Steve

Hi, Heather. How much did they cost at Walmart? I've been looking at this store (linked on the main DINET site), which groups socks according to the amount of pressure they apply to your legs - 15-20, 20-30, and 30-40mmHg. I'm pretty sure I'll find the socks helpful, because I've noticed that my leg muscles feel rubbery when I'm symptomatic and tense when I'm not. And at least as I understand it, the purpose of the socks is to increase tension. I'm not sure what kind I should buy. I imagine socks in the 30-40mmHg range are pretty discomfortable, but I fear more comfortable socks may not be effective.

It's hard for me to tell, because when central heating is on it's winter and there aren't any other ways for me to get hot. But one thing I do know that's bad about indoor heating is that it causes low humidity. I don't know if low humidity is specifically bad for POTS, but it seems to make everyone feel awful. For me it causes serious problems with breathing, because it dries out my nasal cavity and worsens my congestion; I end up breathing through my mouth and get very dehydrated, which in turns worsens everything else. It's also impossible to get refreshing sleep because of the discomfort, and that really causes problems (headaches, tiredness, brain fog).

I have a detachable shower head and it helps immensely. I wet and shampoo my hair while squatting, so I don't have to stand under the water for more than two minutes. I also haven't taken a hot shower for years. This is actually because of eczema, but as Giuliana's mom said, hot temperatures will trigger vasodilation (and I would guess that hot water is hotter than even the hottest summer days). I am also pretty sure that hot water will cause dehydration. My tongue usually feels dry after a shower, so I always drink water when I get out.

This seems to be the common criteria for classic orthostatic hypotension, which isn't the same as NMH. Most doctors know about orthostatic hypotension and are able to test it in their office, at least according to this website (see "testing" section). It's the "delayed" form that few doctors are aware of and requires a 45-minute tilt-table test. For convenience: "Most doctors are familiar with orthostatic hypotension (OH), which can result in fainting (or syncope, pronounced "sin-coh-pee") very quickly after standing, and can be diagnosed with a simple in-office test of taking the blood pressure first while lying down and again upon standing. Unlike those with OH, which occurs within the first three minutes of standing, CFIDS patients with NMH or POTS often have a delayed form of orthostatic intolerance, meaning that heart rate and blood pressure changes don't develop for many minutes after standing, making the standard in-office test for acute orthostatic hypotension ineffective in diagnosis." [link] And: "Orthostatic hypotension is a physical finding defined by the American Autonomic Society and the American Academy of Neurology as a systolic blood pressure decrease of at least 20 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure decrease of at least 10 mm Hg within three minutes of standing. The condition, which may be symptomatic or asymptomatic, is encountered commonly in family medicine." [Link]

This seems to be the common criteria for classic orthostatic hypotension, which isn't the same as NMH. Most doctors know about orthostatic hypotension and are able to test it in their office, at least according to this website (see "testing" section). It's the "delayed" form that few doctors are aware of and requires a 45-minute tilt-table test.

I agree with Morgan. I've had orthostatic symptoms all my life, but never felt dizzy and off-balance until April this year. I assumed that this was simply the latest addition to my worryingly expanding list of symptoms, until an ENT diagnosed me with vertigo. Perhaps your daughter's problems are not related to POTS. Here is an excellent website listing all the conditions that can cause dizziness: there seems to be more than 20. I hope it can help you. http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/index.html (This is my first post, by the way. Hi, DInet. )