llp479

Have you tried contacting the manufacturer and seeing if they will help you? I'm in healthcare and many of the drug companies have programs to help people get the meds when their insurance won't pay for them, or because they no longer have healthcare benefits.

ReliefBand is a watch like device that emits a small shock. It works great! I used it when we cruised, and use it anytime I feel nauseas. I wish I had had one when I was pregnant. They are about $80 and are available from numerous web sites.

Have you ever tried putting ice on the back of your neck? This was suggested to me by my EP and it has helped me significantly. I even carry one of those snap ice packs in my car in case it happens while driving.

I take 10mg of Zyrtec at night before bed daily. The regular Zyrtec is fine, but the Zyrtec-D contains pseudophed which as we all know send the heart and BP into overdrive Keep in mind, most antihistamines need to be taken for at least 5 consecutive days before you see any real improvement.

The pain may be caused by your lymph nodes swelling as a reaction to the deodorant. I have many problems with lymph node swelling under my right arm. I have had some lymph nodes removed from my left, so for some reason they don't swell. I've found that taking an anti-inflamatory, like Motrin, or applying heat seems to help. Know what you mean about the pain, sometimes it is horrific. However, I can't find a link as to what causes them to swell. My MD says as long as they go back down, not to worry.

I'm a health care consultant and the most important thing under HIPAA is to have CONTINUOUS coverage. Insurance carriers cannot invoke a pre-existing clause if you have had contiunous coverage and are applying under group coverage through an employer. If you have not had continuous coverage, under a group policy they have to insure you, but can refuse to pay for a pre-existing condition for one year. If you are applying as an individual, they can refuse to insure you, and believe me they do. My mother was denied because she had been recently diagnosed with slightly elevated BP. They told her to apply one year after she had been diagnosed, and could prove she had had no ill effects from the diagnosis.

1. Laura 2. 41 3. POTS 4. 39 5. Northern IL 6. Tachycardia, high BP, shortness of breath, IBS, lymph node swelling, chest pain 7. Vertigo, lymph node pain and swelling, IBS, episodes of tachycardia, chest pain 8. BETA BLOCKERS - almost killed me - literally! 9. Micardis 40 mg for BP - cold pack on back of neck helps to lower HR, 32 - 64 oz of water daily, Immodium and Prevacid as needed. I have found great comfort in having a diagnosis. Instead of freaking out about some strange symptom, I chalk it up to POTS and keep going. I refuse to let this thing get the best of me!

I have high BP with POTS. My EP, Marcie Berger, is out of Milwaukee and she is very knowledgable when it come to the disease. High BP can cause headaches, and in some cases shortness of breath. Good luck to you!

Have you tried putting an ice pack on the back of your neck? This helps me when things are really bad. I even keep one of those "snap" ice packs in the car in case something happens while driving. Another thing that helps is singing. Sounds crazy, I know, but it has to do with how you breath while you sing. My EP suggested this, and darned if it doesn't help. I know how tough it is to hang in there when you feel lousy. I've got three kids, 10, 10, and 7, and some mornings getting everyone out the door and me to work is enough to put me over the edge. So, I slap an ice pack on my neck, and sing my heart out on the way to work! Hang in there!

Elevators, air planes, cars, you name it. Anything with motion gives me vertigo. Some days are worse than others. I've found putting something cold on the back of my neck seems to help. I keep one of those snap ice packs in my car just in case it gets too bad.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll see what happens. I took it once a very long time ago, and had no adverse reaction, but that was in my pre-POTS life.

I've recently started having migraines again. Was at the MD yesterday and he rather reluctantly gave me a sample of Imitrex to try. To quote - "Not sure how your body will react to this". A reasuring statement don't you think? I've taken Fiorinal in the past, but with the caffeine in it I'm reluctant to start it again. I eliminated all caffeine from my diet two years ago when I was diagnosed with POTS. Has any one ever taken this or what do you take? Any side effecs? By the way, I reacted quite severly to beta blockers. MD advised me never to take them again or I could die. TIA Laura

I've had high BP from the start of all of this. I take 40 mgs of Micardis to keep it under control. My EP said it is caused by the POTS. Beta blockers made it worse, and midodrine sent it through the roof!

It may be the removal of the beta blocker. Keep in mind they treat high BP with beta blockers. My BP is all over as well, however usually on the high end. I actually take Micardis to keep in under control.

Me too! "Normal" for me is around 97.6F. When it gets to around 99 I'm feeling really crummy.

You can get guaf. 12 hour tabs now without prescription - saw them at Walgreens, but they were $$. There is a liquid that last 4 hours that's $4-5 a bottle. That's what I give my kids.

I didn't pass out until the end of the test when they added the meds. Prior to that my bp increased to 160/98 and that was on meds for high BP. My HR soared to 154. My bp dropped when my HR went above 160, that's when I passed out. I remember telling them I was going to faint, them saying they were going to stop everything, beginning to lay me down, and that's it. Came to shaking uncontrollably and with a violent headache. Doctors are not the "supreme being". If you don't like what you're being told, find another. I just got names for more internal med docs from my GYN yeasterday because the current internal med guy doesn't listen to me, and doesn't understand POTS. Good luck!

I have had more sinus infections than I care to count. Finally went for two years without one until last month. I take guifenissen(SP?) twice daily to keep the mucous thin and draining. Also, my ENT told me that when your sinuses are infected or inflamed, decongestants, such as Sudaphed are the worst thing you can take because they make the mucous thicker, and therefore harder to drain and get out of your head. Saline nose sprays can help because they shrink the membranes. Ethansmom's suggestion of steam is a good one and if you add salt to the water that makes it even better. At this point, it's probably a safe bet that your sinuses are infected and you need antibiotics. In my case, it was 14 days of Tequin, and took up until day 11 before I felt better. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

As someone who does healthcare collections for a living, ask them if you can fill out a financial hardhship form. This is a relatively standard form that shows your income, and all your expenses. Many times they also ask for a copy of your tax returns to verify the information provided, and run a credit check. Also, check out your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices law. There are certain things that they can and cannot do. To be fair to them, if they don't make an attempt to collect from you your co-pays, deductibles, etc., the insurance carrier can make them repay any monies paid on your behalf. If it's any type of governemnt payer, Medicare, Mediciad, Champus, then they can be fined and in some cases jailed. We deal in large balance accounts and our clients routinely put people on payment plans, or even waive balances when it is proven that the patient is unable to pay. Good luck to you both. I got into a fight with my MD's office's billing service over $5 just because I knew they were wrong and I was right! In the end, they wrote it off.

My EP said that my elevated BP was due to POTS. I couldn't tolerate the beta blokers. They actually made my symptoms worse, and the EP told me to tell people I'm allergic to them as she thinks a large dose could kill me. I take Micardis to control my BP. My systolic is always elevated, while my diostolic rarely goes above 80 even without meds. On the Micardis, my BP in the AM is 120/80, and by the PM is as low as 90/52. My HR starts the day in the 120's and by day's end is in the mid 80's. I know how scary it is when you see you BP so elevated. While on the betas mine was as high as 160/100 - YIKES! That's when I finally called my EP and told her I was discontinuing the 6.5mg of Toprol, and please write the RX for the Micardis.

I don't lift weights like body builders, just 10 pounds or so to keep my arms and back in shape. Nothing I do would qualify as a true "aerobic" workout. I keep track of my pulse, and when it starts zooming, I slow down, or stop. As long as I do this, I don't seem to be symptomatic. I also started out slowly, adding more minutes and activities weekly. First week I only walked maybe a half mile. Next week added another 1/2, etc. Heck, who needs an aerobics class when I can get my pulse rate up to 120 just by getting up in the morning and taking a shower - LOL!

I leisurely walk, bike and lift weights. I was swimming for a while, and didn't have any issues with the POTS. Anything that's designed to increase the heart rate is obviously out - LOL!

I am actually on meds for high BP. In diagnosing the POTS they did an echo cardiogram that showed my heart wall had been slightly thickened by the high BP. I too range all over the board in both BP and HR. AM's are obviously the worst, with my pulse in the 110's, and my BP on meds at 120/80. By late afternoon, my pulse has dropped usually into the 80's, and my BP can go as low as 90/56. My EP told me that I didn't have high BP, it was part of the POTS.