Jump to content

ArmyNPots

Members
  • Posts

    30
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Contact Methods

  • AIM
    BrknSkyat13Five@aol.com
  • Website URL
    http://
  • ICQ
    0

Country

  • Interests
    Wife of 4 years and Mommy of 3 years....living with Dysautonomia.

Recent Profile Visitors

1,571 profile views

ArmyNPots's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

0

Reputation

  1. Hello Again All, I have a beautiful 3 year old boy and my husband and I would like to have another. I understand how pregnancy truly affects our bodies and the **** we go through, even more so with having our condition. I spoke with a Doctor 4 years ago, and i was told to not have any kids. Lo and Behold, Nature took its course a different way and my little boy came along. Another doctor spoke with me and said that having children after 25 when having Dysautonomia, just puts alot more risks into the pregnancy. I was wondering if anyone had similar problems about wanting to have children or more children but were afraid of the toll it would take on their body and if they could get through it? God Bless, Jaime
  2. Good Afternoon Everyone, If you remember me at all, it has been awhile since i have posted. I was in the Army with Dysautonomia and it was really rough, I also had my son (who is now 3) while I was in the service. Good news is that I have been medically discharged as of June 27th of this year from the Army and my family and I relocated to San Antonio, Texas. Which is absolutely horrible for heat, but a gorgeous city. I was wondering how everyone was doing and if there is anyone else in San Antonio with Dysautonomia and what physicians are around here. God Bless Jaime
  3. Hey Everyone, I dont know if anyone remembers me but I used to write on here alot. I stopped awhile back because a doctor I had gone to told me I didnt have Dysautonomia (like all of the other doctrs had said I did) and he rediagnosed me with "dizzyness" I have to tell you that it took alot out of me to one day understand my diagnosis and weird symptoms, and then the next day have someone basically laugh at you and make you feel stupid. I did try to do the smart thing and get a second opinion, but I am in the army and doctors usually try not to over ride one another. So there I was, in the army with no medical condition and suffering. Finally as I was doing a routine chckup with another doctor, he realized that something was in deed definetely wrong and he sent me to a civilian doctor who then rediagnosed me with Dysautonomia. This new Doctor I have is wonderful, he understands the disease entirely. I have started writing again because since Monday, I was admitted into the hospital (released today) and I feel like there is no one to talk to about what I go through...what we all go through from day to day. I hate hearing people think that they know the disease and just say "drink water", or "its all in your head, you can control it" If anyone is still reading at this point, I thank you and hope that you are not struggling at this time
  4. Thank you very much everyone for reading through the long post and hearing me out, as well as offering alot of useful information and ideas. From what I get from you guys, I am hearing that I should fight this doctor, which is a bit scary, but it needs to be done. I am very grateful for all of your support, I cannot express how much it really means, so thank you.
  5. Well to start off with everyone, Happy Thanksgiving. I long to talk with someone, anyone about what happened the other day at the Doctors, but I do understand that when we post things, that the longer the post is, the less apt people are to read or respond to it, which is completely understandable. I just ask that someone bears with me for a sec and hears me out. As you can tell from my name, I am in the army. I have been seeing a cardiologist for about 2 years where she was first trying to diagnose me and then trying to find the right treatment for me. In that course of time, I got pregnant and for 10 months we had to stop trial medications. Well she left the hospital about 2 months ago and a new cardiologist stepped in. I made an appointment with this Doctor for the tuesday that just passed. I never imagined that the appointment would go as horrendously as it did. I long to go into full detail, but I will try to stay as relative as possible. This man, this doctor first off called me in his office and neglected to pick up my medical records that were sitting in the box outside his door. He said "he didn't need them" He then began to tell me how POTS is usually only found in old people in their 80's and how he just didn't understand my previous Dr.s diagnosis. He was cold and cruel in the way he talked. He said "I am a disgrace to the military because I cannot deploy to Iraq" and that "I should have been kicked out months ago". I started crying and trying to explain to him my symptoms and what POTS was. He just said well you pass out and thats all I need to know. I explained to him that although I couldnt deploy, I made myself an asset to the military in other ways. (tons of volunteering and taking care of deployed soldiers families) I even helped a suicidal soldier by having her stay at my house for 2 weeks and mentoring her. This Doctor just scoffed and said "well according to army regulations, you are unfit for military duty, end of story" I then explained to him that I knew I was unfit and that the only reason I was still in was because my previous doctor was going through trial medications to try and help me. I told him I would like to still try different medicines as my previous doctor had said there was still hope to find something that might work. He just laughed and said my previous doctor really didn't know what she was talking about. As the tears were streaming down my face in utter disbelief, he just sat back and said "well there is nothing much more I can do for you, it is time you get out of the military" I then said that I needed to go through a medical board to determine disability and he laughed and said that that was ridiculous and instead I should just get out on my normal termination date (which is this January). I told him that I could not work a full time job in the civilian world and he laughed and said "well if you can work in the army this past 2 years, you can work out there" I tried so hard to explain to him that the company I worked for in the Army was very lenient on me and that there were other "sick" soldiers that worked there and that in the civlian world, I just wouldn't survive full time. Basically he decided that I just wasn't worth his time. He said he would not help me and that there was nothing left to do or try. He then ushered me out of his office. I cried the entire way out of the hosptial and all the way home. I just couldnt believe someone could be that cruel and honestly have no education on what POTS was or even try to learn. What kind of Doctor was he? I have kept this in the past 2 days and I just needed to get it out. Only people with POTS can truly understand how horrendous this experience was and I have no idea where to turn. There are a few options to consider, I could always go to Patient Advocacy and complain about this doctor or I could just take what he says and realize that there is no more hope. Someone, Anyone out there, please let me know what you opinions are on what I should do. Thank you very much to anyone who read this long post, I do apologize for the length.
  6. Good Evening All, I have not wrote in quite some time and one of the last times I wrote, I wrote about how my mother was not supportive of me and did not believe my POTS. Well, as I have had time to dwell on that topic, I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. My mother was the key figure in trying to find out what was wrong with me and she was always supportive of my condition. I wrote that she wasn't because I am a 22 year old mom, wife and member of the army with a horrible condition and I displaced my anxiety and anger onto the idea that somehow my mother wasn't supportive. Does anyone else find that they do that? To just get so fed up with POTS that you turn to something fathomable to blame your anxiety on? Well, I apologize for doing that and it was wrong. Lately, I have been feeling worse and it terrifies me. I am literally on the bathroom floor begging to be able to stand and walk just to the bedroom to get to my son and this is happening more and more. My husband worrys so much about POTS, that I tell him everything is fine and I don't feel any sicker, but the truth is, I am lying. Does anyone else feel that their POTS has progressed? At 22 years old, I can't afford for it to escalate and it terrifies me that it just might be doing that. I wrote this post tonight because I pride myself on being an honest person and as I realized how helpful my mother has been to me, I felt that it was wrong for me to have written differently. I hope everyone is having a blessed night and that no one is having a "Potsy" moment. Thank You and God Bless.
  7. Hey guys I have been doing some thinking and I thought it might be nice to put together a minibooklet/magazine about POTS. Not for educational purposes (we know what we have) but for inspiration purposes. Maybe people can write and let me know a great accomplishment or maybe about overcoming a POTSY moment. I know I would love to check my mail one day and see a little booklet about POTS and written by people with POTS. So, I thought it might be a good idea to see what everyone else thinks. If you guys think its a good idea, then I can go from there in putting together something just for us. The brochures are WONDERFUL, but it might be nice to have a booklet out there that shows real life struggles/real life accomplishments. I have many ideas, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this!!
  8. To Whom it may concern: I have POTS. And I no longer want it. So I have been nice enough to give it away, thats right for just 5 dollars a day, I am going to sell it to anyone who will buy. Such as my mother who seems to think that POTS doesnt really exist, or my boss at work who loves to make me feel terrible that I cannot work a full day, or maybe to my cardiologist who knows nothing about POTS and throws different medicines at me like I am a guinnea pig and then makes me feel stupid about my "weird" symptoms. So I have decided that I will sell POTS to them. They all seem to think that POTS is a luxury or that it doesn't even exist. So for a cheap price I will give it to them and they will see how great POTS really is. I make this suggestion to all who read this to do the same thing. Sell your POTS. I personally am going for 5 dollars a day, but if you think it should be more than I suggest you raise the price. I read day in and day out of the cynical people that we all have to deal with in having POTS. I read about families and friends that once loved us but now treat us differently as if we just went to the store and purposely bought POTS to make ourselves sick. People seem to think that we love our physical inabilties and I would love to show those people exactly what POTS is like, so I have decided this is the best way. Of course they do have to pay for it because nothing in life is free. Granted my POTS sale will not be for everyone. I will not just let anyone purchase POTS. For those few out there that treat us like equals and sympthasize with our condition, I will not open up the sale to them. So as a final decree, I would like all of us to team together and sell our POTS, ebay might be a good route to consider. ((End of Infomercial)) ( this commercial was written by me. I am aggravated and annoyed with our daily struggles and instead of the normal venting post, I figured this might be more entertaining to read)
  9. Hey everyone! I promise I wont vent tonight, as much as I would like to! Long story short, I went to my cardiologist today (she isnt very educated on POTS) and she made me feel stupid and she literally sighed when I was talking about my symptoms. Thats all I will say of my experience because as I reread this, it sounds as if Im venting. So she gave me WELBUTRIN to try and I just want to know what everyones opinion is. I have severe anxiety (no depression) and she says it will help anxiety and POTS. It is my personal belief that everyone here is more educated than most Doctors when it comes to POTS, so I would like some opinions on whether or not this would be a good medicine to try. Any personal experiences would be so welcome!!!! Thank you everyone and God Bless!!! Jaime ((ps. on a side note, for those who followed my pregnancy and childbirth, my son turns 1 years old in a week!))
  10. Hi Julie, As I read your post, I just wanted to cry. I got so emotional over what your going through. I am trying so hard to think in my head the best things to say to just make you feel better and I realize that no matter what I type, you probably wont. I just want you to know that you have the support of everyone in here (im speaking for everyone, and i know they agree) and your husband is now the most important person in your life. Your mom, dad, brothers, they used to be the most important, and it sounds like you never felt like they felt the same about you. But now you have grown smarter and you have someone like your husband to just completely take over whatever role they SHOULD have played in support for you. The anxiety and stress and then pots is sometimes so overwhelming. Because if we have stress, our symptoms get worse!! Its not like we can just shut off our emotions and feelings and suddenly make our symptoms go away (wouldnt that be nice though) People that dont have POTS just really dont understand what we truly go through. In my life personally, I have always felt as if my dad and sister really dont understand POTS or seem to care that I have it. They are beautiful people, but when it comes to me having POTS, its almost as if its just not talked about. My husband really supports me and my having POTS but at the same time, i can tell that he gets frustrated when i got really symptomatic. We have a soon to be one year old and he has to take care of me and my son when im sick. So I can understand a little bit what your going through and I just want you to know that your not alone. If your family choose to treat you that way that you can make the choice to shrug them off and realize that your husband is your life now. One day one of them might get sick or have a disease and they might suddenly understand what your going through more, but they dont deserve your kindness right now and I dont think you should waste your hard earned energy on supplying them with any. I hope that as you read this, you understand that its going to be ok and dont have a nervous breakdown because then you will just get sicker and then "they" win. GOD BLESS
  11. Hey everyone! I need to vent and so therefore I apologize ahead of time. Well the last few weeks i have had nausea really bad, and this past week it seemed as if it had escalated into something fierce. First thing I thought was "O NO IM PREGNANT AGAIN!" LoL well Im definetly not, so I realized its POTS and the extreme 103 degree heat causing it. Well yesterday I went to work and my chest felt as if it was tightening and releasing and the nausea was overwhelming and I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. So i made the decision to go to the ER and ask for help. Well I arrived and my pulse was 140, the nurse took it 4 times and then must have thought i was on the verge of a heartattack or something because there was 25 people waiting ahead of me and i went right back. I get back there and im trying to explain that I have POTS and a high pulse is NORMAL for me. No nurse is listening and they hook me up to all these machines. Finally the Dr. comes in and I tell her I have POTS she left for a few minutes (probably to google it) and came back and said "oooH, you have POTS!, so thats why your pulse is high!" and i said yes but the other symptoms I was having were really escalated and I could tell something was wrong. Well after she realized i had a condition she didnt quite understand, the machines went off, the nurses left and they gave me two liters of saline in an IV and said i was dehyrated. Us POTS people know better than to be dehydrated!!! But the Dr. seemed to think that it was all i needed and i could be released. They actually put me in a back room away from everyone else, stuck an IV in me and left me there for an hour. I felt so ill and was in and out of consciousness, after the two bags of saline, i had a huge headache and then left the hospital, so frustrated!! I read all of your stories about trips to the ER and I should have listened. I will NEVER go back to the ER for symptoms of POTS again. But we know our bodies, we know when something is wrong rather than just our disease acting up. Has anyone else had this experience before?? I just feel stupid in a way...any guidance or stories would be appreciated!
  12. Hello and I feel your pain! This advice may sound odd or not something you would want to do but I can honestly say theres only one thing that has made my nausua easier to deal with and that would be Unisom. When I was pregnant with my son, NOTHING worked and my doctor said to try unisom for nausua (its a sleep medicine) and I was so desperate I did and my nausua went away. I dont know how far you are to just trying anything to make it go away, but Unisom honestly worked for me. Like I said though, its a sleep medicine so you can only take it at night and if it does make you groggy the next day. I have to be at work by 9 and the groggy feeling usually goes away by then. I only offer this advice because you sound like its really affecting your daily life and maybe Unisom might work for you as well. Good Luck and God Bless
  13. MoM2Abby, I am so sorry that you are going through that! I can relate to the exercise thing because I used to exercise in the Army and was 5'6" and 120 pounds!! I was in shape and bikini body! And then my beautiful son came along and I havent lost the pregnant weight (11 months now) and im 160 pounds. So I feel your pain there! I dont have great words of wisdom, but I do care and I just want you to know that your not alone!
  14. Hey Everyone Again! I wrote that last night and kept looking on to see if anyone wrote back, no one had. So today I went to work and had an awful day (100 degrees here in texas) and came home, ran inside and immediately checked the computer to see if i had even just one reply. Lo and behold, i had all of you guys!!! As I was reading what everyone wrote i just felt better mentally and emotionally. The struggle is severe, but its nice to know that other people are struggling with exactly what I am as well. We are not alone, and every now and then it is just so nice for me to hear that. All of your words were really helpful, so thank you so much. God Bless, Jaime
×
×
  • Create New...