rymac

Best wishes to you and your dad. I hope you are hanging in there. bluesman

Sorry to hear about Sara. I hope you and her are doing as well as can be expected. I'm glad you have found a doctor who is willing to learn about dysautonomia. I hope this leads to better days. Take Care bluesman

Male 37

It's rainy and dreary here. If you want a laugh check this out.

Since a week ago today I started taking 10mg of Lexapro. I'm struggling with depression and general anxiety. The last two days I have been experiencing almost a constant state of anxiety. I had to go to work today and that really kicked it up a notch. My hands were even a little shaky. Before noon time I had to take half of a .5mg of klonopin. It really didn't seem to do much. Tonight I have a pretty good headache but that could be from anything.I'm planning on sticking with it for another week to see what happens. Before this I was taking klonopin at night to help me sleep and ease my anxiety. It worked to calm me down but I would be even more drowsy than normal the next morning. Before the klonopin I use to take flouxetine for depression and such. I can't remember the dose but it was quite a bit. I don't think it did anything at all. Years ago before I was ever diagnosed I took zoloft. That was a nightmare. For the week that I took it I did not sleep at all. I'm not joking I would go to bed and not even begin to get sleepy. After a few nights I just stop going to bed and watched TV all night. I also had no appetite. I don't really remember eating anything except drinking water. I called the doctor a few days in and told him what was going on. He just told me to keep taking it until it was completely in my system. After a week I was done. It was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced. During that same time I also took ativan. Mostly for anxiety. It worked great. So great I got completely addicted. I can't remeber how many hours I had to wait between pills but I would set my alarm for when I could take the next pill. I wasn't really working at the time. It would make me drowsy and not have a care in the world. I would basically stay in bed the whole time. I think that might have lasted about two weeks or more until I realized I had to stop. I quit cold turkey. I went through some painful withdrawl. I was curled up on the floor in the fetal position with a severe migraine shaking. Good times. I also keep toprol xl on hand but I only take it when my heart is racing. It kind of feels like a panic attack. I'm down to half a pill and I called the pharmacy today and they still don't have any in yet. If the lexapro doesn't cut it I don't know what I might try next. Open to suggestions and opinions. Thanks bluesman

Sorry to hear about your situation turtlefairy. I hope you and your mom can work things out. Don't stop looking for help. I'm sure it's frustrating to see your mom not take better care of her health. It does sound like you need a third person to help you both reach a compromise. Take care bluesman

I can usually tell when an episode is coming on. I take 1/2 of a 25mg Toprol XL. When I do this it almost never gets to a full blown tachycardia episode. It helps if I can sit down and drink some water.

I think it's almost impossible tell. I had a metabolic stress test in Bimingham in 06'. I lasted on the treadmill for about 9 minutes. I pushed as hard as I could but I was wiped out for the rest of the day. At work today I was on my feet walking up stairs and all over this building for about 2 hours. For a while I felt like I didn't have any kind if illness at all. Then it hit me and all I wanted to do was sit down. When I get an adrenaline rush I feel like I can do anything but I always pay a price later. Taking care of yourself and keeping your sypmptoms under control is a 24 hour a day job with no breaks. I think that concept alone is why it's hard for fairly healthy people understand this type of chronic illness. bluesman

I'm curious if there are any other single/ never married men on this forum. I'm wondering how they handle relationships with women and dealing with this condition.

Hi Candace I'm sorry to hear of your struggles and at such a young age. As you can see you are not alone. I've found nothing but kindness and understanding from the people on this forum. If only the rest of the world could understand. I'm in my 30's and have lost touch with a few friends. The ones I still keep in touch with try to understand but don't know what to say. Life has not turned out as I expected. I hope you find something in life that makes you happy. Take care of yourself and be thankful your family is there for you. It's good to vent once in a while and even be angry. Then look for things in your life that are positive. Take care bluesman

I made the call to the Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation. They are sending me paper work and setting up a meeting. I'm told to bring my medical records. Any advice? I don't know what to expect.

I don't know when I would try again. Between my work, health problems and now this I'm too tired to care about any of it right now.

Well here is an update. I went on a second date with the nurse and it's over. I did all the asking about her and I can't think of one question she asked about me. We went to a movie. She was polite and smiled . I guess she was just being polite when she agreed to a second date. She showed no interest me. Example; I asked what her last name was. She answered. Never asked mine. I'm a little depressed and relieved. So that's the end of that.

Anyone ?? Is it a scam?

I've been doing internet searches for career counselors. I came across something called a Chronic Illness coach. Is any one familiar with such a thing??

Since losing my insurance and having to join the Missouri health risk pool my insurance will not pay for anything out of state. I'm having trouble finding a Doctor in the state of Missouri familiar with autonomic disorders. I've been searching the web and even asked local Doctors. I'm not having any luck.

Weather is very cold and I'm unable to work much this week. I run mostly service calls and it requires me to go in and out of whatever weather we're having. Cold is the worst. I worked yesterday and felt horrible. I have not worked much this week. Since losing my insurance and having to join the Missouri health risk pool my insurance will not pay for anything out of state. I'm having trouble finding a Doctor in the state of Missouri familiar with autonomic disorders.

Good luck to you Shelby. Take care. bluesman

Thanks for the input. I got the phone number of a counselor and I think I'll go talk to him first. I work for a small tech company and there is really nowhere to go in the office. It's a dead end job but at least I have one and they haven't fired me.

I've been at my current job for almost 9 years. They know there are some things I can't or really shouldn't do like heavy lifting and working outside in extreme temperatures especially cold. They are pretty understanding because I had been a good worker until 2 years ago when my condition became worse. This happened after a minor surgery and I was finally diagnosed with dysautonomia. The one symptom I have never had so far is fainting or passing out. I can stand for while without too much trouble. I know I can't keep doing this too many more years. I have a lot of anxiety about changing jobs because I know most employers are not going to be understanding of my condition. I've asked family for advice and they are no help it's like they don't understand I have a health problem at all. As far as learning something new I do seem to have some memory problems. I really do have to write everything down which won't help if your taking a test. I wonder how this would limit what I could do. I know it's hard to judge how bad my memory is. This is the biggest stress in my life as my job is sometimes hard for me and sometimes easy. I lost my insurance through work and I have to pay for my own. I was turned down by regular insurance companies and joined the Health Risk Pool for Missouri. Winter is the worst time of year for me and I'm missing a little more work than usual. I'm really stressing out about this. Life has not been great anyway and the future doesn't look good either. I feel the need to take some kind action to change things. I'm in my late 30's. Please help point me in the right direction. Thank You.

I'm not sure exactly what you are experiencing but I have trouble with my gums and mouth for years. My gums were burning and falling apart. Here is what has helped me. I was on a steroid rinse for my gums for a while. I have a no sugar and no caffeine diet. I can't use alcohol mouthwash. I use Biotene toothpaste fresh mint original. I highly recommend this for anybody that has mouth trouble. It doesn't use harsh chemicals to clean your teeth it uses an enzyme. I floss everyday with Glide original not mint. Every once in a while I'll eat something that burns my gums and I can't always figure out the cause. I usually get a headache also. I hope this will help somebody. I kept going to the dentist over and over again until he sent me to someone who could help I also see the dentist twice a year for cleanings. bluesman

I went to the doctor today. We decided I didn't really need an inhaler. He suggested taking Zyrtec before hand if I know I'm going to be around pet dander. I would not be afraid to use an inhaler if I had to though. Thanks for all the input.

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When I'm around pet dander I have trouble breathing. I was told to avoid stimulants and steroids. I think inhalers are a steroid. I've been thinking I shouldn't use one. I've been around a lot of pet dander during the holidays and now a have a cough with chest congestion. I know I have an infection. The combination of cold weather and pet dander is almost a guarantee I will get sick. I feel I can never live in a home with a pet. I use the NeilMed sinus rinse. I'm going to the Doctor Monday. Any thought on using an inhaler and allergies??