Maxine

Wow--------------that's a lot of sympathetic activity. I'll bet your feeling like climbing out of your own skin on some days. It looks like you have a good plan, and hopefully things will be better soon. Very interesting graph. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a speedy remission. Maxine :0)

Thanks so much! I posted about my temp. last night, but went back in to post more, then I never finnished it. This morning I woke up and there was my post sitting in idle, so I just hit the X......... Tearose, I saw my PCP on the 16th, had full CBC done on the 17th, and all my blood work came back normal except for slight elevation on BUN. doc wasn't concerned about it----said it was still normal. Or was is slighly low.......hmmmm?? My temperature in normal this morning------------98.2. I know this seems weird to keep such a close eye on my temp, but my norm is 97.5---around there. This all seemed to get worse when I woke up Friday---(new year's day) morning, and my spine was so twisted. My mid thoracic spine had problems too, and the T-8 disc is gone----bone on bone. the pain goes though to my chest. Since this my adrenaline seems so unstable. This morning I got up feeling better with more sleep, but when I took my BP it was fairly normal. then I stood up and it fell to about 92/something----Hr in the upper 80s. Then my next BP went up to 106/75. I took it again, and it fell to 78/68! HR was still in the 80s---but lower 80s. One more time------it went back up to 100/something. I was debating on weather or not to take my synthroid---thyroid med. Yesterday I didn't, and that was when I had the worst attack----but I was on 3 1/2 hours sleep after a stressful night. The day before yesterday I didn't feel too bad, but still felt mild adrenaline surges, and increased heart rate after taking synthroid. I never had this before with synthroid, then today I took it again and heart rate jumped 20 points, and BP went up to 136/87 and HR was 87. I know this isn't bad, but this is odd to happen after synthroid. I also felt mild adrenaline surges. I still feel like someone hit me in the middle of my back with a big log. Today I called my PCP to have full thyroid levels---along with thyroid antibodies since I have hashemotos type. The last time antibodies were checked they were 1200............. Better then my usual that's around 1600-1800. I forgot to add that a 5 year old--(not my granddaughter) gave me an awkward hug where she decided to hang her body weight from my neck the week of Christmas. I really haven't felt right since----but didn't start with these adrenaline surges until New Years day. Not a way to start the new year for sure. what am I going to do----get an MRI when something like this happens. the pain was really bad at first---worse then my usual. Now it's back to around my usual....so no sinse getting another MRI, I'll be having a CT scan done on the 19th. i think this holiday season my body took a beating. Next year I'm laying low. My last period was Dec. 8th. I'm dreading the next one----this is when I had a bad adrenaline surge.----------just three days after----the day after teeth cleaning. I just called my Gynochologist, and she'll see me on the 22nd. She'll be checking hormone levels. My head is spinning with all this. Tomorrow I see my therapist----I'm not missing that. This is such a struggle. Maxine :0)

Still have a low grade fever of 99.2

Thank you Tearose-----thanks for the hugs and encouragement. Did you have more heart issues with peri-menopause? Today it happened again. I coudln't sleep intil 5:00am, and out granduaghter came at 10:00am. WE had her for about 4 hours. My husband helped a lot. She's 2 years old on Jan. 20th, and very active. My husband drove her to her mother, and was going to go to the store. I went to pick up a few things and looked forward to a nap. I felt the little quiver with my heart, the it felt irregular, then adrenaline, then more adrenaline. Then I got on the floor, and crunched up into a ball to try to keep blood in my chest. My heart was still beating fast. When it does this the very fast HR last a about a half a minute, then it's just fast, and tapers down. I took klonopin to calm my nerves. I still feel some palpitations----its like a sudden thud. I was so twisted up in the bed new year's eve night, and by new years's day morning I felt really bad, like I couldn't breathe---the pain is so bad in my mid back. I'm not sure how thoracic spine pain ties into the heart, but I know it can. My disc on T-8 is gone----so it's bone on bone. Today I have the same pain. Yesterday i just had a slight surge of adrenaline.....not that bad, by my back apin wasn't as bad either. I just had a cardiac echo done in Sept. and it was good-----Ejection fraction of 55----all was normal except for some mild regurg in mitral and tricuspid valve, I'm on an ice pack on mid thoracic spine right now, and I can't even feel it. I know that I have the intermittent brain stem compression depending on how my cervical/cranial instability is behaving-----one of the functions of the brain stem affects the heart rate and rhythm. I know this might be TMI -------but this is how it is for me----part of it anyway. Maxine :0)

"lay of the bacon?" LOL----sounds like I eat it a lot. I never buy it, as it would go bad because we just aren't bacon eaters. On occasion I get a craving. Can you imagine chocolate covered bacon--------------------In Minnesota they have it-------------------how nasty is that--------LOL.Thanks for your reply and help........... I rarely eat bacon----maybe 5 times a year...........and I never get symptoms from that. I might if I ate a lot in one sitting, but I never eat more the 2 or 3 pieces. Hot flashes don't cause problems with my POTS. I just feel a heat wave, and that's about it. I've had hot flashes for over a year now-----they come and go. I'm thinking my synthroid might be causing it. I never had symptoms on the 15 years I've been on synthroid, but it might be changing now that my hormones are changing. I took my regular dose today, and sure enough my heart rate increased, and I felt anxious, but not too seriously this time. I took half of a klonopin, only because the rest of me physically isn't up to fighting the tachycardia. Yesterday I developed a sudden adrenaline surge of adrenaline, then BOOM----tachycardia. Today the adrenaline was more of a simmer, but I didn't want it to get out of control. I'm in no mood for this at all----too much on my plate right now. Maxine :0)

Well I do see a lot of views, and I appreciate that you took the time to read. However, I'm interested to see if anyone has had these narrow pulse pressures while having a spell like this. When my tachycardia kicked in I didn't take my BP, as I never want to know how hihg my tachycardia gets because I don't want the anxiety. It's too hard on me, as I've never been one to do well with full blown tachycardia, especially when it over rides my beta blocker. Even when I took my klonopin I still had a high heart rate. I did have a slight fever of 99.0, so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. Anyway, when the heart pounding tachycardia kicked in the pulse in my neck felt weak and narrow. Could it be that my BP dipped so low in the morning that all this happened becuase of this? I've had BPs much lower then this before, and didn't have this type of reaction. I felt dizzy in the morning, and my BPs were 93/68 on average, and this was sitting. Standing it fell a little more to 90/something. I started to feel the heat of the adrenaline in my shoulder blades, and then felt is surging through my body. Another thing, I'm wondering if my thyroid levels are too high now, and my thyroid meds might be too strong. I know your're supposed to take it on an empty stomach, but I have always taken it around noon to 1:00pm, and not on an empty stomach. I called the pharmacist a long time ago, and he said if I have been taking it this way, and have had normal thyroid levels then just continue with the way I'm doing it. I can't remember if I took it on an empty stomach yesterday. My husband went to Bob Evens to pick up a couple of pancakes for me, and two pieces of bacon (I was craving salt). I think I took it before that, on an empty stomach. Maybe I was dehydrated----maybe I needed more fluids? I always drink a lot of water first thing in the morning-----I don't remember if I did this yesterday morning. I felt bad the moment I woke up. I'm having so much trouble from my mid spine, neck/cranial area, shoulders, sternum----the whole area is a wreck. Of course I have the changing hormones also. I do feel really concerned that my pulse in my neck was so weak. This has happened in the past when I had these spells. Maxine :0)

(((((((((((((((((((((cranial stabilizing hugs))))))))))))))))))))))) I love it............thanks for your encouragement. The part about calling my doctor.................hmmmmmmm, now that is difficult since the doc for this is Dr. Grubb, and he's not going to be able to see me. He just saw me about a month ago. I basically talked in circles when I saw him, as I have too much going on, but ried to focus on the POTS. However, the pots is secondary to the EDS.....so what can we do about that? I wish doctors knew more about EDS. I do need to get hormones checked. It's time to go see my gynocologist, and have my hormone levels tested. I should get a check on my catacholomines. My dopamine levels were above normal the last time in 2006.

I've been kind of holding off from posting to see if what has happened last month was a false alarm. My hormones are changing, but my PCP said as long as I'm having periods then I have estrogen. I'm not sure where his head is at, but I have been having abnormal period cycles for over a year now. I stop for months, then start back up again. The first time this happened I seemed to have normal periods. The second time this happened my periods got heavier, and I had a virus. I didn't seem to have the adrenaline spells the first time around, but this time I AM! I did have a virus last month along with this, so I blamed the virus. However, my period was heavier as I said, and my BPs were low----even sitting. So I figured it was my body compensating. It was so bad I felt like I was going to pass out, and I could feel the heat of the adrenaline. I felt like I was going to have an asthma attack---my breath felt like it was being sucked out of me, even as I was trying to relax and take regular breaths. It was such a short attack, I thought it was just a combination of stress from the virus, and the heavier period---hormones ect. Today I noticed my heart rate jumping up into the 80s, from my usual upper 60s/low 70s. this in on my beta blocker. Then I noticed my heart rate jumped up to 92, and my BP was 100/87. I got up to change into my jeans, and I felt the heat of the adrenaline again. Then the heart pounding---and the heat of the adrenaline surging more----then the same breath being sucked out of me again. I curled into a ball to try to keep my blood flow in my torso, but it was hard because I'm so bloated---(pre-period bloat, as bowels have been working OK-----so it's all pre-period BLOAT---massive). I feel slightly dizzy, but the dizziness passed after the adrenaline stopped, then my head felt better. I'm still shakey, my pulse went down to 88, but BP is now 137/78. I took a klonopin----a half. I'm wondering why my heart rate is still up even after klonopin. This is usually something that puts these spells to sleep. Last night I decided to sleep with my husband. It's not that I don't want to sleep with him otherwise, it's just that our bed is horrible for my EDS ridden back. Especially if we sleep together. My spine gets so twisted I don't know what to do. I felt like I was coming out of a coma when I woke up, and I decided to wash my hair right away before I felt worse. It felt like someone kit me square in the middle of my back---it feel broken. the only think I know wrong on the thoracic spine is the desiccated disk on T-8. This bothers me so much, but the focus has been on the cervical/cranial instability that no one seems to get it except an orthopedic surgeon in Cincinnati. MY EDS geneticist gets it and knows it's real, and so does Dr. Mcdonnell from NIH. However they're not surgeons. Thinking about surgery--------I don't know if this would fix the complete problem, and it might create more------this is why we have been trying conservative measures. The orthopedic surgeon is going to try a new CT scan where they rotate my head to the right, and then the left to see if this shows the instability more then the other tests have. I'm so fearful of another POTS crash, my body can't handle it. I have been so stressed from my brother's passing, my friend who died recently---(from what is thought to be complications of her EDS-----still no autopsy report to confirm), and then seeing the mounds of medical files on my mother that shows clearly that there was egregious negligence in her care over a period of years, and a clear indication of cancer long before the 48 hour notice that she had terminal cancer before she died. The holidays were nice, but very different then what our family is used to with my Mother, Aunt, and my brother gone. I'm feeling totally overwhelmed, and have no clue who can help me with this. I just saw Dr. Grubb, and soon after that my geneticist. Of course my first spell was after seeing Dr. Grubb, and just two days after seeing my geneticst. I always seem agitated before this hits me, and I have big mood swings as well. I'm nervous about the narrow pulse pressure I had just before the spell hit me. I took a klonopin, and I can't believe my heart rate is still mid to upper 80s---low 90s. Klonopin always calms things down if the beta blocker isn't enough. This is just nuts. I feel so jittery----ELECTRIC! My spine is buzzing, and I wished I knew the answers, or some decent doc somewhere would be kind enough to actually help me. I'm continuing the klonopin as I need it. I normally have taken half my dose daily for almost 4 years------but I won't sit though these spells again, so I'll do what I need to do. I just took my BP again with HR, and it's now 124/67---pulse went down to 78. I normally don't do this often, but my body feels out of my norm. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Maxine :0)

My face doesn't go numb, but my legs get really weak sometimes. My face went numb just after Thanksgiving when we went to see the Lights Before Christmas at the Zoo. I was trying to walk the same pace as everyone else, and I started to feel really bad. My adrenaline surged, heart raced, and my face went numb. Scared to heck out of me. I'm wondering if it has something to do with a sudden release of adrenaline----(AKA---norepinephrine). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine I just think it's one of those odd things that goes with POTS. Sometimes I feels like POTS is a dumping ground to balme everything on, and wonder if this could get in the way of a diagnosis of something else going wrong with my body. Maxine :0)

We have been able to have great Sex for 10 years since I crashed with my POTS. The first year took me about 3 of 4 months before I even wanted to be touched because my sympathetic servous system was in constant overdrive. When things clamed down with that, the sex began again, and it hasn't stopped. I do have to rest----usually lying down for at least a half hour after the big "O". It does take a lot out of me, but for the most part it's as great as it was before my POTS in not more so-------------the big "O" I mean--- . bjt22------I do think the blood pooling makes things even better. That's what viagra does-----that's why they tell men not to take nitro with it as it can cause a dangerous BP drop. Who would know that some of us can actually benefit with our own "viagra effect"------------but without the viagra. There have been times when the big O is more difficult to reach when my spine pain is at it's worst-----but I do get there. Thankfully this isn't often. All in all I do pretty darn good for being my body being the mess it is. Maxine :0)

Hopefully you can see Dr. Grubb in the future. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) isn't an autoimmune disorder. EDS is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue, and you'll need a thorough medical exam by a geneticist who is familiar with EDS/connective tissue disorders to confirm a diagnosis of EDS. I hope you don't have EDS, but if you do, I hope you can find a qualified team of doctors to work together in managing your EDS symptoms and pain. Dr. Grubb should work well with a geneticist, and your PCP should be kept in the loop. Right now my EDS has caused so many problems, and I have a neurologist, gastroenterologist, PCP, orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Grubb working together tyring to figure out what to do to help with the digestive and spine instability problems. It looks like you have a good start seeing the NP in Dr. Grubb's office, but it is important to have the necessary follow up with Dr. Grubb, and any other physician necessary to confirm any of the conditions Dr. Grubb's nurse has diagnosed. Take care of yourself.

Erin, I'm glad you finally have a name to put on your illness. Will you be following up with Dr. Grubb for confirmation? I hope Dr. Grubb can come up with some good treatment options for you. What type of testing was done? Did you have a tilt table test? Was there any blood work done----i.e.------------>catecholimines.... http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionar...holamines+Tests Has Dr. Grubb looked at your medical history? When I finally got my diagnosis, Dr. Grubb based it on my medical history. Good luck to you. Maxine :0)

I bumped this up yesterday----but the "BUMP" post isn't there now....I don't know what happened. My friend can't spend much time on the computer in the search engine,,,,so I sometimes post or search for her. Thanks in advance for any help. Maxine :0)

Maggie, I'm so happy you survived this. I'll pray for a speedy recovery, and as little pain as possible for you. I can't imagine how this must have been for you. I wonder if your colon shut down when you appendix ruptured, and this might have been what saved you. This could have caused it to appear as a blockage, as everything probably just sat there. Wow, what a miracle for you Maggie. Maxine :0)

I can relate to the bowel issues, and I'm bloated 95% of the time. I hate it. I do get a little tachy sometimes from "going", but it's usually brief. I don't know what a-fib feels like, but I have felt irregular heart beats right when I strain sometimes. I'm sure this is vagus nerve response. I have a friend who is really having a tough time right now with BMs relating to A-fib. Her heart goes crazy, and she's on miralax to help with constipation. However, she's feeling the miralax is pulling the fluids from her body, and she's now having the arrhythmias compounded by dehydration. She's been going to the ERs for IV fluids, but it doesn't help for long before the cycle starts all over again. This is affecting her life so much she can't go anywhere. When this continues, her sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive adding fuel to the fire, then naturally becomes anxious, then MORE fuel to the fire. As you can see this sounds like a living nightmare. My friend wants to have some quality to her life. She lives alone, goes to the ERs alone, and goes to the Doctor alone. Sometimes the ER staff is really cruel to her because they CAN-----she has no one to advocate for her and stand up to these idiots when she's kicked down like this. When your sitting there shivering and wanting to climb out of you body because your POTS is going nuts, you're not exactly at your fighting best to deal with these nimrods. Anyone have any words of wisdom for my friend? I have my husband who is supportive, and if he thinks I'm acting half nuts from this stuff he's not letting on, but my friend doesn't have this support. In fact her medical support isn't great either, and she's struggling to get a cardiologist who will just advocate for her to get support for her ANS issues. She's a patient of Dr. Grubb's, but she has to travel to see him from the finger lakes area of NY. She's not up to that now. Does anyone know of a good cardiologist who is familiar with POTS/ANS issues in the Rochester, NY area? Maxine :0)

I like the way MomtoGiuliana put it--------------YOU WILL most likely get more remissions. The hard part for a lot of us is that we're so misunderstood, and when we do have a POTS meltdown we often don't get the medical support or family support we need. If you do have this support, or even part of it you're very blessed to have it. Take care of yourself, and take things one day at a time. Maxine :0)

Here's a helpful link; http://www.marfan.org/marfan/ Maxine :0)

I have EDS, and IV saline seems to make my BP high. I tend to get jittery, but later feel pretty decent. I have blood pooling type of POTs secondary to the EDS. I'm not tall and thin----but not heavy either. I used to be very thin most of my life, but after POTS crash---(first I lost more weight), but then gained it back, plus more from the wellbutrin. I'm about 5ft. 4in. tall and very, very flexable with a lot of joint instability---especially in the spine. With EDS there's many body types, but Marfans it's thin and tall stature for the most part, and vascular complications. I'm wondering if I might have a problem with the plastic tubing used for the IV application. I'm very sensitive to chemicals. I'd like to possible try IV fluids again, as I'm having a rough time with POTS. Maybe a slower drip. Steroids made me feel like Rip Van Winkle coming to. I was pumped with steroids in a couple of IV bags after cervical spine surgery. That gave me a little boost for the summer in 2002. Maxine :0)

Thanks for the advice and support--- I guess it caught me off guard, as my POTs is secondary to the EDS and blood pooling. I can't figure out how it happened so quickly. There I was on my couch---I was relaxed, but weak. As I said I was just talking on the phone, and the next think I know I feel this aura, and t was a clue for me to get going with cleaning up, and getting dressed. My hair was sticking to my head like Jermaine Jackson----not that he's a bad looking guy, but his hair is just strange. visual aid; I have days when it's like this; Just for fun---this is really strange.... I know....I'm weird, but I need to have a sense of humor or I'll crumble. I have more then you know going on right now----stress----unbelievable stress. The hair thing is a big fear of mine to be caught with bed head. It would be terrible to have to go to the ER this way. I know it's the last thing I should think about, but my hair is so fine, and I use hair products to fluff it up before I blow dry. Unfortunately whatever position I sleep in my hair will show it because of the product. That's it------------------- I'm buying some hats................... My PCP ordered some blood work today, and tomorrow morning I'll get it done, and we'll take it from there. MY virus seems to be getting better, knock on wood. However, my husband and I took a long nap today, as he's of work sick with the same thing, and we went to my grandaughter's Christmas program at school. We were dodging virus bullets there------praying I don't get another virus---I can't take it. Maxine :0)

Good for you! I hope this guy figures it out................. I don't think any of us want these handicap stickers, but it can mean the difference betreen us getting out or not. On hot days it really helps. On cold days too because my body can't adjust to temperature extremes, and my POTS will crash quickly. Maxine :0)

Do you have POTS bjt22? Or do you have some other kind of ANS dysfunction? Do you have EDS and spine instability? My POTS is secondary to the EDS and spine compression. Apparently I have learned to live with this all my life---now age 50. However, I crashed badly in late 2000/early 2001. One of the only things that I can absolutely NOT deal with is a sudden extreme fast heart rate, and a huge surge of adrenaline. I would like an explanation behind this. So far I'm assuming it's my body's reaction to possible low BP, but when I usually get this my BP is high. So unless I had real low BPs all morning, and this whole thing kicked in because of that, I didn't catch it. This morning I took my BP, and it was 87/70 sitting. I went to wash my hair again and felt it coming on, so I asked my husband to help me. Normally he's not home, but he's home with the same virus I have, and it's kicking his rear end. I just don't think I have very good tracking of my ANS symptoms, and it's my own fault, as I'm usually trying to get docs to help me with my other problems with spine instability, and other joint instability----along with the other fun things that go along with that. Thanks for your support and understanding. Maxine :0)

I'm trying----started with water, V-8, salted pretzels, more water, more water........................................................................... ................................................................................. ............................................ Laying low, and asking for some blood work tomorrow when I see my PCP. I'm having bad spasms in deep neck tendons. I can't even muster up a belch without major spasm in my inner neck between ears and throat---it's terrible. I have no idea what's causing this. Everything around my cervical/cranial area is a mess. My EDS doc is faxing his report fo my PCP and the Docs at the Cleveland Clinic. Maxine :0)

Me too---- when BP is high, I usually feel horrible. However, if it's like 120/70 I'm feeling fairly well. When it's real low I feel sluggish, but not as bad as when it's high. It gets high when I'm crashing, or having a bad spell. I was afraid to take it this morning when my heart rate went wild. I figure I'm better off not knowing the numbers, as I just get worse from the anxiety. If my BP is 150/something, I'm usually having a bad POTS crash. Maxine :0)

The fatigue; it depends on what kind of fatigue. Feeling sluggish might be doable, but weakness and fatigue that makes it diffiuclt to move around won't work. Gastro; this might be tolerable, as long as it's not severe constipation Mental confusion; now way, if it's severe Agitation; not an option Loss of sense of humor, mild depression; maybe mild depression if it's on and off, but loss of sense of humor is part of losing yourslef---not an option. My wellbutrin makes it difficult for me to show emotion, and I'm not crazy about that. however, without it you have to scrape me off the floor. anything that makes me nervous is completely out. Being like this is like having no life. The other meds I take don't have nay major side affects. The propranolol can sometimes make me feel sluggish. Without it, I'd be constantly dealing with sudden tachycardia spells---(standing OR sitting). Today's tachycardia was paroxysmal----it's started suddenly, but I had an aura and this is when I went into the bathroom and started to wash my hair. I didn't want to be caught with "bed head". this was weird to have this today, as I am on my beta blocker---so I don't know what happened. Maxine :0)

Wow, did I get caught off guard. I have been having worse POTS symptoms, but this morning was really bad. I had not gotten my shower yet, and was finishing up some Christmas cards---I only had 5 more to do, but had to do address searches, and a couple other things. I had cards, stamps, envelopes, addess book ect. all aroundme with the blanket on my lap. I was talking with my Dad's girlfriend and I started to feel light headed. Sometimes it's stress keeping a light fluffy conversation when your still weak from a viurs. I started to feel it....so I though I better get my shower quickly, as I didn't want to me a mess and have to go to the ER that way. I'm one of those people who won't let anyone see my "bed head". Actually I took my bath late last night----so it wasn't a full shower. I didn't want to get fully undressed because I felt so weak and shakey. I didn't want to bee seen undressed if I passed out. I stripped to my camisole to wash my hair first, I was weak and lightheaded, and managed that, but as soon as I stood back up putting the towel on my head my heart started thumping like it was wild, and the tachycardia was real fast, and my adrenaline was running at full speed. this got worse as I washed up a bit, and I thought I would need to go to the ER because I felt so light headed. I hate this, because it happens so fast, it's hard to explain it----it's pretty difficult to be "in the moment" when this happens. Anway, soon after I could feel my heart rate slowing on it's own. I was slugging down some water right after I washed my heair, but it was too late, I could already feel the adrenaline surging. I have been so wek with this virus. It's so weird because we feel stuffy, but not a lot of mucus, mostly in the back part of sinuses. I started to feel the virus coming on Wednesday and Thursday, but wasn't sure it was from just overdoing it----or it was really mild. I went to get my teeth cleaned, but depated if I should first. I was worried that getting my teeth cleaned with a virus could be bad....but when I asked the hygenist, she said it's not big deal. The only fever I had was slight....................99.0-----and brief. I normally have temps of 97.6, but my temps have been running around 98.6---98.4 which is higher then my normal. What do you do when you have spells like this? It's so disturbing. Can't go to the ER------they're useless. I'm going to my PCP tomorrow. Anyone have any tips on what I should ask him about blood work? I feel like I have mono-----and that thing on the right side of my neck is still swelled near clavicle------too far over for thyroid. My spine feels like there's a furniture clamp on it getting tighter and tighter. I usually gets breaks on an off from the pain----mu usual stuff, but this is bayond that. I'm wondering if my thyroid is acting up? I just saw Dr. Grubb a couple weeks ago, but can't rmemeber much about the appt. We can't do much as far as raising BP toher then salt, fluids, and compression. I can't afford spike in BP due to the vertebral artery issue, and risk for possible stroke. He suggested green tea as another fairly mild thing because the caffiene dose os lower, and might be more tolerable for me. I told him when I sip my husband's coke it makes me feel better and helps with cognitive more. However I get palpitations if I drink more then a few sips. My heart is overly sensitive, and my body over reacts to my adrenaline. I'm so sick of this............................ Maxine :0)