Mrs. Burschman

That's interesting about the cold pressor test. It sounds terrible! I didn't have that as part of my autonomic workup, but I bet I would have failed it.

I was wondering if this happens to anyone else: Last year, I had an ovarian cyst rupture. It HURT. I was at work at the time, and I got really sweaty, lightheaded, and nearly passed out. My husband took me to the emergency room, and it took them four times to find any blood pressure at all. I just had a similar thing happen this evening. I had some bad stomach cramps, and I got lightheaded, sweaty and nearly passed out. I was just curious: Does this happen to "normal" people? Does pain cause this reaction if you don't have dysautonomia? The nurses in the emergency room didn't seem to think it was normal to find no blood pressure in someone who was otherwise fully functional. I figure it's a good thing I don't want kids. I'd NEVER make it through childbirth conscious!

I'm usually about 96.8 instead of 98.6. Weird.

Had all these weird symptoms/chronic conditions. Thought there had to be an explanation. Found this website. Talked my doctor into getting me an appointment with an autonomic specialist. Confirmed my suspicions: I have POTS. I've noticed on "Mystery Diagnosis" that more often than not, the PATIENT is the one who figures it all out. So if they don't want us to self-diagnose using the Internet, maybe they should do a better job of diagnosing us in the first place!!!

There's people of every level of ability here. Don't worry. You belong! Amy

I have POTS, and I've never fainted. I've felt like I might, but I never have.

I don't believe that's correct. I think it depends on the type of POTS you have. Some people have both too high and too low. It's erratic.

Weird suggestion: I've heard that sugar-free gum gives some people the "runs." That wouldn't speed things up, would it? My brother had gastroparesis. He ended up getting a lot of relief from really small doses of a tricyclic antidepressant. Go figure. amy

Boy, Paxil is a lifesaver for me, but if you can find other options, I would. If you're looking for a mood enhancer, I'd try fish oil or something natural first. Reason being that nearly all of the antidepressants have nasty side effects and are basically impossible to quit once you're on them (Paxil is particularly bad for withdrawal symptoms.) I'd be thrilled if I could find something else that worked as well and I didn't have to take it anymore. Amy

I have gone through periods where my chest was really tight. In me, I think it was related to my sympathetic nervous system being in overdrive. Kind of like part of the "flight or fight" response. It felt like all the muscles were really tense. I didn't find anything in particular that helped besides getting my sympathetic nervous system calmed down. I'm sorry you're dealing with this! It's really uncomfortable. I just wanted to let you know that it isn't necessarily anything serious. It didn't seem to be in my case, since I'm still alive and typing.

You are very welcome. That's what we're here for. We take turns ranting! I feel your pain. I know that all this stuff is connected somehow. How is the question. I would be a great research project. Amy

Hey Ramakentesh, Do they have a test for that? And is there any particular treatment? That's really interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if I had something like that going on, given my other autoimmune diagnoses. amy

Hey Todd, Do you know what type of POTS you have? I'm not sure if flushing is typical of all POTSies, or just a certain type. Amy

Man, I'm only 33, so I wouldn't think so. But who knows? I think maybe being a little dehydrated contributed. It sure felt like a "rush" of something. Norepinephrine? Like I said before, who knows?

Another idea: Do those of you with hyperadrenergic POTS experience something like this? It almost felt like a "panic attack," for lack of a better term, but I was not the least bit anxious either before or during the episode, and sitting down helped me feel better.

Had a weird experience today: I was standing in the National Museum of Health and Medicine (ironic), looking at a display on Civil War medicine, when I started feeling really crappy all of a sudden. It was like my face got really hot, and I started sweating profusely. I didn't happen to notice what my heart rate was doing (dumb.) I sat down for a bit, and it passed. Then I went and got a bottle of water, because I knew I hadn't had enough water today. I was there myself, so I don't know if my face turned red. I know that people with mast cell issues have something called "flushes." Is that what this sounds like? The face-getting-hot thing was odd. That doesn't usually happen to me. Amy

Awesome! It can never hurt to know someone. Amy

Me too! Me three! Best time of year.

I'm the exact same way. Stairs kill me. I can walk for hours, but I hit the stairs, and my heart rate goes crazy. Weird.

Sort of. The last time they dilated my eyes, they stayed dilated for THREE DAYS. I could see fine, I just looked like some sort of drug user. I don't know if that's dysautonomia-related or not. My doc said that happens once in a great while. amy

I can tolerate walking really well, as long as it's not too hot. That does me in.

I keep getting the urge to walk on over to the National Institutes of Health and check myself in. Donate my body to science while I'm still alive.

Old thread, but I wanted to mention that Paxil really helps with my tachycardia after climbing stairs. Off of it, I was getting up to 160 bpm or more. On it, I seem to top out around 130. Still fast, but not nearly as bad.

My theory is that if you wear a mask, you freak people out because they think you're contagious with something. Then, everyone stays away from you, and you stay healthy. I've never worn one, however.

I'm with Flop. I'd check with your doctor. But it sounds like it sure could be a migraine. My weirdest migraine story: I was at Disney World, and I went on a ride that was more than I could handle (Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was horrible. Don't ever go on it.) Anyway, I survived it, but it was way more than my nervous system could handle. 20 minutes later, here comes the aura. I ended up spending the rest of the day back in our hotel room. Ugh.