SJSB

I had my first tilt table test this morning and ended up getting the Isuprel and nothing happened so they said I had a negative result. The only thing they noticed were some strange heart waves, P waves. Other than that, my symptoms were numbness in my lower legs and very MINOR lightheadedness. Normally when my blood pressure is checked it is low. I was very anxious for this test so my blood pressure was normal, OF COURSE! Just my luck! Is it normal to a saline IV during this test? I was thinking this could increase blood volume and get in the way of the test results. I'm wondering if the saline caused me to not have the symptoms I normally have at home. When I get up from lying down or from bending over or squatting I always have the headrush, dizzy feeling. During the tilt table test I seemed to feel better than ever...is this b/c of the saline?? By the way, if anyone is nervous about this test, don't be, I was very nervous for nothing.

I will post when I see him, I'm not supposed to see him for a few weeks but I'm going to try to get in earlier.

Interesting, I will ask my doctor when I see him.

I have always had trouble with alcohol. When I drink I often have breathing issues, my chest gets heavy, almost like I have an allergic reaction. I also am sensitive to alcohol in that I feel it immediately when I take the first few sips, get tingly sensations in my head and arms/legs, always thought this was weird. Is this connected to POTS? What is a mast cell disorder? Where can I find out more info on this?

Funny you mention this, I have a type of neck pain from time to time, not sure what it is, but I just had it start again about 30 min. ago. I think I've had it on both sides of my neck before but right now it's on the front right side, it's just above my collar bone at that indentation and when I breathe in there is a moderately sharp pain that shoots up my neck from that point, it shoots only a couple of inches or so. Is this what you are talking about? I have always wondered what this is but have never remembered to mention it to my dr.

Thank you all for your very kind and reassuring words! It's amazing how much better I feel just by hearing about your experiences and telling me all will be ok. I will remember those words as I go in for my test...I must say I've been so nervous I've thought of canceling, obviously I have some anxiety issues!! I guess sometimes I wonder about going through with this b/c I do not have any history of fainting. My only symptoms that started me wondering about POTS are low blood pressure, becoming dizzy or lightheaded when I stand up after lying down or bending over, etc. Those are symptoms I never really paid attention to until I started reading about low blood pressure. I thought everyone was lightheaded after standing, and the dizziness doesn't last long for me and it's something I've always had so I don't know any different. I also get numbness and tingling in my lower legs and feet when I am laying down to go to sleep. My big problems in the last several years have been my supraventricular tachycardia and MVP, though if I had to list all my other strange medical symptoms that I have learned to ignore, maybe they would all add up to something in the dysautonomia umbrella. I took my pulse after I got up from laying down and it jumped 30 beats, not sure what that means but maybe a POTS symptom. I'm still trying to understand what POTS is and how it relates to dysautonomia, it seems to be a form of dysautonomia, am I correct? Here's a burning question I have.....if I have never fainted, how is it that I could faint during this tilt table test? I guess I don't understand what is so special about the first part of the test before they do the IV --you lay down and they bring you up so you are standing. If I don't faint when I stand up at home, why would I faint during the tilt table test??? Thanks everyone for listening and responding to my questions! Sarah (SJSB)

Hi, I'm going for my first tilt table test on Tuesday next week and I'm very nervous! I'm feeling better about the first part of the test but the second part of the test includes giving me a drug called Isuprel via IV to speed my heart up to see if I faint. I'm worried about this because I'm very sensitive to medications and am worried about having a reaction to it, especially related to my breathing. I'm also concerned because I have SVT, MVP and PVCs and wonder if a drug like this is safe to give to someone like me with these conditions. Any advice? Another concern I have is I heard of someone who had fainting spells, went for a tilt table test, fainted, was diagnosed with POTS and lost her license for 6 months! Is this possible? I have never fainted but my cardiologist suspects I have POTS/dysautonomia and wants me to be tested. I do have low blood pressure, dizziness when I stand up, etc, along with SVT, MVP and PVCs. Could I lose my drivers license?