taylorleevinson

Sorry I should have prefaced that with my blood pressure has come up recently! So i am around the 100's! finally broke through! When I started all the meds and the POTS process of diagnosis I didn't have a grasp of what was really going on with my body but my dad who is wonderful gets its all and takes meticulous notes in every appointment and questions each move we are making towards my treatment. Without him I'd be so overwhelmed. But from the notes I was put on the medicine to keep my bp from rising to high when would do any activity. I have tried florinef but had severe reactions to it. And yes I am a fainter. I do have a POTS specialist, who I adore. After going through a few doctors that tried to pretend they knew what POTS was. We finally found someone close to home that we trust and feel comfortable with his knowledge and his staff (which have made themselves available 24/7 by phone, email, text message, anything you name it they get back to me asap even if its for the smallest question or concern).

My blood pressure normally is somewhere between 80 to 60/60 to 40. And I have OI

Ah! I am really nervous now, I've been on metoclopramide for over a year now. Taking it almost everyday with fioricet. For severe migranes that would happen every afternoon like clock work that would induce nausea and vomiting that would send me to the hospital. I have an appointment with my doctor soon, definitely going to be questioning whether I should be taking this medicine. Thanks for the info guys!

I have low blood pressure, very low. And I just started working November 20. My last two semesters of College I only took 1 class each semester as I was at my lowest point with POTS thus far so its been a tough transition into the working world after having my days free to nap and take care of my body. But now that I've been feeling better my parents and new husband pushed for me to try and get a job. We live in a college town and the University has a temporary employment service so since I am a temp I have some lenancy while trying this job thing out.

I am not sure how I do it to be honest. It took me a long time to get me to this level of working out. Because a year ago I all skin and bones and looked terrible, I could barely stand for more than a minute without going into a spell. If you told me to go exercise I would have said you are crazy and can go jump off a bridge. I tried and it took everything I had, I would push myself too hard (which I probably still do) because I've been an competitive athlete playing soccer year round ever since I was 10 up until college. That is what kills me about being in the gym I know what I used to be able to do and now that I can't its awful. I am still coming to terms with having POTS and how it plays a role into what I can and can't do and how I have to modify what I want to do....But when I would wind up in the hopsital with severe migranes, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, my hr and bp would be going nuts. But then I found a doctor who understood POTS and started getting on a game plan and got in to see Vanderbilt Universitys Automonic Dysfunction Clinic. Both my Dr. and Vanderbilt work together which is really nice. and they said that my job was to try and get in an exercise program (I just graduated from college in May and got married too! but since the economy was so bad and my husbands job had us moving to a different city for only 6 months I couldnt find a job and really didn't have the energy and ability to have a fulltime job at that point so thus the exercise plan started) it was slow at first, really slow. I would walk and watch tv. which helped distract me from what was going on with my heart and kept me calm. I've felt really great the past several months besides general symptoms that linger everyday that are annoying but the past few weeks my symptoms have picked back up more severely with fatigue, heart racing, numbness in fingers and feet, lightheadness, a feeling of drunkness, and my joints feel like they need some wd-40. so doctor has me wearing a heart monitor for 30 days to check things out. but i am continuing to workout because the dr says the progress made so far has been good and he'd hate for it to be lost, as would i! all that money invested in a gym and trainer! but also its worth those 30/45 mins of feeling on top of the world afterward. someone posted in a different thread about how saline IVs made them feel awesome, I feel the same way after my work out, it could be all the powerade i am guzzling down! How does everyone cope with ups and downs of POTS? I find so overwhelming

I hated wearing my compression stockings that were knees highs and when I switched doctors he said he liked having his patients try the Kamora Body Shaper (you see them advertised on tv) and then Under Amour has compression pants, capri's, and shorts. They offer them in cold and heat gear which means in cold weather the cold gear will keep you warmer and in hot weather the heat gear clothing will be breathable and is supposed to help keep you cooler. I like these because I can wear them as tights and under dresses or long shirts or the shorts under short skirts or shorts in the summer. I also wear them as pajama/yoga pants with just a tshirt or sweatshirt when I am lounging around the house. I don't wear them all the time but I have found they do help when I am going to be up and moving a lot or travelling. Also I started using Spanxx (the hose, the body shaper, and shorts like style) and for all you women out there I think they are pretty good! And in my opinion they are all much more stylish options to the compression stockings. Being from Alabama where its incredibly hot in the summer and being in College during my diagnosis it was nice to find things that didn't make me stand out even more than I already was from passing out and everything else!

My Dr. really stresses exercise if you can physically do it. So over the past 7 months I have pushed myself to exercise as much as possible. When I was first diagnosed with POTS back in August of 2008, I was actually walking on a treadmill at the Cleveland Clinic with my mom and my heart rate went well above 230, thats when we had somewhat of an inkling of an idea that maybe it was a heart condition that had been plaguing me for the past year. So moving ahead to the exercise plan I am on now... When I first started my heart rate would sky rocket so I had to start slow and take it easy but my drs. gave me some helpful hints for keeping my hr down during my workout. Like drinking 20 oz. of water right before I'd work out and I take metoprolol so they suggested trying to take it 30 minutes before I work out. I found this really helps! I always make sure to drink another 20 oz. of gatorade completely during my workout. I work out for 30 minutes either on the treadmill or the eliptical. and then work with a trainer on weights for 30 minutes to build up the muscles in my legs and core stomach. My heart rate stays constiently at about 150 to 165 now, however I do notice it drops randomly throughout my workout down to 80 and 60 sometimes and then jumps right back up after a little bit. I am normally pretty exhausted from work before I even start to work out and during my work out I am extremely tired. But for about 45 minutes afterwards its the best I feel all day, its what keeps me going to the gym each day actually.