Merrill

Hi, Rita. I agree w/Katherine. I've lowered my bb dose too -- and my side effects at the moment are increased heart rate (which is completely to be expected). You may have a little bug (unrelated); even increased anxiety (perhaps over changing your dose of a med you've grown quite accustomed to) can cause the symptoms you have. Try drinking more, salting more, and I'd also suggest eating some protein today. That usually helps to give me more energy and feel stronger overall. (I'm a near vegetarian, but when I'm feeling the way you describe minus the nausea, I have a little chicken or fish or cheese etc.) The fact that you've been on a lower dose for a week or so before now having an "off" day is actually a good sign. These symptoms wax and wane anyway, as you know ... So take extra good care today; tomorrow is bound to be better! Best to you, merrill

Are we taking a poll? Count me in ... FOR s. c. r.

Hi, everyone --and thanks, Earthmother, for asking about me. I'm hanging in there I guess ... dangling by my fingertips from the rim. Since writing last, I decided to cut my bb dose back to 12.5 mg per day and just get used to the tachycardia again. Trying to see if my mood will lift and I can start burning calories again. (And stay awake all day/evening.) So far so good. We started looking into recumbent bikes online last night... Did anyone who was thinking about it a few months ago actually take the plunge? I really want to try to strengthen my legs, and I just can't do stairs. What other exercises do people do for their legs? I should probably put this question at the end of an exercise thread, but I'm lazy! A note to Persephone--hang in there, kiddo, and get thee to a therapist, quick, if things are not going your way. I learned this Martin Luther King Jr. quote on this site: "Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars." Just one short month ago--less, even, you were writing to tell us of your acceptance to Oxford: http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtop...4&hl=persephone and that you'd started exercising again. http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtop...6&hl=persephone So you know that things can change for you and that they can change for the better. Don't give up! (By the way, I sit in the shower and perch in the kitchen on a stool too ... who cares? You get clean and food made... what else do you need?) Everytime you think you can't do something, try it anyway. You might find that you actually CAN. Best to all, m

What We Need Is Here Geese appear high over us, pass, and the sky closes. Abandon, as in love or sleep, holds them to their way, clear in the ancient faith: what we need is here. And we pray, not for new earth or heaven, but to be quiet in heart, and in eye, clear. What we need is here. by Wendell Berry

It's possible that Atkins is to blame for your symptoms, which is why it would be good to talk to a knowledgable physician and/or a nutritionist who can guide you ... If nothing else, they may help you find a new way of eating and exercising in healthful ways to bring you to a better weight. (My brother went on Atkins for a while ... and a few weeks into it, he began experiencing daily excrutiating headaches. It took him a while to correlate the diet with the headaches--and when he began reintroducing carbs, the headaches went away. Research and talking to physicians helped him uncover the truth about Atkins ... it's not for everyone, and it can cause some mighty scary side effects!) I agree that you should see your primary care physician and/or a cardiologist who can run some tests if needed and set your mind at ease. Please trust that nothing will explode if you exercise a little ... maybe just try to incorporate more walking into your day, or take the stairs instead of escalator or elevator at first. best to you, m

Hey, Melissa, glad you jumped in! Sometimes you just gotta take the plunge. Any other lurkers out there? Reveal yourselves! Emily--you just give what you got and we give what we got and that is that. Like this funky syndrome, everything changes day to day. No worries, no guilt. S'OK? Hope today was a good one for you ... and for everyone. m

I'd go by the instructions your hospital/doctors told you and don't worry 'bout us. Good luck tomorrow, m

Morgan, I figured you were a little ol' country girl from your last post because you used the word "dang." As for the old part, I'm right behind ya! And I'm GLAD you've made it this long with dysautonomia because, well, consider the alternative! Cheers, m

JLB, good luck tomorrow! Here's my wish for you: that just the precise amount of adrenaline will kick in tomorrow ... enough to raise your heart rate just a little and give you the buzz you need to make your presentation effectively. You do such critical work in your community ... it has a ripple effect and touches all of us too ... My spirits are sometimes lifted by doing something for someone else. Maybe that will happen for you! Be confident and shine tomorrow; you can crash later. Or maybe you won't! Think positive ... and we'll be here for you either way. take care, m

I ADORE Portland ... the Columbia River gorge is one of the most wonderful places in this country. My brother & his family lived there for many years and I visted several times a year. (My bedroom rug comes from Kitchen Kaboodle...) I'd move there in a tachycardic heartbeat ... if it weren't so darn small! Wink, wink, Morgan. (I live in Chicago...)

Sorry, Em ... didn't mean that so literally. The diagram reveals what we know--that the tools in the medical community's toolkit are limited. It takes more than hammers and screwdrivers (midodrine and florinef) to fine tune a delicate machine like the human body. We're not really SOL as long as we keep trying to figure it out day by day, testing a variety of remedies and treatments to alleviate our symptoms. That's all I meant. No harm no foul, right? Sleep tight, m

Gena, thanks for posting this! We tivo'd scrubs and haven't seen it yet--I'm sure I would have screamed too ... and I will warn my husband this response is coming when the time is right! Very cool! If we can't make Oprah, we'll take Scrubs, yes? Thanks too for the diagram & article. Kind of interesting that no matter what, florinef and midodrine and beta blockers are the options. And if those don't work? Well, I guess we're all SOL. Grrr... peace, merrill

Katherine, I just wanted to step in and join your chorus of supporters. I'm a little late but hopefully not off key! Attitude is everything, and yours is fantastic. It sounds like you're doing the right things and thinking the right things ... and soon, with or without meds, you'll feel like yourself again. Were you able to go to work Monday and Tuesday? If so, I hope it wasn't too much of a struggle. And I hope today's a good one for you--let us know tomorrow too, OK? A note to Lalalisa ... I know someone who lowered his paxil dose or maybe went off it, I can't remember ... there are a number of side effects, perhaps associated with going too quickly. Brain zaps were the worst; I can't remember about dizziness. My suggestion is to taper your dose reeeeeaaaalllly slowly... There's no hurry (is there?) so take your time and take your dose down in tiny increments to decrease any side effects. Maybe you won't even notice! Won't that be grand!!!??? Good luck! and let us know how that goes too, OK?

So relieved to hear your son's OK, Julie ... I agree that it'd be good for him to get checked out if possible. Sound like a very traumatic experience for him! Best, merrill

Just a quick note, KathyP--yes, the bb is supposed to work this quickly--no surprises that your hr would be within the normal range with your first dose (unless the dose wasn't quite enough to bring you where you want to be). This is great news! Maybe 12.5 mg will be all you need! Excellent. I hope you continue to do well with it! m

Corina, your doctor makes house calls? Oh my gosh ... I am soooo moving to Amsterdam! I think our friends on the Forum will be right behind me ... Don't be surprised if you see a sudden rise in immigration ...

It's so hard to know what to do in situations like this. I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't want to go cold turkey off either of these meds ... but maybe lowering the dosage may help you a bit. I guess if I were in your situation, I'd call my regular GP--because even though she's not the prescribing doc, she should still be following your case and knowing what's going on for you. If nothing else, she could look up the dosing options for these meds and talk to you about alternatives. Remember, even if you're feeling crappy, that it's important to eat well and to keep up with your salt and fluid intake, which will help your blood pressure. Best to you--I'm sorry you're feeling poorly! merrill

Hi, KathyP ... A therapist told me today that beta blockers like Toprol are quite often prescribed "off label" for people with anxiety and symptoms like the ones you describe. (And as we know, it's also for pots people with palpitations, tachycardia, etc.) If it weren't for the potential problems b/c of asthma, it could be the perfect medication for you. I think it may be a matter of finding the right dose. As you've probably already read, I too am on 25 mgs. My cardio started me on 50 and wanted me to go to 100, but when I had an asthma-like attack on 50 (and was so tired I could barely sit up at my desk, I took my dose down instead. On 50 mgs, I had difficulty breathing with mild exertion. (My attack came after running up some steps at a theater to get back to my seat after intermission. Thank goodness I was headed for a seat and had the rest of the night to relax and calm down! I haven't a clue whether an inhaler would have done any good. I think that's something to ask about.) I think 25 mg is a low dose of this bb ... but the tablets are scored. I agree with Amy's suggestion and think it's a good one...try taking 12.5 mg a day for a week or two and see how you do. Then go up to 25 mgs if you're tolerating it OK. If it doesn't work out, you can always say you tried THIS bb (I'm hearing from folks here that they're not all alike, and it's good to try more than one if need be). Let us know how you're doing, merrill

EM, you're a riot! I just called out to my husband in the other room that you'd posted the words to the song in Caddyshack ... and he knew just which one and started singing. Too funny. Thanks! (And Gena, don't I just love that expression "cant carry a tune in a bucket" ... ) Y'all are the best.

Gena's got some great advice, Linda. One question: are you wearing medical compression hose yet? 30-40 mmHg? If not, you might try them and see if they help the heavy/weak feeling in your legs. This is, in fact, one of my most icky pots symptoms ... I feel like I have no energy and strength and that my legs could give out any time--when I'm NOT wearing my hose. I don't complain of this symptom when I'm wearing them ... so I know they're doing something right. Most people say that exercising and strengthening the legs helps enormously... it's important to not get deconditioned. Anyway, welcome to the crowded potshole; always room for more. But we gotta get outa this place! best, merrill

Amy, re: "I don't know if I made the right choice or not, choosing to stop my anxiety meds during my pregnancy. I will never know." I wonder ... you made it through OK, you're baby's healthy... How could this decision be anything BUT the right one for you? We all do the best we can, making countless choices every day. Hopefully, we won't suffer from the effects of regret when things go wrong as a result of the difficult choices we make ... but when things go well? No regret, no question. PS I didn't read the article you posted.

that's so funny, AprilMarie...I looked at that site and really enjoyed the photos of the woodpeckers and chickadees and cardinals etc... I just thought I was missing something in terms of finding the right photoalbum for you and your family! I'd have to say my fog is also pretty thick ... I'll check out your site too. Congratulations on your beautiful little one. She's dreamy. merrill

Hi, friends. Maybe if we all start digging, we can tunnel our way up? Or maybe we can keep going straight down and wind up in China? I'd rather take that route to get our baby than fly anyway! I'm super tired right now--and frustrated, because I really want to respond in a more personal way to each and every one of you who wrote to me last night and today or who quietly wished me well after reading my post. I felt your vibe. It's funny--words came quickly and easily when talking about Sophia's mouse problem ... but I find talking about this personal dilemma (and all the challenging emotions behind it) to be much more difficult. I do want to answer the questions you raised and share a little more--and also say "I'm glad we're not alone" to those of you who share this struggle of accepting the bad with the good in treatments for this syndrome. I'll try to write more tomorrow... Peace, merrill

I don't know about you all, but I'm planning on trying Tearose's Tips for weight reduction. I didn't know I could lose more than just my money at the mall! I think she's onto something ... I haven't tried cash therapy in a while, but it just could work (as long as I stay away from buying pants). I think I'll stick to wrinkle creams and sunglasses.

Sophia, you're right, you can put either snap traps or glue traps in places the cats could never get to ... under the stove (we did catch several in the trap we put there), under the refrigerator, under the sink and inside drawers or inside any other spot you know the mice go or have been. Your cats will be safe and the mice, hopefully a few of them anyway, will be dead. I know it's distasteful to do this kind of thing yourself (this is exactly the kind of problem I too like to throw money at; hiring someone else is sometimes the way the way to go) ... but you must! (I don't reuse snap traps, by the way; they're cheap and it's easy to dispose of the whole thing, mousie and all.) As for the poison thing I told you about ... it's completely enclosed inside a black box, and your cats could never get to it and eat it. You have to open the box with a special key--and you only open it to check for nibbles and see if they're taking the bait. My exterminator told me he gave it to his son, promising big money if he could get it open. He couldn't. The danger to your cats is if they EAT a poisoned mouse. Have you talked this over with your vet yet? I don't think you'd need to move out ... Also, they are typically more active at night than during the day, although some of the bolder ones pretty much ignore humans and go about their business whenever they feel like it. I too have a phobic response to these critters ... but they really are soooo small. Keep your food safe by wrapping everything in plastic ziplocs and/or canisters and your counters superclean. You'll be OK. My mice live under the dishwasher and cabinets and haven't gotten into any food, thanx G-d. Check for holes there, under the cabinets just above the floor. Stuff em with steel wool; I'm told they don't chew through that. Put steel wool also around water pipes under the sink etc. We tried peanut butter in our snap traps but it didn't work. All the mice we've killed were killed going after chocolate. Mice after my own heart. (They've gotten into my purse in search of a Twix! GROSS!!!) Merrill