WinterSown

A doctor told you to go to a walker or chair full time?I am so sorry to hear this. Did they also prescribe physical therapy for overall strengthening? I can't imagine one without the other.

These numbers are typical of what many of us experience, kinda my norms. I'd rather eat right, exercise, drink water and fight tooth and claw to get better.

It's a controlled substance. When I first prescribed them, along with a prescription for Vestibular PT, I was taking them three or four times a day. Now I'm down to a half pill two or three times a week. The DPT did an awesome job at correcting most of the vertigo and so I now rarely take them for that anymore but I still keep a full bottle in the cabinet for tremors which I get with blood pooling into my limbs at ludicrous speed, my arms are so patchy with raised veins I look like I've gone to plaid :-)

I wish they had that effect on me, that they would help regulate my BP, but so far it's a no. Effect of Diazepam on 24-Hour Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Young Volunteers. Diazepam reduces both arterial blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity in human.

Have you tried low dose (2mg) diazepam? I usually take it for vertigo but my EP has me take it for tremors and spasms.

Have you yet been tested for any thyroid imbalance? It can cause you to be tired, emotional, effect your appetite and thirst, your bowel habits and dry your skin. It is something you can look into with your doctor. I also have very dry skin and need to use lotion everyday, I just rub in plain old baby lotion after I get out of the shower and that helps with the tightness. When it's really bad I use lotions meant specifically for chronic dry skin; I don't like them because they feel thick but they do work. I hope you feel better soon. .

The EP cut out the amlodipine about four months back and it got rid of the sensation of a black cloak being pulled down over my head. Ugh.

I have those numbers or tighter and lower sets. I've been working on changing those numbers for a while and am going back to the EP next Friday. He's been cutting my meds down since I met him. I told him if I get to 90/90/90 and get a picture I'm blowing it up in a frame for his office. When they drop down to 70/45/100 I collapse, I get drop attacks.

Those are lovely numbers, especially so since you are not flat on your face.

I think you need to describe your symptoms to a doctor. If their office is not open over the weekend then consider calling Monday and make an appointment and/or ask for a call back because you can make a plan for what to do if your symptoms worsen. Shortness of breath, for anyone, is very serious. I hope you feel better soon.

Do you have a history of asthma in your family? Your symptoms sound similar to some Hubs describes, he is an asthmatic.

Clonidine ~ Catapres has a long list of side effects.

Time will tell. Remission is awesome but there's no way to tell how long it will last.

Big part of vertigo, I go to PT to help with symptoms.

I was diagnosed fifteen months ago. I started feeling worse and worse over the course of a summer four years back, my BP was insane but I was obese and it was reasonable to think the weight was a cause. Then I lost my appetite but didn't realize it until I got a fissure. During that time I started getting odd feelings in my limbs and lost my ability to stand or walk for more than just a few minutes without extra pain in the fissure--they're bad enough but this was Jack the Ripper's revenge. I needed surgery to close it because it never healed. Now we know it's because of poor circulation and perfusion. I don't remember when the fog crept in but I did drive into a bus two summers back which sent me to my cardiologist who sent me to the neuro and EP. Along with my primary and an amazing DPT they are my core team and it's been a complete heart, mind, body and soul approach that has lifted me up.

Congratulation to you and your family on the birth of your son. I hope you will be feeling much better soon.

Of course not, I'm just thrilled for you to have gotten into care so quickly. Fortunately, there are more people getting rapid care like you everyday. It's something all the .orgs have worked towards and seeing it start to happen is great. More doctors are learning how to help. Who is Dr POTS?

You got a diagnosis in two months? Some of us waited years and don't have nationally accredited cardiologists telling us we have fantastic hearts. Now you start to get better. Your doctors will set you up with drugs, exercise, nutrition, cognitive therapy, etc. It can seem difficult at first to learn how to manage your life again but you will do it, slowly but surely, and you will again be able to do many of the things you did before you fell ill.

I sometimes get Drop Attacks when I turn to the right and look upwards so this was a pursuit to end them. I have a mixed bag of vertebrae problems, some can pinch a few nerves. PT has helped a lot--I didn't realize how much my neck hurt. I have a lot more mobility and better overall perfusion but it didn't reduce any of the dysautonomia symptoms. I doubt I'll have Leslie Caron's neck when I'm done but I look great in anything with shoulder holes. So there's that.

Call your primary first, then on their say so go to the ER. Otherwise that's a freaking huge bill for something that can be controlled with doctor visits. When to Use the Emergency Room

It is very possible to lessen the fog. I eat a balanced diet heavy on electrolyte-rich foods (no supplements), drink water, drink milk, exercise my body--I walk everyday and do a creative neurotherapy to foster new pathways for thinking. It's been awesome, to give it a go anyone can do what they love, expand on it and start getting back into living your life. Compared to where I was a year ago I am ready to go on Jeopardy (well, maybe the kids version). It seems like the fog is blowing out into wisps. I still have some bad days but they are usually accompanied by my own bad behavior--I didn't take my meds, I am dehydrated, and I-did-too-much-the-day-before are the usual culprits. I wrote an article about it in last months DINET Newsletter, called 'Walking out of the Fog.' I wish you well.

I didn't faint. Most of don't faint. It's all about your previous test results, what you say and how you act, and what the doctor and technicians observe. I did not faint, didn't even get nauseous. I got a bit anxious and lightheaded but that was it. My EP asked the right questions--What makes it feel better? I go lie down. Bingo! That, and everything else they had on me, built a diagnosis.

If you fall and hit your head you only wipe out yourself. I drove into a public bus. No one got hurt but my van was creamed. It was the beginning of me getting a diagnosis, I saw my primary the next day and he sent me to the cardiologist. The distraction from fog, dementia and fainting can be quite injurious to others. You pick up your keys and drive befuddled you put the public at risk. That's why everyday it's important to make the effort to be hydrated, eat or drink electrolyte rich foods, get some activity or exercise, and adequate sleep. At first it seems like an uphill battle but eventually you get a toehold and the days get easier as you learn how to manage.

I used to have a hard time but not anymore. Nobody, of any health, can climb a hill or mountain if they are not ready to do so without any preconditioning. You can start by walking a little today, a little tomorrow and a little more after that. I just came back from a vacation of hiking in the Green Mountains. Last year I could not have done it, this year it was possible. This was possible because I take my medicine, eat right, hydrate, and exercise daily. I had to start off very slow. My doctors have sent me to physical therapy for balance, gait and strengthening--I go twice a week. I don't faint as often and I can endure a lot more; total win. On some forums, talking about exercise needs a trigger warning in the title, then the post becomes all about how much weaker everyone is from the next poster and what they're NOT doing to get better. Ugh. Phooey to that. You will never be discouraged here. Move your body. Dysautonomia is complicated so the trainer at a gym can't handle it but a physical therapy doctor can build you up with slow progress. You can do it. (I am 60, btw.)