comment is that if you have any pain issues they will try to get you to go into their comprehensive pain program, but I've heard that it's kind of a waste of time. Oh, and make sure if you have mobility problems that you get a wheelchair b/c departments can be far apart and it was essential for me. Good luck! I had a really positive experience there and I think that the doctors were great and really cared about what was wrong with you. They also seemed to be able to spend as much time with you as needed without rushing. I can't really say that I got a lot of treatment help, but they are really good with diagnosis if that's mainly what you're hoping for. I hope you have a good experience and get some help! Lauren

I have found that Ceralyte is better for me than Gatorade...It is a much higher level of salt and is rice based not sugar based. It's also low calorie but you have to add something like Crystal Light to it b/c it tastes kind of bad by itself. Ceralyte is sold at ceralyte.com and comes in 50mEq, 70mEq, or 90mEq (Pedialyte is 45mEq of sodium so it's a bit more than that). The value is pretty good too, but you have to buy it in bulk. I got a sampler of it before I bought a bunch so that I could make sure I liked it before buying a ton of it. I'm a person that responds really well to pedialyte, but it's too expensive, so this is the next best thing. There are also some recipes and stuff that you can mix the ceralyte with so you won't get too bored. One thing to watch out for is the high salt if you have GERD problems. I have Cera70 and can't drink more than half a liter or so a day b/c it bothers my stomach. I hope this is helpful!! Lauren

thanks for your replies. I've actually been trying jerky recently and that seems to be a bit easier to tolerate. I'll have to try the baking soda...that's a really good idea! Man, talk about a Catch 22 with the salt and GERD, huh? I guess I just have to keep trying new things until I find somewhat of a balance. It's been nice to find a group that I can get advice from! I was sick for a couple of years before my diagnosis, and I never thought I'd be able to find other people with the wide array of symptoms that I have!! Lauren

This is my first time posting but I've been sick for 2 yrs and diagnosed with POTS about 6 months ago. I have terrible reflux and stomach burning despite Protonix, but high salt helps with the pots. The high salt really hurts my stomach and I can't have anything acidic like tomato juice or pickles so it's really difficult. Does anyone have any tips for how to eat a high salt diet when it hurts to eat high salt? Any recipes for high salt foods that don't cause stomach problems? I know a lot of us have indigestion/reflux problems so I figured some people must have similar problems maintaining high salt. Thanks for your help! lauren