Awkwardspondy

If you don't mind drinking salty fluids, I have been using LMNT electrolyte powder. I really like the orange salt flavor and raspberry salt is pretty good too. Each packet has 1000mg of sodium, 200mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium, & zero sugar. I usually mix in a 25oz water bottle but you can use more or less water depending on how salty you want it. I drink one per day but possibly 2 if I am having a rough day & think my stomach can handle it. The downside is that they are pretty spendy, but sample packs are cheaper on their website.. Before finding these, I used Drip Drop in orange & grape flavors. I still like those better than most electrolyte drinks, but I prefer a non-sweet option most of the time.

I really like SaltStick lemon-lime Fastchews for on the go. I make sure I always have some with me. I'm always nauseous, but I don't think they make it any worse. I also just started drinking Drip Drop ORS in place of G2 Gatorade for extra hydration. I mix it in a bottle of water instead of a cup because they are pretty strong otherwise.

Yes I do have AS and based on your symptoms and fused sacrum, it sounds like you most likely do as well. I am very sorry if that is truly the case, as it's a difficult thing to live with. A lot of people with AS can have normal markers for inflammation even though that is not the case. My ESR and CRP are always within normal limits but rise and fall within that range depending on how I'm doing. My ANA is a nonspecific positive, which is how I got my referral, but my rheumy doesn't care about that much. Unfortunately, just like with any chronic illness, you will find some doctors who are strictly by the books, and some who look at the person's symptoms more to diagnose. Thankfully I was referred to a good one the first time, but with your fusion, I don't see why you would have any problems.

I'm sorry the rheumatologist you saw wasn't helpful. If you are concerned about possibly having AS, you can try to get another doctor to test you for the hla b27 gene. Over 90% of people with AS have it. You can have AS and test negative, just as you can be positive and not have AS. But if you have back and joint pain that gets worse with rest and better with activity with morning stiffness that lasts several hours, then it is a step in the right direction.

I'm sorry you are having such a rough time! I have had severe persistent asthma pretty much my whole life and it is no fun. Many beta blockers interfere with bronchodilators, like albuterol or xopenex. Some can also cause bronchoconstriction on their own, which is why they are generally not recommended for asthma patients. You might want to ask your doctor if there is another beta blocker you can try. It might just be a lot of trial and error with finding what will work with your body and your conditions. I tried taking a beta blocker for my migraines about 10 years ago and had a very similar problem to yours. It basically turned my albuterol to nothing! My blood pressure runs relatively normal, so I don't know too much about that. Hopefully you can get this all figured out soon!

No problem! I definitely recommend it. I did a lot of research on all the hr activity trackers and went with this one because it was waterproof and still relatively accurate with hr readings.

The Garmin Vivosmart HR watch does track sleep! I just don't use it personally... I don't need an app to tell me how crappy I sleep. Plus, I can't stand having anything on my wrists/hands/feet at night. When you set up your watch in the Garmin Connect app, it will ask you for your average sleep times... so it uses that info to track your movement levels during that time frame. If I remember correctly, it tracks sleep as either deep sleep or light sleep. And if you are moving a lot it will track it as being awake.

I wear the Garmin Vivosmart HR whenever I leave the house and also at home. I only take it off to sleep or if I'm just laying around all day. I love this particular watch/activity tracker because it is completely waterproof. I wear it in the shower and you can also swim with it! I like that it has an activity mode to continuously track my heart rate during "vigorous" activities like getting ready or leaving for work... haha!

I had an IV inserted for my TTT so they could give me fluids after fainting. I have been fainting since I was a toddler and am now in my mid 20s, so this test was long overdue. Anyways, they started the IV before the procedure and gave me half a bag of saline in the procedure room after fainting. I had a very hard time recovering, so my nurse started a new IV in recovery for more fluids because my original one stopped working...grrr I would not have been able to leave the hospital without the IV fluids, because everytime I tried to sit/stand up, I started to faint again. The TTT resulted in a diagnosis of POTS and neurocardiogenic syncopy (NCS).