MelissaCrystal

1. Do you believe -or has a doctor told you - that you experience blood pooling mainly in your legs?

My legs and abdomen. When I sit down in chairs the proper way, my legs feel like they are balloons and they get a little red and my toes swell, so I assume that's blood. But I usually sit on my legs to prevent this. I'm always in weird positions when sitting (also because I'm flexible and certain positions are just more comfortable).

2. Have you ever been diagnosed with EDS or suspect that you may have it?

One doc diagnosed me with EDS, another disagreed and said I'm a borderline case that he wouldn't feel comfortable confirming because I don't have large veins and I don't have stretchy skin---I also barely pass the flexibility test.

3. Do you experience symptoms when lying down even after a night of sleep in your bed?

Horrible tachycardia while laying in bed so yes.

4. Have you ever been diagnosed or suspect that you have what has been called the Hyperadrenergic form of POTS?

Haven't been tested....and I don't think I know enough about it.

5. Have you ever been informed by a doctor that you have low blood volume?

I haven't been tested for this I don't think, but because of my low BP and such, docs are always trying to increase my blood volume.

6. Do you experience stomach-related symptoms similar to what has been described as Irritable Bowel?

Horrible stomach and digestive symptoms all the time, yes.

7. Do you believe you experience excessive vasoconstriction of your hands and feet after standing or when symptomatic - which MAY be demonstrated through a feeling of them being cold or without visible veins?

My hands and feet do get cold very easily, but I don't think it's caused by vasoconstriction---I think the blood just flows right on out of them. My pulse pressure is quite low most of the time, so I'm not sure my heart is pumping enough blood usually. But yes, my veins are sometimes hard to see---they're very small. If I wasn't so pale, they'd be really hard to see.

8. Did your POTS arrive suddenly?

Well I've had symptoms since I was a kid, but I got worse very suddenly when I became deconditioned.

9. Is your skin pale?

Very

10. Please the top 6 worst symptoms that you experience with POTS:

Nausea

Digestive issues

Dizziness/lightheadedness/black outs

Fatigue

Insomnia associated with the nightly crashes (tachycardia/chest pain + palpitations included, and the **** acid reflux)

Exercise intolerance and the way I feel after I try to ignore that I have this (low bp, feeling sick, cold sweats, tachycardia, shakey, full-on POTS crash symptoms)

This happens to me if I'm under a deadline or something, or just experiencing too much stress over something. I sort of meltdown for a week and then recover. But going off meds (all different kinds) can cause this too. Withdrawal is horrible.

Experiencing any unusual stress or med changes?

If you have a bunch of chest pain, take pain killers for it. When I'm about to have a panic attack, I often get costalchondritis (I spelled it wrong..) and they just give me some IB profin at the hospital.

Do you think high altitude puts more pressure on your veins, like compression wear, and that's why you guys felt better? I can't think in physics-terms right now...

I definitely don't have delayed sensation, I have less sensation when it comes to feeling hot things. When the air is hot, I know because I don't feel good. But when my hot-chocolate is hot, I drink it with no problem and then realize my gums are swelling up and falling apart. =( I might just have sensitive gums, but my boyfriend can't EVER eat my cooking when I eat it because he said it is insanely hot. He has no clue how I can scarf down just-made food like I do.

I went off beta blockers because while they did make me feel better in the first 6 months, I started to go downhill right afterwards and have too many issues with the side-effects.

Eds -definitely- makes you prone to tendonitis, but you could just be overdoing it. I don't know... if you had EDS you might be injuring yourself a lot more. I think if you felt you had loose joints, it'd be more likely to be EDS, but if your joints feels strong and stable but you have tendonitis it could just be that you're overdoing it. Often EDS people get tendonitis from hyper-extending their joints by accident, doing normal stuff or overdoing exercise.

That's so funny, Cat Lady is also moving and just Pm'ed me this similar question!

I moved from hot Sacramento to downtown San Francisco, while the sea level is pretty much the same, the humidity and overall temperature changed dramatically. Sac would get over 110 some summers, and I got heat stroke and had all sorts of problems just going from classroom to classroom while I was in high school. In SF, the temperature stays pretty mild. The hottest days are actually when there are a lot of clouds---it sort of incubates you! Very eerie. But there are hot days here and there where it gets in the high 90s, and a lot of places don't have air conditioning in the bay area! Fans are my best friend. It's actually really hot tonight, so we have all the windows open and fans running, and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. But really, this happens only one week out of every year---sometimes more often, but nothing compared to Sac. Right now there is a record breaking heat wave that we're used to getting much later in the year. Maybe it'll start getting hotter here, I don't know.

About the humidity....I'm not really sure what I like more. Preferably something that doesn't dehydrate me quicker. I haven't really had the time to analyze how I feel in each... Basically, I don't want to get sweaty, because that's when I start losing my precious water. I generally got dehydrated more in Sac, but I don't know if it was because the temp was generally higher or if it was because differences in humidity.

I don't think the weather gets much better than bay area though. Downtown SF can get chilly because of the fog, but right now I've been really happy in North Oakland---though I miss the city for non-weather related reasons.

If you're thinking of moving to the bay area, see Dr. Karen Friday at the Palo Alto Stanford University Cardiology Clinic. She's the only expert up here that I know of, and she'll introduce you to a web of POTS doctors who special in all sorts of things we need (gastros, EDS, physical therapy, etc).

Thank you so much for your encouragement =) I'm actually feeling a lot better right now. I haven't been posting lately because I didn't think posting about my troubles (that everyone else is having) would help me, but it has. I stayed up all night searching for answers and I think I really believe in my plan now. I enrolled for my last two BFA classes after this summer, I'm going to graduate, and I'm going to start those illustrations early so that I won't get stressed out during tight deadlines! In the meantime, I'm going to cook, exercise, and start a routine that I think I will enjoy. I'm excited =)

I'm sure tomorrow I'll have another de-motivation factor pop up, but I think I have the determination to get through it. You guys all have found the strength, so I know I can! I've been through a lot in my life, and I can't let this stop me from having the life I deserve.

^ I agree with you, and I'm in no way offended, but it's so unfortunate that both my doctor and my psychologist are afraid of putting me on meds because of my history of side-effects. Bleh. I have had depression issues since my teens, but POTS since I was a little kid. Though I think the depression came from my home-life. ***** having two unrelated conditions conflicting like this, because it's hard to focus on both and they both effect each other. It's nice to know that people are able to have a satisfying day though despite their conditions... I'm hoping to achieve that.

Some weeks I have crazy motivation to where I end up hurting myself trying to do much, but I always relapse. I like reading everyone's posts on this subject because it seems everyone is able to adjust somehow---that gives me hope. I'll keep working with my psychologist and we'll see what needs to be done. In the meantime I'm just going to push myself to "do" and perhaps I can get my ball rolling so-to-speak. Thanks for your advice! I have some things in mind after reading this thread, and I think if I'm able to get up at a decent time tomorrow I can start on something!

Hey guys,

I've been having trouble with depression lately and nothing seems satisfying to me. I'm going to a therapist, but eh...all the things she says are things I tell myself, but doing is the hard part. Definitely motivation problems going on. I don't want to do anything, yet doing nothing is making me miserable and moody. Today I got up to start cooking so that I have leftovers the whole week---it's great for those days where you just can't stand long enough to make anything, and yet you feel like you're dying of starvation. But I just can't find the motivation to do it. I know I just need to find -something- I enjoy to get myself back into a mode, but I guess I'm stuck in a rut.

All I've been doing lately is playing games and getting fat. Any suggestions? What do you guys do all day that is relaxing, won't injure yourself, and is fun/satisfying? Any hobbies that you swear by?

I'm joining YMCA soon to start doing physical therapy in their pools. I just have to get my butt over there sometime, it's hard when I feel like I can't breathe just by standing up. I'm trying to imagine myself going there but it's hard.

I kept feeling ulcer-ish in my stomach after I took it. Really hungry, weak feeling, burning stomach. It just didn't agree with me =/

Hello everyone

I am new here. I have been struggling with health issues for many years now, which got a lot worse after I had a bad virus in my twenties (I am late thirties now). I have a slight case of hashimotos thyroiditis and I also have adrenal fatigue, I am taking meds for both, as well as for depression. For years I have had dizziness when I stand. When I was 16 I took a tricyclic antidepressant and I fainted the next a.m. -the doc told me I needed more salt and to drink more.

Now I am always groggy and exhausted in the mornings especially, and my brow/sinus area is often badly swollen. I have adult onset asthma (atypical). Sometimes I feel week and have a hard time exercising. These things are all worse during the second half of my period. My blood pressure and temp are often low. My pulse is around 70 bpm resting lately.

Over the years a few things have helped these problems. I gained relief from wellbutrin and strattera, both which have norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. At one point I took large doses of topical estriol which also really helped, but not as well during the second part of my period.

Over time I have developed raynaud's syndrome, where my toes turn blue and swell up in the winter. My hands and feet are always cold. I don't know if this is from the antidepressants or not. I also have issues with sweating and often wake up at night soaked in sweat.

I do believe I have POTs because of the dizziness. Do these symptoms sound like dysautonomia? Does anyone know what the connection is with thyroid and adrenal problems, if any?

Thanks for your time.

POTS is probably one of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, but it's so hard to tell what causes what and which disorder came first. Have you seen a doctor that can diagnose Dysautonomia? They may be able to help you with some treatments that go alongside your other meds to control the POTS symptoms.

Finally something to show the doctor that tells me, "I think it's all just caused by anxiety, here are some meds for that."

Melissa,

Back in my party days marijuana made me paranoid, but dumb old me smoked it anyway----we were all a bunch of party heads back in the 70s, and early 80s----- . However, after I grew up and got away from it I tried to smoke once, and it made me have real serious tachycardia. NOT a good thing for POTS at all. They gave my brother marinol for his nausea that came with his chemo treatments. I could never really smoke a lot of it. My brother would have the same reaction----tachy, and paranoia. Once his heat rate got so high he went to the ER, and they had trouble getting it back under control.

Maxine :0)

I want to add that the different strains of marijuana are quite fascinating, because most of the cheaper strains do the same exact thing! I feel like I can't breathe, my heart speeds up, it gives me insomnia, etc. It's horrible. I didn't like it for 4 years before revisiting it again (my boyfriend also has a license and I've been with him for 5 years). When I tried it again, he had me try Purple Kush, and then I tried some expensive hash. It's like magic. The hash is very powerful, I only take one puff from the vaporizer and I'm good. It puts me to sleep like magic. The Purple Kush is a little funny----I haven't tried other strains like it yet so I don't know what would be better, but the kush cures my nausea instantly and it's manageable to be on. There's a little bit of stuff that happens, like my concentration and thinking really goes to crap if I smoke too much, but it's worth it when I crash in the evenings. It prevents the crash from getting real bad.

I think in a couple of years, marijuana will be treated more as a medicine and there will be a LOT more information out there about the medicinal purposes of certain strains. One strain is a HUGE difference from another---unfortunately in price, too. Government regulated pot is very clean though, very pure. You can't always trust what is on the streets--never will, never have. It's definitely worth it for me to pay a little extra, especially when my doc is being stubborn about prescribing me anti-nausea drugs. She thinks they are dangerous for someone young like me.

Unfortunately, my doc just refuses to put me on any anti-nausea drugs. It's kind of frustrating, but she really believes that trying to control my other symptoms first will make it go away. It hasn't happened yet. She's actually told me too that pot might be a better thing to stick with. It's just too bad insurance doesn't cover it.

About marinol, I had never heard of that. If it's anything like the THC pills they give at the medical pot places, then I already know I wouldn't like it. The body-high that edibles give me are kind of scary. They definitely effect my nervous system---like most of the other stuff, but certain strains are better. I'm not sure if it's the THC I like---there are many other elements of marijuana that get you high and that have an affect on your system, it's not just THC. So I'm curious about what's in that pill, exactly.

I used to try to smoke, but I'd feel really sick afterwards. I had a mysterious bout of throwing up that landed me in the hospital after smoking hooka.

But smoking medical stuff is magical for my nausea, though I don't like being high. One little puff cures it though---it really is amazing. I have a license.

I lost my job 2 weeks ago. Been depressed as **** over it, so I don't really offer any advice, but I do want you to know that you aren't alone! We all have to figure out how to find something that won't affect our illness and that will make us happy. I'm hoping to be successful on my own personal mission of finding a way to make money and not make myself worse in the health department by doing so. I wish you luck and I know you will be okay!!!! Just make sure to keep yourself busy somehow, and surround yourself with love =)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7...oms.html?cat=70

Actually the reason why I posted is because I read that exact page---so I know you were trying to help, but all of the things listed in that article don't fit what I'm experiencing. I've had bladder infections before, and I'm not in any pain or burning or anything to that sort. None of the other things make any sense for me either. I'm stumped.

I'm not on any supplements right now either or taking anything out of the norm.

I'll just wait a while and see if any other symptoms develop. I might e-mail my doc to see if she cares---probably won't because this isn't the first odd to happen to me that she couldn't find an answer to, POTS included.

It may be just the same case that "thankful" had. I'm glad your test results were negative for anything, kind of leaning me more towards just ignoring the cloudiness because I'm not experiencing anything else. Has to be the florinef doing something.

I was lucky to be near Dr. Karen Friday at Stanford, a Dysautonomia Specialist. Before that, I suspected it was POTS for a long time from reading about it online. Took me forever to find a doc that knew anything about it and took me seriously enough to do the TTT.

Debating whether to go to the doc.

For most of my life I've had bladder problems, probably similar to most of us here, and nothing has really changed except just recently my urine became very cloudy. It's cloudy everytime I go, and doesn't fluctuate according to what I eat, or any vitamins I take (haven't been taking any lately). The only thing I've been taking is the .025 Florinef, but I haven't taken it for 4 days, and my urine is still cloudy.

No 'out of the norm' pain, no burning, no itching, no change in PH down there in the woman area. Nothing out of the ordinary (for me). Just same old urgent urination, frequent urination.

My doc tried to do a cystoscopy on me but he ripped my urinary tract and it ruined the test. Also, right when he put the tiniest amount of water in me, I felt searing pain in my insides. He diagnosed me with overly sensitive bladder and didn't want to have anything else to do with me from then on.

Have any of you ever had cloudy urine with no pain or other symptoms associated with it? Did you go to the doc for it? Do any of your meds make it cloudy, even a week after you've taken your last dose? Thanks guys. It's been rough for me lately so I haven't been posting. Been really depressed to be honest. I don't want something ELSE to be wrong with me, so I thought I'd post about this current symptom just in case it might be serious.

Hey firewatcher, I wasn't able to reply to this thread earlier because I was so busy but I wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're relieved! EDS isn't ever a good diagnosis for anyone. I don't want to stomp on your good mood about it, but don't rule it out completely. A lot of people are diagnosed with EDS later in life because it's hard to tell in the early stages. My doc says that sometimes no joints are effected until injury, and sometimes only organs and veins are effected in people. Most people diagnosed with EDS are the easy cases---extremely hypermobile and very easy to diagnose in early stages. Most of my joints are normal except for my hips, and my other joints only become hypermobile after exercise and exertion. Just keep in mind how much it varies from person to person, and if you ever think you're having issues with any of your joints, go get the genetic test for the classic type or a skin test to see for sure if you're collagen deficient. With some people, the joint test doesn't properly diagnose it, especially in the early stages. EDS gets worse as new tissues form and old tissues renew, so it's a progressive type of thing. Might take a while for you to show the tell-tale signs. =) I hope that helps, just food for thought to keep your eyes open!

While there are tons of super flexible people out there like you, the majority of them don't have POTS. For us POTS people, EDS is a HUGE cause of it in the POTS populations, and it's estimated that 50% of people with EDS have POTS. With that in mind, I think it might be wise not to rule out EDS as your cause, especially because you're a flexible person with POTS =) Might just be a coincidence though!

I think it has been making my eyes not so tired, I -think-, but I've only been taking one pill. I have no clue how much I need to get the full effect =) I've been taking the last few days with no stomach issues, the first two days it was a little confusing to what was causing my stomach issues, but I'm good now. I'll try a bigger dose to see if has effect on my energy.

Shimoda, I have healing difficulty, immune system problems, and I bruise easily and I was just recently diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is the cause of my case of POTS. Have you been evaluated for EDS? POTS is definitely not the end to searching for the cause of our issues, POTS is just the symptoms of something bigger. I hope you find your cause----I mentioned EDS because it's a tissue disorder that commonly causes POTS, and the tell-tale signs are trouble healing and bruising. If you read about it on wikipedia, you won't get the full picture, but there a lot of good threads here in case you haven't seen them before. Symptoms range from person to person so you don't have to be a stretchy-skinned gymnast to have EDS.

I just tried a tumeric pill tonight and I developed a headache---I can't really tell for sure if it's from the pill or not. I'll try again tomorrow to make sure. My stomach isn't feeling great, but I didn't have the greatest dinner, so I'll let you know tomorrow.

It's funny that this topic came up because I'm in a health class right now at community college (I have to stay in school so that I don't have to pay back my 80k school debt), and one of my assignments is to write a health journal of my daily activities. I'll post my first entries in case you were curious! This week has been a bad week =p

Feb 11 2009:

I got up at 1pm today to sleep through my morning nausea, and I ate oatmeal with water (lactose intolerant) for breakfast. It kind of hurt my stomach, but not that bad...oats are sometimes hard to digest. I started taking Fludrocortisone today under my Stanford doctor's advisement. It made me feel a little nauseous, like my doctor had warned, but I had to get ready for work so I ignored it and decided to just push myself. I took a little too long in the shower because I wasn't feeling well (tried to take a bath to relax and ended up losing track of time), so I ended up being in a rush and working up a sweat. It really messed up my makeup, so I ended up trying to fix it on BART. I got into work at 4:10pm, only 10 minutes late which is usual for me, complained about not looking my best to my female boss---she just laughed at me and said I look fine---and we prepared for a busy day leading up to Valentines (I work at a chocolate shop in Gourmet Ghetto, Berkeley). I forgot that I had taken the stairs, so my legs were very weak...I must've stretched something too far which is bad for my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I reminded myself to take it easy, but it ended up being a very busy day so that reminder went to the back of my mind. At 9pm I got off work STARVING and phoned my boyfriend that I'm going to throw up unless he makes a steak dinner. He's used to this...I was nice about it and as grateful as possible, but the bus ride home made me feel even worse. I ended up getting sick before dinner, but after I ate steak and mashed potatoes I felt SO much better. I was really low on energy and really sore from the day's work, but I put on some comfty clothes, laid in bed to relax, and fell asleep at 12pm extremely tired and happy about being worn out (usually I have trouble sleeping). I learned not to skip any meals and reminded myself to ask my boss for a break next time I need it.

Feb 12 2009:

I got up at 12pm, my hip was in a little bit of pain from the day before. I didn't have anything to eat in the house, so I decided to get ready for class, ended up taking too long in the bath again, and ran a little late getting some sweet potato fries from Amanda's healthy food restaurant on Shattuck before class. My teacher ended up being late though, so when the class opened up, I was able to relax a bit before taking a test. There was no lab today, so I was glad I got some extra sleep, and all I had to worry about was passing this Biology test. My bladder was bugging me today because I drank water before class, but we weren't allowed to leave the room during a test and I didn't want to be the exception. I kind of rushed through the test, but I felt I knew the material so I was hoping I'd still do well. I had to use someone else's #2 pencil because I forgot to bring my own, and I ended up having the wrong type of scantron test....I felt sort of like a giant mistake. The teacher said she'd transfer my answers to the right kind though so I felt better. At 3:15pm I got out of class, went to Amanda's healthy restaurant again and ate a healthy cheeseburger, unfortunately they forgot to put avocados on it even though they charged me for them, but I didn't want to get up again...my hip was already sore from rushing this morning. I leisured my way home on BART and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I remembered I forgot to take my pills this morning so I took them at 5pm. Little did I know that I totally forgot I had a therapy appointment at 6:30pm, and ended up being charged $70 for missing it. I must've been experiencing mental fatigue, or brain fog, typically associated with Dysautonomia during times of stress. Even though I took it easy the rest of the day, I crashed in the evening time because my boyfriend brought home a ham-brockeley pizza from Mr. Pizzaman. I reluctantly ate it, and ended up having horrible stomach pains the rest of the night. I slept really restlessly and had horrible nausea all night. I learned that it's IMPERATIVE to eat healthy, because I can't handle any more stress right now on my nervous system. I was so mad at myself for eating that pizza.

Feb 13 2009:

I got up at 9am this morning because I had to open at work, and had EXTREME nausea. There was no way I could call in sick though, because it was the day before V-day at a chocolate shop. I could not take a shower for the life of me, because of veinous blood pooling in response to warm water and steam, so I ended up taking an hour in there. I didn't have enough time to eat, so I gathered my pills in a baggy and threw them in my purse. I rushed to work, and was 10 minutes late again for a 11pm opening, but I saw that my two bosses were already there, with the store already opened. I was relieved to see smiles on their faces at my arrival---no one was stressed, good, didn't need any more pressure. I got to work on preparing the chocolate in gift wrapping for all the people who were supposed to come in, but I quickly became fatigued and even more nauseous working on an empty stomach. I remembered that I promised myself to be honest with my boss about not feeling well, and asked if I could eat. She said, "of course!!! Sit down and relax, eat...don't overwork yourself." She knows about my condition but I don't want it interfering with work. I ate something called Flautas which are mexican fried flour wrapped around carnitas. Kind of like higher quality taquitos. It doesn't always make me feel perfect, but it gave me energy and cured my nausea wonderfully. I ended up being able to work the whole day without incident, though I had a bad headache behind my right eye which was really getting to me. I got off at 4pm, went home and did some homework for my online class. The computer makes me SUPER nauseous, so I reminded myself to take breaks. My reminder didn't help me at all...after my first paragraph I had a strong wave of nausea and decided to go take a nap. I woke up at 8pm and went to watch some TV to relax....I get groggy and nauseous after naps. I was pretty miserable due to the nap and I started stressing out because I remembered that I had to get up at 6am the next morning to go to Napa for my job and sell chocolate at a winery. I called my boyfriend, wondering where he was, and he was out drinking with coworkers. I told him to rush home because I was in bad shape, and needed to eat something healthy, and he said he'd be home at 9. My brother offerred to take us all to Denny's, and my boyfriend ended up being late...I was really stressed out, fearing I wouldn't get enough sleep. We ate breakfast food, I had eggs, becon, and pancakes which made me feel pretty good because my picky stomach feels best on a high protein diet. I went to bed at 11pm, ended up having trouble sleeping, and was extremely stressed out. Lesson of the day, again, was to eat better. I told my boyfriend that it's really important he goes out and buys groceries sometime, since I don't drive and can't do it myself. My whole body and mind was stressed out due to my bad diet so I made it a goal to make food a priority.

Feb 14 2009:

I got up at 6am, feeling dangerously horrible, ended up struggling tremendously to dress myself and shower, and didn't have enough time to eat before my boss picked me up at 8am to drive to Napa. I got car sick on the way but didn't let my boss notice my discomfort, and luckily we stopped for breakfast burridos filled with eggs and bacon. I drank plenty of water and started to feel better again. We got the stuff out of the car and carried it into the winery at Domaine Carneros in Napa and set up our chocolate table. It was my duty to go around giving samples of our product to the winery club members, and quickly I became fatigued. There was no place to sit, and my body was screaming. On top of that, I had to go up and down stairs which became harder and harder each time. Eventually I could no longer hold the dish that the chocolates were on because my hand was shaking uncontrollably due to muscle fatigue and low blood pressure. I showed my boss, and he did dish-duty for a while. My hand shook for the rest of the day. It felt like the event lasted forever but finally we left at 1pm, I got majorly carsick again, and we arrived in Berkeley a little after 2pm. I told my other boss that I felt nauseous and think I should call it a day, and she sent me home. I collapsed in bed, my boyfriend ordered lots of food from delivery which included garlic pasta, fried calamari, and a hamburger to give me choices----the hamburger was like rubber, but I ate some of the garlic pasta and calamari. The fried calamari made me feel HORRIBLE because it was fried. I ended up being sick in the bathroom, so I spent the rest of the day in bed. I slept, woke up again at 9pm, felt HORRIBLE once again and ate some garlic pasta in desperation, got sick again, and fell asleep to my boyfriend feeling sorry for me and massaging my sore muscles. I was just glad Valentines day was over, and was very grateful that my boyfriend was there to take care of me.....even though he wasn't helping me eat healthy. We talked about my health while he massaged me, before I fell asleep. We agreed to work harder on making me feel better so that I won't lose my job or end up in a wheel chair. This included a healthy diet, and budgeting getting physical therapy and professional massage therapy for times like these. My body felt like it was falling apart...I definitely overdid it this week and haven't felt this bad in a long time. I was really scared. I woke up needing to go to the bathroom, and tried getting out of bed but my leg wasn't working---the muscle was too stretched out. I was really scared.... I struggled to the bathroom, and went back to bed hoping it would support my weight in the morning.

Feb 15 2009:

I got up at 9am because I had to open the chocolate store this morning at 11, but as soon as I got out of bed, I almost fell over. My leg wasn't working still. I called my boss, told her the news, and was so happy about her being okay with it. We had such a good conversation. I felt really lucky to have such an accommodating job. I went back to sleep and woke up again at 4pm. My stomach was in emergency mode, as usual, so my boyfriend went and made me a WONDERFUL breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, and ham. I felt excellent afterwards despite my leg not working. I was SO happy to have a day to relax and have a break. I went on my computer, and was surprised by my stamina---I didn't get nauseous for hours on end. I played games, got some work done, participated in my online class, sent some e-mails out. I got a lot done, and felt really good about myself. My boyfriend and I watched the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica while eating a steak and mashed potatoes dinner, and it was a great end to a great day. I went to bed at 12pm feeling sore but happy. I learned that eating healthy and relaxing makes life SO enjoyable and vowed that I will never deviate from this lifestyle again.

Feb 16 2009:

I got up at 1pm, feeling good overall, just really sore body-wise. I ate eggs, hashbrowns, and ham that my boyfriend made me again because he had the day off. Wonderful start. My pills made me a little nauseous, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I got to work at 4pm, and my boss had a chair brought in for me to sit on while I worked---I felt so grateful. I sat in that chair all day and got some work done on the computer. It was dead slow...almost no business in the chocolate store. I was hungry so I made the mistake of eating some chocolate. 9pm came around and I got VIOLENTLY sick in the bathroom. I couldn't believe it.... I was so sick I fantasized about calling my boyfriend so I could be driven home...but I didn't want to make him go through any more trouble with me. I called him once again and told him I was in trouble, stomach-wise, and to make a steak dinner. I was 30 minutes late on closing and made some mistakes with the store and the register. I didn't care... I rushed home, was badly carsick, and got sick again in the bathroom at home. My boyfriend had my steak and mashed potatoes dinner ready for me when I got home. I was kind of sick of having the same kind of dinner, but it was all that we had, and it's the only thing he knows how to make. It made me feel a little better when it comes to hunger pain, but I had bad tachycardia, my body was insanely sore and not working properly, and I was still nauseous. I called my mom because I was upset with my body, and she talked some encouragement into me. We discussed going for full disability and decided that might make me miserable because I wouldn't be allowed to work, which gets me out of the house. I've been bedridden before and I don't want to go back to that home-body lifestyle. I put disability on the shelf for now, and we decided to just focus on feeling better and relaxing. After I got off the phone with her, I realized I hurt the tendons in my arm from holding the phone up to my ear, and got even more upset with myself. My arm hurt for the rest of the night, my leg wasn't working again, my back was tensed up from getting sick and I went to bed feeling depressed and miserable with myself. While I was falling asleep trying to ignore all the horrible chest pains and low blood pressure symptoms, I thought about my day and learned how deviating from my lifestyle only a tiny bit---eating that chocolate----ruined my whole day, and could impact my week probably....I need to stay on course no matter what. My life depends on it.

Feb 17 2009:

I woke up at 10:45pm to get ready for my in-person class in Berkeley, but got out of bed and almost threw up. I got in the bath to try to calm my nausea and joints down but ended up feeling worse and worse. My body did not like me today because of what I put it through this past week. I was so regretful and upset that I called my mom again. She told me I needed to skip class today because I'm just going to do more damage to myself. I decided that was the only solution. ..... in progress!

My doc told me that changes in BP cause tachycardia because that's the heart's way of making up for lack of bloodflow. So low pulse pressure AND low blood pressure can cause this. Supposedly high blood pressure causes it too, but I don't know much about that---haven't experienced it myself. Your body doesn't have to have an extreme change in PP or BP though to get tachycardia---especially when you have a sensitive system.