Steve

Yes! That's the type of bed I mean. I'm actually shopping for a platform bed because I broke the more traditional bed I'd been using after raising it with bed risers. It's possible that it was a coincidence, but raising the top of the bed seemed to shift most of the weight to the bottom half, putting added stress on the joints. I'd had the bed for years, and this happened a few weeks after I raised it. When I started shopping for a replacement, I noticed that a majority of beds now sold are platform beds. I thought they might handle the stress of bed risers better due to their design (low center of gravity, reduced weight from having no box spring, all-metal construction in many cases). Only then did it occur to me that the ones I'd been looking at had no panels to keep the mattress from sliding. It's good to know that some of them do. Thanks!

From previous threads, I'm aware that quite a few of you elevate the head of your bed for GERD or POTS. Do any of you do this with a platform bed? I ask because from what I've seen, the typical platform bed looks like this: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/bed-and-bath/beds/isaac-charcoal-queen-bed/s598949 On that model, at least, it looks like the mattress simply sits on top of the platform and would slide off if you raised it at an angle. On a traditional bed, there are wood panels surrounding the mattress that would prevent it from sliding.

It feels like... .... .... I'll get back to yo-- what was the question?

When I called last year, I was told the waiting time was eight months.

I was recently told that the answer was no, but I find it hard to believe that with so many patients who live in and around the city who have diabetic problems like autonomic neuropathy and gastroparesis, there isn't a single hospital in Philadelphia that deals with these kinds of problems. I understand that not many doctors are familiar with terms like POTS, dysautonomia, etc. But isn't gastroparesis a common condition among diabetes patients? Given it is believed to be caused by damage to autonomic nerves, why isn't it considered necessary or at least desirable for patients to have autonomic testing done?

Are you the guy who posted this video? Just saw it the other day while googling Mestinon.

You could also try Nasonex - my allergist switched me from Flonase to Nasonex because (according to him) it causes fewer side effects. It's a little more expensive though, because it isn't yet available in a generic version. I would also consider pseudoephedrine (Sudafed). It's a stimulant and can raise your heart rate, but it's also a vasoconstrictor that has been used to _treat_ POTS (it's mentioned in one of Dr. Grubbs' books). I've personally never had a negative reaction to it, and it definitely helps with my nasal congestion.

Wow! I wonder if the episode was inspired by this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/magazine...sis-t.html?_r=1. Lisa Sanders, who wrote it, is supposed to be the medical adviser for the show.

Yes! I have one and I would recommend it. However, you can get a brand new one from Costco for $30 this week. If you don't have a Costco membership, I believe you can still order one online, though you'll have to pay shipping. Link

This can be a problem for me too, and I do exactly what EarthMother suggested. If you have the newest Firefox (3.0), you may also want to go to View in the top menu, then zoom, and select Zoom Text Only (this is already the default option on older versions). The nice thing about Firefox 3.0 is that it'll remember your zoom preference for each site you visit, so you will only need to set it once.

These maneuvers work. If I squeeze my leg muscles or lean forward while I'm wearing a heart rate monitor, I can see my pulse drop in real time.

One of the most annoying problems that I have is that I am constantly thirsty yet always urinating. Some time ago, before I had heard of POTS, I read about diabetes insipidus and became excited because I thought I had finally figured out what was wrong with me. Of course, my doctor told me that I didn't have diabetes insipidus. Well, it would certainly be easier if I had it. We know that diabetes insipidus is caused by a deficiency of vasopressin and can be easily treated (you just take a synthetic substitute called desmopressin). On the contrary, no one seems to know why POTS patients are always urinating. Very few articles about POTS even mention frequent urination as a symptom, and none I've read explains what causes it. Am I just not reading the right articles or does no one have the answer? I've only come across one article that even attempts to explain what happens. Dr. Bell, who is a CFS specialist but has also done OI research, thinks certain blood vessels are so constricted in people with orthostatic intolerance that there simply isn't enough volume in the vessels to hold the fluids. (The analogy he makes is that a pipe with a diameter of half an inch can't contain as much water as a pipe with a diameter of one inch.) That sounds plausible, but he admits it's only a theory and the article was published nearly eight years ago.

Do you have to use one or the other? As I understand it, they are very different types of drugs. Klonopin improves your sleep and Provigil makes you more alert when you're awake. It sounds like Klonopin is the more appropriate drug for your kinds of problems though.

I would think you put more salt in your glass of water or juice than there is in Gatorade. I basically pee out water as if there's a hole in my body. I do slightly better with Propel, and much better with Gatorade. That makes sense since Propel has only a small amount of salt and Gatorade has three or four times that. How does your drink taste?

Oh, there you go. You can get the Endurance powder and dilute it. Then you'd get half the sugar and the same amount of sodium as plain Gatorade.