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JeffKohrman

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    http://browneyedalbinosblog.blogspot.com
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    Electrical Engineering, drawing, painting, hackey sack-ing, and rock climbing when my body allows.

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  1. Unfortunately, I've been forced to choose between this answer, and my family. This decision came shortly after buying an $80 hookah. Joy. Anyway, i just wanted to thank everyone who has given me guidance/suggestions over the past week or so. I'll still be bringing this information to the attention of my POTs doctors. Thanks again! Jeff
  2. CoQ 10 is supposed to strengthen your heart, and increase energy, so it does make some sense. Glad to hear you're doing better!
  3. Quick update: I went back to the Pillar (the Hookah Lounge), and was so excited over the whole ordeal that I forgot my BP cuff. Anyway, here's what happened. My pulse started out at 130 sitting, and gradually slowed to 90 sitting, after about two hours. My joints don't hurt, my head didn't hurt, my chest doesn't hurt, I'm not dizzy, and I'm feeling pretty energized. This time I seem to be more light sensitive, and much more susceptible to stress headaches, and my stomach is hurting more than beforehand (which may or may not be related). Also, my chest is a bit tight, almost asthmatic feeling. I'll be trying it one more time, to see if the results are similar. Thanks for all the help and support guys!
  4. I get that too, if I sleep too little or too much, I'm pounded by my POTS symptoms. Does anyone else get that if they oversleep?
  5. Never tried Kava, and I probably won't try any of the commercial products, since they generally use the leaves now. I've heard that the leaves can cause liver damage, it's the roots that are the safest. Jessica - I know Pulmonary Fibrosis is very serious, so I'm also looking at a local company's product, Holy Smoke, which is made with spices rather than bagasse. It's a very small company though, so it doesn't have an online identity yet.. I'm very sorry to hear about your grandmother and mother. I hope your mom's doing well now!
  6. I have this problem as well. Prilosec has never helped it, since I don't think it's food/stomach related. I've heard it could be heart related if it's always there, or unrelated to eating.
  7. I've had symptoms my whole life, and have been punished for every one of them, until just last year when I was diagnosed with POTS. My mother was suddenly very understanding, but my father doesn't seem to get it, so he just doesn't talk to me. Makes it a little awkward since I still live with them, heh. It feels like I've lost a parent, which is never easy. Anyway, my point is that you really aren't alone, as you know. But it doesn't seem to get easier when incompetence rears it's ugly head, does it. At least we have the strength of friends backing us, no matter how far, or digital they are, eh? Hope all else is well!
  8. Wow, that's great! My drs. have talked about Lyrica, but are wary of starting anything until they've got me good and diagnosed. Glad it's helping you though!!
  9. Moderation is the key, which is particularly difficult when dealing with barbituates. I'm really stuck on what could've caused such wonderful side effects. I know that smoking is a vaso-constricting act in itself, and it draws blood away from extremities and towards vital organs, which would reduce swelling and aching from blood pooling. That would also explain why I felt cold afterwards.. But would that also make my stomach calm down, and reduce cramping? I've been told that my headaches are caused by reduced bloodflow to my head, so that would alleviate that. But could it really just be the act of smoking? I'm starting to confuse myself. Dang it. Also, my local head shop should be getting more hookahs in the next few days, and they're trying to get some herbal shisha for me too, so hopefully this weekend i'll be able to try it again.
  10. I've had times where the nurses couldn't even hear my pulse. Weak heart some days, ripping out of my chest the next. Good times, eh?
  11. In my experience, it's generally best to do all the tests you can, or else you'll end up missing something important. I've also had both of those studies done, and they really aren't as bad as it sounds. I'm sure there has to be an alternative to iodine, for those who are allergic, and endoscopies can be done both awake, or somewhat sedated. The part that took the longest for me was waiting for the anesthesia to wear off.
  12. It's very interesting to me that so many people have found that nicotine helps! While smoking Hookah may help me, I am in no way suggesting to anyone else that they start smoking for medical reasons! Smoking's dangerous, and any type of smoke in a carcinogen. The reasoning behind so-called anti-hookah is that the shear mass of smoke being inhaled makes a one hour session the equivalent of 2.5 cigarettes. My argument is that in one hour, you could smoke many more than 2.5 cigarettes, since the average time it takes to smoke one cigarette is 3-5 minutes, in theory, one would then have to smoke 12-20 cigarettes. Talk about chain smoking! The only reason that the shisha manufacturers can state "Tar Free" is that when used properly, you wouldn't burn any of it, keeping the tar inside of the tobacco leaves. Tobacco NATURALLY has tar! Tobacco by itself isn't necessarily good for you, just some parts of it are. I'm only experimenting with this because it's been suggested by a friend. It also happens to work for me, as far as I know, and I plan to try it again in a more controlled environment in order to assess the results. I will also be bringing my findings to my Dr., and assessing it's benefits/risks with them. Not to completely turn you off of Hookah, but I just want you to be well informed before you take such a risk. If still interested, hookahhookah.com, hookah-shisha.com, and wikipedia.org are helpful places to get started. If you don't want to bother with online research, check out your local head shop/smoke shop! Or you can just talk to me, I've learned quite a bit about it since I first heard of Hookah. And this forum is pretty danged cool, I've been putting off getting an account here for months because I was afraid to learn more about my conditions, but it's been extremely helpful to see what other people are going through!
  13. I like to eat chips or peanut butter crackers before bed, that usually helps me get throughout the night. Not sure why, but those two things stop me from waking up like that, as well as having awful acid reflux (which i've been told is heart related).
  14. Just a quick note; Apparently the molasses used is high in salt content. Whenever I have a terrible headache, I usually end up craving salt. Anyone else get that? I'll also be looking for some exercise DVD's, thanks! I've tried going to my local Y, but I don't do very well in large groups.. I'm actually a very shy and awkward person. The way hookahs work is by loosely filling the bowl with shisha, then wrapping the bowl in tin foil, poking small holes in the foil, and placing a red hot coal on top of that. By taking a draw from the hose, you pull the heat through the shisha, into the water, then to you. This process doesn't actually "burn" anything, it dries it out. So what you're actually smoking is the moisture in the shisha, rather than the byproduct of it's combustion. If you do end up burning your shisha, you'll know, the pleasant smooth smoke will suddenly be harsh and bitter tasting. I'm really interested in trying a tea made of the shisha too. Heck, right now, I'd probably eat it straight from the can..
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