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Another party down! I noticed some key differences that helped me feel better after Saturday's party then I did after Thursday's party. 1) It was less stressful then the firm party. 2) GI issues bother me a lot, as they do most people here, and Thursday's was a sit-down dinner which, while good, was VERY heavy (Steak, stuffed shrimp, crab, potatos all w/cream sauces, cheesecake) v. going out to dinner on Saturday where I could order what I wanted (salmon, polenta, vegetables, and a few bites of shared gingerbread for dessert). 3) I didn't have to work before Saturday's event and had plenty of time to get ready leisurely. This, I think, was key. 4) Not only drinking fluid, but taking vitamins on Saturday. I do drink at these things, but not a lot. I find cranberry juice and vodka is the best combo for me, as you have a drink, but it's mostly juice, and you can put it over ice so your cup looks fuller, and then sip it. Thus, fitting in w/o getting drunk. I was so optimistic, as a matter of fact, that I got up in time to go to church Sunday, despite having gone to bed at 1 a.m. My optimism was quickly dashed as I got in the shower and realized that I needed to sit down to wash my hair, let alone get ready and go to church. But still, I didn't feel nearly as bad on Sunday as I had on Friday. I'm definetly still recouperating today- a nap is going to be crucial to my day. But it's getting better! Thanks for all the support!

Another party down! I noticed some key differences that helped me feel better after Saturday's party then I did after Thursday's party. 1) It was less stressful then the firm party. 2) GI issues bother me a lot, as they do most people here, and Thursday's was a sit-down dinner which, while good, was VERY heavy (Steak, stuffed shrimp, crab, potatos all w/cream sauces, cheesecake) v. going out to dinner on Saturday where I could order what I wanted (salmon, polenta, vegetables, and a few bites of shared gingerbread for dessert). 3) I didn't have to work before Saturday's event and had plenty of time to get ready leisurely. This, I think, was key. 4) Not only drinking fluid, but taking vitamins on Saturday. I do drink at these things, but not a lot. I find cranberry juice and vodka is the best combo for me, as you have a drink, but it's mostly juice, and you can put it over ice so your cup looks fuller, and then sip it. Thus, fitting in w/o getting drunk. I was so optimistic, as a matter of fact, that I got up in time to go to church Sunday, despite having gone to bed at 1 a.m. My optimism was quickly dashed as I got in the shower and realized that I needed to sit down to wash my hair, let alone get ready and go to church. But still, I didn't feel nearly as bad on Sunday as I had on Friday. I'm definetly still recouperating today- a nap is going to be crucial to my day. But it's getting better! Thanks for all the support!

We went to one party last night and a ball on Saturday and 5 more parties before Christmas, and then there's Christmas itself, and New Year's, and I have no idea how I'm going to get through them all. The problem is that the bulk of them really aren't 'optional.' For example, last night was DH firm party, where, not only did I have to go, I had to be pretty and perky and sociable. Saturday is a similiar sort of networking event. So today I'm feeling like total crap. (Sidenote- it's funny how it's easier and, in some cases, more socially acceptable to say you're hungover, even though it's not true, then it is to say that all the stimulation and lack of sleep caused a POTS flare-up!) And I'm nervous about Saturday because I'm don't have time to recover from last night, let alone get my body prepared! As I told DH, if I were back in college and actually hungover, I'd know how to treat it! As it is, I'm struggling. I'm def. going to be inhaling gatorade, but I was wondering if anybody had any other prepartion tips- particularly, are there helpful vitamins or supplements ya'll use? Thanks!

Describes me perfectly! Though I'll say I was closer to skinny when I first got sick. I've got too many curves to ever be described as skinny, though I often wish I could be- but, on the bright side, I have been told I have an exceptionally fine butt for a white girl! (Proving, as we've discussed on another thread, that it does indeed take all kinds). But my dr. was not surprised about the POTS diagnosis. He actually said I fit the POTS physical profile far better then a previous diagnosis of PCOS. So who knows!

Amen! There's an old marketing ploy that says you can make a woman buy anything if you make her feel insecure enough. This is the same trick he's trying to pull- he thinks that now he can get YOU to chase HIM after all these years by making you feel not good enough for him. It's a load of CRAP. The thing with weight is that it's just a number. Everybody's body shape, bone density, tissue density, musclature, etc., is SO different- when I was in PERFECT shape in high school (Running up to 9 miles a day, pretty much no body fat), I still NEVER weighed less then 155/160 at 5'9. And, unless my hip bones are magically moved closer togather and I get a breast reduction, I will never be smaller then a size 8. AND THAT'S FINE! What matters is to be at a healthy enough weight so that your body can function how it's meant to, which it doesn't do at either extreme of the weight chart.

I love to turn the shower nozzle on hot and blast the center and lower parts of my back with it. But heat on my uterus itself never helps that much. I've found sometimes that leaning over the bathtub so that the cool part is pressing on my lower tummy helps with the cramps. Hmm, just realized that between these two things and the GI issues I develop with my periods, I spend a lot of time in the bathroom that time of the month! Oh, the joys of being a girl.

I feel sometimes like I 'jerk' myself awake right as I am really going into deeper sleep. A lot of times it's dream-related- like I'll have jumped off a bridge, and I wake up heart pounding, etc. Anybody else have the accompanying dreams? Wonder if it's b/c I already felt like that, or if the dream contributed to it. (Chicken and the egg! )

Get well soon!

PRECISELY, Quiet Spike, et. al.! I know I'm lucky in that fainting is a serious stress-onset mechanism for me. And yes, I hit that stress point sooner then 'normal,' but still in plenty of time (generally) to do something about it beforehand. But there have been times when I felt so bad-so dizzy- so sick- just on a normal day at work that I wish I could just faint and be picked up and carried to a cool, dark place. And I think most people on this board (fainters and nonfainters ) struggle with the pull between not wanting anybody to know but really kind of needing people to help.

Potatos! Especially baked and crusted with sea salt- or just mashed w/chicken broth and a bit of salt. Yum. I had a friend once who added salt to his beer. I still can't do that.

The Autonomic Disorders/MVP Center in Birmingham. Dr. Paula Moore is my fav, but I hear all the docs are good.

*not legal advice* (lawyers always have to have the fine print!) Here's a link for the forms by state: http://family.findlaw.com/child-support/su...t-forms(1).html Hope this helps!

YES! On a bad day, I feel very nauseus, tired, dizzy- end up laying down for a bit (often on the guest room bed, cause if I go back to my bed, I'll end up comfy and asleep!) If I'm feeling very bad sometimes I'll just sit down in the shower. Now that we've got a hand-held shower thingy, it's helped a lot. I also have been sitting down to get ready for years. My condurum is that a morning shower really helps me get ready for the day mentally. Plus my hair never dries right if I shower at night.

The mall salons would kill me. I pay way too much to go to an Aveda spa-type place. It always leaves me feeling great! You're hardly tilted back at all b/c they have adjustable chairs that lower you so that the sink is at about neck level anyway, and then recline only slightly. Then they do a head and neck massage with yummy smelling oils. My old salon (which used Alterna- also v. good) was very very calm- in an old house with antiques all around. This one is a bit more chaotic, but still no flourescent lights or annoying music, and Aveda pushes natural stuff, so no smells bother me too much. I think the key is to find a good place. You'll have to pay more, but I totally think it's worth it.

I can generally tell when my bp is off according to how I feel! : ) I'm looking at my most recent wellness check stats, where is was 104/76, which is pretty typical now that I'm on the meds. The other day I'd gotten plenty of sleep and fluids and it was 118/78. I felt FANTASTIC (for, you know, a couple of hours). Of course, it varies wildly. While mostly it'll do the typical dip when I stand thing, sometimes I'll have these wildly disparate readings, like 136/60- both (a lot) higher and lower then normal. Meanwhile, my pulse is zipping along. Anybody else?

If you can come down here to Alabama, I'd try to get in to see Dr. Moore at the MVP/Dysautonmia center in B'ham. It takes a while to get it, true- but unlike Mayo, etc., they don't seem to regard treating you as a grand privilege bestowed upon our sick little selves, who can't POSSIBLY understand the big words being used around us. (Yeah, so I have some dr. issues. Who here doesn't? Clearly, they're not miracle workers- there's no cure. But she really helped me with lifestyle suggestions along with the meds. And I think their testing is better too. I had a second 'spot' echo there, and they found that I do have mild MVP along with my dysautonomia, and gave me hydration suggestions so that it doesn't happen anymore. I can tell a big difference. Oh, and she told me that Lexapro is a great drug for us. Controls a lot of the symptoms. So you're on treatment anyways!

I haven't been on this forum for a while, but I felt the need to vent with winter coming on. I'm really doing a lot better- started the atenol, vitamins, fluid regime which seems to be working pretty well. My hands and feet are no longer totally asleep and ice cold from a lack of circulation every morning, and I very rarely have to lean against the wall of the office to make the trip from the bathroom back to work. But the weather keeps doing crazy things like soaring 50 degrees during the course of 24 hours and going from sunny and 80 to rainy/windy and 60 from day to day, and every time it changes like that, I feel like crap. Plus, it seems like everybody has a cold, which I always catch and then can't get rid of for the life of me. Does anybody else feel like it takes forever to get over the simplest of illnesses? It seems like nobody understands that yeah, I do feel bad during some portion of the day pretty much every day. And this is actually improvement. I feel like people (DH included) think I'm some sort of a hypochondriac or just really really whiny. I have no idea how to counter this belief. I'm tired of pretending I've been cured, when I still feel bad a lot of the time. Heckfire- I'm just really really tired! Thanks for reading, guys! I really appreciate it.

Get a doctor's note- they should be glad to give you one- and carry it with you all the time, with copies made to hand to the ticket counter people, security people, and flight attendants on all connections. Have your dr. list your fluid requirements and that you could pass out at any time. Tell the airline as soon as you arrive at the ticket counter, and you should be sheparded through the process. They don't want a lawsuit. : )

I get the sudden fatigue and nausea thing too (they seem to go togather). I normally end up trying to sleep through it because, well, there's nothing else that can be done. Sometimes it almost seems more like pre-syncope then just fatigue- I get the vision blurry to gray thing, and it's like my limbs get so heavy that standing is impossible. And oftentimes if I try to stand through it, I will faint (though I don't do it often). It's a weird combo of dizziness and tiredness that just slams me. It's almost always worse in the morning, but there's not a particular trigger for it. I eat the same breakfast and snacks at the same time everyday, so it's not blood sugar (though being hungry will make it worse- it's just that not being hungry won't make it better). and speaking of, I'm off to take a nap.

I've been taking atenol for a week now- just started off a 1/2 pill. DH says I was def. meaner the first few days, but it seems like that's worn off and all I am is fatigued CONSTANTLY. All I am focusing on all day right now is how quickly I can take my next nap. It's way worse then normal- before, I would want to do things, and I had to be careful about not overloading, but I could, with some planning, manage my day well. Now I don't even want to do anything. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow and the idea of having to go after work to find a card and bag for the present just sounds like waaay too much work when I just want to sleep!

I'm flying to DC next week for work and am actually just coordinating with my docs (MVP/Autonomic Disorders Clinic in B'ham, AL) about what a letter to the airline needs to say. One thing they're writing is that I need lots of fluid throughout the flight, since you now have to ask them for it and can't just bring a bottle on yourself anymore. Also, I'm planning on calling the airline and faxing a copy of the letter to them ahead of time so they'll be forewarned about the fluid, possible fainting if I'm in line too long, etc. I'd say anybody who's flying now (or even possibly just going to be in a strange city, particularly if you'll be by yourself) needs to get a letter. For one, you'll get the help you need. But also, if you start acting 'strange,' you want proof it's medical and not just craziness.

So I'm back! Ended up crashing at DH's hotel (also in B'ham) right after tests before I drove back, so that was helpful. Have only good things to say about MVP/Dysautomnia clinic and Dr. Moore- First of all, their TTT is not nearly as bad as some of the ones described on here- no I.V., and fairly short. They told me that "we don't need to see you pass out to know that you could- we're not in the game of trying to see how sick we can get you." They look to see if you start the reaction and how severe it is at the beginning, but don't make you stand there for the ultimate conclusion of you passing out. So that was nice. The stress test sucked, but the nurse was very positive and encouraging throughout it. Basically, everybody was just very accomadating and- for the first time ever at a Dr.- kept asking me if I was dizzy, if I needed water, if I needed to sit down, etc., etc. Just sort of felt 'taken care of.' Plus, everything I said- about blurry vision, about fatigue, etc., etc., they were like 'yep, that's normal.' Had a "classic" response to both the TTT and stress test. Also had a refocused Echo- said I did have mild MVP. What I thought was a little odd was that she said it was part and parcel of the POTS thing (that's not the odd part)- and that if I drank enough fluid, it would probably not show up at all. Something to do with volume of tissues and volume of blood being positively influenced by the hydration so that the valve fit more tightly? Anybody here ever heard about it? They also prescribed a beta blocker (woo-hoo- start it tonight) and gave me a diet they've made up based on sort of a zone/south beach theme- the idea being that you balance proteins, fats, and carbs in a 30/30/40 ratio, focusing on what's good for you in all those areas.

Also had good news this week- have won doctoral scholarship for 3 years at Oxford- I will now be Dr Persephone! So excited- the first person to write a thesis on Scottish dreams. I could burst! THAT'S FABU!!! CONGRATS!

Hope you feel better! Am praying for you! Heck- Am praying for all of us!

Hey all- So I've had a crap day today- just got to work a few minutes ago because I couldn't get out of bed this morning and then got sick in the shower, meaning that I spent another 30 minutes on the bathroom floor. (The cat was worried for about a second, then just decided that if that was where I wanted to sleep, fine- so he laid down next to me and purred, which helped). Anyways, I'm going to Dr. Moore in the Autonomic/MVP disorders clinic tommorrow in B'ham (who several of you have told me good things about). I have seriously mixed feelings about this: 1) What if I'm not sick enough tomorrow and the TTT comes back not good enough? The Dr. who diagnosed me was an RE acting on the strength of just several BP readings and an echo that showed my heart rate jumping around- but now that I'm going to a specialist, I'm afraid my body will behave for once and they'll think I'm insane. 2) What if I'm really sick? How the heck am I going to drive from Montgomery to Birmingham (DH being at a conference)? 3) I'm just tired of this crap with drs, meds, etc. (I know, I know- we all are), and have long ago started to doubt that anybody can actually give me an answer (as opposed to just ordering more tests and referring me somewhere else). I'll let ya'll know how the appointment goes...maybe this will be the one! (Note- you all ever get the feeling that dr. visits are turning into more of blind dates?)