Lemons2lemonade

i had the same vaccine and pots within 6 months

chicken pox. Would love to hear from the youngens on this one.

Rich, have you ever heard of shingles? Random activation of herpes zoster, lives in the nerves.

its a scary thought though Rich - basically your saying each of us could have random locations of neuropathy or demylination (spelling?).

It is scary but hard to shrug off....even a small lesion/malfunction would be hard to detect. Shoot, in A&P lab i could hardly find the vagus nerve

great article, brain stimulator. This is forward to research worthy. Yeah, piracetem sounds like a very interesting drug...or i guess you could just use coffee grounds

Oh, Rama, I so enjoy your discourse, thanks!

thanks to richgotspots for the motivation

The Heart: http://ajplegacy.physiology.org/content/130/4/729.extract (take off the nerves, the heart still beats--really weird, an oldie but a goodie)

Note: CN X= the vagus nerve coming out of the brainstem--SA(Sinoatrial node) is the heart's pacemaker. see below.

The Vagus nerve : http://dc127.4shared.com/doc/RwDmxbNv/preview_html_m1411d1b4.jpg ( a great diagram)

Where the vagus nerve enters the brain: http://12cranialnerves.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/brain_stem.jpg-- medulla oblongata( respiration/breathing, heart, baroreceptors(blood vessel receptors), (vomiting, coughing, sneezing, swallowing)

The reticular activating system (RAS) : (vascular dilation) (sleep-wake cycle) (overstimulation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticular_formation#Anatomy

The Pons: where your thought communicate to your ANS--where your conscious/subconscious thoughts can affect your ANS.

http://img.tfd.com/MosbyMD/thumb/vagus_nerve.jpg

http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/gcaplan/anat/images/Image470.gif

http://dc127.4shared.com/doc/RwDmxbNv/preview_html_m1411d1b4.jpg (CN X= cranial nerve 10= vagus nerve

http://droualb.faculty.mjc.edu/Course%20Materials/Physiology%20101/Chapter%20Notes/Fall%202007/figure_11_01_labeled.jpg (the best diagram of all IMHO)

Issie, is right, that the immune system is a good suspect as far as attacking the nervous system is concerned. Though i also think mehcanical force or abrasion could have the same outcome.

btw rich. holy guacamole, just ready your post thoroughly. And i think you are spot on mister. Perhaps, though it is not the myelin sheath but the signal itself, either from the brainstem or IMHO somewhere along the vagus nerve as far as damage. Good way to think of it is an electrical cable with a short that works sometimes. Might i add that water is an excellent electrical conductor.

Family History.

Might I add?! (by the way, great therapy).

Dear Pots,

You have been with me for a long time and i always knew you were there. You sat there, behind everything i did-- in the back of my mind feeding and festering. Until one day, i could fend you off no longer. You sent me to places i thought i could never experience while still alive. You have made me question everything within me and to search indefinitely for an answer to your obscure and irrational cause. At first, i thought i could overpower you, and i tried so dearly for a long time. Pots, you have brought me the most suffering i have ever had in my entire life. But in the end, i have to thank you. Thank you, you say?! Yes. Thank you. You have taught me empathy, self restraint, and self control that i never perceived to be possible. You challenge me every day to be positive and to outthink you and for that i am grateful. Because although the road you have given me is a tough one, i can feel happy and proud that i overcome you. And not so much that i overcome you, but that we can coexist peacefully and functionally within my body. Pots, you feed off my fear and you have given me courage--the type that most never get to experience. I never take for granted the good days because you often remind me how bad it can really be. I feel lucky to have you, because believing that any moment could be my last has made my life that much greater. Thank you for not being something much, much worse.

Jangle, 210, are you kidding me?!?!

Additionally, do you take any other stimulants--cigarettes, coffee, etc? And, have you tried a BB like propanolol before?

weather, this may sound redunant but have you ever tried to control the anxiety via thought. Not normal thought but deep introspective thought?

Rich. I think it is the Vagus nerve primarily. It innervates every single symptomatic expression that those with pots have. Whether it is neuropathy or damage or dysfunction--this is my current target.

I am really proud of you for painting such a detailed picture. Most of us aren't able to do that. (at least i'm not) Kudos. From what i understand, it sounds like your adrenaline is compensating for either low HR, low bold pressure, or both. This does not necessarily mean that you have to have high blood pressure, but more that it can be a reaction that is preceding a drop in your low blood pressure. I get the same thing with the adrenaline, and then the tachy. Adrenaline often precedes my tachy. As for laying on the right side, it pulls gravitational pressure off your heart. Additionally, when you say bradycardia, what do you mean by that in terms of pulse rate? And with tachycardia. what do you mean by pulse rate? Also, what times of day are you experiencing brady in regards to your sleep wake cycle? i.e is it happening right after you wake up, in the middle of "your day" or at night? As for adrenaline rushes, an SSRI will control them. IMHO that is how they work. Additionally, propranolol (beta blocker) blocks beta adrenergic receptors--adrenaline=adrenergic.

Might i also add that i was opposed to medication for a long period of time, and only after being medicated did i find relief from my symptoms.

I take citalopram to a good result but hear that effexor is also good. It controls my HR and reduces panic. I take 10 mg.

I think this list is part of the problem with POTS and doctors. When they give you the pamphlet, it should cover all of these. But when doctors hear postural tachycardia, they think it is only heart rate. In fact, the disease name itself is misleading. They should call it ADPOTS. Autonomic Dysfunction Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. I had my doctor move POTS as the primary condition and replace it with autonomic dysfunction...its a much better explanation.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/79257-coffee-grinds-cellulite/

Maybe it reduces leaking of fluid into surrounding tissue?

So Racer, are you saying max hr should be more subjective than objective? To me, it sound like you are saying how hard can you push your heart. i.e. how high can you go. However, if you are saying that pots changes your heart rate and that you should do something that is comfortable for your self, i agree with you 100%. With pots, just because my HR is 120 doesn't mean i am actually getting any fitness out of it. If i were, i would be a lot skinnier! Even though that should be in my fat burning zone.

haha yes, not bad

Racer, conditioned athletes have lower resting heart rates than the normal population and actually it is more challenging for them to reach higher heart rates due to being conditioned. In fact, to improve fitness by reaching cardiovascular fitness heart rates, they actually have to continually intensify their workouts. When i ran cross country, i would have to be at a near sprint to get my HR up into those levels which is closer to anaerobic type activity. Maybe for anaerobic type activity above 160 BPM that would be normal, but those types of exercises are limited in duration due to the body's inability to utilize oxygen during that time--which is why you can only sprint so far.

What is intense cardiovascular exercise for us, could be a HR of only 100 BPM for them...In fact, the formula used is nationally accredited for finding a person's target heart rate. http://www.livestrong.com/article/398738-what-should-an-athletes-heart-rate-be-during-heavy-exercise/http://www.livestrong.com/article/398738-what-should-an-athletes-heart-rate-be-during-heavy-exercise/

it depends on what i am doing. I cannot jog as my HR will go through the roof. An easy ride on the bike puts me at 140-cardio training zone.

I think this will help all of us to see how "normal" our symptoms are. Please let me know if i missed any.