andybonse

On 12/18/2021 at 4:43 PM, shasta43 said:

For as long as I can remember I would get bradycardia with sleeping and resting. I thought it was due to being in shape.. for a long time it probably was and still is. However now when. I am bradycardia I will develop PAC’s at night. Lots of times these happen in succession follow e by a pause.. I have never really been attacked in my sleep or at rest like this.. it’s as if there is an area in my heart that does not like going that slow and tries to fire.. anyone had any similar experiences ? Bradycardia with dysautonomia / frequent pac’s

Yep, I get the same randomly sometimes. It's Premature Junctional Contractions, basically a PAC with a pause. I get them in singles, couplets, triplets and runs. They suck but harmless. Obviously get them checked by a cardiologist etc.

Prof Mathias is now retired even from private practise. 

I went to the autonomic clinic in London on the NHS for repeat testing and it's just the same treatments and advise.

Basically they tell you that you have it, try the treatments and if they don't work for you that's it. Sucks, but until the research shows a clear cut cause, then we will have to wait!

I hope this antibody research hurrys up, I want to try IVIG but they won't just give that out like candy :(! lol.

Luckily fludrocortisone is awesome for me, my BP is like 130/80-150/90 depending on position, mostly high when standing, none hyperadrenergic though. So they wanted me to reduce up, but I'm not it's the only thing keeping me going. Plus my bp was the same before it, which is hard to get them to believe haha.

My theory is that central arteries constrict and baroreceptors detect this and increase parasympathetic nervous system. Possibly anyways.

I've upped my fludrocortisone and now I feel a lot better, so far anyways. Only time will tell.

I really bet it's a lot to do with blood volume / pressure. I would love to have the testing facilities to see blood flow in every region of the body when these symptoms are happening, it would make so many questions answered. But unfortunately, it's money and hospitals won't do it. When I win the lottery I will fund my own private research and find a cure! lol.

23 hours ago, Outaker said:

Low blood volume I have exactly the same condition that resolves then comes back.. Please let me know if you find a solution..

Have you tried fludrocortisone? That boosts blood volume.

Also as much exercise as you can, it increases blood volume, heart size and strength, capillaries in the lungs, red blood cell size which all is fantastic for us.

That is what I'm trying currently. I am sat here now, fine in my head but have that feeling of shortness of breath and need to keep yawning or trying to get a deep breath its uncomfortable but im trying. 

Funny thing I find is, when I am light headed I dont have shortness of breath but when I am great in my head I am short of breath?!!? Maybe it's vasoconstriction pushing blood up but restricting it else where or something, quite a few possibilities!

22 hours ago, StayAtHomeMom said:

Over 3 years and counting for me. I have had the same tests and everything came back normal. I have even had my artial cases checked (hurt btw) It was my number one symptom. It has slowly gotten better so it is more tolerable. But I have described it like the bottom third of my lungs aren't working.

My specialist is the only one who had an answer and he says it has to do with my POTS. I have been given no reasoning or solutions.

I have noticed the higher my HR gets the worse it is. If my breathing becomes bad my HR is usually above 150. Lately I have been just taking an additional dose of my Beta Blocker and it seems to keep it from getting really bad like it was in the beginning. 

I also avoid the triggers that make it worse. I can usually do only one of the follow; smoke, talk, or walk. If I do more than one I usually get winded and it makes it worse. 

Laying on my left side usually helps a little too. 

Yeah my number on symptom too! I find laying on my right side helps, or laying completely flat including my head on my front. Lol. Clearly blood flow related. Maybe just when upright the brain is telling us we need more oxygen, like we don't need it to function as im sitting here quite alright in my head actually just this urge to keep getting a deep breath and uncomfortable feeling in my head!

I know I'm not deprived of oxygen as I can exercise on my bike and get my hr to 160 and not be that out of puff. Logic huh. lol.

God, this symptom! I had it VERY bad years ago and it resolved mostly and was so much relief.

Not sure why it resolved, most likely the fludrocortisone which has stopped working and im going up my dose to see how I feel.

However, I have no idea what's causing it apart from it has to be related to blood flow and pots / dysautonomia surely? Maybe it's disrupting the blood Ph / CO2 or something?

Any how, I had before:

Lung CT - normal

Lung Function - Excellent

All heart tests - Perfectly normal heart structure and ejection fraction etc..

Tried asthma inhalers and inhaled steroid.

So now it's returned, I need to really find out and doctors these days aren't very helpful with things they can't "simply" find.

Is there any tests I should be asking my doctor for? The only one I can think of is an Arterial Gasses blood test.

I just need to find an answer as it's like suffocating. It's not anxiety or hyperventilation. It's 100% some physical response.

I've started exercising again to try see if it helps, exercise does not make it worse, it stays the same...which is strange. 

I do find when im doing something upright it makes it worse and laying on my front completely flat relieves it some what and I have to lay there for a while until

it sorts itself out or becomes more tolerable.

It's just umbareable and makes me miserable, when I can get a deep breath it feels like hard work and exhausting.

Blood pressure will be perfect, 118/70 and heart rate 60, so clearly the body isn't under stress, maybe it's a false sensation from low blood volume?

Cheers!

I get them and they look the same on both of these occasions:

Standing up too quick(blood flow related)

Rubbing my eyes(must stimulate a nerve or something)

I came down from 150MCG to 100MCG as it seems to cause shortness of breath at rest badly when im too high, no idea why.

And today I felt awful and more heart PVCS too ugh, so I went up a quarter and doing it slower, I should of known better but the shortness of breath sucks, I'd rather be lightheaded than feel like im suffocating lol.

On 2/19/2019 at 4:24 AM, potsiebarbie said:

I used to be for years! More recently I took them occasionally up until about a month ago. Maybe my body needs time still? IDK. When I read about the association between the two I knew I couldn't take the ppi anymore. 

From the research articles I've read the levels should rise rapidly in days and return to good levels within a few weeks. I personally started taking Mag Citrate even though my levels are good now, but to ensure they stay good, for my PVCS and my muscle twitches. To be honest, I dropped to Omeprazole 10mg and my magnesium is great now but my diet was lacking magnesium I was getting like 100mg some days, 50mg some days, never enough but now I eat 400mg also plus the supplement so I can't prove if it were the omeprazole 20mg unless I go back to that dose, but I don't currently need to.

Have you had a Red Cell Magnesium test? These are very good at showing overall body magnesium levels in the cells, better than the serum mag.

There is a long term effect that causes hypomagnesmia which doesn’t resolve with replacement. The PPI needs to be stopped completely.

I don’t suppose your on a PPI like omeprazole?

When I'm really light headed, I find if I want some tiny relief I just breath in really deep and hold it.

I assume its from increased pressure pushing blood upwards or something?

I think the cerebral and other vessels cant BOTH dilate and constrict at the right times, so even though our main arteries BP is normal which keeps HR normal, the other smaller vessels say in the brain cant change to allow better blood flow, thats my theory and autoimmune condition blocking autonomic receptors that cause these functions are the reason way. Just my guess from the latest research.

When someone lays down the blood should be perfect, the only reason it wouldnt be is something to do with the blood vessels not allowing the right blood to the right place, its all good blood going to the head but if the smaller arties and vessels are all closed up the blood flow will still be low.

Without florinef I'm so bad, it's been a big change in the quality of life for me. It's one of them try it and see approaches with POTS unfortunately!

For me  I think the side effects are mainly not going to happen as its a Mineralcorticoid rather than Glucocorticoid, there are some side effects you can still get, but I don't get any.

Just make sure your potassium is monitored weekly while you titrate your doses.

Yep, been like it for a few years now. Fludrocortisone helps it with me.

Exactly how I feel a lot of the time even laid down with perfect numbers, can you describe the symptoms your having?

Hi,

I am trying to find out if they do the QSART test in the UK? I can't find anything about anywhere doing it over here?

I know they do the Skin Biopsy which I want, I just want to rule out/in SFN. I don't sweat properly!

Andy

Hey,

So I always get this tight lightheaded feeling and when I lay down it doesn't resolve fully. But if I stand up and stand STILL not moving my legs, the tight pressure feeling in my head goes away and I can think better and "come back" from the lightheadedness, well not 100% but so much better than the other feeling! Makes no sense.

Any ideas what this could be lol?

Would be a good idea, I see some forums that have like a Facebook style chat integrated into it so you can message members its pretty cool!

On 1/23/2019 at 10:11 PM, FileTrekker said:

You don't want to be taking loads in one go, and supplement is just that so maybe add a bit of dark leafy greens in or whatever too.

Magnesium Citrate works good though.

Been off of my PPI for 3 days and eating like 500mg per day of magnesium from food and my serum is now 0.81mmol/l!!! So much happier with it at that level!

I'm having an RBC magnesium test tomorrow, so will see what that shows with my low end serum magnesium!

I bought some Magnesium Citrate which is 400mg, but 16% is elemental magnesium meaning 64mg of actual magnesium. Seems tiny and that's taking 2 tablets of the stuff! I've been eating over 400mg per day in food.

Anyone else know if my math is correct there? lol.

It's so spooky I came online to post this exact same thing.

Mine has been hanging around 0.68-0.79 mmol/L - I am on Omeprazole which can cause hypomagnesemia, so I lowered my dose to see what happens, I have increased the amount of magnesium I am eating also to 400+ per day plus a magnesium supplement. Can you find out what your levels were? Any symptoms?

I have also ordered a red blood cell magnesium test which is a more accurate test of the magnesium in cells!

Andy

Pretty much a normal MRI  in my opinion

On 12/15/2018 at 9:59 AM, bombsh3ll said:

No, but (health board funding dependent as I live in Scotland) I will be going back to the autonomic unit at UCLH in the next few months for relevant POTS autoantibody tests. I asked about IVIG, they don't use it but wait for it... if positive they may offer PLASMAPHERESIS which is safer, probably more effective, & often requires placement of a central line so you would be much likelier to be able to get additional IV saline!!! Not getting my hopes up because I have EDS & no sign of any autoimmune disease, but I was blown away at the thought of accessing this in the UK!

B x

Heh, I got referred by Prof Mathias to Dr Iodice at UCLH but got a different doctor on my appointment and didn't get that far tbh. Just the usual stuff and wanted to do repeat testing, I wasn't convinced by him.

He said with the POTS antibodies they don't know enough and won't risk IVIG or Plasmapheresis etc.

Please can you tell me who you saw that mentioned testing for POTS antibodies and which tests they will be? I didn't know they did the specific ones in the UK and this guy didn't seem to mention them either!

One thing I want to get tested for is Sjogrens, I mean I don't have big symptoms, but I do get a dryish mouth often not terrible but always get a thirsty feeling, but that could just be pots. I don't hardly sweat in many areas either! Any idea who I need to see to get tested for this? GP is useless. lol.

Thanks!

So 0.1mg stopped working for my symptoms and been feeling so bad lately after years of being on the drug.

My aldosterone was suppressed & low potassium which meant the drug was working but now my aldosterone is high & fantastic potassium suggesting not working like it was before.

I upped my pill by only a quarter 2 days ago, so I am now on 1 and 1/4 pills per day. After the first dose increase and several hours I felt fantastic compared to how I'd been feeling and 2 days later still do, I am not lightheaded and I can think, its wonderful! If it possible for such a small increase to work so well do you think? I know it is a potent steroid. 

I've noticed I am a lot more short of breath with it though, like I used to be when I was building up, so maybe the effects are from the fludro!

If so, I am going to come back down until my shortness of breath has gone and when lightheadedness returns up it a quarter again and keep repeating to see how I get on.

Doctors are not really clued up on all this lol.

Andy