janietrudell

I have been dealing with constipation since I was a child. I have the same problem as you - every day I go a small amount but that is it. Unless I take laxatives and clear out my system it is always full. Very frustrating! Like you I used to go at the onset of my period but that does not happen anymore:(. Mirilax was a miracle cure for me for a few months but now it seems to be wearing off. Other things that I have had initial success with are; licorice root and chia seeds. Good luck to you! Please post if you find something that helps! Janie

My son had frequent stomach aches and eating issues since he was about 4 but was able to function normally and was always very athletic. At 14 he started high school and cross country. We believe the excess exercise and stress triggered pots. It started with vomiting during exercise, exercise intolerance, fatigue, very frequent nausea, excess thirst and dizziness when standing. After months of testing we ended up at Froedert and he was diagnosed and put on a beta blocker, salt tablets and prilosec. These medications helped a little but he stopped them all when he went to college. He says he is somewhat better but I think he has just modified his life around the illness. His pots is not as severe as others on this forum as he is able to function but no where near what his former life was like. His doctor was optimistic that he would recover in his early twenties but still no sign. Janie

Good Luck! I'll say a quick prayer for you! I am a bit medication phobic too so I know what you mean but its worth it to at least try! Janie

I am so sorry that you are going through this! It's hard enough when you have a supportive husband, I can't imagine what it would be like without one. I know how you feel and I agree with dani. It would be best if you could separate the anxiety from all the other issues you are having so you know exactly what you are dealing with. Believe me anxiety will make everything worse and overwhelming! I was having constant PVC's and other heart issues when I was very anxious. Now that I am not so anxious I don't get them often. Can you handle alprazalon (sp?), tamazepam, klonipin?? They were literally life savers for me when I was at my worst. I hope things turn around for you!! And I hope your husband gets off his butt and starts to help out! Janie

Not in my case nor my sons. I have run my whole life and my son started sports when he was 4. It wasn't until high school that he developed Pots and we believe it may have started because his exercising became more strenuous. He is now unable to exercise without vomiting. Janie

Hi Serena, My son was diagnosed at 15 after a year of symptoms. He is now 20 and doing better. He chose not to take meds anymore but instead has adjusted his lifestyle to fit his illness. With that being said we are still hoping and praying that he will make a 'full recovery' but for now we are just grateful that he can function somewhat normally. He is away at college and doing well although aside from classes he isn't able to participate in many activities. Good Luck to your son! Janie

Hi there - Occasionally I wake up and feel like I am choking and can't breath but when I grab a drink of water it goes away. Also when I lie down on my back I find it very difficult to swallow or talk. During the day I have times where I find it difficult to swallow and sometimes have what feels like neck spasms but it does not happen too often. I chalked it all up to POTS. Sorry you are having to deal with this, hope you can get a treatment plan soon!!! Janie

When I am experiencing high or prolonged anxiety I have constant heart palpitations. I have also felt like my heart stopped and then started seconds later. I did have a holter test and it recorded several times where my heart had 1.8 seconds between beats. These were the times where I felt like it stopped - they sure felt longer though. The cardiologist was not concerned. When I am not anxious I still have palpitations but minimal. Good Luck to you, Janie

how do they test for anti-cardio lipin? It's a blood test. It's a blood clotting disorder - kind of autoimmune - my body recognized the pregnancy's as foreign and therefore developed clots to terminate them.

I had 2 children in my mid twenties but several miscarriages after that and then an inability to get pregnant. Mine was caused by high anti-cardio lipin. Janie

I have taken both and still take Klonopin. I hate starting new meds also so I would take the klonopin first and wait until I felt less anxious and then take the celexa. If I take a med when I am very anxious I tend to notice more side effects. the celexa helped me a bit but I did gain wait eventually. Good luck Janie

Hi Maxine - I started having heart palpitations when I started taking baby aspirin for a blood clotting disorder years ago. I never thought that they may be linked but maybe?? Janie

I know how you feel about not being able to eat. I had a parodoxal reaction to an SSRI and it made me feel so incredibly anxious and terrified that I couldn't do anything much less eat. The only time I could eat was at night after I took Restoril for anxiety (it's a sleeping pill). It sounds like anxiety is making your condition/symptoms worse. While the doctors are trying to figure out what is going on with you can you take something for the anxiety and see if it helps a bit? Good Luck to you! Janie

Okay, so what does this mean? I have the same reactions - I am so jumpy! What are your other symptoms? And Sue how is your doctor treating you? Thanks, Jane

Thank You Robin, I will keep a log when she gets home. I didn't realize that temperature could be a symptom. Good luck with your daughter's testing. Jane

My resting heart rate is between 38-50. It only gets higher when I am working out,sat the doctors office or sometime when extremely nervous. It can even stay in the 40's when I am walking around.

Hi all - I have posted a few times before about my son who was diagnosed with pots at 14 and is now 20. I am now worried about my daughter who is away at college. She has had fainting episodes in the past (a few years ago) with stomach cramps, sweat, ringing in ears and vomiting (usually when sitting). This time a few hours before she passed out she felt very cold and her head hurt badly she thought she may have a fever and took tylenol. She got to her class, still with a bad headache, sat down for a few minutes and then remembers waking up with her head on her desk and not knowing where she was, she thinks she was out a couple of minutes! Her only warning was the headache and the chills hours before. Afterward she had a bad head and neck ache. She also has been feeling very cold lately, very tired and is gaining weight even thought she is not eating much. I have an apt for her in a couple of days but am worried because it's not like she stood up and got dizzy, she wasn't even light headed. Sound familiar to anyone, could it be a form of Pots?? Thanks so much, Janie

I can SO relate! A few of years ago I was going through an extremely stressful time and I felt like I was having continuous palpitations during the daytime. I went to the doc and she had me wear a holter monitor for 24 hours. The results showed that I had PVS's 12% of the time. This really unnerved me but the cardiologist said it was fine. She didn't give me an explanation and at the time and I was just so relieved that I didn't press things. A year later I saw a Neurologist for POTS and he didn't like the looks of the holter results so he ordered a echo cardiogram. The results were normal. The PVC's now seem to happen only during very stressful (good or bad) times or are related to my time of the month. I try not to worry. Good luck to you! Jane

Some mornings I start to feel like I am not really there. It's very disconcerting because I feel like I could just fall over! I get anxious and usually take a clonazepam. I took my bp the last episode and it was 100/42 and my pulse was 41. I thought the best thing to do would be to walk around quickly and go up and down steps to and try to get my pulse up - it helped a bit but not enough so I ended up popping another pill. Usually I am fine within and hour?? Not sure if the pill helps or if it just ran it's course.

In my experience, I have more palpitations at my time of the month and I am sure they are hormone related. I would think the same for you if this is a pattern.

Thanks for the replies. My son is convinced that he is allergic to pepto bismol?? I am going to call the dr on Monday to get his opinion. His dysautomia did not worsen. He also would like to get tested for allergies. Jane

My daughter is prone to sinus infections/problems. I started to give her licorice root (capsules) at the onset of a cold and she has done much better! I do not have sinus issues but I have been taking licorice root (to increase my bp) for 1.5 years and have not had a cold or even the sniffles in that time. May be worth a try unless you have high blood pressure. Jane

Hi all, A few months ago my son (age 19) broke out in itchy, itchy excema all over his hands. He also had a itchy rash on his back, stomach and behind the knees and elbows. We thought it was some kind of allergic reaction or the result of sweat/heat (he went camping overnite). It lasted 3 weeks and he was miserable. It has now come back and he hasn't been out in the heat for a couple of weeks and our house is air conditioned. He goes back to college in another month and is worried about getting by. Is excema/rash a symptom for any of you? One other thing I thought I'd add. Both times he had nausea 2 days before it started and took pepto bismol. thanks, Jane

Hi Michael - I have a 19 year old son with POTS. He was diagnosed his Freshman year in High School. He was a very active athlete until he ran cross country in high school and started getting sick when running (nausea and vomiting). It progressed to the point where he was constantly feeling sick and tired. He also has mild OCD and does not show many emotions. He has had headaches, stomach cramps, random sharp pains in his head, low pulse and bp issues, and of course dizziness and fainting. He was seen by a POTS specialist and been on medication. He is in college now and actually feeling much better. His dr said that a lot of teens' symptoms get better once they stop growing. I wish you luck with your appointment and hope you get some answers and relief! Jane

She is a chiropractic neurologist. She is not my ordinary dr, she doesn't even live in my state so I am kinda seeing her over the phone/e-mail. She has me taking some 'natural' supplements - PMG. tribulus and ovatrophin. I also had several other tests. She also thinks I have a reaction to gluten, and my adrenals are off. So all of these could have a connection to POTS. But she is not an expert in POTS by any means. It's too early to tell if the meds are going to help but if they do I will post. Jane