goldicedance

I have had both tests. For me, the sweat box test was by far the worst. You were basically held captive in a box, not feeling well, having to cook to a certain temperature, and then having a camera recording it for posterity. When I first was put in the box, I thought -- not too bad, like being on a beach. Well, that was ok for the first few minutes, and then the misery began. As if not feeling well is enough, you have to shower and shampoo to get all the powder off. It seemed to take forever. Finally, to add insult to injury, when you met with the doctor, he could pull up the video of you in all your splendor and glory. Wow...that test was a real hummer! Lois

Maxine...You had the QSAR Test...I had it and felt similar to the way you felt. Flop...You had the orange-purple powder sweat test where they put you in an "incubator" and when you reach a certain temp, wherever you sweat turns purple. The QSAR Test, I found, was a lot less difficult. Good luck with your testing. Lois

Please feel better soon! Will keep you in my thoughts as you recuperate! Lois

Please be very careful when making your decision. I had had a medaport put in for chemotherapy. I used it for IV fluids during chemotherapy and afterwards. I, who live in Maryland, was told by a doctor in Ohio to get it out immediately if not sooner. This doctor basically said it was not a question of if but when. The situation is extremely dangerous given the strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. My veins stink. It takes nurses many attempts to get an IV in. My veins are smart--they collapse when the see an IV coming. Now when I need an IV for hydration I have an arrangement at an infusion center to come in and get a liter. It takes about 2 hours. Infusion centers are extremely careful about maintaining sterile sights. I would think that the risk doing it yourself at home is more elevated. Don't make your decision hastily.

Glad you are finding Mestinon a great help. There is also a Mestinon Time Release that may be more effective because it stays in your system longer and may be gentler on your stomach. You can also add Midodrine to Mestinon for rough days. Hope this is your magic charm. Lois

Lauren, Yes...I do find that Zoloft helps. I tried Celexa but was not feeling any better. It took quite some time to work up to the 250 mg dosage. Give it a try....Why not? It probably beats the alternative. Lois

I take 250 mg of Zoloft along with other meds (mestinon, neurontin, midodrine, labetolol, lyrica) for POTS, including migraines.

Have you tried Mestinon? That works for some of us.

I do not think eatting is a good idea when there is always the possibility of a C-section and the possible need for general anesthesia. Sneaking it in was not a wise move. Glad that there were no problems. Goodluck on your pregnancies, ladies! Lois

I really like the Select Comfort. Have you tested it in the store? Do you have a king size bed? You can get 2 different mattresses - great for spouses who have different mattress needs. Lois

First welcome to the forum. We are all here to support each other as we travel down this road filled with many bumps along the way. I am sorry to hear how your son is suffering so. I do know that being bedridden can exaccerbate the problem with low blood pressure when upright. Lying down further deconditions the body. A healthy person when in bed for an extended period will be affected when sitting/standing upright. Can a sympathectomy cause low blood pressure when standing? I cannot answer that. That is a medical question that needs to be addressed by a physician who is familiar with your son's history. Has your son taken any of the meds commonly tried by people with POTS? Has he increased his salt intake? Is he drinking a more than sufficient amount of fluids? Please read the section on DINET that discusses these things. Let us know how he is doing. Lois

Handsome! A real fine kitty!

You should check out the: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) entitles a covered employee to take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child, or the "serious health condition" of the employee or the employee's child, spouse, or parent. To protect this right, the FMLA prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's attempt to exercise his leave right or retaliating against an employee for opposing practices made unlawful under the FMLA. If an employer engages in these prohibited acts, the FMLA allows any one or more employees to bring suit for damages. The Family and Medical Leave Act covers employees who have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12-month period. A covered employer is any person engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce who employs 50 or more employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year. The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles employees to retain any employer-paid health benefits while using FMLA-protected leave. Upon return from FMLA leave, an employee must be restored to the employee's original job, or to an equivalent job with equivalent pay, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. In addition, an employee's use of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit that the employee earned or was entitled to before using FMLA leave, nor be counted against the employee under a no fault attendance policy. I hope this is useful. Lois

I had a full thyroid work up by an endocrinologist as soon as I started with POTS symptoms. That was back in 1994. I would certainly recommend that you ask your doctor about it. Lois

Angelika, Welcome again to POTS! Is your job such that you could work at home a couple days of the week? My employer was extremely accomodating-I worked at home 3 days a week. That accomodation enabled me to work at home for about 6 years until I retired. Hoping that things settle down, Lois

I'm partial to a Select Comfort mattress. Adjusted to my number, the bed really eases the bad points of pain - back, hips and legs--particularly when I turn over.

I had a polyp. Don't put it off!

Do any of my friends here have problems with chronic diarhhea? I have had it since 2005. At that time, it was thought that my gall bladder was a possible cause....out came the gall bladder. Still no relief. Had colonoscopy, endoscopy, gluten testing. At the time this started, I was not taking mestinon. While mestinon may exaccerbate the problem, it is not the cause. Some days I do a test whereby I do not take mestinon...I still have the problems. Can my POTS cause this? Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Yesterday (Tuesday, May 15) the Washington Post featured an article about Lyme Disease and treatment controvery in its Health Section. It noted that a LLMD from North Carolina was suspended from treating Lyme patients for a year (with further evaluation) given his controversial approach of treating with long-term IV antibiotics. http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/451322.html Thought you all might find this interesting. Lois

I startle very easily as well. However, I think that many people, including those without POTS, startle just as easily. I can remember the "startle response," going back some 40 years.

Deb...Sorry to hear about your dad. My prayers are with you and your family. Do take care of yourself; your family and friends need you. Lois

Katherine, As a fellow Marylander, I thought, too, that she might have POTS. Hopefully, no; but who knows? Lois

It's muscle, Nina.

I sure hope you have airconditioning at work. Frankly I live in Maryland and it would be pretty unbearable here to work without airconditioning. If you don't have airconditioning at work, you cannot possible work in those conditions. Assuming you do have airconditioning, be sure you always have something icy to drink. Ask your employer if you can bring in a portable fan. (I did that when I was working.) Is there some location in your office that is cooler than others, perhaps you could move your work station. Perhaps you can work at home a couple days of work. Don't walk out of the building until your hubby arrives to pick you up. If you do not have airconditioning in your car, well that's another story. I think that there are neck scarves available that you can freeze and that would keep you cooler. I sure hope your home is airconditioned. In Maryland, around now, I could not survive without airconditioning. Those are just some suggestions. Lois PS Under ADA, I believe, you can insist that the airconditioning be kept at a specified temperature to enable you to work. Dizzy Dame has some information about that.

So sorry to hear you are spinning so. Could you possible have an ear infection? Call your doctor! Lois