Mrs. Burschman

I'm a hypochondriac, and I hate it. The only thing that showed up during my neurological testing was the positive TTT and brisk reflexes. But I still worry that maybe something was missed and I really have some horrible disease. The stress of my life is combining with that stress and making me feel like crying all the time. Then I get worried about that -- it's a symptom of some hideous neurological diseases, you know. Pseudobulbar effect, I think it's called. Has anyone else felt all freaked out in this fashion before and eventually calmed down about it? I wish I could just take comfort in my POTS diagnosis. amy

I voted for "have chosen not to conceive." I think I was born without whatever gene it is that makes women want to be mothers. Acutally, I think my brother got my copy. He's always loved kids! He has one infant daughter and probably will have more. But I have to admit, beyond that, I really don't want to pass on POTS to some unsuspecting kid. My anxiety is the worst part, and it seems like it gets worse with every generation of my family. For now, I'm the proud owner of an IUD! AMy

After I was diagosed with interstitial cystitis, I spent a lot of time on that board, and a lot of those women complained about the same thing. I'm obviously not suggesting that you have IC, but I'm just saying that there probably are a bunch of causes of the same symptom. I know that when my bladder is full, my stomach sticks out a lot. Luckily, there's an easy way to fix it! Amy

Sounds like good changes! Congrats!

Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate the kindness!

Thanks, Flop and Dizzy. I appreciate your input! I've been taking the Paxil for a long time, so I don't think that's it. It's probably just from standing up too quickly. I haven't really noticed it since then. I have a nasty habit of panicking about whatever weird physical symptom I'm experiencing at the moment. It's a great way to scare myself silly!

I apologize for being such a hypochondriac. It's really embarrassing. I noticed it the last time right after I stood up quickly. Maybe that had something to do with it.

To all, I'm having a problem keeping from panicking about this: sometimes when I look down, the floor looks like it's sloped. Does anyone else have that happen? I'm really scared that something horrible is wrong (brain tumor? MS? Lou Gehrigs?) I'm having a really hard time coping today.

I've had chest pain and heaviness for months at a time, and I chalked it up to anxiety, but that was before I was diagnosed with POTS. I never had problems breathing, however. My chest pain is always worst when I'm anxious. If I weren't an anxious type, I'd probably be more helpful in my answer!

Are MVPS and POTS just different names for the same thing, I wonder? They sure sound like it.

Lauren, Paxil causes the same thing with me, though I've noticed that it's dose-dependent. If I can take smaller doses, it affects me less. Getting off is NOT an option for me! (I do not wish to spend a week in the hospital again!)

Hi Jacquie, I'd say that I felt significantly better after restarting Paxil within a month. I was sick as a dog before I restarted it. I couldn't even walk up a flight of stairs without blacking out.

Doctorquest, Sorry to pester you for medical knowledge, but could anxiety in and of itself cause a positive TTT? It's hard for me to differentiate between me being anxious (which I've been all my life) and what part of my anxiety is due to my physiology. Thanks for any info you can provide! Amy

Melissa, Sounds like some nice, light reading! Amy

Michelle, Thanks for posting this! I have to confess, since my diagnosis, I've been a little bit worried that maybe POTS turns into something horrible later, so I was glad to hear him say "POTS is POTS" for the most part. I hope that he's right, and more and more doctors start learning about this. Rachel, I think I started to get it in my mid teens, but it never got that bad because I ended up on Paxil, which seems to dampen the symptoms a lot in my case. I wasn't diagnosed until this year. I'm now 31. Amy

Pulling On Tight Stockings

Hah! They're all good ones! I'm not coming up with anything. I'll let you know if I do!

Greetings from Sioux Falls, South Dakota! It's the largest city (150,000) in my exceedingly rural state. There's fewer than a million South Dakotans. It's too hot in the summer (and humid) and too cold in the winter. We like to say it keeps the scoundrels out. I don't know where I will end up, however. My husband is planning a career change, and it probably will entail a move, either in-state or out-of-state. Our lives are in flux right now.

It's easy to say and hard to do, but don't worry too much. I've had it done twice, once in the doctor's office (no anesthesia) and one with hydrodistention (general anesthesia). Neither were terrible. It hurt to pee after both, but it soon went away. Good luck!

Tammy, I thought it might be Paxil discontinuation too, but I tapered down the medicine so slowly (5 mg. per month) and didn't have any problems at all until I'd been entirely off of it for two months. From what I've read, that's not typical of discontinuation (I spent plenty of time at Paxil Progress!) All, Thanks for your answers. I was just curious if SSRI's seemed to help others like they seem to help me.

Hello all, I've always been very heat intolerant. My husband (then my boyfriend) learned this when I lived in an apartment without air conditioning (dumb idea.) He came over one evening and found me laying flat on the living room floor in front of a big box fan, making terrible whining noises. Later that summer, we went to a wedding 400 miles away. We drove. We had no air conditioning in our car. I was very cranky. I was even crankier when we got to our destination. It was hot. He tried to put his arm around me. I pushed his arm off. He says it's the only time I've ever rejected a hug! Needless to say, we will never have another home or vehicle without AC. Our marriage depends on it!

Yay! Thanks for the link. I certainly thought I had MS. But I do tend to be a hypochondriac ... Amy

Hello all, I didn't even know that I might have autonomic problems until I tried going off Paxil. Two months later, my hands and feet started tingling. I started to throw up all the time. I had severe diarrhea. My weight fell 10 pounds in one month. I was "blacking out," particularly climbing stairs. My heart rate upon standing would top out at 160 bpm. Worst of all, I felt like adrenaline, not blood, was circulating in my veins. I was having nearly continuous panic attacks. I thought it was all psychiatric, until I stumbled upon information about POTS. A TTT, even after I had restarted the Paxil and was already feeling a lot better, showed a 34 BPM increase upon tilt. Anyway, do any of the rest of you find that SSRI's make a big difference in your symptoms? Amy

Jacquie, My brother has not been diagnosed with any sort of dysautonomia, but I wonder if he might have it in some form: A few years ago, he had stomach pain all of the time, could not eat, was as thin as a rail, etc. After a few years, they finally figured out that his problem was gastroparesis, which from what I've read is a common problem in people with dysautonomia. He was started on tricyclic antidepressants, and they really helped him. He doesn't have much of an issue with it anymore, which is nice for him. But a side note: I also took tricyclics (nortriptyline) for a while because of nerve pain with my interstitial cystitis. It evidently affected my blood pressure, because I was blacking out even worse than normal. That's the closest I ever came to a full-fledged faint. Needless to say, I'm not taking that anymore. I take Paxil, and it does not have the same effect. I don't know if this information is of any help, but here it is anyway! Amy

Hello all! I've just been lurking around here since I got my POTS diagnosis, but I've decided to get involved in the discussions. I figured what better way to introduce myself than to add to everyone's favorite thread! You know you have POTS when: 1. You've been tempted to take a swig from your saline solution bottle while putting in your contacts. 2. Your personal theme song is "Falling into You," "Fade to Black," " Weak in the Knees," or "Dizzy." 3. You can dominate anyone on the Teacups at Disneyland -- you're used to things spinning around. 4. Your family and friends have made large purchases of Gatorade stock. 5. You qualify for 17 separate support groups -- one for each different malady. 6. When discussing bodily ills, your grandmother runs out of complaints before you do. 7. Your life insurance costs more than your father's -- and he's a smoker. 8. While visiting a dude ranch, you joined the cattle at their salt lick. 9. Forget margaritas -- you order your Cokes, iced teas and lemonades with a salted rim. 10. Your company has begun to deduct the cost of water cooler refills from your paycheck. 11. A walk through the health food aisle irks you ... low sodium everything! 12. You've considered moving to Alaska for the climate. AND 13. You're on so many drugs, the pharmaceutical sales reps visit you personally! I'm glad I've found a place to fit in!