lieze

I've had difficulty driving too. Last summer it was at it's worse. I do okay for short distances. What I notice is I have a tendency to hyperventilate. It seems like I get anxious when I drive and I don't know maybe the position isn't good either. But I get both the visual effects and physical effects. I take my daughter to school three days a week and pick her up. This keeps me in the car. My only other trips are to the store or to work. I have a lot of difficulty if I have to drive across town and drop the kids off before work. Honestly I'm shot at that point-spent. I almost have to recover as I get to work so I can start my shift. Whether I have the nerve to hop on the highway varies. For a long time I didn't. Couldn't handle it. So I take a real long route which almost makes it worse cause then I'm on the road a lot longer and I'm thinking-I just want to get home. Then I have my daughter's weekly trip to dance. It's a good 30 minutes or a little more each way from our house. Oh I cringe every Thursday night. Sometimes I have had to take a Xanax just to handle it. The driving thing really bites. lieze

I'm very suspicious of that because at the time I was staying at my parents my Mom told me that all of my Dad's sisters went crazy when they were 40. I thought to myself I don't think they went crazy at all I think this is how they felt. They have all complained of health symptoms but they are all quite a bit older so I don't know the specifics. The good news is they are all still living and functional the only one that died starved herself to death and just died this past year because she was convinced she would die from a stroke so she quit eating and got down to like 76 pounds before she went. I would guess she was probably late 60's to 70's when this happened. Knowing that this can be hereditary to have these symptoms makes me suspicious although they all live out of state and I don't have any way to talk to them. Some of the behavior though seems a bit neurotic with having to do things specific ways or they believe something bad will happen. I find myself getting the same way with what I can eat and when to avoid symptoms. The reason I am so suspicious also of the hormone connection is my periods got wacky at the same time the other symptoms started. First they went to every two weeks then back to every four weeks then to every three weeks. They stayed at every three weeks for almost a year then and my symptoms have some what stabilized with that. Although this last interval was just two again.` Also many of my symptoms also overlap with perimenopause if you look at the list. So in the beginning I really thought I had a bad case of menopause.

Thanks I am feeling better today-I just go around a nervous wreck worried about what's coming next. Oh and I have that bloated feeling I get where it makes it feel weird to breathe. I've been belching like a sailor here. I'm sorry to hear about your episode this morning. I hope the rest of the day goes well for you. lieze

Treating your anemia should improve your POTS I would think. I am getting tested too I also have the frequent and heavy periods. I had some trouble with the oral iron too. This is horrible but I've been taking the flinstones with iron because I found it didn't irritate my stomach like the other forms of iron. I also got some slow FE at the store it's supposed to be easier on the stomach and I"m trying to take one every day in addition to my flinstones. I did request at my visit last week with my OB to have my levels tested. I would prefer to get some help with this if I'm not keeping my levels up high enough. Anemia *****! lieze

I asked that at my cardiologist appt and he said no they all affect blood pressure. I felt a bit weird a couple times yesterday and couldn't figure out what was going on. By evening I wondered if I was having some PVC's. Whatever it was I would get the feeling, then it would start giving me a headache, then I think it was starting to stimulate my vagus nerve, I was getting just the slight urge to go. It never really got worse but I would say it happened about 5 times maybe through out the day? Just when I thought I was "better"? lieze

i'm sorry things are going this way for you with the medical care you are being offered. I agree with Deb not to give up but I wonder if your propanolol isn't making your bp issues worse. I cannot tolerate the atenolol even though it made me feel better it was unsafe for me to take because it was bottoming out my bp at even a low dose. I would need something to bring my bp up and then something to treat the arrhythmia, or also I guess it had therapeutic effect against blocking the adrenaline from my heart, making me feel so revved. That is what I would question is if you can tolerate the propanolol. lieze

Sometimes I notice when it gets a bit hard to breathe I have gas or trapped air I guess in my stomach. As soon as I belch breathing becomes so much easier. Does anyone else notice this? Is there anything that you do to prevent it? Sometimes it builds up and up and is pretty uncomfortable until it is finally released. I don't know if this is an anxiety thing or a POTS thing or a GERD thing? I just know it happens and I think it took me a long time to realize it was the gas/air causing it and as soon as it moves then my breathing is back to normal again. lieze

A bed buddy is a long bag filled with rice I believe. You heat it up in the microwave for about 2 minutes. The vitamin supplements might be a good idea. I am going to skip the gel tonight because that nerve that runs down my leg hurt this evening. It hurt to stand on it. lieze

Well mine got worse but now seem to be getting a bit better. I went through a series of different symptoms that didn't last. The reactive hypoglycemia for example, then it passed. So I am feeling better than I was but I am not back to my normal. lieze

Well I had kind of a bad reaction last night not sure if it was related to the Metronidazole or not. I woke up at 1:00 am with a severe spasm in my perineum. I get this every once in a while I guess it must be from birth trauma from one of my kids. It lasts for probably 20 minutes and is very painful. I would compare it to a labor contraction although with contractions they peak and you get a break in between usually this just continues non stop for 20 minutes. This time it was triggering a nerve in my leg and I had pain all the way down my right leg to my foot. I also had some nausea about part way through it but I didn't know if it was from the pain. It did then go away. I used heat. Husband was up and saw I was struggling and he tried to massage it where it was running down the nerve. It helped a little but then another wave went through. I used heat a bed buddy I heated up in the microwave and I ended up just rocking back and forth til it stopped. I didn't know if it was a reaction to the gel or not since I get this from time to time. Usually it's after I have fallen asleep for some reason. I'm not sure what to do about another dose tonight. I am a bit scared. lieze

I find myself saying better too when people ask me how I am and then I just feel like shrinking when I have symptoms again and realize I'm not really better. I've modified my life style a lot and that is how I am able to do what I am-what is a good reply when someone asks? I'm trying to figure that one out. lieze

I'm glad all is well for you in the cancer dept too bellamia. Yes this is a cream and it might be my imagination but I feel a tad better already. Last time I needed two creams and the oral ATB and it took weeks to get over it so I'm a bit worried here. I've never tried the boric acid before has anyone tried it? I have to go to a special pharmacy that makes it up in inserts (suppositories maybe) but I am to wait until I am done with the cream first. Based on one of the other posters I did request lab orders for an iron level too since I have these periods so close together, I want to keep an eye on that since the anemia will just complicate the whole process of my body staying oxygenated. lieze

It can happen at any age here is a list of causes I found online: Causes By Mayo Clinic staff Sometimes, an enlarged heart develops for no apparent reason (idiopathic) but it can also be caused by a condition that can cause your heart to pump harder than usual. These conditions can include: * High blood pressure. Having high blood pressure can make it so that your heart has to pump harder to deliver blood to the rest of your body, enlarging the muscle. * Heart valve disease. Four valves within your heart keep blood flowing in the right direction. If the valves are damaged by such conditions as rheumatic fever, a heart defect, infections (infectious endocarditis), connective tissue disorders, certain medications or radiation treatments for cancer, your heart may enlarge. * Weakness of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy). Cardiomyopathy is the thickening and stiffening of heart muscle. In early stages of cardiomyopathy, you may have no symptoms. As the condition worsens, your heart may enlarge to try to pump more blood to your body. * A heart condition you're born with (congenital heart defect). Many types of congenital heart defects may lead to an enlarged heart, as defects can affect blood flow through the heart, forcing it to pump harder. * Abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia). If you have an arrhythmia, your heart may not pump blood as effectively as it would if your heart rhythm were normal. The extra work your heart has to do to pump blood to your body may cause it to enlarge. * High blood pressure in the artery connecting your heart and lungs (pulmonary hypertension). If you have pulmonary hypertension, your heart may need to pump harder to move blood between your lungs and your heart. As a result, the right side of your heart may enlarge. * Low red blood cell count (anemia). Anemia is a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues. Left untreated, chronic anemia can lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Your heart must pump more blood to make up for the lack of oxygen in the blood when you're anemic. Rarely, your heart can enlarge if you have anemia for a long time and you don't seek treatment. * Thyroid disorders. Both an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) and an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) can lead to heart problems, including an enlarged heart. * Excessive iron in the body (hemochromatosis). Hemochromatosis is a disorder in which your body doesn't properly use iron, causing it to build up in various organs, including your heart muscle. This can cause an enlarged left ventricle due to weakening of the heart muscle. * Protein buildup in your heart (amyloidosis). Amyloidosis is a condition in which abnormal proteins circulate in the blood and may be deposited in the heart, interfering with your heart's function. If amyloid builds up in your heart, it can cause it to enlarge.

How old is your dad? I think an enlarged heart can happen for many reasons. Age being one. lieze

That would be great bellamia-since I'm not diagnosed and I'm not sure if my gyno or it was actually the CNP that saw me I don't know if they know anything at all about POTS. This may not get cleared up right away I already know that. I have had a problem in the past so yes whatever is the best safest treatment for us I will request it especially if this one doesn't work for me I need something. lieze

I understand that overwhelming feeling I do hope you get some relief. We just have a lot going on right now and I can't really handle it well. My son's birthday is tomorrow. I feel guilty that we're not doing anything major for him but I'm not really up to it. And think about Easter bunny activity. I had evaluation for my daughter for her preschool yesterday. These are just normal life events and I freak out. I do feel for you and hope that you can relax and just handle one email at a time? I'm trying to drink water every time I get nervous-I should be well hydrated! lieze

Well I finally braved Walmart again and I made it through. The entire time I was in there though I felt out of it. Like I didn't have my head on straight. Not alert how else can I describe it. Maybe some of that depersonaliziation feeling? Anyone else get this way and any advice related? I guess it's good to do as much as we can to kind of push through even if we feel weird? I stopped several times. Really paced myself I was not pushing my cart very fast at all. I was one of the slower shoppers. I used to be able to barrel through there-not at this time for me. I just wished I didn't feel like I was wearing a gumball head even though I'm not trying to complain I'm thankful for every little bit I can do. lieze

Well I've had this before not the first time here. The last time it took me weeks and months once it started to get my female ph back on track. I was really off and ended up on both creams and tetracycline to try to get over it. I noticed an odor about myself two days ago. I've noticed it before and it's seemed to go away. Well this time it didn't and my whole abdomen was really ouchy all day yesterday. It was all I could do to wait to be seen and get something ordered. I looked it up on line and it looked like if there was odor it wasn't yeast it was the bacterial type so I didn't try anything over the counter. I called first thing this morning and they worked me into the gyno. They looked at it under the microscope and said sure enough it was bv? Bacterial vaginosis. She described it as an overgrowth of normal bacteria, that's not what I read on the internet it described it as a lack of therefore other things can start to grow. My periods are really messed up and they think this is contributing to my acid base balance being off. So she ordered the metronidazole. I've been on this before and not had a problem but I did pull out the pamphlet and read and it said to use in caution with people central nervous system diseases. Is POTS considered a CNS disease? I'm not officially diagnosed POTS and my bp's are low but okay. I was 98/60 in the office and again here at home. My pulse I was just mopping and took it right after was only 98 yeah! So I might be recovering. My biggest symptom is just the swirly sensation I get in my head at times and feeling that I'm either working hard to breathe or fighting not to hyperventilate. I just thought I'd ask if anyone else had used this and had a problem. It says no deaths have occurred from using this since it is a vaginal preparation I'm sure not as much enters the blood stream or goes to other parts but it's there just not as intense as if I was taking an oral form. I took just 1/2 a dose when I got home just cause I'm hurting here and didn't want to wait til bedtime to treat myself. I have a refill if I need it and also she ordered me a script of boric acid inserts that I can use if needed twice a week for six weeks to get my ph levels back on track. We'll just see how it goes here I'm trying not to be afraid of this treatment. I don't want to just let the infection go and end up with pelvic inflammatory disease or something like that. I really feel like my whole network there is inflamed and burning already. lieze

I am still struggling with how much I can work. If all I did was work and come home I'd be okay but my parents then have expectations of what my house should look like and I was already making myself sick trying to keep up with it all prepots. My kids scatter things everywhere. I did get one of those grippers so I don't have to bend down every 5 minutes but even being home my housecleaning leaves a bit to be desired it's just a lot to keep up with. Right now it's just every other weekend and I do okay with that 6 hour shifts. I am ready to leave after the 6 hours because I am on my feet and running a lot of that time. I usually get very nervous the day before wondering how I'll do. I think a lot of our problem is confidence. It's just not there. We have hopes. Our minds still work like they used to most of the times our bodies just don't. So it's difficult to find the balance in that. I am going to stick with the every other weekend for now and just the call in-if I want to feel up to going when they call I will. Thinking about being on a schedule makes me a nervous wreck. I can't believe how stressed I get just thinking about activity yet when I did it all the time it was a no brainer. I also worked into my symptoms for the first 9 months. Took a little time off in there for the ablation but most days even if I felt crappy I made it through. Just be sure to pace yourself and get plenty of sleep and give us updates we can't wait to hear how you do. lieze

Yes and I was told the meds could be more dangerous than the arrhythmia that it is harmless. lieze

I've had it off and on. In the beginning it was severe and lasted for a couple months. I really worried about it. It has tapered off for the most part but I still get it from time to time and that pinch feeling right in my heart area really scared me that morning it happened. It was pretty intense. My husband doesn't have POTS, but also has chest pain. Almost constant he's really worried about it. It's gone on for a couple years now. He had a full cardiac workup and it didn't show anything abnormal. He is thinking about going for further testing. lieze

Yeah keep up the good work-I'm following your story too. My gut kept telling me adrenal glands/fatigue when all of this started. My cortisol levels were normal when tested at Cleveland Clinic. Also I guess with adrenal fatigue K+ often is low is what my gp told me-and she says every time she has checked mine I am always in the normal range. ??? Just big questions. My periods though are all over the place. My last interval was only 2 weeks and it's been a full week and I'm still spotting. I think I'll do a follow up with my gyno as soon as school is out. lieze

I think it's worth a shot-you can always have it removed if it doesn't agree with you. And I would agree it beats getting pregnant at this point so I would give you the green light. Never had one was seriously considering it, had asked my doctor about the copper T. They didn't have any in stock would have had to order it in for me and then set up an appointment during menstration he said was when he liked to insert it due to the cervix being open. He actually said it was a good option they were getting rid of the depoprovera? shot there in his office because they are finding it causes bone loss in women. Didn't have to go through with it husband got the V. We just used condoms until that happened. lieze

So is that good news or bad-that he doesn't want to see you again? I don't really get that-not wanting to see you. Well either way if he was really worried he would have ordered more tests or something on the spot I would think. lieze

My POTS definatly got worse right after my ablation but I was POTSY first. I thought the POTS actually caused the SVT"s in my case. lieze