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I'm getting ready to re-enter the workforce full-time at an office for the first time since 2010. I've been working at home since then, between 15-50 hours a week (ugh, freelance). I'm nervous but I feel like the job is right up my alley so I want to give it a shot. It also means relocating to a new city by myself as my marriage recently broke up. This will be my first time living as a single adult. With so many changes in my life, I'm nervous about attempting this, but I hope I can do it. I feel better now than I have in probably 6 years, although I don't know if that will change once I'm bound to the office schedule. My new office doesn't know I'm sick, of course, and I'm not sure how to explain things if I get a dizzy spell or feel very tired one day or something. I was thinking I could say that I have some circulation problems or a heart problem instead of launching into the whole I-have-a-rare-disease-and-here-are-the-symptoms explanation because I really don't want to ostracize myself that way. Anyone else been in this situation? How did you explain it? And any general tips for going back to full-time work?

Yes! I love mine. They're hot pink I got them at a running store where they fitted me for them to make sure they would give me the proper compression. They help so much with circulation and recovery after I exercise. I also have some compression socks that are knee-high that work great.

I can run, and I think exercise is one of the things that helped me most. It has been an uphill battle, and I've had to force myself to work out when I felt sick and didn't want to. But in the end, even if it made me feel bad for that day and even the day after, I think it has improved my overall condition. Three years ago I was barely able to get out of bed for several months, and now I exercise 5-6 times a week, including a walk/jog of 4-5 miles at least once a week. Interestingly, yoga gives me issues and I have to be careful doing it, even though I used to be a yoga devotee some years ago. I think cardio and strength training, combined with low doses of Zoloft and Wellbutrin, the bc mini-pill, vitamin B supplements, and eating as clean and organically as possible (low sugar, hardly any processed foods) has been what's helped me. Edit: Oh, and just for the record, I didn't start running until a year and a half after my worst. Right after diagnosis when I was not able to do much, I stuck with a recumbent exercise bike and taking walks around the neighborhood when I was able. The recumbent really seemed to help.

Sorry to hear you're having such a tough time. It could definitely be part of dysautonomia, but it can be hard to tell exactly what's causing it. Have you or your doctor thought about a TTT? I have POTS and NCS and this is how I get, especially before I was medicated. I will feel shaky and have muscle weakness along with fatigue and dizziness. Do electrolyte drinks help you? They can sometimes be a temporary fix for me, especially coconut water with a low sugar content.

Keep in mind that there's a big difference between self-preservation measures/control freak tendencies and ACTUAL OCD. I think a lot of people these days toss the term around too freely. OCD is when you cannot stop doing something. It's not simply a quirk or a need to be in control of things. It also has very specific manifestations. I suffered from it for a long time, and the way it manifested for me was counting syllables. Anytime someone spoke, I couldn't stop myself from counting the syllables. Then I would reword what they said in my head to make it five syllables or a multiple of five. I literally could not stop my brain from doing this. It was so bad that I couldn't really pay attention in school because I was too busy counting and rewording the teacher's words in my head. This is an example of true OCD. Being particular is not. Please be careful of what you "diagnose" yourself with and how you use such terms.

I had one heck of a time going on Zoloft (severe nausea, insomnia, tremors, cold sweats, appetite loss, tachy) but I pushed through because I really wanted to overcome what I thought were panic attacks. Found out later they were adrenaline rushes related to POTS/NCS. I am still on it and it doesn't give me trouble now. I think it helps keep me from fainting these days, actually. I couldn't do Florinef because it gave me migraines. Also any OTC headache med that contains caffeine is a no-go. One of the worst reactions I've had was to a numbing injection that contained epinephrine at the dentist. I made sure there is a huge note on my file that says "NO EPI" and I check verbally every time now. My dentist is really cool about it though and sat down with me and asked me to explain POTS and NCS and she even did some research on her own

I didn't tolerate it well. Like Alex, I had the horrible headaches which turned into full-blown migraines from time to time and would not respond to regular otc painkillers. I had never had a migraine before the Florinef. I was prescribed 0.1 mg for hypovolemia and low bp, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference for either. I came off of it about a month after I started because I didn't see any positive changes. I didn't have weight gain, but the migraines made me so nauseous I wasn't eating enough.

Ashley, welcome to the NCS club! Your TTT sounds remarkably like mine, I was up maybe 3 mins--MAYBE--before I was completely out and even seized, with no nitro. They diagnosed me with POTS and NCS with the same TTT. It's a pretty nasty experience, but worth it for the diagnosis imo. Unlike you, though, I had passed out several times before diagnosis, even despite counter-measures like what you described above.

Four contraceptives plus Plan B (which is also essentially a contraceptive) is a heck of a lot. I'm not a medical professional, but I would not be surprised if this was at least a contributing factor. It seems like there are many things that can "flip a switch" for the ANS, as my neuro says. I was recently taken off the regular pill and put on the mini-pill in light of my POTS & NCS and migraines with aura. Wish a doctor would have had the wherewithall to take me off it earlier, because I had no idea there was any connection until recently.

I have a lot of trouble with this, especially in places with fluorescent lighting, like malls. That plus crowds and constant noise makes me feel really overwhelmed. It's just as you said, sensory overload. These days after shopping at the mall I feel horrible. I've since started doing a lot of online shopping. I also get the same kind of feeling at movie theaters, especially if it's crowded. I can't take the super loud volume and booming speakers, and I find I have to look away from the screen frequently. I used to love going to concerts when I was a teenager, but that's pretty much become a no-go for me because I know I would hate it and it would make me feel awful.

I hope you can get to a neurologist. Those symptoms could be related to a pituitary tumor. Most of those are benign, and actually a lot of people have them, although they rarely cause symptoms. You would need an MRI to find out for sure, though. I just started seeing a neuro and he ordered an MRI for something kind of similar. When I close one eye, the other eye gets visual snow and goes dark within about 15-20 seconds. It gets so bad that I can't do a normal eye exam.

I use these too, especially on days when I'm pretty active. I think they taste all right for what they are, and certainly better than Gatorade I prefer the grapefruit flavor.

Yes, I've had similar experiences. I've also had the experience of being taken to a health center at a university by paramedics because I completely collapsed and had trouble regaining consciousness in a building on campus, but they just checked me for a concussion, gave me a glass of water, and sent me home saying I was fine. Yeah, right. If you feel something is wrong, I think it's a good idea to pursue it. I also have had the buzzing feeling, and occasionally one or both of my ears will stop working properly and I'll just hear a buzzing sound. Also, you can get an inexpensive heart monitor so you can see for yourself how your HR fluctuates. I find this to be really helpful, and it would give you more information for doctors in the future.

I get the leg jerking sometimes, the hands and feet (and limbs) going numb often, especially at night, and the sensation like the ground moves. Like the whole room shifts suddenly or something.

I have super vivid dreams and I often have nightmares. I tend to feel worse the day after I have particularly bad nightmares.

I almost never nap, because I always wake up feeling nauseous and dizzy. I get really tired during the day, but I fight the urge to nap as much as possible.

I get frequent headaches, but they don't seem to be related to standing/walking. Mine feel like they start in my neck and then move up the base of my skull and sometimes above my eyes. Ice packs help with mine, too, and usually iburofen helps. If they get bad and I don't take ibuprofen, they get worse and don't go away with sleep. I have tried going to bed with a headache to try to sleep it off and have woken up in the night to horrible pain. Super annoying. Also, I often get them on rainy days. They were much, much worse on the florinef. I couldn't tolerate it because it gave me migraines.

Thanks guys! Alex-- yes, I have seen information on that, but I didn't think it was likely since I'm on such a low dose. My doctor agreed with me. Still, I wonder... Joann-- yes, I have lost a little weight this year, but not a huge amount. I'm right in the healthy weight zone for age and body type (5'7" and about 132 lbs) so I wouldn't think it would be that. However, I have upped my exercise routine and frequency this year. I will also try to check my iron and vitamin levels as you suggested. My mom has a serious iron deficiency, so I wonder if there is a genetic component. Also, I've noticed I've been losing quite a bit of hair lately. I didn't think I was that stressed, but I have been hating my job lately Maybe it's a combination of things. badhbt-- I'm glad it has worked itself out for you It really does help to know you're not alone! I'm taking a camping vacation soon, so maybe that will help with any stress.

I wear them on bad days and to recover after exercise. Mine are sleeves that go from my ankles to my knees. The brand is CEP, got them at a running store. I think they help somewhat when I don't feel well. I'm not exactly sure about the compression, but I think it's around 15 mmHg.

Agreeky, I'm sorry to hear you're having weird issues too, although it helps to hear someone else with dysautonomia has had similar symtoms. Last fall I had a couple of really light, short ones like that, whereas before I was 5-7 days, always. The thought has crossed my mind that it could be something like super early menopause, but I'm a worrier by nature and I'm hoping I'm overreacting. It is perplexing, though.

Men can look at this too, although it won't apply I've developed an issue this year and I'm wondering if it's POTS-related and/or meds-related or something else altogether. Since January, I've missed three periods. One in January, and then the last two in a row. I'm 28 and my body has always been like clockwork, so I am freaked out. I've taken a bunch of pregnancy tests and all have been negative. I also have no pregnancy symptoms. I'm on the pill and recently switched to a progestin-only version because I've had migraines with aura. I only switched a couple of weeks ago, so this isn't related to that. I did start Wellbutrin in early January, right before this began, but I'm only taking 37.5 mg and I'm not sure that that med would cause this. My gyno doesn't seem to be concerned but it's really worrisome for me. Have any of you had this experience? Could this be POTS-related? Is this something to worry about?

I'm in SC too, and here in the Midlands (central SC) we've had heat indexes of well over 100 the past few days. I checked this morning and the heat index was 111 and it definitely feels like it. I developed hyperhidrosis seemingly overnight as a teenager and I still sweat much more than the average woman. I used to love hot weather and days at the beach, but it is pretty hard for me to be out in it these days. If I go out to water the garden for 30 minutes, I feel like my head is stuffed full of cotton for the next few hours :/ My cardio said that this is because the blood vessels dilate. My pulse also goes way up, easily into the 120s just standing or sitting outside in the summer.

I agree, it does sound like you should see a specialist if possible. If you're in the US, there are many doctors who are cardiologists or neurologists who also treat dysautonomia. It sounds like you're on the right track by seeing a cardio and doing those tests. Are they planning to do a TTT? And, just because your stress tests years ago were fine doesn't mean you would have the same results now. If you're in the northern hemisphere, the arrival of summer could be making you feel worse. A lot of us feel worse in the heat. You could try to sip electrolyte drinks like sports drinks or coconut water. Coconut water seems to help me quite a bit, and it's a way to get some calories and vitamins if you're having trouble eating.

I don't follow a specific diet per se, but I have noticed that eating a mostly vegetarian diet has helped. I also avoid processed foods and junk food and I have cut way back on my sugar intake. I have increased my intake of yogurt and berries and dark leafy greens, and I have something like quinoa a few times a week (in a salad or cooked with Swiss chard). I guess the way I eat isn't so different from Paleo, actually. My husband has been really receptive to adding quinoa and more vegetables to our diet. One great cookbook I've been trying to use lately is Japanese Farm Food, which uses a lot of organic produce and brown rice miso

I just wanted to update this thread for posterity's sake. I wrote the letter and sent it in, but I never heard anything from them. My summons paper said to call in the day before to see if it was still on, so I called in ready to explain my situation, but it was canceled! So I still don't know if the note would have done the trick or not, but I get to stay home and work while lying down, so I'm happy enough