Lily

So sorry for you. Injury, sick cat, stress. It's a lot to deal with sometimes. Sounds like you are having a disagreement between your rational side and your emotional side. Perhaps scheduling 10 minutes to worry freely, and then all the rest of the day you think about other things instead? I have heard that suggested as a way to handle anxieties. Normally we worry in little spurts throughout the day, but this method requires that all your worrying for the day is to be saved for your worry appointment. Maybe also let your imagination go wild, imagining the worst possible scenario? As for why your knee still hurts, I strained my lateral collateral ligament once (while getting out of the car!). I took it very easy, and after a week the knee felt completely better. Then I tried pedaling a stationary bike with the lowest possible resistance, and immediately the pain came back again as if it had never healed at all. I had to wear a knee brace for a while before it would heal completely. Maybe you have been accidentally re-injuring it in the past 2 weeks? I bet you just need support while it heals. What diagnosis did they give you? My anxiety remedies: deep breathing (5 seconds in, 5 seconds out) for at least 10 minutes to activate the parasympathetic nervous system; pray; find something to do that I can lose myself in (movie, good book, whatever); write down what I'm worried about instead of running it through my head repeatedly; exercise; sped time outside in nature.

Full bodyweight squats, 3 x 20 reps. Bodyweight calf raises, 3 x 30 reps. Planks, 3 x 45 sec.

I was out in the marsh again yesterday. This time we were counting grass! Science is weird sometimes, no? Stem density affects water velocity, and therefore sediment deposition, so there is a good reason to count grass. Topic switch: I think that so far Shan1212 wins the prize for most consistent exerciser.

Bodyweight exercises today. Full squats (atg): 3 sets of 15 reps. Bodyweight calf raises: 3 sets of 25. Planks: 3 sets of 45 seconds.

What is the difference between God and a doctor? God know that He is not a doctor. You do not have to do what your doctor tells you to. He will likely label you as noncompliant, but if you do not like what the Zoloft is doing to you, then stop taking it. Maybe even try a new doctor. I would, however, give it a month before giving up entirely on the Zoloft. IIRC, that type of medication needs time to build up in your system. Definitely try diet and exercise, too, though.

Yesterday I did 30 minutes on my bike inside, at a speed and resistance level that was challenging but sustainable. Tomorrow I will be spending probaby 3 hours in a salt marsh collecting sediment.

I don't aim for target heart rates. I exercise according to how I feel. Vigorous exercise is usually better because blood circulates well. Slow walking and such let's blood pool enough for symptoms to occur. Most of the time I will get my HR somewhere between 150 to 175. I am usually tired after, but not crash-tired.

It is almost impossible to get other people to change, but you definitely can change your response to their behavior. I recommend instead figuring out how to not feel so stressed about her and her behavior. Any time I have felt stressed about something I did not want to happen but happened anyway, I have found that wanting it to be different was more stressful than the thing itself. Does this make sense? In other words, maybe it will be less stressful if you can stop wanting BFM to be different and stop being bothered by her behavior. Like with annoying 2 year olds.

You may want to add 400 mg of Magnesium Citrate to the B2. The two together prevent migraines in many people. When I started taking them the migraine severity and magnitude decreased over a few weeks, and eventually I stopped having them.

More marsh walking yesterday, for about 2 hours. I was scouting out locations to do more research, but it turned out to be too soupy. Exhausted myself.

My exercise today was about 30 minutes persistence hunting my cat. He can go out, but only of I follow. I try to herd him away from going too far, and follow until he tires out and I catch him.

Eat a banana?

I excused myself from exercise last weekend because I had food poisoning. Fortunately it was short. Today I spent about 3 hours in a salt marsh laying out lines of sediment traps and water level sensors. I am already sore. It's the balancing, and soft, uncertain footing. A little bit of vanity: part of me is relieved that my college student helpers were as tired as I at the end of the day.

Here it is Shan! Yesterday my exercise was walking around a salt marsh for 2 hours, comprising about 3 miles. I was scouting places to do research.

Shan, I made an exercise accountability thread, but nobody posted. Check older threads. It's back there somewhere.

My NE during upright tilt was 1962 picograms per deciliter (or whatever the units were), but dopamine was normal. The fun has been trying to decide if I have high NE because my body overproduces it in an effort to deal with blood pooling (which you can see happening), or if my ADHD meds have something to do with it. Strattera is, after all, a NE reuptake inhibitor. I somehow manage to have low NE in my brain synapses and at the same time too much in the peripheral nervous system. The doctor did not take a before-tilt blood sample, so we don't have enough data to rule out anything. We can only speculate.

It is my understanding that in some people there is a deficiency in the natural re-uptake of norepinepherine, so you always have too much (NET deficiency). In other people the blood pooling or low blood volume cause the body to crank out more and more NE in an attempt to force the blood back up into the upper body.

Sam, It generally takes a while for the body to adjust to ADHD meds, even for people without POTS. It took me 2 weeks to adjust to Strattera. Maybe you just need to give it a few days to get used to the extra neurotransmitters.

The heat and humidity of summer do make me feel ill. In addition to all the usual measures, I keep an evaporative cooling towel on hand and wear loose long sleeves and pants/skirts. This establishes a shady temperature barrier between my skin and the environment and helps me feel more comfortable. I apply water from my bottle to my skin, especially wrists and neck, as needed. I go inside and/or sit down as needed. Being out in bright sunlight can also cause symptoms, so I keep to shade as much as possible.

I'll start. I just got done with 30 minutes on the stationary bike.

We all know we are supposed to exercise, but actually doing it can be difficult. This thread is for posting our workouts, in the hope that doing so will encourage us to suck it up and get it done. Any workout is good enough to be posted, no matter how short or long, easy or difficult. Bedridden people, don't be afraid to post that you did leg lifts for 30 seconds. High functioning people, don't be afraid to post that you ran 5 miles and then did sprints. Lets also make sure to congratulate each other for getting it done!

Would everyone like to have an exercise accountability thread? We post what we did and congratulate each other?

I see Tullo, too. I think he said 3 to 4 liters per daywith my salt. The salt alone will not help. You need the water, too.

You may have to play medication roulette for a while. I felt great on Atenolol, but it made me depressed (no motivation, as opposed to sadness). Now nobody will try any other beta blockers! But there are other medications that could work, too. Patience and good communication with your doctor will bear fruit eventually. Exercise should help all symptoms, including fatigue, but it will take a while and take consistency. You could try compression hose. It is annoying to have on, but it really helps minimize blood from pooling in my feet. Also, stand as little as possible and put your feet up. I work with my feet on my desk most of the time.

Hang in there, Lissa! And hang on to your faith. It will get you through. Sounds like your husband is awesome, too. Am I allowed to post an explicitly religious comment, given that the OP mentioned it? I hope so. Here goes: Keep asking God about your purpose, and keep listening for the answer. He'll tell you. And if all you can do is lie in bed, you can also pray. Relationship-building-with-God prayers and intercessory prayers. Modern American society values people for what they can do, but God doesn't.