sunisshining

thanks sooooo much guys! i've kept stuff down today! woohoo. and my dr.'s are trying to figure something out. okay, back to trying to catch up on work! i love u all soooooomuch! hugs, love, sun

which sun are u talking to? my half bday was the other day! :-D sorry for any confusion. but i think half birthdays are worth celebration,t too!!lol. and happy bday to everyone else who has an upcoming bday! anyhow, hugs to all. and thanks sooooo much if you were referring to me. love lots, sun

i had a sleep study but they just said i have sleep apnea, too. But, i just got the results, so yeah. but i'm sorry you are feeling so icky. but i too feel icky in the morning! feel better! let me know if u need anything..or if u have any other questions. u can always send me a message, too. hugs, love, and prayers, sun and they are soooo not fun - u have to sleep with a tube down your nose and throat and all this stuff on and you smell like the hospital even after a few showers later. i came home from my sleep study and slept 6 more hours.

good story...seems semi-familiar. thanks for helping us remember to keep on advocating for ourselves and that not all doctors have answers or really care. keeping u all in my prayers, sun

hey all, well, i hope you are doing as well as can be expected..or better..that'd be cool too. So, the lexapro was/is the culprit of the nausea and vomiting! started it friday night once my stomach was all better. by saturday night after i took it again...last night i threw up five times. and this morning again...last night i threw up my nausea pill. so i had to call the health center again to see if they could get me some more nausea medicine just for the rest of the weekend...they wanted me to come in, but seeing as i'm at home, that couldn't happen. so they prescribed me some more and NO MORE lexapro. as one of the ladies on the phone said, "that stuff just really doesn't agree with you." so, i got some more nausea medicine and held it down, and i've been able to hold down some simple stuff so far. it has helped and i am currently trying to keep down some simple food that i just ate. tomorrow i am supposed to go see my doctor at the health center again. sigh I wonder what is the medicine they're gonna give me next for my pots? i mean, is there a possibilty that i'll react that way to all of them? cause i don't like throwing up!!! and i was supposed to go back to the cardiologist this week and get another holter to see how the lexapro was working...well, that's not gonna happen (but doesn't upset me cause i don't wanna see the cardiologist). but i guess i still need to get the echo done this week well, just wondering if i'll be put on another bed. isn't lexapro supposed to have the least side effects? are the antidepressants the best at treating pots? well, sorry for all of the questions and long descriptions. love u lots. sending u hugs, love, and prayers, sun

welcome melissa! sorry you've been so sick. my issues started in middle school too! we're like twins...well not really..you have been thru a lot more than me, it sounds like that's for sure. i'm really sorry u've had to go thru this. yeah, don't worry about posting all the time. i am a postaholic while i'm well enoiugh to type because i want to answer every post cause i want to help others and everyone has to hear my complaints! but no worries. if u rn't up to posting, u can always just send one of us a personal message letting us know you're okay/alive but just resting! but only if you'd have time and would be gone like for an eternity. i'm so glad you've joined!!! yay! i'm sending prayers that u can stay out of the hospital untilt he 2 week stya and i pray that that will be helpful and not too...hospital-y. feel better. hugs, prayers,love, sun

he's in my prayers! and so are you! hugs, love and prayers, sun lemme know if u have any other prayer requests

umm, i feel like if u have a doctor who doesn't know about lyme disease, maybe you need a different doctor. cause shouldn't that be in their basic training or something? are u anemic...cause if u can't tolerate blood being drawn maybe that's why - cause u already don't have a ton of blood in u. my general doctor always tries to take as little blood as possible cause she knows i tend to be anemic. i don't really know much about lyme..but maybe google the keywords: lyme disease long term antibiotics. and then u'll probly get the pros and cons just a thought. good luck! you're in my prayers! prayers, hugs, and love, sun

Hi Steven, welcome! sorry you're sick I'm 18 and a girl! actually, i just turned 18 and A HALF yesterday! woohoo! okay, off-topic, sorry. yeah, i've tried so many things - eating healthy, exercising, even tho i wasn't overweight. i used to have high bp, also. mine was like yours at times but no one thought anything of it - they thought it was cause i was lying down too much or that it was normal. turns out i have pots. it won't kill you (unless u try exercising alone, pass out, and hit your head or pass out in the middle of a busy intersection). not that this will happen, but i'm just trying to help keep you from trying to exercise even when you physically can't. cause i've done that before and it turns ugly - even if u don't faint...it gets REALLY ugly and puts you in the deepest hole EVER. i would say, go to the next town over. i've barely had luck with dr.'s in the whole northern california area, so don't get too frustrated yet. where do u live? maybe first call places to see if they know what pots is and if they treat it. good luck. i'm praying for you! prayers, hugs, and love, sun

Hi all, i'm soooooo sorry that all of you are in the pots hole. it makes me sad. i would say i'm not good/great but i'm not at my worst. i'm half way in, halfway out, which is a victory in itself, i think. plus i think i gave u all enough detail in my humungous post last night...sorry bout that hugs and prayers to all of you. love you lots, sun and keep me updated, okay!!! you can send personal messages, or whatever, but i LOVE hearing updates, i can promise u that (and you hear enough of mine!)

Hi Amy, I am really sorry you are having horrible muscle cramps. it is sooooo painful. i think i mentioned in like my intro post that i get those. no fun! I'll be praying for you. if your cardiologist is anything like mine, don't ask him/her (just to save yourself being treated rudely). I think it is worth askiing your gp. maybe there's something they can give you. i know sometimes i'll get it and be up until 4am (it goes from my belly button to my toes) and only becomes tolerable a few hours after taking tylenol if it does. So, i feel for you, but yours sounds really horrible i'm sorry Well, I do know one thing: (and i'm knocking on wood as i'm saying this) i haven't had bad muscle cramps - i've barely had any - since i got an iv. and i had been having cramps for like months before the iv. maybe a coincidence. i don't know. so, maybe drink lots of gatorade. the mango flavor is the flavor that doesn't make me feel like i'm going to puke. other than that, i found stretching helps, but when you're beyond exhausted that's kind of a pain..but you can do it slowly and gradually. warmth is good, but when i take a warmish bath then my pots acts up bad and it's not worth it. but cramping is horrible because it feels like the nerves went wacko and got struck by lightning and it's AWFUL! i'm sooooooooooooo sorry! one of your doctors should care. if they don't, maybe look into a new doctor. you could always fess up to your gp and say that you sometimes don't want to say everything that's physically bothering you in fear of not being able to be helped or being not taken seriously. of course, my cardiologist thought that was tmi (too much info), but your gp shouldn't - cause that's his/her job..to take care of all of you. and if he/she can't help, he/she should send u to someone who can. if no doctors can help (i do believe tho that someone will be able to help this) you can try acupuncture and all that stuff. many people swear by it. so, your hope is not up. it may seem like it, especially when you have another symptom piled on to the already numerous conditions you are dealing with, and that is completely (more than) understandable. you're in my prayers. good luck. i hope you find some relief. have you considered taking some tylenol a while before you go to bed so it doesn't get too bad. also, fyi: i was given anti nausea medicine for my whole vomiting spell. one time when i took it i was also starting to get horrible that time of the month cramps but then that medicine completely helped them. one of my friends said it made sense...i don't know, but maybe there is some medicine that can help u. the only prob is that that medicine zonks you out - unless u take a fourth of the pill. hugs, love, and prayers, sun

hi carolyn, sorry you are feeling so sick. it's not quite the same, but i remember when i had to be put on independent study my last half of senior year. the decision was kind of made for me by my parents and doctors, but i couldn't really disagree because i was so weak and sick. since i don't know about disability stuff, i can't really help that much, but i do know that where are you going to get if you keep on pushing on the gas when there's no gas in the tank? it's going to damage the transmission (or engine...i forgot what my dad told me). So please do take care of yourself. I feel like you need to be able to go at a tolerable speed/pace every day instead of trying to fly during the week and then crashing and burning. about no quality of life - work and sleep is what you mean, right? been there, done that for school, but not work, but i feel for you! you're in my prayers! please keep us updated! hugs, love, and prayers, sun

Hey, there aren't that many doctors i have confidence in. i always go in trying to not expect much help. that way i don't get my hopes up for nothing if they provide no help or are rude. it doesn't make that easy, but, i guess it's better than crashing down, emotionally. well, i think that it seems like she's at least done autonomic testing. shoot, that's more than i've gotten (well, i've gotten orthostatics done). but at least she knows of this stuff. (at least it seems like it..). that doesn't mean she'll be understanding, but it's a head start. at least, if she doesn't work, you'll have much of the testing done for another doctor. you will find a doctor who will help u eventually even if this doesn't pan out and at least you have much of the tests done already. it's not complete step one. but, i no this doesn't help much cause i have been in a similar position (fearing what the doctors are gonna do and fearing being thrown out to the wolves again..or not wolves, but..whatevs). well, i need to pack my stuff for going home. i don't think this post has been that helpful. but what time is your appt on mon? i'm on west coast. i'll pray for you all weekend and during/before the appt. okay? and even if the doctor doesn't help much, you always have God and He knows what He's doing and He'll take care of you? okay. and you can pray in the waiting room or even in the room itself. that's what i do. cause doctors come and go but God doesn't...and He is who gives the doctors all the good stuff they know. so ask Him to give them the power to help you. but He knows when is the best time for you to be healed. it can be frustrating and TRUST ME - i don't think it's easy. listen to me when i call my mom, whimpering or flat out crying. hugs and love and prayers, sun

Hi all, so, here's the news: my general doctor at the health center talked to BOTH of my parents like forever on the phone. she thinks i was catching something just as i was starting to feel tired from the pots, too. because my red blood cell count went down again. she said this can happen when you are fighting something especially since i don't have iron stores, yet (even tho the cardiologist said i did..i think..but i don't listen to him from last weekend on -this is what i'm saying, not my gen dr...lol). so my dr. also said that i was just hitting a low point and that she did notice i had lost weight. i didn't look horrible, but she could tell. (i actually can't tell and can never tell about my weight..i only acknoweldge it when people tell me ...but i really can't tell maybe because i don't look in the mirror much). so, she also said that she wrote the letter to the disability place and that she called my cardiologist AT HOME to figure out if he'd sent the documentation to the disability center. he said he dictated it to his secretary and it should've been sent. so, she said that she would try to ask the drc why they still needed his (she's the head dr. at the student health center). and she told my parents that when my stomach gets better again (it's there - i'm back to normal food!!!!) i need to take my iron again cause i got anemic again because i don't have iron stores so as soon as my body starts battling something, my blood cell count will get low. sigh. she also said that for me it would be best to restart the lexapro at the low dose once my stomach is better (to see if it is what makes me sick or if it just pushed my nausea over the edge once i had already been catching somethiing). she said that if i take it at a higher dose it can start working pretty quickly, almost immediately since she treats people for depression with it but she says she thinks since i'm probly sensitive to it, we'll start at the low dose again. but that if i ever need anything to ask her and she'll help and, yeah. and that she doesn't like the quarter system cause when kids get sick they really get so behind in school and don't have time to take care of themselves. so, as far as my sleep study, i'm bummed - i have mild sleep apnea. had to go for their "surgical consult" that they wanted me to go to. apparently normal episodes of stopped breathing is under 5 per hour, and i had 12.5 per hour and mild is 5 to 15. so they want me to try sleeping with this mask that blows air into my nose for two months. and if it helps they can consider nose surgery. but that there doesn't seem to be a problem in my throat except maybe my tongue is big..i dunno. the surgeon came in for two secs, gave me his order, and left. it was raining and cold, my sis got a flat before we left my dorm parking lot so i had to ride my bike and got so even more exhausted to go there and hear the great news. at least i don't have bad sleep apnea, but i DON'T wanna sleep with an air mask....GRRR. but i don't want surgery...especially since i'd have to have this mask 2 months and i get it in july when i have to stay overnight and they "titrate" it to get the right pressure for me.....grrrrrrrrrr. that'd mean that if i have to have surgery then it'd be right around when school's starting. but i could have it over winter break. i mean, they say sleep apnea gets worse with age, but i hope i'll just get better once my pots and anemia get treated and i can forget about the sleep apnea. i mean, it's mild. oh...and i have to sleep on my side..like that's gonna happen - i always fall asleep on my stomach. i can try, but i only fall asleep on my stomach unless i am so tired i can't move and then fall asleep on whatever position. this is getting long. i was gonna go to a couple of my friends' softball game. my friend is starting pitching tonight! she is 13-2 and has a really low era (earned run avg). they are so nice and supportive. but i was too tired and it's freezing outside. i was gonna try and go anyhow cause i love them so much, but our other friend convinced me not to and that my friends would rather i rest ( i knew that but wanted to try anyhow). so i'm lying on my bed. i'm going home this weekend! i will miss my friends, here, but i will love the couch at home and my own bed. i guess i also won't be tempted to do stuff that will make me..collapse. i love my friends sooooo much. i went to classes today and got so exhausted but liked it cause i've missed classes. my TA for one of my classes was soooooooooooo nice and my other teachers are cool too. the psych profs are probly the least understanding - go figure...lol so, anemic again, pots as always, and mild sleep apnea (that maybe i'll just ignore?..i don't wanna have it. i don't wanna have anything, but a mask? surgery? and they might not even work. but i guess i have to try. i'll talk with the 'rents (my parents), tho. they always know the answer...or....well, they know the right gut instinct. so i'm resting. have decided i'm gonna be behind on work all quarter but oh well. i need to stop telling myself "catch up!" cause it's not gonna happen cause i barely have the energy to not fall more behind. but i am better than i was, so i'll think of the positives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i have a feeling i'm doing much better than lots of you, so i won't complain! but i've really learned to love life so much. i mean, think about it: there are so many beautiful things full of love - friendship, family, God.... oh some of my friends from my bible study brought me a journal and a card last night! so sweeet! hugs, i'm tired and should stop wasting energy typing..i've typed too much, but ur way more than worth it. i hope u are all well. if u want to update me about how ur doing, please do. u can always send me a personal message, tho, too! i like hearing how everyone is doing and then i can pray for you, too! sending you love, hugs, prayers, sun

I'm sorry linda joy. i hate it when doctors are ignorant. the er visits in my past is where i've found the most concerned doctors, but i would never want to go again just cause i hate going to the doctors even if i am really sick. i don't go until i'm in such bad shape that someone forces me to go. but even still doctors are annoying. whatever the case. i know it's hard, but don't even LET the way that doctor treated you make u think it's a reflection of you. i always start doubting myself after confronting ignorant doctors. but, just cause they're doctors doesn't mean they are smart or have bedside manner. they're just like normal population as far as that goes. actually, i think they tend to have bigger egos..not all, but, whatevs. anyhow, i'm praying that you don't have any more episodes. also, why don't u have your primary doc contact the er so they will know what u have is bonafide (sp?) and they know your records, etc. cause if she wanted u to go there so badly, she needs to help out. and i'm praying that the way that this doctor cruelly treated you doesn't tear you up too much, or at all. hugs, sun